Date Night at the Bravern in Bellevue

November 11, 2018

Date Night at the Bravern in Bellevue

We had high expectations for our latest date night. Our plans included checking out the new Dolar Shop located inside the Bravern in Bellevue. But our plans were folded once we discovered the very long line outside. This hot pot restaurant sounded so fun and we were a little disappointed, but we still had to eat.

We headed over to John Howie Steak and grabbed the last table in the bar for happy hour. Their menu seemed to have changed since our last visit and the prices were higher. We each started with a cocktail. My husband had a Sidecar and I had a Cosmo. Then we shared two appetizers from the happy hour menu. We ordered the Seven Flavor Prime Tenderloin Bites and the Cheese Flatbread with Lemon and Truffle. Our drinks were on the small side and not very strong. But our tenderloin bites and pizza were spot on flavor wise. The tenderloin bites were so tender and juicy and the pizza was nice and cheesy. The pizza had some red chili sprinkled on top that woke up my taste buds, too.

For the second part of our night out, we wanted to visit The Sugar Factory's Chocolate Lounge, which is located next to The Sugar Factory restaurant, and luckily enough, right next to John Howie Steak. They didn't open until 6 pm, and we were finishing happy hour around 6:30, so when we entered the dark lounge, there were still some good tables open.

The reason I wanted to check out the Chocolate Lounge was for the chocolate martinis. And they didn't disappoint. I decided to try two. They were pricey and not very strong, but they were beautiful and very Instagram worthy. Most importantly, both the drinks I tried were really yummy. The first drink I had was the S'mores one. They didn't hold back on the roasted marshmallows on top of the drink, and that made me very happy. The drink had a graham cracker rim with chocolate syrup. Then the drink itself was really rich, smooth and chocolaty. The marshmallows on top were a real treat and I polished them all off along with the drink.

Then I ordered a Raspberry Sin. The cocktail had raspberry and chocolate, but I have no idea what kind of liquor was in it. All I know is that it tasted delicious and very sinful, indeed. Then it was topped with a "cloud" of whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and raspberry candies. My husband didn't want a sweet or fancy drink, so he ordered a Coors Light beer. He was a good sport though and tried my drinks. The service was pretty spotty at times with the server forgetting things and us having to wait a while to order drinks. The lounge is dark and had a cool vibe though, and the pretty cocktails were worth checking out at least once.