The world according to New York
Katy Raddatz/Chronicle
Gastropubs may have started i London, but as usual, NYC is getting most of the credit.
New York always seems to get credit for being at the center of every trend, even if it's not. I just finished reading an article in Nation's Restaurant News by Brent T. Frei on the explosion of gastropubs in the United States.
He leads off with mentioning that the trend was started in London in 1991, but how many credit the whole gastropub phase to the Spotted Pig in New York, which was opened in 2004 by Mario Batali and others:
"Most credit New York City's Spotted Pig, which boasts a Michelin star and offers globally inspired dishes by chef and co-owner April Bloomfield, as the first gastropubs to open stateside."What about such places like Standard Tap in Philadelphia, which opened in 2000?
I feel like I can criticize these myopic statements without appearing defensive because San Francisco really has had little to do with that trend (unless you consider what Nancy Oakes did at Pat O'Shea's Mad Hatter back in the 1980s before L'Avenue and Boulevard).
When I was in Philadelphia last year, I made a point to go to several gastropubs, including the Standard Tap, on the advice of the Philadelphia Inquirer restaurant critic Craig LaBan.
I e-mailed him after reading this article and he replied:
"Philadelphia has always had great places that blurred the lines between restaurant and corner pub, like the London Grill, which dates back to 1991 - at least under its current ownership - and has always had two distinct menus (bar and dining room). But the ST (Standard Tap) really took it to the next level on one menu, with that perfect combination of local beer activism, hipster vibe, and a jukebox as serious as its kitchen, which turns out probably the best duck confit in the city, as well as fried smelts."
He then goes on to mention some of the gastropubs in Philadelphia: N. 3rd, Deuce, Abbaya, Johnyy Brenda, New Wave Cafe, the Royal Tavern, the Sidecar Cafe and the South Philadelphia Tap Room. He says that doesn't even count the many Belgian pubs (Monk's, Eulogy, Zot, and Teresa's Next Door).
However, like so many other things it's not validated -- or considered a worthy trend -- until it shows up in somewhere in Manhattan. Which, by the way, is where I am now. I figure if I can't beat them, I'll join them. I'm off for a couple of days seeing what's happening on the other side of the country. If there's anything worth discussing, I'll let you know.
| September 14 2007 at 05:18 AM
Comments
Does anyone else find the term "gastropub" rather unappealing? It sounds like some sort of apparatus that is used during a colonoscopy.
Posted By: MrCoconuts | September 14 2007 at 07:29 AM
HA, I had a similar reaction. Heavy fried foods that leave you feeling "bloated."
Posted By: MonkeyBoy | September 14 2007 at 07:43 AM
Many gastropods... er, gastropubs, in London, kick the crap out of most /restaurants/ in SF - go ahead & snark, more room for me!
.
MB - have some Balti for me while you're in NYNY (sigh)
Posted By: alyxandr | September 14 2007 at 08:51 AM
(And do they really have Widmer Wheat in NY, or is that just stock footage?)
Posted By: alyxandr | September 14 2007 at 08:53 AM
So what's the difference between a gastropub and a brewpub, since the latter almost always provides a nice lunch or dinner? Probably the beer - a gastropub doesn't feature beer front and foremost 'cos that's not what they do best.
.
Maybe a gastropub is a brewpub that doesn't brew its own beer, but felt left out 'cos it didn't have a cool name.
.
Cheers, Neil.
Posted By: MadScotsman | September 14 2007 at 08:56 AM
I wish I knew exactly what a gastropub was, and if it was something different than all those great neighborhood places in Chicago with both beer on tap, a bar atmosphere, and good solid food. If it's something other than that, please illuminate me on its definition and it's worthiness for discussion.
Posted By: deanpaul1 | September 14 2007 at 09:06 AM
I'm with MrCoconuts - gastropub sounds like it is short for gastro-enteritis pub, or something equally unappealing. And Alyxandr is right - many pubs in the UK have served good food for years, not to mention most countries in Europe, so what is the big deal with this alleged genre?
Posted By: malcolm2 | September 14 2007 at 09:31 AM
A gastropubs is quite different from a brewpub. Gordon Biersch is a brewpub, serving garlic fries, hamburgers, sandwiches, etc. But my favorite gastropubs The Fat Badger in Notting Hill, its food is the taken to the next level. The food there would fit in at a place like Zuni Café or bacar.
Posted By: genoendicott | September 14 2007 at 10:13 AM
Looking forward to any restaurants you would recommend as I'm off to NYC in 2 weeks. As a former nurse, this gastro word makes me think I'll be ill after I eat there.
Posted By: gailscout | September 14 2007 at 11:40 AM
Its an interesting sidenote to say that alot of what gets offered at a pub of watever type becomes so much a product of what the patrons want, many cooks and chefs would love to have a pub serving food at the level of a good restaurant but so many people in the "pub" atmosphere tend towards ordering onion rings and fried foods like was previously mentioned that it makes other offerings more difficult to sustain on a menu, not that there arent pubs here with great food, but I think if we want to see more of it and make sf a gastropub presence then the burden falls greatly on the consumer not just the chefs, if you belly up to the bar and order the fried cheese then thats what youll get, if we branch out as bar patrons it allows for menus that offer better grub
Posted By: deliatribe | September 14 2007 at 01:22 PM