Eat All About It: Seoul Fusion opens, Burlesque Brew turns 10

Chin Han gets the question almost daily at her coffee shop, the Bookmark Cafe inside the Richland Public Library.

Where can I find kimchi?

Han, who is Korean, watched with interest as the national dish of Korea gained momentum in the Tri-Cities.

She turned to her sister, Min Himes, a Spokane restaurateur with 20 years of experience running Korean restaurants — come to the Tri-Cities, she pleaded.

People in the Tri-Cities want to try Korean food and are catching on to the reported health benefits of kimchi, a fermented cabbage dish, Han explained.

Her efforts paid off Monday, when Min Himes opened Seoul Fusion Korean Restaurant at 5011 W. Clearwater Ave., in the former New York Richie’s pizza restaurant. The sisters repainted the former pizza joint, but otherwise left the dining space unchanged.

“The food is the focus,” said Han, speaking for the new business.

Seoul Fusion closed early after running out of food its first day, but regular business hours are from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The restaurant has an active Facebook page as well.

Burlesque Brew turns 10

If Burlesque Brew were a person, it wouldn’t be old enough to enjoy its performance.

Kennewick’s corseted coffee house celebrates its 10th anniversary Friday with free drinks, specials and a chance for customers to take photos with its burlesque baristas.

Burlesque Brew is the brainchild of Tristin Rau, an Everett native who opened a less-racy version of the coffee house at 5303 W. Metaline Ave., near Kamiakin High School, in 2007.

Originally called Heaven On-the-Go, the business was about to become a casualty of the Great Recession when Rau, working a separate waitressing gig to pay the bills, caught wind of the “bikini barista” trend that began on the west side and gained traction in the Tri-Cities as several coffee stands used sexy attire to attract business.

Intrigued, she ran the idea past her mother, who said “no,” and the man who supplies her coffee. He too said no, counseling her, “this is a small town.”

Rau slept on it and decided to proceed. “My back was up against the wall. I didn’t want to close. I wanted to keep fighting,” she said.

She rejected the idea of bikini-clad baristas, though.

“I didn’t want to wear a bikini. I wanted a bit more clothing,” she said.

Burlesque Brew debuted with lingerie-clad baristas. Three years ago, she went full-sail into burlesque, including corsets and fishnet stockings. Baristas piece together their work wardrobes from Internet finds and refashioned vintage store finds.

Her target market was unquestionably male until she had another midnight epiphany: She wanted male and female customers.

She tightened the dress code and offered $1-off drinks to women. The strategy paid off. Today, 40 percent of her regular customers are female.

Success was not instant. A second location on Highway 395 failed. Wooing customers has been a slow process, but Rau said revenue has grown each year year.

As the business has stabilized, Rau said she’s contemplating expansion.

“I would love to have more locations,” she said.

This story was originally published March 21, 2017 at 1:54 PM with the headline "Eat All About It: Seoul Fusion opens, Burlesque Brew turns 10."