It’s true. Buckley's Restaurant and Bar will nearly triple its size starting next summer. But, in the meantime, there’s plenty to enjoy about this intimate restaurant, including some new delicacies being rolled out by executive chef Christian Schroeder.

Schroeder, formerly of Nourri, started at the restaurant this past May after the departure of Chef Thi Cao last November.

"We took our time finding a new chef," says owner Mike Buckley. "There wasn’t a real rush. It was more about finding someone we really wanted to work with in order to take the business to a new level. And this is the guy who’s going to lead us into the future ... he has some unique talent, and I love seeing what he’s done with the menu."

Schroeder says he’ll be rolling out new dishes on the menu over the course of the upcoming weeks. Favorite items like Buckley’s lobster roll and their truffled fried artichokes will remain on the menu. But, about 80 percent of the menu will be transitioned by the middle of July.

"My goal is really taking what this restaurant has already established – with contemporary American comfort food – and adding my own twists," says Schroeder, whose repertoire shows versatility in its incorporation of Asian, Spanish and French influences.

New dishes include:

• Sea scallops with creamed polenta, crisp Serrano ham, piquillo fonduta and Spanish Manchego and Marcona almond streusel

• Kurobuta pork cheeks braised with mission figs and served with smoked sweet puree, Marcona almonds, smoked paprika and crusty bread

• Burrata with sunflower seed parsley pesto, scorched Toybox tomatoes, saba, raw honey and warm bread

• Pin Oak curry braised lamb shoulder, slow roasted cauliflower, beluga lentils, lamb jus, harissa yogurt and crispy leeks

• Spanish fish stew, mussels, sea scallop, swordfish, green tomato sofrito, Modelo Blanco, pequillo pepper, lemon, cilantro, grilled bread

• Berkshire pork chop with Manilla clams, tasso ham, butter beans, jowl sugo and rocket salad

• Chanterelle agnolotti with mushroom brodo, poached egg, SarVecchio Parmesan and black salt

• Beef shortribs with lardon grits, tempura asparagus and Oregon huckleberry gastrique

Schroeder says they’ll also be adding a special burger – an 8-ounce patty of grassfed beef with Camembert, thick cut smoked bacon and red onion jam served with fries and house-made aioli.

"I’m very much looking forward to showing Buckley’s loyal customer base who I am and what my food is about," says Schroeder, who says he's also excited for the impending expansion, which he predicts will take the already established dining destination to another level entirely.

"Having a kitchen that matches the number of seats will really allow us to grow and improve," he says. "We’ll have more freedom and flexibility with the menu and will be able to really make things shine in ways we haven’t yet been able to do."

In the meantime, Schroeder says he’s going to enjoy the ride.

"This place is nonstop," he explains. "We’re open (and busy) seven days a week for lunch and dinner, plus brunch on Sundays. I’ve never experienced anything like this. It’s always going. And it’s really an exciting place to be."

That excitement extends to the bar, where Britt Buckley is working with mixologist Wolfegang John Luethy, who started with Buckley’s in January, to revamp the Buckley’s cocktail program moving forward.

"We have an inventory of 15 vermouths and 16-17 amaros that we’ve been collecting that we hope to include in the program," says Britt Buckley. "We’re excited to really introduce people to the concept of the apertif and the digestif."

Mike Buckley says he's pleased with all the changes the restaurant has seen over the past few months, and is looking forward to watching as things move forward.

"Culinary-wise, we’ve gone from a culture that ate to live to one that lives to eat… very much more European," he says. "And these young guys are driving that train.  Nothing is out of bounds. I always describe our food as Classic American with a twist. And Christian, he really has a knack for that twist that gives it a wow…"