MILL CREEK, Wash., February 8,2023—The San Diego-born open-flame steakhouse, Rare Society, opens its fourth location in Mill Creek today, February 8, the first location outside California, featuring a menu of Santa Maria-style grilled meats inspired by vintage Las Vegas steakhouses. Mill Creek is first of an estimated 15 locations opening throughout the U.S. over the next five years by Trust Restaurant Group.
“Bringing Rare Society outside of California was always a dream of mine. I fell in love with the Central Coast and its Santa Maria-style grilling, and Rare Society takes inspiration from the region’s cooking techniques,” wrote Chef Brad Wise, Chef and Owner of Rare Society in a statement to the Lynnwood Times. “Somehow this dream is coming true and here we are. We look forward to welcoming locals, who will find the menu unique and exciting… It’s my hope that Rare Society provides residents and visitors alike with a place to gather and build community around the table — the core founding principle of our restaurant group.”
Wise’s menu includes dry-aged ribeyes, Snake River Farms American Wagyu, classic filet mignon, and Santa Maria-style trip-tip live-fire grilled using locally-sourced American Oak and showcased in an open exhibition-style kitchen. Second to these spotlighted meats are sustainably-sourced seafoods such as Oysters Rockefeller, shrimp cocktail, seafood towers with house made sauces and paired with cocktails and fine wines. All of the steakhouse’s dry-aged cuts, which are aged in-house per Chef Wise’s specifications, are displayed in stainless steel meat cabinets.
Patrons also have the option of ordering signature meat boards in one of two options, the Executive and the Associate, which offer family-style selection of cuts, which the Chef determines nightly, on a custom-designed, mahogany Lazy Susan.
“The shareable platters showcase a variety of the restaurant’s 30-40 day dry-aged steaks, as well as a selection of the kitchen’s favorite prime cuts. The boards are served with a variety of house made sauces such as bearnaise, horseradish and Chef Wise’s signature Santa Maria-style salsa,” said a Trust Restaurant spokesperson.
At the heart of the cocktail menu, which pays homage to steakhouse cocktails classics, are American whiskeys and bourbons including the restaurant’s signature Rare Old Fashioned, which uses dry-aged fat-washed bourbon, rosemary oleo, bitters and a lardo garnish adding a subtle element of meat to its profile. In addition to this are several cocktails inspired by the Pacific Northwest, to pay tribute to its latest addition, and a list of Old World and New World wines (including several Washington wines).
The 3,800-square-foot space, designed by GTC Design, can seat up to 130 guests, first greeted by a 14-foot custom fireplace and wine display as they walk through the doors. Fashioned after the infamous retro steakhouses that once cluttered the Las Vegas strip, the restaurant’s aesthetic uses classic vintage gold, various blacks, and tufted leathers with accents of forest green to pay tribute to the Pacific Northwest. A string of lights illuminate the dining space and full-display kitchen allowing guests to be close-and-personal with the action. The space will also offer outdoor dining on an attached patio open during warmer weather.
“Together, the design elements create the elevated and old-world Vegas motif while also respecting the beauty of the Seattle suburbs,” Trust Restaurant wrote. “Inside the space, white marble, tufted leather booths, and a gold paneled ceiling invoke the lore of Rat Pack gatherings and raucous Sinatra dinner parties.”
Trust Restaurant Group is a San Diego-based hospitality collective helmed by Chef Wise that includes five distinct brands which run the gamut from fine dining to a butcher shop to an ice cream window. Numerous accolades, including both a Michelin Plate Award and Condé Nast Traveler nod, have cemented its status as one of the premier culinary groups operating in Southern California today.
Rare Society is located at 13223 39th Ave. SE in Mill Creek. The restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday from 5:00 p.m. until close. Happy Hour will later this month and will be from 3 – 5 p.m. at the bar. They are currently accepting reservations. More information can be found at raresociety.com or @raresocietysteakhouse.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
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