Whitfield's Team Launching Brio Bistro Italiano

Nathaniel Beaver and Gary A. Cormann, the ownership team at Whitfield's Restaurant and Bar near the Highway 70/100 Split, are taking over the location of the bygone Wildwood Oak-Fired Kitchen in Bellevue. The new restaurant venture will be called Brio Bistro Italiano and will serve a menu of upscale Italian cuisine.

Located at 8128 Highway 100, Brio will serve dinner only, starting at 4 p.m., seven days a week, with happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m.

Cormann will serve as executive chef, overseeing menus at Brio and Whitfield's. The team will remodel and restructure the space to create a lively atmosphere similar to the ambiance at Whitfield's, Beaver says.

The Italian-inspired roster will focus on local ingredients, including local homemade pasta. Brio will employ the wood-fired oven to bake a repertoire of six to eight rustic flatbreads. The wine list will include 60 to 70 Italian wines.

Beaver and Cormann took over Whitfield's in February 2007 and have established a loyal following. "Now, we're crazy enough to try it again," Beaver says. He expects to open Brio in September.