Uptown Sandwiches Downtown -- Briazz Is Halfway Between Upper-End Fast Food And The Venerable New York Self-Service Automats

Mar 3, 1996

John Hinterberger

BRIAZZ, A RECENT URBANE fixture in the heart of midtown Seattle at Fifth Avenue and Union Street, opened last fall amid a kaleidoscope of multicolored bottled juices, stacked and wrapped sandwiches, packaged salads and stainless-steel tables.

Handsome, efficient and briskly self-assured, it billed itself as "a sandwich cafe."

Seattle has had quality custom "gourmet" sandwich shops before (Beba's, for example) where regulars lined up for a 5- or 10-minute wait while towering sandwiches were assembled, hustled off to a waiting cash register and an attendant wedge of pickle.

But Briazz was different in that its powerhouse sandwiches were pre-made (although impeccably fresh) and lined up in a cold case - supermarket fashion - while a half-dozen server-cashiers waited to pour soup or beverages behind six cash registers. You could literally get in and out of Briazz in 30 seconds - or grab a table and a newspaper and hang out for a leisurely breakfast or lunch (Briazz doesn't serve dinners; it closes at 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and at 5 p.m. Sundays).

The concept was halfway between upper-end fast food ($3 to $5 an item) and the venerable New York self-service Automats. It's a concept we can expect to see expanded. It's appealing, fills a real need for downtown office workers and shoppers, and has considerable appeal, both in a culinary and a social sense.

Victor Alhadeff (founder of Egghead Software) is the innovator and entrepreneurial force behind Briazz.

"There is an abundance of fast food, deli food and, of course, sit-down restaurants," Alhadeff said. "What we felt was lacking was ready-made food that is truly exceptional. We developed a cafe that caters to the downtown crowd and features recipes that are unique and delicious, yet offers a fast solution for people on the go."

Not all of the recipes are all that unusual. A pastrami sandwich is a pastrami sandwich is a pastrami sandwich. But there are good ones, bad ones and indifferent ones. Briazz's are more than good. Alhadeff and his development team traveled throughout Europe to find food and service models - from the spacious food halls at Harrod's in London to neighborhood bistros in Rome and Paris.

When it came time to turn the project over to the creative specialists, he chose well. Architects Mesher Shing & Associates did the interior and exterior designs. Consulting chef and cookbook author Sharon Kramis, together with Mary Alhadeff (the wife of Victor's son, David), did the recipe developments.

Tim Girvin Design of Seattle did the graphics, logos, etc. Briazz has "first of zillions" written all over it.

Aside from corporate design and Alhadeff's mass-market designs, however, it's clear the food concepts came first, and the two women who brought them together could not have been better picked - or better trained.

Kramis is a hidden local genius, a behind-the-scenes creator of restaurant items that go back over the years - from spicy meatloafs to exquisite chocolate cakes that went onto dozens of Seattle menus. She is accomplished, appreciated but uncredited. She studied with James Beard from 1973 to '82, worked with Sunset Magazine and authored two cookbooks - the latest was "Berries," published last year by Harper Collins.

Mary Alhadeff trained at the London Cordon Bleu between 1990 and '93 and worked at Campagne and Fran's Chocolates in addition to private catering. She did most of Briazz' R&D in Europe.

I first wandered into the sandwich cafe on a whim and walked out with a shopping bag filled with $35 worth of sandwiches, salads and one monumental muffin top (they're baked to have just tops; the bottoms somehow have disappeared) that was eaten before I got back to the car.

The first thing you notice is the quality of the breads. The basil-roasted focaccia comes from Seattle's Grand Central Bakery, as do the Grand Bolo rolls: square, chewy pillow-shaped rolls. The baguettes - loaded with fennel, poppy and sesame seeds - are baked by A la Francais. The dense, intense rye bread is from London's Bakehouse.

Some of the sandwiches are low-fat, such as the Firecracker Ham ($3.99; named for the jalapeno pepper and cheese-laced wheat bread that encloses it), with Black Forest ham, havarti cheese, green leaf lettuce and yellow pepper rings. Or the Roma ($4.99), a vegetarian sandwich with sliced Roma tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil leaves, pesto-mayo and a drizzle of balsamic dressing on a Grand Bolo roll.

Several of us cooed over the Roast Beef Palouse ($3.99), about an inch-thick pile of sliced rare beef with red-pepper rings, lettuce and horseradish served in a Palouse potato bread. Also made with the potato bread is the Traditional Tuna ($2.99), albacore tuna mixed with capers and red onion, tomato slices and green-leaf lettuce.

Probably the most elaborate was the Poor Girl ($4.99), a rich mix of Genoa salami, provolone cheese, Black Forest ham, pepperoncini (mild-piquant Italian pickled green peppers), lettuce and Roma tomatoes dressed with a lemon-caper aioli on a Bolo roll.

Their most popular sandwich? "Probably the Roasted Veggie," Alhadeff said. It's constructed with roasted zucchini, eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, a chevre cream cheese-pesto spread, a balsamic vinaigrette and mixed field greens ($3.99).

The Turkey Wedge ($4.99) was more than we could finish in one setting: roast turkey slices with havarti, lemon-caper aioli and peperonata between two thick slabs of herb-topped focaccia.

About 16 salads are available, most of them meal-sized, with side orders of couscous, Kashi, tuna, orzo and green salads available from $1.69 to $2.99. I particularly liked the Penne Tuna ($4.49, with pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and capers on a bed of mixed greens. A choice of eight dressings is available, three of them heart-healthy.

Breakfasts consist mainly of fresh-baked goods: pastries, muffins, cookies, etc., with yogurts and Starbucks coffees.

Expect Briazz to be the next Seattle name to go national. And soon.

John Hinterberger's restaurant and food columns appear in The Seattle Times in Sunday's Pacific Magazine and Thursday's Tempo. Benjamin Benschneider is a Times photographer.