PULLMAN -- If you didn’t already know, the longtime Pullman bistro, Swilly’s, is no more. Foundry Kitchen & Cocktails has taken it's place.
Two years ago Swilly’s relocated to a new location. The move came with a new owner, Mike Yates, who purchased the business and its name, according to the Moscow-Pullman Daily News. He changed the restaurant’s name and decor this spring, aiming for a “rustic, masculine feel”
and “more approachable” vibe, Yates told the newspaper.
On a rainy Tuesday in July, the rebranded eatery was packed. Casually dressed waitresses in long, striped canvas aprons delivered hearty and pretty meals stacked on wooden boards. The decor is modern/vintage Northwest. There’s a wooden church pew for seating. Antique steering wheels and half a windmill blade bedeck the walls.
The new menu boasts seasonal and regional comfort food.
From down the road at Ferdinand’s, Washington State University’s creamery, are Cheese Curds with a house dipping sauce ($8). Cougar Gold Cheese sauce coats the Wild Mushroom Poutine, hand-cut Idaho potatoes served with a wild mushroom demi-glace ($9).
The Steak Salad comes with Rogue Creamery Bleu Cheese from Oregon and char-grilled Palouse-raised strip steak ($15). An Idaho potato bun contains the Pulled Pork Sandwich ($12). The Tuna Melt specifies it’s Pacific tuna,
Among the main dishes, the 12-ounce Ribeye, served with bleu cheese butter and sweet garlic mashed potatoes ($26) is Washington grown as is the free-range Chicken Pot Pie with root vegetables and herb cream sauce ($14). Beyond meat and potatoes, there’s Jambalaya Pappardelle Pasta, roasted chicken, sausage, shrimp, bell peppers, pappardelle and Cajun cream ($18) and the grilled Portobello Burger ($12) smeared with a satisfying layer of red pepper hummus.
Cocktails ($7-$12) and desserts are also well-planned. In an ode to the Palouse’s most famous legume, nutty lentils speckle the triple layer Carrot Lentil Cake lathered with airy cream cheese frosting ($8). Tempting choices like Flourless Chocolate Torte ($6), Seasonal Crisp ($7) and Vegan Chocolate Mousse ($5) may lead one to surrender to the Dessert Sampler ($15).
Foundry Kitchen & Cocktails, 125 S.E. Spring St., Pullman, (509) 339-7727
