Casa Casuale: Bill Patterson Brings Italy to Random Howse

— by Margie Doyle —
First of Sunday Special 5-course dinners this Sunday, Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. call 376-1111 for reservations.

Bill Patterson in the kitchen of Casa Casuale, formerly known as Random Howse.

This is the story of three people, two “houses” and one vision — a most excellent dining and gathering place in the heart of Eastsound.

The three people are Clyde and April Duke, who, in April’s words, resuscitated the Random Howse building on “A” Street to 30 percent, through the Duke’s trademark hard work and joie de vivre. Now, the town’s signature meeting place for music, parties, shows, libations and food will transform into Bill Patterson’s Casa Casuale (“Random House” in Italian).

With a soft opening in December, Bill moved the Sazio dining experience into Casa Casuale. (The Chimayo daytime menu that Bill offered to islanders in its former location will move to 188 “A” Street, in the Orcas Gym and Spa building, just southwest of Casa Casuale, and next to the Sea View Theatre parking lot).

But now, in the bleak midwinter, Casa Casuale welcomes guests with its distinctive “Rustic Italian” cuisine.

Faced with a 35% rate increase at his former location, Patterson says, “When Random Howse became available, it was pure serendipity. I’d not been sure if I could stay on the island or should re-open on the mainland. But after talking about it with Clyde for the better part of an hour, it was obvious we had two like-minded parties with oodles of compatibility. That was back in September and things have moved rapidly.

“Working with Clyde and April — what a breath of fresh air! They are cool, smart, spiritually grounded people that work very hard. I like to think that Clyde and I are similar; we get talking and the enthusiasm is soon at a fever pitch. They’re not afraid to work hard — or to fail — and we get up and go at it again.”

Patterson closed Sazio’s on Nov. 15 and on Dec. 18 opened Casa Casuale. He’ll be trying out brand-new menu ideas for the better part of a month and have a grand opening in January with a fully-trained staff and fully-developed menu.

Carol and Tom Burg, and Suzie Frank savor the atmosphere and menu at Casa Casuale.

There’ll be wild boar, and beef oxtails, goat and pasta with beef marrow.” For those who may be a bit squeamish about delving into Italian rustic cuisine, or “hard-core authentic food like you find in the Italian countryside,”  Patterson waxes dreamy-eyed on those tastes:

“Beef marrow tastes like meat-flavored butter, and with sweet onions and a splash of madeira over pasta…..

“Wild boar (which comes from Texas) is young, and not gamey; it has a cleaner taste than leg of lamb. The goat is grown locally and is sweet, rich and delicious.

“People are always absolutely amazed because their expectations are so out of whack with the reality” of the menu items. Yet Patterson has developed “an extremely loyal and passionate customer base.

“We’re going to double down on the process that I use for creating the menu. It will hinge more on what I like and what is good than anything else.”

Patterson relishes the creative process. From a background in accounting and wine sales, his artistry in the kitchen blossomed with a trip to Italy in 2008. “It was a profoundly transcendant experience to explore Italian food. Nowhere on the planet is there a deeper connection between people and food and culture and the land — and the artistry of the chef.

“And it’s funny — the further south you go, the poorer people are; great cuisine is born of poverty. All the clutter is stripped away and what is left is a strong sense of place and belonging. All they’ve got to offer is a seat at the table. It can be a very moving experience.”

Casa Casuale will be open Thursdays through Sundays — except for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

“To succeed in the restaurant — or in any business — you have to be firmly convinced that what you’re preparing is really good. People latch on to that and want to experience what you’re offering.”

Sometimes it takes a bit of description or explanation, and Patterson relishes that process as well. “Everyday I get new ideas for the menu. I’m known for preparing rustic, authentic Italian cuisine and if anything, I’ll go further down that path.”

For now, Patterson will operate Casa Casuale as an employee of the Dukes. “The plan is for that to change after a period of time to see if it’s a good move that will take for the long term,” says Patterson.

“All that really matters is that we have a good time.”