Green.House

Where: 4793 Point Fosdick Drive NW, Gig Harbor, 253.514.6482
Hours: Sunday, Tuesday - Thursday 4 to 9 p.m., Friday - Saturday 4 to 11p.m. Closed Mondays
Cuisine: Locally sourced, 70 percent organic cuisine. Regional seafood, Nebraska beef, pasta, daily specials, handmade desserts, salads.
Scene: Warm ambiance, casual to upscale feel yet still family friendly.
Drinkies: Northwest wines, full bar, creative cocktails, locally breweries on-tap
Prices: $8-$30

UPDATE: How's that Byrds' song go? "To everything there is a season ..."

Ah, yes, it's common knowledge that this famous tune refers to things having their own place in time and that things do, in fact, change. 

General Manager Brendan Paul at Green.House in Gig Harbor can attest to that. In 2009, Paul worked as assistant manager and bartender at Sip Restaurant, an upscale wine bar and restaurant operated out of the same digs that now house Green.House.

Well, things changed at Green.House too, didn't they? When Green.House first opened last year, a big claim to fame for the restaurant (besides the excellent tasting food and fair prices) was that a large percentage of the produce used was organic.

As often happens in life, changes were recently made at Green.House and the focus was taken off of serving organic products. This is especially tricky as the Weekly Volcano published a review of Green.House on March 10 that failed to reflect this change. Jason and I dined at Green.House in late December and again in January. Our review arrived at  Weekly Volcano headquarters in February and ran March 10. The food was still organic (or 70 percent organic) when we ate there. By the time the story ran, it was not.

Paul explained the very recent changes in a phone conversation this week: "The people that cared about organic produce were disappointed it wasn't 100 percent organic. Most people didn't seem to care at all." Paul shared that a month or so ago Green.House went from 70 percent organic to simply focusing on fresh and local.

As the current menu online shows, organic items are still offered (mixed greens, tomatoes, baby spinach, romaine hearts), there just aren't as many as before and the percentage of organic product used is no longer being tracked. Charlie's Produce, a major supplier in the region, is a purveyor of locally farmed produce, and they supply Green.House with its veggies.

Bottom line - the food is still fresh and local, just not necessarily organic.

And we whole-heartedly apologize for the mistake.

THE ORIGINAL REVIEW BELOW

ANNOUNCER:  A familiar location awaits those willing to make the trek just across the Narrows Bridge - one with comfortable padded leather chairs, warm ambiance, a mellow vibe and low lighting that flatters every dame. This location once held another restaurant of great promise in the much-lauded Uptown Gig Harbor shopping center, but is now occupied by Green.House.

Cuisine at Green.House relies on organic produce sourced locally and prepared using French techniques, resulting in surprising combinations of flavor and ingredients for a creative homage to familiar American and international dishes.

JASON: The food at Green.House is well-thought-out and tastes as good as it looks. Chef and owner Robert Green has scored a win in my book. We brought friends with us and had a seriously chill and fantastic three-hour experience.

JAKE: I am so with you, brother. Our crab cakes appetizer reached us within 10 minutes of ordering. A tart, aïoli type sauce covered the plate in zigzag fashion. Besides herbs and spices, I couldn't detect breadcrumbs, celery chunk or any of the like as filler; it seemed to be all crab. A second appetizer was made of thick slabs of crisp bacon wound around large al dente shrimp - a delicious combination. We leisurely caught up with friends while sitting at the bar until a table opened in the dining area.

JASON: Speaking of that, the bar has been transformed from one stocked with booze to one with live cooking action performed by smiling, young gastro-maestros in chef‘s whites. Besides locally sourced ingredients (70 percent is organic), what sets Green.House apart is the price point. The food is absolutely divine with multiple layers of flavor and texture, yet still many dollars less per plate than its predecessor, Sip, or many other restaurants claiming to offer the same type of foods. My wife and I still appreciate a nice night out; my wallet just isn't as fat as it used to be. That truth shared, I wanted to try the Nebraska beef we'd heard so much about. The steak salad fit the bill.

JAKE: I agree: great way to try it. Crisp romaine, mild chunky blue cheese and marinated tomato and mushroom were a bonus. Five slices of perfectly medium rare steak with seared edges were remarkably tender. Dead Canyon Ranch Cabernet put a beaming smile on my lips. Next up, the chicken picatta entrée, which did not disappoint. Saltiness is a personal preference - light lemon and tangy capers achieved an excellent salt balance for my palate. Two very tender chicken breasts coated in a bright sauce lay atop a generous pasta pile. A complimentary bread basket gave our table an easy way to sample saucy picatta, Marsala, Mahogany chicken and clam linguini entrées.

JASON: When the big bowl of clams in shell with al dente pasta arrived we unanimously wiggled our eyebrows in excitement. The linguini was lightly coated in a thin white wine, garlic and herb sauce. The Marsala sauce at Green.House is rich, earthy and only moderately sweet.

JAKE: Mahogany Chicken, an unusual name to be sure, was a treat. A subtle take on sugared teriyaki, the moist chicken had a superb flavor pop. Wild rice with golden raisins sounded better than it tasted, yet was still decently good.

JASON: Another item we simply had to try was Chef Green's chocolate truffle tort. It made me think of ganache for its dense, intense consistency and flavor. Very rich and incredibly decadent, it was made more so by raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and a touch of freshly made whipped cream.