Raleigh Chef Scott Crawford Gives a Peek Into Dishes for Brodeto

Erin Perkins is the editor of Eater Carolinas.

The Triangle already knows chef Scott Crawford from his popular restaurants Crawford and Son (618 North Person Street) and Jolie (620 North Person Street), but now he’s ready to introduce the region to Adriatic cuisine with the opening of Brodeto (2200 Atlantic Avenue) this fall.

Crawford looked at dishes from Croatia and coastal Italy to inspire his menu at Brodeto. “We have lots of great Italian food in the area,” he says, “but it’s more New York Italian or red sauce Italian. I want to deliver something a little bit lighter, a little different, a little seafood heavy, and almost everything over coals.”

He predicts the menu will be 60 percent Italian and 40 percent Croatian, however, the cuisines are very similar. Crawford says the menu will always feature a peka, a braised Croatian dish featuring proteins like lamb, pork, or octopus. Brodeto, the restaurant’s namesake fish soup, will also be a signature dish. “I think brodeto can be very craveable and memorable,” he says, “We will make it lighter or heavier depending on the season.”

Even if people aren’t familiar with Adriatic cuisine, Crawford says most dishes will look familiar. “I think people will recognize the flavor profiles, the combinations, the seasonality, the nods to tradition,” he says, “This food is very inspiring, and I think people need to understand that this is nothing to be intimidated by.”

Take a look here for a sneak peek at some of the dishes that will be coming out of the Brodeto kitchen when it opens this fall.