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(From left) Brookland Park Market owners (and brothers) Sean and Pat Lynch
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Brookland Park Market is set to debut as a full-service restaurant on Aug. 6.
“We kind of learned that people started coming for the food,” says Pat Lynch, one half of the chef and ownership team behind Brookland Park Market along with his brother, Sean.
“We’ve been cooking our whole lives and working in restaurants our whole lives,” he continues. “After some trial and error, you kind of figure out what you really want to evolve into, and that’s where we are.”
On Friday, Aug. 6, just a few days shy of the first anniversary of the market’s original opening, the duo behind the North Side venture will reintroduce the concept at 305 W. Brookland Park Blvd. as a full-service restaurant.
For Pat, the moment feels surreal.
“It’s been a long, painful, awesome, rewarding journey,” the Culinary Institute of America graduate says. “I had thought for a while I was going to get out of the industry, and my brother said to me, ‘You’re in this for life,’ ” he says with a laugh.
Reflecting on the moments leading up to debuting the family-owned restaurant, he mentions the dishwashing job where his infatuation with the industry began; the first day of culinary school, when he burned a dish; the recipe books he created over the years; and the subtle tricks he discovered, such as adding Parmesan rind to tomato sauce for greater depth and flavor, picked up from a chef he looked up to and whom he’ll never forget.
The Virginia native's journey through the restaurant world includes stints at local establishments such as Lunch and Supper, The Greek Taverna, and most recently Can Can Brasserie, where Sean got him a position; collectively the two worked there for over a decade.
The conversation about converting the neighborhood market into a full-service restaurant began in early summer.
“We have this display case that we put chicken salad and tuna salad in, and Sean and I were like, ‘We’re sick of making chicken salad and tuna salad,’ ” Pat says, laughing, “and what we really liked was making these awesome dinner specials, but they were all to go; there’s only so much you can do. Every day we brainstormed more, and it grew in intensity and grew and grew and became more serious, and then we said, ‘Let’s do it.’ ”
Aiding in bringing the restaurant to life is Sean’s wife, Esha, who will manage front-of-house and bar operations, along with kitchen crew members Sabrina Duff, a former front-of-house staffer and home cook who made her kitchen debut at the market, and Rich Bollinger, formerly of Edo’s Squid and the now shuttered Citizen.
“Another reason we’re doing this is because I thought, ‘Wow, we have a super talented crew,’ ” Pat says.
At the end of June they closed the doors of the market space and entered full DIY mode, painting tables and adding subtle touches, in addition to honing their recipes.
Described as a take on modern American cuisine with French and Italian influences, the menu will consist of small plates from scallops with Spanish chorizo and potato hash to chicken curry poutine inspired by a recipe from Esha’s mother. Mains will include rockfish with sauce vierge, gnocchi with basil pesto mornay, blackened pork chops with spicy bean ragout described as a play on pork and beans, spaghetti topped with meatballs or veal scallopini, a filet of beef, and more. Desserts will range from cannoli to creme brulee and bananas Foster.
Pat says it was his years at Can Can, and his relationship with former owner Chris Ripp, that also helped prepare him for this moment with his brother.
“I found a real mentor in Chris,” he says. “I talk to him all the time about business, what I need to do, what he thinks I should do, and I finally have that relationship I had been looking for for so many years; it’s pretty special to have.”
As for the food at the forthcoming restaurant? “I think we need to stick to our strengths, do what works, and try not to go overboard with things. Let the food speak for itself, which is definitely a vibe my brother and I live by.”
Brookland Park Market will be open Wednesday through Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. and offer brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
