Steak-and-seafood restaurant The Mantel now open

Bonney Lake residents have needed a finer dining restaurant for at least half a decade.

Now it has one, although this might seem like a broken record for longtime residents.

In 2009, upscale-leaning Andre’s Bar and Grill and Zato Grill opened. Both pushed toward refined cuisine with mixed results and both exited fairly quickly; replaced by restaurants in the opposite direction — sandwich-and-brew joint Midtown Grill (which closed in December) and Buttered Biscuit Too, a down-home diner with terrific chicken fried steak.

That’s been the dining legacy of Bonney Lake: a whole lot of fast food, a sprinkling of Southeast Asian and Mexican eats, diner fare and a plethora of burgers and brew.

Enter The Mantel, which opened Feb. 17 at the new Trilogy at Tehaleh residential development, inside the private Seven Summits Lodge owned by the development (more on the “private” club aspect in a moment).

The lunch-and-dinner restaurant opened with a succinct one-page menu of steak, seafood, pasta, sandwiches and pizzas. Another one-page menu lists Washington state spirits, South Sound brew and Northwest wines.

The restaurant’s name comes with the too-precious tagline of “Culinary Ascent.” Just ignore that and pay attention to this if you’re an East Pierce resident: This restaurant won’t break your wallet, despite listing what look to be premium ingredients.

This paper’s policy is to withhold criticism of a restaurant’s food and service until after the first month, which is why I’m focusing on descriptions and menu concept here.

The menu lists New York steak frites au poivre and grilled salmon with risotto and pesto, both for a price I don’t see often for those dishes —$19. It’s too early to say whether the restaurant’s execution will match or transcend that price tag, but I appreciate the pricing nevertheless.

Sandwiches are $11-$13. I spied a burger ($12) built from ground chuck, brisket and short rib on brioche. A prime rib dip and club sandwich also are listed. Pizzas, $11-$14, came with ingredients I like on my pies, including capicola, prosciutto and fresh mozzarella.

From the pasta menu, there’s lobster mac and cheese ($19) and basil chicken pasta ($14); and also fish and chips ($13) and shepherd’s pie ($14).

Add to that attractively priced menu a handsome, comfortable dining room that’s welcoming to families with kids.

Push open the oversized glass doors to a warm entry flanked by a gas fireplace with cushy seating to the right and a tile-covered pizza oven and dine-in bar straight ahead. Comfy booths line the walls; those would be my choice for seating over the metal chairs wrapped around wood tables.

The dining room carries that typical Northwest rustic decor popular at the moment, with a wood-wrapped vaulted ceiling spilling pendant lighting into the middle of the room. A brick facade climbs one wall; distressed wood adorns another.

Newly hired chef Nathaniel Cooper, from California, intends to add, and subtract, from the menu over the next several weeks. What’s on the menu today might not be next month. He also has plans for chef-hosted dinners.

It takes effort to find The Mantel, located at the end of a meandering collection of streets deep in a residential area. I don’t recommend Tacomans make that long drive because Tacoma has several restaurants with the same mission of higher-quality fare with flexible pricing and handsome dining rooms (see: Boathouse 19, Art House Cafe, Social Bar and Grill, and Bite at Hotel Murano) Rather, this looks to be a promising restaurant for East Pierce residents who have been in need of what the Mantel is selling.

Stories are swirling that the restaurant will convert to a private club after the first year.

That is true, club manager April McCaa said.

Because of state liquor laws, “Private clubs can’t serve alcohol for the first year. You have to be open to the public for a year,” McCaa said.

The restaurant might be considering private conversion, she said, but that won’t mean only club members/residents of the development will be able to dine there. She described a potential dining club program open to the public where a diner would pay “a nominal fee” for a membership allowing entry.

The details, she said, are still being discussed, but until a conversion happens, anyone can dine at The Mantel.

This story was originally published February 24, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Steak-and-seafood restaurant The Mantel now open."