November 10, 2015 – Two top-quality local companies are teaming up to open Santa Cruz’ largest tasting room and kitchen in 2016. Uncommon Brewers is partnering with El Salchichero butcher shop to open a 2,700 sq. ft. bar/restaurant on River Street in the Old Sash Mill. “Beer and food are meant to go together,” said Alec Stefansky, the owner and head brewer of Uncommon Brewers. “Since we haven’t had a public tasting room, this is going to be great. It will give us more visibility in Santa Cruz and really showcase what we do.”
The new venue will feature a 34-foot redwood bar surrounding an open kitchen and it marks the first time El Salchichero owner Chris LaVeque is getting into the restaurant business. “He’s a very gifted chef,” says Stefansky. “We’re trying to keep the menu focused on sausage sandwiches, but there will always be plenty of bones for making a big pot of soup stock and we’ll have rotating seasonal produce, cheese plates and charcuterie plates.” According to a report published in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, the kitchen will be called Matambre, which in Spanish means to kill hunger.
The bar will serve six to eight Uncommon Brewers beers on tap, as well as local wines, cider and guest beers. During happy hour, Stefansky plans to include “little nibbles” with the purchase of every drink.
The large venue includes space for big family tables and a lounge area with low tables made from 3-inch thick redwood slabs. It also has ample space for Uncommon Brewers to triple the size of its barrel aging program, which currently includes 85-90 barrels. El Salchichero will get space for a meat curing room and locker so it will be able to expand its prosciutto and salumi program.
The brewery, located in a different part of the Old Sash Mill, will be able to offer regular tours to visitors.
Stefansky, who has been working on the project for two years, was just granted a use permit from the city and is hoping for an April or May opening. He’s aiming for a rustic decor that exposes the old redwood beams of the circa 1907 Farmers Exchange building.
The public is invited to an Open House Preview of the new tasting room and kitchen on January 29, as part of San Francisco Beer Week. Kegs will be tapped and sausages will be on the grill and visitors can get a glimpse of the transformation taking place.
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At Edible Monterey Bay, our mission is to celebrate the local food culture of Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties, season by season. We believe in sustainability, and we believe everyone has a right to healthful, clean and affordable food. We think knowing where our food comes from is powerful, and we hope our magazine, website and newsletters inspire readers to get to know and support our local growers, fishers, chefs, vintners and food artisans.
