Chef Pisano returns to Tulio
Surprise! (Not!) Chef Walter Pisano is back where he belongs: Says him. This week marks his return as executive chef at Tulio Ristorante, the cozy hotel-trattoria named after his late father.
More than a decade after opening Tulio in the Hotel Vintage Park (1100 Fifth Ave., Seattle; 206-624-5500), Pisano resigned his post to go into partnership with his pal Rich Troiani and restaurateur Paul Mackay.
Their upscale, downtown, Italian-food venture, Troiani, opened with a splash in December, but by late June, Pisano parted ways professionally. Left without a kitchen to call his own, he was apparently none too unhappy about it.
So, what's a Brooklyn-born Italian-American chef to do (besides field offers from several folks looking to tether his talent)? Pisano took the summer off. "In this industry, we need to take those sabbaticals," he says, "but we rarely have that opportunity."
Enjoying his newfound freedom, the chef spent time with his wife and young daughter. He recently traveled to New York City where he palled around with longtime Seattle-chef Tim Kelley, now back in NYC after a seven-month tour of Southeast Asia. (For more about Kelley's hilarious culinary travel adventures, recipes included, check out his gonzo Web site: www.runawaychef.com.)
While in the Big Apple Pisano visited more than 60 restaurants, eating, drinking, collecting menus and ideas, taking note of the trend toward smaller restaurants as well as the endless number of eateries touting small-plates menus.
Now back at Tulio, he says, "I'll be looking closely at the style of the restaurant and its direction. We're currently working on a new bar menu, and I hope to bring in more seasonal changes."
Pisano insists he has no regrets regarding the past year's roller-coaster ride, and is looking forward to working with his longtime sous-chef, Tim Ferguson, who led Tulio's kitchen in his absence.
"It was great to leave [Tulio] — if only to get a chance to see things from the outside. If you don't take a chance, then you may end up saying, 'I'm sorry I didn't do it.' "
And what did he learn on his summer vacation? "These days it's all about comfort: understandable food, approachable food and affordable food. Whether here or in New York, the high-end thing is not what people want to do."
Living the Hi-Life
Peter Levy and Jeremy Hardy obviously agree. Keeping things casual is part of the modus operandi of their business, Chow Foods, whose latest entry into the neighborhood-restaurant sweepstakes is The Hi-Life (5425 Russell Ave. N.W., Seattle; 206-784-7272).
Things are running on schedule as the pair prepare to open their sixth restaurant, created in the husk of the old Ballard Firehouse. "We're shooting for late October," says Levy, whose Seattle restaurant empire is known for its trademark three-squares-and-a-bar joints: Jitterbug (in Wallingford), Coastal Kitchen (Capitol Hill), 5 Spot (Queen Anne), Atlas Foods (U-Village) and Endolyne Joe's (West Seattle).
"It's been a rigorous construction campaign here," says Levy, a longtime Ballard resident who has worked as general contractor on this 145-seat project. The former firehouse, built in 1910, is a designated landmark. An elevator shaft that reputedly once did duty as a fire tower should soon sport 20-foot neon signs bearing the words "EAT" and "DRINK."
Those familiar with the classy neon signage Chow Foods is known for will drink to that. Like its brethren, The Hi-Life will be open daily, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner (plus a late-night bar menu) and will feature a quarterly rotating menu to bolster a lengthy list of comfort-food favorites. Unlike the other Chow Foods properties, this one will lean more heavily in the Mediterranean direction, thanks, in part, to the installation of a wood-fueled oven — common in Seattle, but a first for Chow Foods restaurants. Head chef Jason Bray, late of Endolyne Joe's, will be using his wood-burning oven to prepare whole-roasted chicken, seafood, pizzas and roasted-vegetable platters, among other issue.
Not your granny's Edmonds cafes
Edmonds food fashionistas went into an artisan-cheese-induced, pistachio-oil-scented swoon when Olives Gourmet Foods (107 Fifth Ave. N., Edmonds; 425-771-5757), a specialty foods shop, opened in the homey heart of town in 2002. Olives became a pit stop for those of us in need of a scoop of its namesake fruit, a hunk of fabulous cheese or a half-pound of thin-sliced Serrano ham. Neighbors embraced the place for its terrific takeout: soups, salads and sandwiches made with high-end ingredients, offered at moderate prices.
Then, last June, owners Strom Peterson and Michael Young closed the shop and with the help of their talented wives (and some serious power tools), did a bang-up job on a remodel, opening two weeks later as a sexy little Euro-styled bistro.
Today Olives Gourmet Café & Wine Bar is the perfect hangout for those seeking to sample — among other fine foodstuffs — sophisticated sandwiches, an extensive list of salads, seasonal soups, antipasti and small plates, plus 25 wines by the glass.
On weekend evenings, Young (former sous-chef at San Francisco's acclaimed Aqua) offers his "chef's menu": a handful of entrée-sized dishes that make this another reason to consider Olives for a date-night destination. More good news: soups, salads and sandwiches remain available for takeout throughout the day and Peterson, the resident cheesemonger, still offers a large selection of cheeses ripe for retail.
Olives is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays and till 10 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.
Meanwhile, over on the corner of Fifth and Dayton, Edmonds residents can hardly believe their eyes. Could that chic little building with the elegant sidewalk tables and Japanese-styled facade really be the former Brusseau's Sidewalk Café & Bakery? Talk about a royal redo: Red Twig Bakery Cafe (117 Fifth Ave. S.; 425-771-1200) is, in a word, lovely. Open three weeks, it's already drawing early risers who come for a changing array of house-baked goods and organic shade-grown coffee, roasted (get this) in-house.
Like Brusseau's, an Edmonds fixture for 26 years, this newcomer has already become a destination for seniors seeking a light meal, and weekend bicyclists looking for a place to rest their overworked quads while sipping a bowl of soup. But unlike Brusseau's (which had four different owners in the 10 years since founder Jerilyn Brusseau sold the place in 1993), Red Twig offers beautifully presented food, friendly efficient service and all-day breakfasts.
Among the breakfast options are eggs Benedict, huevos rancheros, and the house specialty, crepes (I tried one of the savory buckwheat versions: it was great). Salads and a daily-changing panini round out the menu, with items topping out at less than $10. Beer and wine are also available.
An accomplished pair of do-it-yourselfers, Red Twig's owners Scott and Cindy Abrahmson clearly have a knack for restaurant remodeling. Several years ago they sold the La Conner Brewing Co. and brewpub, where Scott was master brewer, landed a storefront in their hometown and re-created it — to great effect — as Shell Creek Grill & Wine Bar. Shell Creek (526 Main St., Edmonds; 425-775-4566) is just around the corner from Red Twig, making it easy to keep an eye on (and a hand in) the day-to-day operation of both venues. Red Twig is open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends.
Nancy Leson: 206-464-8838 or taste@seattletimes.com. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists.