Steak, pork chops and bone marrow at new Puyallup cocktail bar

There once was a cocktail bar at the corner of Meridian and Main in Puyallup. It opened in late 2018 and closed shortly thereafter.

The new tenants, Laura and Ron Perry, have planned for a much longer future. A year after leasing the space at 105 S. Meridian, the couple soon will open Perry’s, a classic cocktail bar with food from Cory LaFranchi, the chef behind Street Eats Mobile Eatery.

After four years working in various kitchens, LaFranchi garnered a loyal following in two years of cooking globally-inspired street food in and around Puyallup.

Laura Perry followed his progress with the truck and at pop-up dinners, sensing he “has a voice,” she told The News Tribune. “I want to be the wind beneath his wings.”

She is also a longtime friend of his mother: The two women worked together at Salty’s at Redondo Beach, where years later, LaFranchi would take up his first restaurant job as a dishwasher. He was promoted to work the line and instantly “got that rush” of sweating in a kitchen.

But, said LaFranchi, “You really don’t find your identity when you’re in somebody else’s kitchen.”

Last spring, Perry invited the chef to lead the food program at her restaurant, giving him “carte blanche” to create an eclectic menu of what he defines as shareable New American cuisine.

Fans of Street Eats’ burger will want to try the one at Perry’s: a Big Mac crossed with Dick’s Drive-In (the Seattle mini-chain) with a stop at Frisko Freeze. As it happens, Ron Perry’s parents were engaged at the iconic Tacoma burger joint, and Ron proposed to Laura there, too.

“I wanted to create something that tied that memory,” said LaFranchi.

Mains will include a 16-ounce ribeye served with a rotating selection of compound butters and a double-cut pork chop brined in sweet tea, herbs and spices. Bone marrow and seasonal risotto also will be on the menu.

From charcuterie with house pickles to calamari with a vinaigrette spiked with gochujang, the spicy Korean chili paste, “it’s focusing on food and creating something new and exciting,” said LaFranchi.

Desserts will be playful — as in carbonated sugar (a.k.a. Pop Rocks) sprinkled on an olive oil cake with champagne-infused whipped cream and pickled berries.

“We just want people to laugh because food shouldn’t be that serious,” said LaFranchi. “We want people to enjoy the atmosphere, the food, and the cocktails are gonna be amazing.”

CLASSIC COCKTAILS & GOOD WINE

For Laura Perry, who has worked for area restaurants for more than 25 years, this venture completes a life dedicated to hospitality.

“We built the kind of place that we want to go to,” she told The News Tribune. (Though her husband is not involved in day-to-day operations, he has been very present throughout the buildout.) “We wanted to bring another layer to Puyallup, and honestly, we could not have found a better location. There’s so much synergy with other establishments.”

She noted the bar’s prime location in Puyallup’s main drag, steps from Flanagan’s, Crockett’s, Wicked Pie Pizza, Caskcades and Bourbon Street Creole Kitchen.

“People walk around from bar to bar on Friday and Saturday nights. It’s just going to be so fun for people to just do that,” she said.

At Perry’s, customers will experience “a nice, grown-up atmosphere where people feel cared for when they come in.” She describes the vibe as “sexy, mid-century modern,” and the décor — teals and leather, dark wood and gold accents — reflects that era. So will the cocktails.

Sticking with the classics and balanced house recipes, Perry’s also will encourage exploration. For instance, the Blood & Sand, with sweet vermouth, cherry Heering and orange juice, changed the owner’s mind about Scotch. Surely the bartenders will make you a Mojito or a French 75, but try the Old Cuban, a cross between the two shaken here with pineapple rum.

Chris Horn of Purple Cafe, an award-winning Washington wine bar with three locations, consulted on Perry’s wine menu of about 50 bottles.

The bar seats nine, but that feeling emanates throughout the space, with banquette seating along one wall opposite a few standalone tables.

PUYALLUP FOR FOODIES

The Perrys had long considered opening this restaurant, but “one thing or another kind of got in our way,” said Laura Perry, who currently operates a 10-year-old Honey Baked Ham franchise. She also ran her own catering company, Three Kicks, which one business partner eventually bought and then sold to Picasso Catering in Tacoma.

When the century-old building in downtown Puyallup became available, it just felt right.

“The Sound Sound is exploding right now,” said Perry. “So many people are migrating this way; there’s a lot of exciting things coming down the pike. You don’t have to go to Tacoma or Seattle to have a great experience. We want you to have it here. I just hope that Puyallup will continue to grow with its food scene.”

LaFranchi, for one, will sell his food truck (the vehicle, not the concept). The capital will help fund other projects, whether a Street Eats brick-and-mortar or another elegant restaurant in the area.

PERRY’S

▪ 105 S. Meridian, Suite A, Puyallup, no phone number yet

▪ Opening date: late February or early March