Black Cypress is Pullman’s newest restaurant, and it makes a lovely night out without the wee ones. Get a sitter and have a date!
I have been here a few times – three times for drinks and once for a full dinner. I have had a great experience each time.
First the bar: It seats about eight to ten people and has a very cozy feel. The bartenders have been perfect – attentive but not overly chatty. This places gets a tad noisy, so sitting at the bar works best if you either go early or just plan to talk to the person next to you. I went for drinks and light appetizers with a group of ladies and they let us sit at a table. The selection of wines was fine, and the prices were generally moderate. (I think about $7-10 per glass.) There is a beer selection, too, but I did not pay much attention!
The Decor: The “theme” of the decor is antique mirrors. With the candles on the tables reflecting off the mirrors, it creates a very nice atmosphere. The ceiling is draped with lengths of a rough material (burlap?) which gives it a pretty, tent-like feel. (Note these photos were taken during the day, through the window. At night is has a more romantic feeling.)
The food: The menu is small but the food is excellent. The menu has a Mediterranean influence (as you would expect from the name) but this is by no means a “Mediterranean” restaurant.
Black Cypress seems to really excel at the meat dishes. I had the lamb chops (so good, and actually cooked the way I ordered, which is a rarity). My dining companions gave rave reviews to the beef, the pork chops, and the scallops. I have had the beet salad and the cheese plate, which were both good (though perhaps not the best versions of these dishes I had ever had). For dessert, the apple spice cake and the smores both got high marks. In fact, no one had a bad thing to say about the food.
The cost is on the high side for Pullman, but it is not out of line with what you would pay at a similar restaurant in a bigger city. Dinner for five (three salads, five entrees, two desserts, and two bottles of the cheaper wine) came to around $50 per person.
The service has always been very good, also. I am not sure who does the hiring, but it seems like the wait staff is made up mostly of very good-looking twenty-something guys, who also happen to be professional and attentive. This does not hurt the overall experience!
The hours are as shown above. The address and phone:
215 East Main Street
Pullman, WA 99163-2769
(509) 334-5800
It is located next to Prune Orchard, which is open until 6, giving you one hour of overlap to do a combined shopping and wine drinking excursion!
I love this Blog author – very informative and highlights fun things to do on the Palouse with or without children.