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estaurant News R August 2013 Vol. 15 No. 4
N A T I O N A L
C O V E R A G E
regional
F O C U S
$ 5 . 9 5
Brooklyn meets Barrington
Left to right: Chris Reynolds, Andrew Connell and Laura MacDonald.
Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40010152
By Elaine Anselmi, assistant editor HALIFAX—Built on a love of all things beer related, a new bar concept is in the works for downtown Halifax. Set to open mid-September, Stillwell Beer Bar will take over the space at 1672 Barrington St. “I don’t think that the idea of a bar that specializes in a specific product is only ours—there are other bars in the city that do that, but the direction the space is going to take, the direction the menu will take, and the direction the rotating beer menu will take is unique,” owner Laura MacDonald told ARN.
“The idea is to have kind of a modern aesthetic, comfortable and cool,” she said. “It’s definitely not going to be a traditional pub look.” Along with co-founders Andrew Connell and Chris Reynolds, MacDonald is creating a space that draws inspiration from Brooklyn beer bars, and the New York City borough in general, she said. “We wanted to capture our favourite styles of beer bars into something that is our own kind of flavour,” MacDonald said. “In taking in all those different places, we really started to pull in elements of inspiration. Behind the bar, 12 draft lines and
three hand-pulled casks will offer rotating varieties of beer, along with bottled options. “We’ll take advantage of what we can get our hands on,” said MacDonald. “There will be something new pulled every night. We want to keep things as fresh as possible with a constant rotation,” she said. On opening, she said the beer would be sourced within the province or from New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec or Ontario. “There is some fantastic beer being brewed in the States but it’s difficult to get here. We would definitely open up to American draft if it was available,” MacDonald said. “We will have classic Belgian in bottles as well.” She said the menu would play off of the idea of hand-held foods with small plates and snack-size portions. “It’s the idea of takeout food, but taken to a higher level with new, interesting things,” said MacDonald. “We’ll take advantage of local seafood and local produce, and rotate it to suit what we can get.” Prices for both pints and plates will vary, said MacDonald, noting local beer will be on par with other bars in the area and that plates could go from a $3 snack to a $12 dish, depending on the components. MacDonald said she and her cofounders have been dreaming up a beer bar for years. “It’s a labour of love,” she said. “To be able to bring in things that we’d be excited to see and introduce it to people who have never tried it before; it really is an exciting thing for us.”
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ENVIRONMENTAL SPOTLIGHT: Going green in a restaurant can add up to cost savings for the operator as well as the planet. Learn how to build a successful green operation from the ground up, and how stepping up your waste management practices can keep your profits from going down the drain.
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1672 Barrington St., Halifax. @Barstillwell.
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