BARS AND BREWERIES

FINDING OUT WHAT IS ON TAP AT A FEW ALUMNI SPOTS

CAFECITO

CUBAN CUISINE

3500 CHESTNUT AVE, BALTIMORE, MD

DAVID SHERMAN ’91

CafeCito

In 2015, David Sherman ’91 channeled his years of experience in kitchens on both the east and west coasts to open CafeCito, a Cuban restaurant specializing in sandwiches, salads, and artisanal coffees that has expanded into catering, specialized dinner event menus, and wine and beer.

“CafeCito is a full service restaurant, where you come in and you sit down and you don't have to get up. We take your order, we do private events, fancier dinners,” that kind of thing, Sherman says, calling out a special Valentine's Day menu and a wedding that was recently held on premises.

Despite the lack of advertising, Sherman has seen catering requests increase over the years; customers come for the chef’s innovative menu pairings and attention to detail. “Make it nice or make it twice,” he says.

The most popular menu item is the Banh Mi. “It took me about six months to develop the sandwich the way I wanted it,” said Sherman. “We can do it with chicken, with pork, or a vegetarian version.” Other dishes include the traditional Ropa Vieja with plantains, grilled tilapia with salsa criolla, and huevos con chorizo.

CafeCito has three locations throughout Chicago, with Sherman opening up a fourth foodie destination, Ground and Griddled, in Baltimore this past year. For more information on Ground and Griddled, read the "Coffee and Cakes" article on pages 42-47 of this magazine.

ROCKY HILL INN

AMERICAN GASTROPUB

37 WASHINGTON STREET, ROCKY HILL, NJ

BRUCE BLOMGREN ’69

Rocky Hill Tavern

“A gastropub is a tavern that has really good food.” Nineteen-sixty-nine Cheshire Academy graduate Bruce Blomgren’s definition about sums up Rocky Hill Inn, a New Jersey gastropub known for its wide tap brew selection and great burgers. “For lunch, I’d recommend the fried green tomato burger,” says Blomgren. “It’s a lot of food for a lunch, but most people take half of it home.

The menu includes twenty beers on tap, with five rotating each week, and twelve burgers—including a lamb burger, a salmon burger, and a duck burger. Blomgren’s son, Evan Blomgren, is the head chef and proprietor. Trained at the French Culinary Institute, Evan Blomgren designs the menu with inventiveness and quality in mind. “There’s a wide variety of fish and porks, says Bruce Blomgren, “Personally I like the scallops for dinner. They’re on a bed of risotto rice.”

The Rocky Hill Inn was built in 1835, though Bruce Blomgren purchased the site nine years ago. “We were closed for about five months putting the place back together,” he said. After all new kitchen equipment, new flooring, new furniture, and even new ceilings were installed, The Rocky Hill Inn was ready to reopen. Though Rocky Hill as a town is small, with a population of only 700, the tavern quickly gained national attention and was featured on “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” in 2016. “It was a lot of fun. If you watch the last two seconds of the video, and you see this guy in the background leaning against one of the tables, well that’s me,” said Bruce Blomgren.

Though he never expected to open a restaurant after retiring from his job as an engineer at IBM, he’s found the operation rewarding. “It’s a family kind of place,” says Bruce Blomgren, welcome to those coming for craft brews and great food. “We’re popular with everybody. Fridays and Saturdays are very crowded.” One word of advice? Make reservations!

Rocky Hill Tavern

Rocky Hill Tavern

DUGAN'S PUB

AUTHENTIC IRISH CUISINE AND DRINKS

29 W. FRENCH BROAD ST., BREVARD, NC

RON GURTLER ’64

Dugan's Pub

Nestled in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina, Ron Gurtler '64’s Dugan’s Pub is the only Irish restaurant in four counties. “It’s beautiful part of the country, the western mountains of North Carolina, and that’s why it’s attractive for a lot of people,” says Gurtler, “It’s quite comfortable in the summertime, the temperature isn't high, and there’s a lot to do—hiking, bike riding, a lot of waterfalls. And what’s there to eat after all that outdoor activity? For many tourists, their number-one spot is Dugan’s Pub.

The most popular item is the fish and chips. “Since everything is wonderful I can’t say it’s the best,” says Gurtler, who began coming to Dugan’s Pub in 2003 as a tourist himself on vacation from his home in Florida. After becoming friends with the owners, he bought into the restaurant and eventually, in 2011, become the majority owner. He’s been running the restaurant ever since. “I always approach it as a customer,” said Gurtler. “I was a bartender in college for three years, and that's three and a half years behind the bar and 55 years in front of the bar!”

In addition to the fish and chips, Gurtler recommends the corned beef and cabbage or any of the burgers on the menu. While any of the menu items would go great with a Guinness, Dugan’s Pub has an extensive list of single malt scotch, bourbon, and Irish whiskey. The most expensive drink is a $25 shot of Midleton Irish Whiskey.

If you’re in the area, stop by Dugan’s Pub for great food and the Celtic ambiance. Or, as Gurtler says, come by for, “a wee bit of Ireland in western mountains of North Carolina.”