To our guests, our friends, and our community...It is with heavy hearts to announce that we must permanently close Tasting Counter by the end of this month.From the moment we first entered the old Ames Envelope factory in Somerville nearly ten years ago, we knew we had found the perfect home for Tasting Counter – an empty corner of a warehouse – the perfect blank canvas for our dream. Every part of Tasting Counter was built from the ground up, to create a new kind of restaurant concept. It has meant the world to us to have incredible guests like you share value in and appreciate what we set out to do night after night.Our landlord, Aeronaut Brewing Company, notified us a few weeks ago that they will not renew our lease, a decision that will forever close the door to Tasting Counter. We were devastated when we heard the news. Tasting Counter is our life’s work, the livelihood of our staff, and a hub for our guests and community partners. As we sat with our team to strategize, we came to a painful realization – the future of Tasting Counter is much larger than 1,000 square feet tucked into the back of some brewery. Aeronaut has new plans for our space and those plans do not include Tasting Counter. It's time to move on.The vision for Tasting Counter, since its inception, has always been to expand well beyond Somerville. Our twenty-seat restaurant has only been the seedling of a much grander concept that has always been the ultimate goal. Our hearts still break for what could have been here in Somerville but, as difficult as this realization is, we’ve been given the gift of freedom. As we grapple with the news and impact this closure will have on our family, our staff, our guests, and our community, one thing remains certain – Tasting Counter WILL continue!While our home has been taken away from us, what cannot be touched is the work we have begun – reimagining fine dining for our guests, redesigning kitchen culture to be developmental and nurturing for our staff, and returning to nature for inspiration in our sustainable restaurant design. Just as Tasting Counter was always more than just a restaurant, the next iteration of Tasting Counter will expand on the work we started here. We’ve been given the green light to pursue our dreams, and we sincerely hope that you, as our guest and community supporter, will join us to continue the work we’ve started.May will be our last month of service. During this time, we will celebrate our work with our loved ones – our team, guests, and community. We invite you to join us for our remaining lunch or dinner services. You have all been an invaluable part of the Tasting Counter family which we will truly never forget.As the caterpillar becomes the butterfly, Tasting Counter will become what it was always meant to be. With endless gratitude and appreciation...Peter & Ginhee
