The Agricola Street Brasserie is known for incorporating a variety of culinary styles into the fine dining experience it’s crafted: From French and Italian to Japanese and Nordic. But for one month starting February 22 things are about to change, as the Brasserie becomes the Agricola Street Trattoria and will serve up solely Sicilian-focused cuisine.
“We are effectively opening a new restaurant,” says Brasserie co-owner Mike Hase, speaking to the level of difficulty in doing a near-overhaul of the menu while still serving six nights a week. “We honestly feel like we have one of the best crews in the city and we would never try anything this nuts without such a gifted and dedicated group of people.”
This menu takeover has resulted in a delicious presentation of Italy’s vast array of cuisine. Expect an emphasis on seafood and Sicilian classics like arancini, cannoli, caponata and pasta alla norma, but with a few historical twists here and there.
“One thing we’re particularly excited about is our muffuletta—even though it’s not technically Sicilian,” says Hase. “It’s a sandwich that was eaten by Sicilian immigrant farmers in New Orleans in the early 1900s, made using Sicilian-style bread. It will be replacing our extremely popular hamburger on the menu and so will only be available during happy hour and all night on Mondays.”
Despite the transformation, the ownership of the Brasserie want people to know that they’ll still find whatever they’ve enjoyed about the restaurant in the past, just dressed up in a new way. “If we’re not challenging ourselves, everyone just gets bored and that gets reflected in our guests’ experience,” says Hase.“We want everyone to have fun. That’s what going out to eat and drink is about.”
