They “don’t want to disappoint” by setting an opening date yet, but the people working to open the Porterhouse restaurant/bar in the former Blackbird space next to the Admiral Theater told us today during a quick sneak-peek tour that they are getting closer. For one, the new taps are in — “We added 21” (to the pre-existing 4), smiles co-owner Silas Reynolds, a West Seattle native, shown above with co-owner Linda Libby, posing with the 25-in-all taps in the background. That’s just one of the changes they’ve made to the space – they say they’ve made it more open, from the kitchen through the seating area: here’s a quick Flip-cam pan:
For two, they’re about to finalize the menu, which — as discussed in our earlier story about the Porterhouse — is described by Reynolds as “gastro-pub,” though he’s not a huge fan of the term – pub food but with a twist, yet “approachable” and, as Libby puts it, “affordable and tasty – our goal is to create a nice neighborhood restaurant for people who live here.” (Both Reynolds and Libby are chefs, but Porterhouse has its own chef – Katy Lauzon, who previously worked with the two in a Skagit County enterprise.) They’ve chosen their coffee – Vashon Coffee – and desserts will include Molly Moon‘s organic ice cream. They’ll be emphasizing “fresh, local, organic food as much as possible” and as little “processed food” as possible — they’re even hoping to make their own fries and onion rings. And many dishes, they say, will have a bit of a twist, like a tuna sandwich with pickled hopvines. (If we get a copy of the menu before the night’s out, we’ll add it to this story; otherwise we’ll publish a separate update.) Number three, they’re about to start hiring — next Monday (July 27), they’re inviting anybody who’s interested in working at the Porterhouse to come by between noon and 3 pm, and bring a resume. The restaurant hours will be 11 am-11 pm for starters, with the bar open later; they’ll probably add brunch in the not-too-distant future, and they’re working to add outside seating as well – for starters, they’re enhancing the space’s ties to the patio space on the south, with a new openable window added to that end of the bar. (Here’s our previous story about Porterhouse, explaining that the team runs a restaurant of the same name in Mount Vernon — see its website here, but take note that the West Seattle venue will be all-ages.)
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