Former Book Bindery Chef Shaun McCrain is Opening Copine

But first, he needs a space.

By Seattle Mag October 8, 2014

jill-shaun_0

Back in June, I met up with Shaun McCrain shortly after he left Book Bindery (which is now Hommage) to talk about his next steps. He kept pretty quiet on details, but I could tell he had a specific vision in mind for his next chapter: a small intimate restaurant that he and his business (and life) partner Jill Kinney could be proud of, along with their regular customers. He mentioned a small 60 seat restaurant in a bustling neighborhood and not quite as remote as Book Bindery. He also talked about keeping his fine-dining wheels in motion, creating a menu perhaps a little more refined but comfortable enough that fellow cooks could come in and grab a meal and not feel underdressed and most importantly, “not feel that they’re getting ripped off.”

At that time, it turns out that the couple was in the throes of hammering out details for a specific space in South Lake Union, but that space ultimately fell through because according to Kinney, who also served as Book Bindery’s General Manager, “it wasn’t quite right for what we wanted to execute.”

With that, they’ve taken a step back in their original plans to open their own restaurant by winter, but what they do have is a name—Copine—and a string of pop-up dinners (full disclosure: I produce this series of events) planned throughout the rest of the year.

Copine, which loosely translates to “girlfriend” or “comrade,” will be open five nights a week, at least that’s the early plan right now. There will also be a higher-end daytime take-away concept featuring some of McCrain’s most notable dishes. “The most frequent request I get is for Shaun’s soup,” Kinney tells me. “But it’s not just because of the soup, [the concept] is an organic decision based on requests.” When I chatted with her this morning, she mentioned 11 am to 6 pm as possible times for take-out. She wants mom or dad to be able to stop by and grab stuff for dinner. 

Other requests include a chefs table, which Copine will be granting—executing tasting menus instead of making the entire restaurant prix fixe.

The restaurant will be designed by Olson Kundig Architects. And the couple have a website up and running to keep people up to date on their progress and upcoming events. 

Kinney tells me they’ve cast a wide net on a potential space, adding that they’re “not in such a hurry that we want a space. We want a space that works for what we want to do.”

 

Follow Us