Artisanal's getting some West Coast cousins.
photo: courtesy of Artisanal
Terrance Brennan announced today that he's bringing his ever-popular Murray Hill brasserie Artisanal to the West Coast. Artisanal Brasserie & Wine Bar and The Artisanal Table, Pizzeria Tapas Wine Bar are slated to open in Bellevue, WA, in September. We talked to Brennan about the expansion, how he's making sure his New York outposts survive the tightening economy, and Picholine's new "menu d'economie," which offers half-portion entrees and three-course tasting flights for $20 each.
According to Brennan the plan for the new restaurants "started awhile back. The Artisanal Table is the right concept and price point for these times, and we're still very busy at Artisanal in New York – we recently launched our grilled cheese bar there." The menu at the Washington newcomers will be similar but will "obviously be influenced by the Northwest's fabulous ingredients: the shellfish, seafood, produce, wineries and microbreweries."
Regarding Picholine's new menu d'economie, Brennan says, "We didn’t want to just
all of sudden start serving bistro food at Picholine, so this way
someone can still come in and order two half portions and a glass of
wine and get out for 50 bucks...that’s a
good deal! It isn’t about making money. It’s about surviving and keeping the restaurant buzzed and full...We’re still a special occasion restaurant, we still do 16-course tasting menus, we still do 12-course tasting menus, we still do the game menu. But in addition to all of that, we do smaller portions of our food. But it is still the highest quality food."
Though previously only offered in the cheese and wine bar, the menu d'economie is now being served in the dining room after 9 PM (or before 9 PM, if you make same-day reservations Monday–Thursday). In addition, the restaurant has also launched a Monday night wine special that offers any bottle of wine priced $150 or less at half price.