Last month, Eater announced a new Vashon Island restaurant in the works from former Top Chef contestant and Vashon Island native Lia Lira. Now comes word that Lira is ready to open her restaurant, Bramble House, which will serve its first customers tomorrow.
In addition to competing on the third season of Top Chef, Lira is a 20-year industry veteran. She spent time in New York working at the River Cafe and Jean-Georges Restaurants as a trainer on the corporate team and later as culinary director. Recently she worked as culinary director for Sugar Mountain, whose holdings include Beecher's Handmade Cheese.
Bramble House cut its teeth on soft openings for family and friends over the weekend leading up to the big opening; menu items previewed on Instagram recently have included parmesan risotto with basil and grilled shrimp, a brandied peach financier for dessert, and polenta with poached eggs and mushroom gravy for brunch.
The restaurant serves modern dishes influenced by Lira's world travels: "While working for Jean-Georges I was lucky to do openings all over the world, and am influenced by a variety of ingredients and techniques I learned along the way," she says. "To me that's what modern American cooking is, the food that comes from the vast cultural mix that we're lucky enough to experience here in the U.S. Hopefully I can do a good job representing my take on it."
Expect dinner service Wednesday through Sunday, with brunch available on the weekends.
17123 Vashon Hwy SW, 206-480-7159, website.
