Forest Hills restaurant hopes to expand into space next door where another restaurant shut

The Boston Licensing Board tomorrow considers whether to approve plans by Brassica Kitchen + Cafe, 3710 Washington St. in Jamaica Plain, to expand into the space left vacant when the Dogwood Cafe closed in January.

The enlarged Brassica would have 126 seats in four dining rooms, with two bars and two patios with a total of 43 seats.

"It seemed like an ideal and natural evolution of their business," Brassica attorney Adam Barnosky said. He noted that Brassica, which started in a former coffeehouse space, has been looking to expand for several years - most notably as the operator of a restaurant proposed by a developer seeking to replace the building where Doyle's used to be.

Michael Reiskind of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council asked the board to hold off any action on the request for a license change until after Brassica meets with the council on Sept. 5. He acknowledged Brassica is an "anchor restaurant" in the neighborhood, but said that at 126 seats the council wanted to take a look.

Barnosky, though, asked the board to vote on the proposal at a meeting tomorrow. Although its owners have a good relationship with the neighborhood council and are always happy to meet, he said Brassica is "a known entity, a known quantity to the neighborhood" and that any delays might cause "some business concerns."