By Duane Pemberton

On the web: http://www.katyasbistro.com/

It has been said by more than handful of folks I know that the greater Tri-City area in Washington State is “nothing but chain restaurants”. While on the surface this would appear to be the case, I have made it my mission to seek out eating establishments that “do it right” – places that not only make foods from scratch but also have a sincere passion for what they do.

During my first week out here as a “cellar rat” for Pacific Rim winery, I was fortunate enough to have the company of Neil Cooper of Cooper winery and Cyndy Ott of Fidelitas show me a restaurant in Richland called Katya’s Bistro. It’s right off of George Washington Way which puts it in easy access from the main freeway of I-82.

The setting is rather quaint and non-pretentious - the staff does a great job of making you feel right at home which I always appreciate.

Fabricio portioning out a fresh fillet of salmon

While the food definitely has a strong Italian and Argentinian influence thanks to Chef Fabricio, the overall menu seems to have something for everyone and they do weekly specials as well. A few of my favorites are the seared scallops, pan-seared sea bass and the osso buco.

Sous Chef Matt in action!

Chef Fabricio and his sous-chef, Matt have a really tiny kitchen to do their magic in but that doesn’t seem to slow them down at all as they churn out dish after dish during a busy dinner service.

I have been here several times in the past few weeks and always enjoy their down-home service with a smile and food that I don’t have to second-guess.

If you want some real food, prepared by chefs with a passion and love for food that’s fairly priced, than I’d give Katya’s a whirl.