Update Nov. 21

G.H. Pasta and Pizza at 7500 35th Ave SW (now in soft open mode) will open officially to the public on Friday Nov. 24. The restaurant joins the family of General Harvest Restaurants owned by Chef Brian Clevenger.

The full menu can be downloaded here.

Original post Nov.,4

It's one thing to be an entrepreneur and open a neighborhood cafe but when you have a resume like Brian Clevenger's it means something special. He's the chef and owner of General Harvest Restaurants which include Vendemmia, East Anchor Seafood, Raccolto, G.H. Pasta Co., Haymaker West Seattle and Autumn.

The newest space to join the General Harvest family is a twist on the G.H. Pasta (located in South Lake Union) theme adding a range of pizzas to an iconic West Seattle location at 7500 35th SW. That building which has been a landmark for decades thanks to the steer on the roof (he's staying) was John's Corner Deli until 2017 and then became home to Best of Hands Brewing in 2019. That business closed in November 2022.

Westside Seattle covered Clevenger's other West Seattle restaurant Raccolto (located just north of the Junction) in 2017.

The remodel and permitting, as always took longer than expected but the result is a warm and cozy space, with white subway tile on the wall, bar seating and booths plus when weather permits an outdoor seating area for up to 70 people.

G.H. Pasta and Pizza will hold a soft open for friends and associates with the grand opening set for a later date. The first night of the soft open will send the proceeds to the West Seattle Food Bank.

The food philosophy was explained by Brian, "Fresh pasta, as approachable prices as we can get, sound methodology, technique and family friendly but also having you know 20 beers on tap."

The menu is focused as you'd imagine on pasta but definitely elevated. While the final items are still being determined here are a few dishes you can likely expect:

STARTERS

Garlic Bread  focaccia, garlic, butter, parmesan, chive  7

Cured Meat  fry bread, parmesean  17

Arugula lemon, almond, pecorino  13

Meatballs  beef, pork, tomato, parmesan  12

House Made Mozzorella Castelvetrano tapenade, crostinit  15

Oven Roasted Clams pickled fresno chili, focaccia*  17

Caesar Salad  romaine, crouton, parmesan*    12

Arancini  fried risotto, tomato, fontina   4

HOUSE EXTRUDED PASTAS

Tonnarelli  truffle butter, pecorino, black pepper  19

Spaghetti  beef & pork bolognese, mascarpone, mint  21

Rigatoni  tomato, basil, burrata  19

Campanelle wild mushroom, crème fraiche, lemon  22

Cavatelli carrot, fennel pollen, fontina  21

PIZZAS 12”

Simple Cheese  tomato, mozzarella (add basil upon request)  21

The Classic  tomato, pepperoni, mozzarella  23

Fun Guy white sauce, wild mushroom, thyme, fontina  23

Love It Or Hate It tomato, guanciale, pineapple, pickled jalapeno  23

PIZZA TOPPINGS & SIDES

Desserts will round out your meal. 

G.H. Pasta and Pizza will have a full bar (offering specialty cocktails) with 20 beers on tap, many of them from local brewers.

There will be variations and special menu items because Clevenger said "I like the idea of what I call micro seasonal because it keeps our chefs engaged to change it often and it keeps the freshest product available. And when you buy the freshest product, you get the best product and at the best price."

They also make their own Mozzarella and offer another distinction. "We're a little different. We don't use seed oils and we don't use a lot of shortcuts that restaurants can use to help keep costs down. We have no interest in that because guess what? it's not as good. We don't saute in Canola oil. We use Extra Virgin Olive Oil because it's the right thing to do."

They will be open "Sunday through Thursday, 4:00 to 9:00 Friday, Saturdays till 10 and then we plan on actually doing a poll to see what the neighborhood wants." That might even include a brunch at some point if that's what customers call for.

Like the other General Harvest Restaurants, G.H. Pasta and Pizza will be highly customer centric.

"The balance is, you know, trying to create really good jobs in this industry. Give the neighborhood everything they want and  then they support the heck out of you."