Owners, patrons eagerly release the Kraken

The Brass Kraken ribbon-cutting was at 5:15 p.m. April. 1 and by 5:45, owners James Conlon, John Mackowski and Frank Zoboroski estimated 230 patrons had jammed inside for the soft opening of the new restaurant on the downtown Poulsbo waterfront at 18779 Front St. NE.

POULSBO — A kraken is a legendary sea monster of giant size said to dwell off the coasts of Norway and Greenland, its story told in early Icelandic sagas as well as by Melville, Tennyson and Verne.

But a kraken that landed in downtown Poulsbo on April 1 — no fooling — was actually a sight welcomed by more than 200 people.

The Brass Kraken ribbon-cutting was at 5:15 p.m. April 1 and by 5:45, owners James Conlon, John Mackowski and Frank Zoboroski estimated 230 patrons had jammed inside for the soft opening of the new restaurant on the downtown Poulsbo waterfront at 18779 Front St. NE.

The Brass Kraken occupies the former Sheila’s Portside site, which has been entirely remodeled. The Kraken features live music — Planet Groove performed at the Kraken on April 2 — and the restaurant serves breakfast.

The owners say they plan to host a grand opening in about a month.