Trove Alum’s Opus Co. Fires Up the Grill Today at 5 p.m.

Phinney Ridge’s hotly anticipated Opus Co., boasting an open kitchen with a wood-fired grill at its center, will open today at 5 p.m.

The restaurant replaces Martino’s Smoked Meats at 7410 Greenwood Ave N. It’s the first solo venture for chef Mark Schroder, who recently worked as chef de cuisine at Capitol Hill’s Korean-style Trove. He’s joined by Paolo Campbell, former sous chef at Revel.

The space is fairly small, with only 20 seats. For now, it will serve only dinner Wednesday through Sunday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., though Schroder says he may tweak the hours once he settles in. Much of the food will come right off the wood-fired grill, with locally sourced ingredients in tune with the season. The menu is structured for two distinct dining experiences: a la carte or the $50-per-person “Opus Feast,” a tasting menu that allows diners to communicate preferences to the kitchen then partake in a variety of dishes chosen by the kitchen.

The opening menu revolves around sharable plates of varying sizes, with playful descriptions like the Opus sausage with “herby flat bread” with “fennel stuff.” Other dishes include a half chicken with malt vinegar caramel and “three small things,” salmon cooked in fig leaf with kasu (sake lees) risotto and crispy kale, and a lamb loin chop with bonito rub and pickled cherries.

With the chef’s pedigree, the restaurant’s spare but elegant design, and the menu’s tight and thoughtful selection, Opus Co. feels like it has the potential to be Phinney’s first destination restaurant, like hot Flintcreek Cattle Co. has been for Greenwood up the street — the kind of experience diners seek out from anywhere in the city, rather than simply a quiet neighborhood favorite. Twenty seats could fill up quickly once the doors open.

Opus Co./FB