Two Twelve On Central Bistro & Bar

I think we came on an off day - it was someone who works there's birthday so his family/friends were all on one side of the room and there were decorations. We went for happy hour and it was kind of a mixed bag, but on the better side :) The layout is kind of weird - it's really open with the bar and a couple tables on one side of a wall full of archways, and tables on the other side. Lots of light, which we weren't expecting. Not very cozy, but it was nice in there. Probably a completely different feeling at night - we'll have to give it a shot later in the day sometime.

We walked in a little confused. Didn't know if we should seat ourselves, or wait..? A few people just looked at us. A guy sitting at the bar actually said hi, it's so and so's birthday, his family is over there, just sit anywhere! Which was great, because none of the employees gave us direction.

Sat at the bar - bartender was alright - a little awkward, not super friendly or talkative with us, but in a good mood and gave good service. We had the house red which was nice. We ordered the cauliflower gratin, spicy meatballs, and a caesar salad. It came quickly which was nice and unexpected as they had a full party on one side. The caesar was good. Light dressing, not overly creamy like many places, served with a lemon wedge which helped it out. I'd love more garlic, but overall it was good - my husband, who doesn't like salad dressing, loved it :) The cauliflower gratin was pretty good - a little overwhelming in large quantities but a really good flavor. The meatballs were pretty good as well - not great, but the sauce was pretty tasty, and the presentation on everything was nice.

The playoffs were on, so there was someone really into those at the bar commenting on them enthusiastically, then the birthday in the background, decorations everywhere, and no music until the last 20 minutes - so the atmosphere was a little unexpected. We liked it because it seemed more of a casual, low key place vs. other bars in downtown Kirkland. We were just expecting something else - the image of bistro in my head is pretty different than this place, but I'd like to give it a go when it's darker out and not an employee's birthday :)

Went here with two girl friends.  Monday was happy hour ALL DAY, so that made the visit even sweeter.  We sat up at the bar.  The bartender was very pleasant and knowledgeable.  My two friends are sort-of on diets.  Mostly being no gluten or carbs, to which the menu kind of catered to.  The food we ordered and ate was all delicious.  Meatballs, Spinach Artichoke Dip, Caprese.  The drinks were lovely as well.  Just went for a snack / happy hour, and it was exactly what we wanted.  I look forward to returning to experience even more delicious food and friendly service.

I guess if there was anything "negative" I could say about the experience is that I had bad timing with parking and didn't get to park DIRECTLY in front of the building like my two friends.  However, it was easy to find/get considering so many other places in this area.

Atmosphere: Dim lighting, high tables with bar chairs, wood, dark paisley print tapestry framing window...

Food: Fantastic! I would go back for the Brussels Sprouts (fried, sprinkled with salt, comes with dip), Sweet Potato Fries (thickest cut sweet potato fries I've ever had), Roasted Beet Salad (perfectly dressed with balsamic, sprinkled with candied nuts and gorgonzola cheese--on the sweet side), and the Salmon with Pesto (love the flavorful pesto and accompanying mashed potatoes and veggie medley)!

Service: Attentive but not overbearing.

I also think the prices are really reasonable. Plus there's events (all day HH's, Girl's Nights, etc) all the time, including live music on several nights of the week!

Found new Kirkland hangout!