Grassona's Italian In Brookline's Washington Square To Close

BROOKLINE, MA — The folks who brought Blossom Bar to Brookline Village are set to open a second location, this time in Washington Square. Earlier this month Ran Duan, who runs Blossom Bar, came before the Select Board to switch the license from Grassona's Italian to a new concept called Ivory Pearl.

Brookline High School grad Steve Bowman opened Fairsted Kitchen in the space in 2013, then five years later, changed concept from contemporary American food with inspiration from the Middle East to that of a classic Italian restaurant. Grassona's opened in January 2018.

"I'm sorry to be sharing the news, but sadly we just couldn't make it work," Bowman told Patch. "We were never busy enough to keep up with all the costs."

Duan, who is 33, has earned a number of accolades for his cocktails. He transformed his family's restaurant Sichuan Garden into the Blossom Bar in early 2018.

No word on what the menu will look like, just yet, but after renovation, which Duan expects will take about three months, the space will seat 47 inside and 32 outside. He hopes to start construction no later than spring, he told the select board.

No word on when Grassona's the rustic Italian restaurant with a family vibe will close its doors for good, but, according to its website they're open for a New Year's dinner, complete with shellfish specials on New Year's Eve until 10 p.m.

Grassona's will be up and running through mid January, though the exact final date still to be determined, Bowman told Patch.

"We'll be celebrating the end of Grassona's with fun nightly specials and 25 percent off bottles of wine as our way of saying thank you to Brookline," he added.

The closure ends Bowman's time as a Brookline restaurateur, he said.

If you're looking for something to drool over it was featured on Phantom Gourmet:

Previously:

• Brookline's Fairsted Kitchen To Close (2017)
• Grassona's Italian Kitchen Is Open (Jan. 2018)
• Blossom Bar Open In Brookline Village Sichuan (Jan. 2018)
• Grassona's Brings Italian Cuisine To Washington Square (Feb. 2018)

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).