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Instant Reaction: Block Butcher Bar

Dining News - Now Open: Block Butcher Bar

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Monday will be Block Butcher Bar's first official day open for business.

The restaurant is by the owners of and adjacent to LowBrau at 20th & Capitol Streets. Instead of trying to distill the concept myself, I'll let Chef Michael Touhy do it in his own words, via his blog.

The menu for block is very "Pork Centric". Artisan Salumi from some of the very best producers in the US, such as La Quercia, Olli, Fra' Mani, Olympic Provisions and Salumeria Biellese. More traditional offerings of Prosciutto di Parma, San Danielle, Jamon Serrano & Iberico round out the selection. Artisan & Farmstead Cheese fit into the mix featuring mostly domestics such as North Valley Farms, Jasper Hill, Rogue River, Pedrozo, Vermont Creamery and more, along with a scattering of Europeans in the mix.

Perhaps one of the most interesting thoughts about the whole concept of Block from a culinary perspective is, there is no real hot kitchen or cooking aparatus. We have a sandwich press and two immersion circulators, 2 slicers and, that's it! Hence the way the menu is layed out between items that are; pickled, cured, fermented & marinated. For me, this is very unique. Having cooked with Wood-burning grills, rotisseries & ovens, as well as many other bells and whistles that come with most commercial kitchens, it forces you to think differently, and stretch your boundaries...

The Bar & Cocktail program has been curated by Bar Manager Dave Steinberg & General Manager Patrick Ramos. Both have been running the show at LowBrau, and have created a brilliant selection of Scotch, Bourbon, & Rye. Of course some select gins, tequilla's and other spirits have a place, the emphasis is clearly on Brown Spirits. We have a well orchestrated and focused Craft Beer selection, Craft Cocktails and a small smart Wine List all designed to complement the menu.

Read his entire post here.

I was tipped off on Friday evening by a loyal reader that Friday night was a soft opening for the place and was able to check it out. I'll post my thoughts about the new restaurant on Monday.

Sactown Mag's S.T. Vanairsdale has a little on the tic toc of how Block Butcher Bar came to be.

The demonstration space has been in the works since before even LowBrau opened in January 2013 in the space formerly occupied by the restaurant and bar Lounge on 20. (Even the cleavers dotting the back of LowBrau’s bar foreshadowed the more intensive developments to come.) The partners were using the vacant 1,100-square-foot space next door for kegs and storage when, last spring, their landlords informed them that they planned to put it on the market.

Later in 2013, Hargis says, word that a national chain had expressed interest in the vacancy “lit a fire under our butts” to fast-track a business plan and rough look for Block. Hargis, who coordinated LowBrau’s design and has a background in architecture, drew the original conceptual sketch on a bar napkin.

Once the landlords signed off, Hargis and Nutting took the plans for Block to their LowBrau investors, who looked at the plans and doubled down on the new venture. “We thought we had something that would really complement what we were doing at Lowbrau,” Nutting explains. “And we decided, instead of doing LowBrau Part Two, to do another brand that really complements what we were hoping to present.”

Read the entire post in Sactown Mag.

Over the weekend, Andrew Blaskovich, owner of food truck Drewski's Hot Rod Kitchen tweeted his thoughts about the new restaurant.

Keep up with Block Butcher Bar on Facebook at Facebook.com/BlockButcherBar.

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