Tamari, a restaurant with a passion for Asian and Latin cuisine, is in the works at 3519 Butler St. The 3,000 square-foot eatery is the vision of Allen Chen, who grew up in the restaurant business alongside his father Mike, who owns
China Palace and Sushi Two.
With a capacity of 85, Tamari will feature a courtyard, open grill and second-floor deck and lounge. “That courtyard drew me to the space. The building is unique. It’s a nice advantage to have outdoor seating options which are so limited in Pittsburgh,” says Chen, who rents the building from
Lawrenceville developer
Lee Gross. “That end is taking off. You’re seeing more boutiques opening up. Five years ago, who would have thought they’d be building $300,000 condos in Lawrenceville?” Chen is following the construction of
Children’s Hospital with anticipation. “That’s the catalyst for everything. It's going to pick up so much steam with the hospital. Then you have some of old Pittsburgh with younger professionals and the art galleries. It’s a nice mix.”
Downtown-based architect
Felix Fukui, who is relocating his firm to Butler St., is working on Tamari’s design. “We’re going to set the more free flowing Latin influence against Asia’s more regimented culture, to play off of both,” says Chen, who developed a love for Latin cuisine while living in Mexico. Tamari will be Pittsburgh’s restaurant to serve the grilled skewered dish called robota yaki. “We’re going to do more innovative sushi rolls. A lot of this will be new to Pittsburgh. I plan on letting people experiment. I’m shooting for a fusion. We’re blending Asian and Latin techniques. A component to any culture is its food.”
Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: Allen Chen, Tamari
Photograph copyright © Jonathan Greene