Brunch favorite has closed in Tacoma. Its replacement will serve lots of bubbly

One of Tacoma’s most popular brunch restaurants will be replaced by a champagne bar that vows to continue “fun and playful” weekend meals.

Gilman House, which Devil’s Reef owners Jason and Robyn Alexander introduced in 2020, served its final Sunday brunch July 30. The couple intends to resurrect the gin-focused cocktail program, with a tighter menu of small plates, later this year under the name Room 428 (also inspired by H.P. Lovecraft tales) in a smaller unit of the same building.

In the original Stadium District space at 12 N. Tacoma Ave., hand-built by Jason Alexander — a full-time carpenter before he became a bartender — two longtime friends will fashion The Powder Room Champagne Bar.

“We just have a massive love for champagne,” said Kia Smith, who also owns South Sound Lashes.

For more than a decade prior to becoming an esthetician, she ran a public relations company that worked primarily with restaurants and hotels. Her business partner, Cameron Gilmore, has managed Image Studio of Dance in Fircrest since the early 2010s; she has experience in the hospitality industry, including several years as a training manager for Duke’s Seafood.

While The Powder Room will have a full bar with beer, wine and spirits, the focus will be on sparkling wine: “Everything from your super affordable $9 glass of bubbles, all the way up to the highest-end bottles,” explained Smith, the latter of which she said will arrive with sparklers.

“We just want it to be cheeky and fun, and not super stuffy or serious,” she added.

Cocktails will often feature bubbles, too, including of course a French 75, the quintessential champagne cocktail with gin and lemon.

During the week, they plan to offer light bites like salads, charcuterie, olives and edamame. The menu also will feature sparkling-friendly snacks such as chips with caviar and dolled-up popcorn. On weekends, it will be all about brunch. Because they are assuming Gilman House’s permits — “and also because it’s amazing,” said Smith — the menu will start off similarly and gradually evolve.

“Why change something that’s working and that people love?” she said.

GILMAN HOUSE TO BECOME ROOM 428

The Alexanders’ bar had, somewhat accidentally, blossomed into a brunch destination, with customers sometimes lining up before the doors opened at 11 a.m. for homemade cinnamon rolls and biscuits, Nicoise salad and veggie hash. A majority of the menu, both for day and dinner, was vegetarian.

Intended as a showcase for gin from around the world, plus cocktails with both citrus-forward refreshers and boozy sippers, “It ended up taking off more as a restaurant than a bar,” admitted Jason. The challenges of operating amid the erratic past three years brought unforeseen challenges, and the cost of putting out good food — in terms of ingredients and labor — was difficult to sustain.

Now they have the opportunity to pursue the original Gilman House idea in a smaller footprint. Through the entrance just south of the copper door, Jason had walled off a space when building the bar in 2020. A local construction company has been using it as a temporary office; pending construction, Room 428 will open before the end of the year.

“The focus is going to go back to being a cocktail bar, which is what it was always meant to be,” he said, noting they will share the kitchen with the champagne bar but have their own short-and-sweet menu.

The consolidation also frees up time and energy for their tiki and rum hotspot. Devil’s Reef is consistently busy, said Jason, adding they will bring back Wednesday hours for the first time since “pre-calamity.” He’s also eager to begin offering a series of educational rum tasting classes, starting with Rum 101.

THE POWDER ROOM TIMELINE

Smith anticipates The Powder Room will be ready for its close-up by early fall. Her team will be painting the walls and bar in shades of navy, emerald green and dark magenta and changing the decor. She highlighted a floral mural, a neon sign behind the bar, “big, heavy black velvet curtains” and “a huge feather chandelier.”

They are working with a local chef and bartender on the food and drink menus, which will attend to the bar’s goal of being “where you start and not end,” according to Smith. One major brunch update that she’s particularly excited about is a prix-fixe option with your choice of main plus a selection of shareable plates for the table, like cinnamon buns and biscuits.

“While I want it to be really fun and Vegas vibes, I also still want it to be Tacoma,” said Smith, who has lived in the area for more than 25 years. Noting the possibility of a DJ, she added, “It’s going to be more lively of a brunch. We want it to be an experience.”

Another bubbles bar, The Blue Octopus, lasted only a year in Proctor, though the owner had intended to sell before the building owner opted to convert the unit into offices. There are several, all fairly new, champagne bars in Seattle, as well as one in Kirkland. Tacoma, meanwhile, has welcomed an influx of wine bars and winery tasting rooms in recent years, but none that specialize in sparkling.

THE POWDER ROOM CHAMPAGNE BAR

▪ 12 N. Tacoma Ave., Tacoma, thepowderroomchampagnebar.com

▪ Details: small plates and lively weekend brunch with bar specializing in sparkling wine; opening Sept. 29

ROOM 428 (FORMERLY GILMAN HOUSE)

▪ 12 N. Tacoma Ave. (enter through south door)

▪ Details: gin-focused cocktail bar from couple behind Devil’s Reef and the late Gilman House; target opening late fall

DEVIL’S REEF

▪ 706 Court C (Opera Alley), Tacoma, instagram.com/devils_reef

▪ Thursday 5-10 p.m., Friday-Saturday 5 p.m.-midnight; Wednesday hours coming soon

This story was originally published August 8, 2023 at 10:00 AM.