Not just a special occasion restaurant

CRESCENT BAR — A Wenatchee Valley couple hopes to make their restaurant first in residents' minds when they think about dinner.

The Sunfire Grill opened in Crescent Bar, at 23572 Sunserra Loop N.W., on May 3.

Karl Winchester and his wife of 18 years, Dori, a Cashmere native, have lived in the Wenatchee Valley since 1993, where they remain and commute.

The restaurant was originally conceived by the developers of the Sunserra Resort.

"It was their goal to have a fine dining restaurant in here," Karl said. "I came in as the leasee last year and started working on putting it together. They put a great deal of effort into building a really beautiful building, and it's set to take advantage of the views down the Columbia Valley, which both indoor and outdoor seating get to enjoy."

He had been working as food and beverage director at another resort, when the company he was working for experienced what he called financial upheaval.

"In trying to secure my future and networking through the various food vendors and so forth, I found out these folks were looking for a food service professional to come in and take over this lease," he said.

Dori encouraged her husband to make the move.

"We'd been working for other people for so long, putting the hours in, we decided it was time to do it for ourselves," she said.

The work is similar to managing a restaurant, since Karl was responsible for all food and beverage activities at his former place of employment.

"There's more involved in being a business owner than there is in being a manager for somebody else who's signing your paycheck," Karl said with a laugh.

The restaurant is designed as a steak, seafood and pasta restaurant.

"I don't want to be tagged as a Southwestern restaurant, but some of the items — I like working with chili peppers," Karl said with a laugh. "I would call it a casual fine dining offering."

The recipes and sauces and the like have all been made from scratch.

The business includes a full bar and a wine list with many area wines.

Response has been positive, garnering good comments from those customers who have come in.

"We've been steady with business and we've had some spikes," he said. Karl noted he was anticipating increased patronage as the vacation season kicks into gear.

The Winchesters estimated they employ 15 to 20 people, with Dori noting they are looking for more.

"We've been steady and good with the steady, but we know it's going to get really busy and we're going to need more people," she said.

Karl said he would like to see the restaurant go "everywhere up," while Dori said the couple has made an effort to keep prices down to allow the business to remain open year-round.

"We don't want to be just a seasonal place which shuts down the doors come the first snow," Karl agreed. "We want to be here for the Quincy area in the long run."

Whether the business stays year-round depends heavily upon the kind of traffic the establishment receives, Karl said.

"We're already creating a regular clientele, and it's just fun to meet those folks and get to know them," he said. "That's always the fun part of the restaurant industry, is getting to know your clientele."

The restaurant is closed Tuesdays, and open Wednesday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, closing at 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, although the Winchesters plan to remain open on extremely busy nights.

Reservations are encouraged, Dori said, noting much of the seating is outside. Call 509-787-1524 for more information, or access the Web site, www.thesunfiregrill.com.

"We want (customers) to think it's not just a special occasion restaurant," she said. "It's restaurant with good food, good atmosphere, not just, 'Oh, let's take our special anniversary dinner there.' Hopefully it's a place which becomes first on the mind when people think about going out to eat."