Chef Brendan McGill, owner of the downtown Winslow restaurant Hitchcock, and the adjacent Hitchcock Deli, recently announced plans to open a new establishment on Winslow Way.
McGill is currently in the permitting process, he said, and has begun renovations, hoping to introduce his newest eatery, to be called Bar Hitchcock, in December.
According to a recent announcement; “Located at 123 Winslow Way East, Bar Hitchcock will offer seating for 50, including a 30-foot bar, and a lounge area with communal table and soft seating. The lounge area will be centered around a fireplace and have shelves full of books, board games, and even vinyl records to encourage guests to settle in — with a newspaper and an espresso, a laptop and porchetta sandwich, or a board game and wine with friends.”
Bar Hitchcock will reportedly be open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and offer full table service throughout the space.
Breakfast will offer baked egg dishes, quiche, granola, grain bowels, tartines and pastries.
Lunch will include Hitchcock Deli sandwiches like the BLT, pastrami, and porchetta, as well as salads, roasted vegetable dishes and soups.
Dinner will shift to heartier fare like charcuterie and cheese plates, composed salads, roasted vegetables, steamed shellfish and smoked meats.
“I really want to create a space that has something for everyone,” McGill said. “A space with tasty food that complements a broad selection of spirits, wines, beer, sherries and vermouths, as well as just a chill spot to hang out with friends.”
Erik Hakkinen, longtime barman at Zig Zag, will be consulting on the bar program and will focus on three-ingredient cocktails like martinis, negronis, Manhattans, margaritas and sidecars.
He said he is also looking to create cocktails that feature sherry, vermouth and lower alcohol spirits, since the bar will be open all day.
Hakkinen will man the bar himself on Wednesday and Thursday evenings though April.
The wine list will feature small independent producers from across Europe and the Pacific Northwest. Beers and ciders will be likewise locally sourced.
Les Eerkes of Eerkes Architects, the man responsible for Bruciato, McGill’s wood-fired Neapolitan pizza restaurant across the street, is designing Bar Hitchcock.
The space will reportedly be wrapped with Douglas fir shiplap creating a “clean and modern feel.”
According to the recent announcement: “The black-stained maple bar top is being made with wood reclaimed from a bowling alley lane and the bar front will be covered in black steel. The space will have steel and brass lighting fixtures and accents throughout. The search is on for mid-century pieces to complete the lounge area.”
Opened in 2010, Hitchcock is McGill’s original restaurant, offering a menu of inventive and vibrant Northwest dishes inspired by the season as well as a chef’s tasting menu.
Much of the product is sourced from McGill’s Shady Acres, a working farm where he raises heritage pigs.
The adjacent Hitchcock Deli serves meats raised on pasture, and produce from the close sources. They cure and smoke all of the charcuteries in-house and make all of the preserves and pickles too, and offer sandwiches and salads as well as meat.
Opened in January 2017, Bruciato is situated in the renovated Winslow Hardware building and dedicated to the tradition of wood-fired Neapolitan pizza with creative wood-fired seafood dishes, salads, and antipasti rounding out the menu.
