Revolve True Food & Wine Bar

The best food you'll ever eat

When proprietor Dr. Dusty DuBois makes that statement, she's serious. On a couple of levels. And when you understand it, you'll be making your way to Bothell repeatedly.

On one level, it's delicious. Bacon-wrapped dates; steak bites with butter, garlic, chili flake; almond-battered fish and chips with pepperoncini tartar and cumin-ancho chili ketchup; Moroccan-spiced boneless chicken thighs. Flavorful. "I eat here a lot and I still make those guttural moaning sounds when I taste our food-it's that good. That's the way it should be," laughs Dusty.

On another level, it's actually good for you and the animals. "There are no compromises here," Dusty promises. "The first thing we give you is water. We call it Miracle Water because it's a miracle that it's so good for you and it's a miracle we ever got it installed. It's reverse osmosis and the process removes all contaminants, including fluoride. It can't be chilled, but that's not necessary. Ice cubes have fluoride in them. We offer bottled water if you want something chilled. Revolve is 100% grain free; it's more than just gluten free. No rice, no oats. Our bodies were not genetically designed to process grains. Since we have no grain in the kitchen, we're celiac safe. We serve beer which has gluten, but no food is prepped in the same area. All our meat is 100% grass fed and humanely raised and killed, there is no processed food, no refined or cane sugar, no GMO, no soy. It sounds like a bunch of no fun. But when you taste wild seafood, grass-fed steaks or burgers, organic eggs, local and seasonal and organic produce, it is fun." They go over their boundaries in some areas, like wine. "Most wines use sulfates and we like to avoid those, but there just aren't enough organic wineries to fill our needs."

If you watch your omega 3 and 6 intake, you'll be happy to know that the grass-fed beef is grass finished, no GMO corn involved. As you can imagine, food costs for this level of food can be astronomical and you might think you need a bank loan to eat here. You do not, and that's because they continually work to keep costs down since they opened September 25, 2016. They've added more steak and seafood options to scale down on high-prep items. Everything is made in-house: they grind their own spices and make their own condiments and sauces. "We can't take the chance on bringing something pre-made in if it contains something we consider a contaminant," says Dusty.

Photo: New York steak

The dining room and bar are inviting and warm with brick and wood. Dividers between booths hold wine bottles. Upstairs is a small mezzanine with 6-8 stools and a narrow counter, the perfect place for a cocktail or glass of wine and maybe a snack. Downstairs can be overflow dining or private parties. The space can be curtained off to offer two areas. They've done a few wine dinners with local wineries. The space holds 30 guests seated or 50 for reception-style events. A lot of attention to detail went into the design, colors, lighting for the restaurant. You feel it when you walk in. This summer, permitting gods willing, there will be sidewalk seating in front. "We're one of two restaurants in Bothell with daytime sun on the sidewalk, so we really want to offer that to guests. We'll put up some fun party lights and it will be great in the evening, too."

Dusty started Bothell Chiropractic & Wellness in December of 2008 and moved into The Main building in 2009. She was a tenant through several owner-bankruptcies. When she approached Washington Federal to build out, they suggested if she really wanted to do it, she should buy the building. Through many twists and turns, it began to happen. It was just that pesky problem of coming up with cold, hard cash. One day her mother, Eloise DuBois, said 'why don't you ever ask me for money? I can't think of a better investment than my daughter.' As a building owner, Dusty expanded her practice in unconventional and beautiful ways. She added her fitness room and weight loss program in the basement. She had trouble filling one space on the first floor. After another failed attempt, it occurred to her that she was the one who was supposed to fill the space with a restaurant that offered what she wanted to eat. Five years ago, she lost 70 pounds using the weight loss program she offers in her practice. Maintaining it is difficult when you can't find the right kind of healthy food. Through a patient, she connected to Arnold Shain's The Restaurant Group consulting firm and other industry professionals who helped hire staff, create menus, and design the space. Out went the basement fitness room and in went the private dining space. "I was going to call the space 'The Gym' so people could say 'this is the third time this week I've been to the gym,' but we decided against it."

Photo: Bacon wrapped dates

Now open over a year, the staff has stabilized (the chef, Adam Gerlitz, has been in the kitchen the whole time), and they added lunch, weekend brunch and happy hour in early 2017. "Our team is great. Everyone feels wonderful about there being a purpose to what we're doing, not just feeding people, but feeding them well." Now you know why a trip to Bothell is in your future.

Revolve True Food & Wine Bar
10024 Main Street
Bothell, WA 98011
425-287-6420

revolvefoodwine.com

Connie Adams/February 2018