University Place is about to get a little more spirited with a new neighborhood bar and restaurant.
Rik Filion and his wife, Malaty Lim, are teaming up with friends Bill and Michelle Baerg to launch Salted Rim Bar & Kitchen.
Filion and Lim ran Thirsty Hound Drinkery, also in University Place, before selling it during Lim’s cancer battle.
“A new treatment has stabilized her cancer and brought new hope…plus Malaty realized she’s not ready for retirement. She doesn’t want cancer to dictate her life, and wants to move forward living life her way. She misses working, misses the bar/restaurant industry, misses you guys!” Filion said via the website.
He continued, “We realized we couldn’t do it alone this time, and needed someone to ease the demands of being a small bar owner. In particular, a partner with like-minded vision and values. Thankfully, we met and became friends with Bill & Michelle Baerg through our first bar.”
Michelle brings more than 30 years of experience in business, retail and customer service, including running a small business in Firecrest. She and Bill, who enjoy nights out at bars, often dreamed of owning their own, while Filion and Lim were eager to return to the neighborhood scene. Now, the group is turning their shared dream into reality with the new spot, according to the restaurant’s website.
The menu will spotlight shareable bites, including fries served three ways, Vietnamese-style pok pok wings, beef Wellington bites with creamy horseradish and Mexican street corn jalapeño poppers.
Seafood options feature a colossal shrimp cocktail, ceviche with salmon and scallops and Oysters Rockefeller. Entrees highlight a brisket grilled cheese, a burger topped with bacon and a fried egg, a Cajun shrimp and andouille boil, Hawaiian fried rice with spam and pineapple, and steamed bao pork belly sliders.
The team is experimenting with cocktails using a variety of name-brand spirits. The bar recently received a liquor license and will serve beer, wine and spirits—some with salted rims, of course. Standout drinks include the Mrs. Harvey, made with gin, lemon juice and rhubarb jam topped with prosecco, and a spiced rum old-fashioned featuring Black Kraken spiced rum, Salted Rim in-house demerara syrup, orange and Angostura bitters and an orange twist.
The bar has not announced an official opening date, but the team said via social media they are close to opening and just need to “work out the details and decor, plus some final work in the kitchen.”
For updates, visit the restaurant’s website and follow along on Facebook and Instagram.
