Josh Henderson Coming Back to the Kitchen With Vestal, Opening Next March

All year, we've been learning about Josh Henderson's mass of new projects coming down the pike, and now comes word on the one that will get him back in the kitchen. It's called Vestal, and it's scheduled to open next March at the corner of Westlake and Mercer in South Lake Union.

In Henderson's most personal project in some time, the new restaurant will be centered around a sizable chef's counter surrounding a coal-fired hearth (vestal means "hearth" in Latin) with wood and concrete elements throughout. The menu will include some of the cuisine Henderson enjoyed most from his youth, along with favorites from his travels around the world. According to a representative from Huxley Wallace Collective, Henderson is working on "distilling down his past and how he's approached food to this point" with new Vestal—"simplifying it so that it's approachable but also still progressive."

Vestal's hours are expected to be 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch, and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. for dinner, daily. There are plans to add brunch eventually.

As a reminder, Henderson's next openings are scheduled to be his first Great State Burger location and next door American-style brasserie cafe Saint Helen's December 15 in Ravenna. Vestal will live alongside Henderson's rotisserie chicken window Poulet Galore and several other projects scheduled to open in South Lake Union next year.