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Whetstone Tavern: What's sharp in Queen Village

Whetstone Tavern at Fifth and Bainbridge Streets, from the Brauhaus Schmitz crew, sticks to American classics, in some cases updated and refined.

How far is it from Germany to the United States?

Try three blocks.

Doug and Kelly Hager and chef Jeremy Nolen from South Street's Brauhaus Schmitz are planning a Wednesday, July 15 opening of Whetstone Tavern, at the corner of Fifth and Bainbridge Streets.

Where Brauhaus Schmitz rocks a Teutonic slate, Whetstone Tavern will stick to what the partners call American classics, in some cases updated and refined.

Menu includes pan-seared Icelandic cod, with littleneck clams, fingerling potatoes, braised celery and clam broth; a 12-ounce bone-in pork chop with sharp provolone, polenta, prosciutto, au jus, broccoli rabe and crispy pork crackling; sautéed mussels in Bloody Mary broth served with toasted bread; and pepper pot soup, braised brisket, tripe, mustard greens, potatoes, red peppers, allspice and paprika broth.

Most entree prices are in the low $20s. Dessert and charcuterie menu is here.

"Being on South Street for six years, we know what the neighborhood likes," said Hager.

And while beer is a main attraction at Brauhaus, Whetstone will "step back a bit," Nolen said. Fifteen beers will be poured from the taps (and there will 36 in bottles), yes, but Hager and Nolen have retained wine goddess Marnie Old to curate a 60-bottle wine list, of which 20 will be served by the glass. There will be cocktails (such as a Burly Birch, a bourbon and lime-spiked highball made with Pennsylvania Birch Beer) and a solid whiskey/scotch/bourbon/rye list, too.

Brian Leahy of Leahy Design aimed for an old farmhouse look: provincial white colors, tin ceilings, tufted banquettes, fling-out windows. A Berkel fly-wheel meat slicer behind the 10-seat marble-topped bar, as well as a display counter showcasing charcuterie and cheeses, is set up near the entrance. The main kitchen is on display behind tinted glass behind the words "Whet your appetite."

The name is Nolen's mother's maiden name - not specifically a knife-sharpener. The guys blew up a poster of Jeanne Crain working a whetstone in the '40s movie The Shocking Miss Pilgrim to hang near the kitchen window.

Whetstone's "spring 2015" debut was pushed back by several construction issues, including burst pipes, that followed the purchase of the property.

"Every layer of the onion that you peeled back, there was something," said Hager. In one critical maneuver, workers physically linked the restaurant, on the corner, with a building next door on Bainbridge Street. (The result is a cozy back room whose walls are mounted with knives donated by chefs.)

The extensive work may shake the juju that has been associated with the building, as its last three occupants - Tapestry, Adsum, and Coquette - ended their lives in the hands of lawyers. (By contrast, Thai restaurants East of Amara and Sala Thai had the space locked up for nearly two decades before Coquette.)

Coquette has a special place in Nolen's heart; it was his first head chef's job, as well as where he met his wife, pastry chef Jessica Nolen. He plans to re-create Coquette's raw bar - if not in look, then in spirit. (And speaking of juju: Jeremy was working in the kitchen on the 2007 afternoon a driver plowed her sedan into the facade of Coquette, one of several unfortunate episodes to befall the French bistro.)

Whetstone Tavern will start with dinner from 5 to 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and till 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with a late menu available until midnight. Daily brunch will be online in about two months.