Shift Change
“It’s kind of like we’re hitting the reset button,” says Garrett Michael Brown.
Posted by: Christopher Werner on Feb 06, 2012 at 01:46PM
Belltown’s Branzino opened several years ago to plaudits and accolades from local food folk. The appearance of the restaurant’s executive cook, Ashley Merriman, on Top Chef kept the buzz coming for awhile thereafter, then the spot sort of fell out of conversation. But Branzino’s most recent hire believes the restaurant is about to get its second wind.
“It’s kind of like we’re hitting the reset button,” says Garrett Michael Brown, new executive chef. “We’re poised to make a comeback and hit it again.”
Brown started the day after Christmas but only recently revealed the transition. Before settling at Branzino, Brown engaged in a bit of kitchen hopscotch following the closure of Verve, where he spent five years: for a few short months he was at Oddfellows, then took an even shorter stint at Terra Plata.
With the addition of Brown has come a slew of changes. All the pasta is now made in-house, for example, and the kitchen is aging and curing meats. The menu rotates weekly, and is far more rooted in local ingredients. Brown describes the focus as “Northwest based in Italian.”
So, anybody been lately? What’d you think?
Add a Comment »
Tags:
Shift Change,
Garrett Michael Brown,
Branzino
Chef Shuffle
Wait, what about Verve 2.0?
Posted by: Christopher Werner on Oct 04, 2011 at 03:53PM
Oddfellows, the new stomping ground of Garrett Michael Brown. Photo: Jessica Voelker
Garrett Michael Brown reaches out to say he’s taken a gig at Oddfellows, the perpetually packed Cap Hill food and booze hall. “I’ve been picked up by Linda Dershang as the chef de cuisine at Oddfellows Cafe + Bar,” he writes via email. “Couldn’t be happier.”
Last we heard of Brown it was because his erstwhile kitchen, Columbia City’s Verve, was closing. The beloved neighborhood bistro unexpectedly lost its lease after four-and-a-half years and shuttered late last month. When I spoke to owner Kate Bond about the closure she made a point to say she and Brown were hoping to take the restaurant elsewhere—together.
So what does Brown’s new hat spell for those plans? Will let you know when I do.
Add a Comment »
Tags:
Seattle Chefs,
Garrett Michael Brown
Last Days
The owner hopes to reopen elsewhere—and soon.
Posted by: Christopher Werner on Sep 08, 2011 at 12:26PM
Inside Columbia City’s Verve. Photo courtesy Facebook.
As we reported earlier in the week, Columbia City wine bar Verve is closing on September 17 after four-and-a-half years in the game. The neighborhood bistro lost its lease, which “really was a surprise,” says owner Kate Bond, adding, “We thought we’d be here for a long time.”
Bond is actively looking to take her restaurant and retail operation elsewhere, news likely to please Verve’s troop of devotees. Among the fans was Seattle Met’s Kathryn Robinson, who included the boite in several of her best restaurants roundups and had this to say about her experiences there: “The best action happens wherever the food and the wine collide: When you order a glass of malbec along with a small chevre and arugula salad, perhaps, or an uncommonly beautiful cheese plate all arted up with herb sprigs and fruit drizzles. A bistro menu features dazzling full plates, perhaps Oregon sablefish in a miso beurre blanc or a killer half-pound burger with garlic aioli and an egg.”
Bond would like to stick around Columbia City but recognizes the neighborhood isn’t exactly overflowing with options. Ideally she’ll settle in a two or three thousand square foot space that will allow chef (and kind of co-owner) Garrett Michael Brown to expand the culinary program, something they’ve both been wanting to do. A kitchen with a hood would be nice, she noted.
Bond says she and Brown are sticking together as a team. When asked when she hopes to reopen her reply was “as soon as possible.”
In the meantime, Verve’s retail merchandise and wines are discounted. Furniture and other interior flourishes are also for sale.
Add a Comment »
Tags:
Seattle Restaurant Closings,
Garrett Michael Brown
Happenings
The shindig goes down Saturday night.
Posted by: Christopher Werner on Aug 19, 2011 at 10:10AM
You won’t find Verve’s usual munchies at Saturday’s BBQ.
Garrett Michael Brown of Verve gets in touch to say the Columbia City bistro is hosting a BBQ on Saturday from 5 to close. “I’m treating this like a pop-up restaurant,” the toque informs, “and calling it ‘Verve Wine Bar presents Fire’wood BBQ.’”
On the menu: “I’m smoking duck legs, chickens, ribs, pork and lamb shoulder, brisket, and house-made hot links,” he says, with a barbecue, bacony, grilled romaine salad rounding out the offerings. Expect outdoor seating and a beer and wine garden as well.
Question: If you’re a chef cooking in the restaurant you always cook in, but just switching up the menu for a night, does that qualify as a pop-up? Whatever, the food sounds yum.
Add a Comment »
Tags:
Seattle Food Events,
Garrett Michael Brown
1 Comments
