Daily Dining News: What's the Real Reason Brew It Up closed?
August 03, 2011
By now, we all know Brew It Up closed over the weekend. The reason given by the owner is twofold. First, the economy, reports Brandon Darnell in Sac Press.
Sales at the brewpub took a substantial hit in late 2008, Costello said, and the restaurant – that also offered individual brewing – never recovered.
Read the entire article in Sac Press.
Darrell Smith adds a slightly different nuance in the Sac Bee.
He admits that he started with too little capital, and wound up in debt. He said he was just starting to climb out when the recession and furloughs hit. By 2011, Costello knew he couldn't pull out of the dive.
Read the entire story in the Sac Bee.
But Sac Bee restaurant critic Blair Anthony Robertson gives his reason -- bad food.
The food at Brew-it-Up, last time I went several months ago, would have been forgettable if it were not so bad. I can't remember eating so many bland, battered fried plates of food. What was there on the menu that would attract a crowd? What would make you walk past scores of other restaurants and go eat at Brew It Up?
Read the entire story in the Sac Bee.
My personal take is that while all of these may have contributed, the reason that I rarely ate there and that kept many of my friends away is the smell. I like drinking beer, but don't like the smell of yeast while I'm eating. Patrick Mulvaney could be the chef at Brew It Up, and I'd still avoid the place if the wretched smell were still there. What do you think? Leave it in the comments below.
And if all that weren't enough for you, Ashley Robinson has a good read in Girls on the Grid where she laments all the recent midtown changes -- including all the restaurants that have gone out of business recently.
More News:
Monday postscript: Making it personal at Palermo Ristorante - Every once in awhile, I go into a restaurant or store and am so impressed by something - the food, the service, the selection of groceries or some intangible - that I will find myself thinking: I wish a place like this could be located within walking distance of where I live. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.
Restaurant Thir13en - Opening a new restaurant is always a leap of faith, and anyone who makes that leap in a cruddy economy must be either very confident or hopelessly idealistic. Adam Pechal appears to fall into the first camp. The garrulous chef just opened Restaurant Thir13en in the Sterling Hotel at 13th and H streets. Flush from the success of his neighborhood-centric Tuli Bistro in midtown, Pechal is taking a go at a different audience of diners: the Capitol crowd and time-crunched theatergoers. Kira O'Donnell in Sac Mag.
Magpie's Niçoise Salad - I savored a marvelous Niçoise salad recently at Magpie Café. Kira O'Donnell in Sac Mag.
Thinking Inside the Box - The wine panel recently tasted 20 wines from three-liter boxes. We tasted 12 reds and 8 whites, without regard to price or provenance. Eric Asimov in the New York Times.
I agree with you and BAR that Brew It Up smelled bad and had non-impressive food choices. Plus, unless you are going to Music Circus or CMT, it's a hassle to park in that area, compared to other parts of midtown. IMO.
Posted by: Cathymbc | August 05, 2011 at 05:34 PM
I'm bummed out about the closing because it was a unique brewpub. I didn't go there for the food, it was the beer, specifically the ability to make your own and chose from a vast variety of styles. I probably went 2-3 times a year, only once for the food (crab feed)since I don't live in Sacramento. The other times it was to make beer, the last batch of which we're just finishing. We always made it a family affair with everyone from the youngest children (7 years old) helping out and getting a big kick out of it. The food was decent, typical brewpub sandwiches like you'd get at Sudwerks, but nothing special. I didn't mind the smell of beer brewing, that's what we were there for!! Maybe they could've isolated the beer brewing area to contain the aroma but that was never an issue with us. Maybe they should have focused more on improving the food quality but I doubt that would've made enough of a difference. If a venerable restaurant like Slocum House can't make it in this economy it doesn't portend well for everyone else.
Posted by: Fisher | August 05, 2011 at 11:48 PM