A dream of a team at John Howie Steak

August 27, 2009

After creating one of the most successful brands in Bellevue restaurant history, what’s next for John Howie? The opportunity to refine his signature in the ground-breaking Bravern project with John Howie Steak.

John Howie’s pedigree is long. We first interviewed John when he opened Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar in the Spring of 2002 and were delighted to learn he started his career right here in Bellevue, in the old Refectory Restaurant
on Main Street. From there, he went to the Butcher, Klinkerdagger Bickerstaff and Petts (remember all those funny restaurant names in the 1970s?), Scott’s in Edmonds, Palisades – a yeoman’s path to today’s superb offerings, Seastar,
Sport and now John Howie Steak.

Pulling from his deep pool of relationships with some of the area’s brightest talents, Howie assembled the ultimate “Dream Team” to lend their talents to his latest offering, opening September 12. Check out this lineup:

General Manager – Mark Manca, recently with Harrah´s Steak House and the Stratosphere in Las Vegas, John brings him back to manage the enterprise. It will be great to see Mark back in Bellevue.

Executive Chef – Mark Hipkiss has left the Metropolitan Grill to re-join Howie after eight years as the chef at the Met. Safe to say, Mark knows steak.

Lead Sommelier – Lisa Rongren will head up the in-house wine team with a little direction from company wine director Erik Liedholm.  Previously with Seastar, Lisa spent the last four years at Ray’s Boathouse and then the world-renowned Herbfarm.

Manager – Tim Lodahl is returning to Bellevue after spending time in Seattle with the opening of Seastar on Westlake.

Lunch Manager – Annie Megofna joins the John Howie Steak team to lead the lunch program. We got to know Annie at Palomino and look forward to seeing her and all the other familiar faces at John Howie Steak when it opens in a couple of weeks.

What a dream team!

Be sure to check out this wonderful new dining option in Downtown Bellevue – part of the exciting new Bravern project, and another delicious choice in the east end of Downtown Bellevue.  Nearby are other dining delights: starting with Seastar and the Melting Pot, then the lovely El Gaucho at City Center Plaza, we now anticipate Wild Ginger and Artisanal Brasserie & Wine Bar at the Bravern, and Purple Café & Wine Bar and Barrio at Bellevue Towers. And when you add in Tap House Grill and the Rock Bottom Brewery, as well as a whole slew of great Thai restaurants, you’ve got a lot of reasons to branch out in a different direction and find more of what makes Downtown Bellevue a great dining destination.

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