Foobooz - Your guide to food and drink in Philadelphia

  • Neighborhoods

     

  • Features






  •  

  • Tip Jar

    Have a food or drink tip? tips@foobooz.com (AIM:foobooz)

  • Opening Soon

  • Upcoming Events

  • Categories

  • Archives

  • Masthead

    Editor
    Jason Sheehan
    Founder
    Arthur Etchells
    Advertising
    danielle@phillymag.com

  • Fun Things To Do in Philly

  • Subscribe

«
»

Opening Tonight: The Butcher and the Brewer

Posted by Jason Sheehan on September 28th, 2012

Oh, Boilermaker, we hardly knew ye… And tonight, that doomed concept (which replaced a different doomed concept, the Blue Bear Tavern), will be washed from our collective memory with the opening of The Butcher & The Brewer–another project from the Farmers’ Cabinet team, which should tell you all you need to know about our confidence level in this new iteration.

But still, we should be hoping for the best, right? So here’s what to expect from the cocktail lounge, beer bar and meatery being run by Jennifer Choplin (ex of Watkins Drinkery) in the kitchen and star barman Jeremy Osslund on the floor.

For starters, there’s the bar. Under the watch of Jeremy Osslund, there will be 40 American craft brews on tap and a hand-crafted cocktail program. Also, they’re promising 20 wines by the glass. Not on the board? Artsy custom boilermakers, which was the hook of this bar’s predecessor. That’s probably a good thing.

In the kitchen, the menu is focused first on the charcuterie and cheese, with an opening board of finochionna, duck prosciutto, pancetta tessa and tasso ham, set up against some Roaring 40′s blue, Tallegio and a Cabot cloth-bound cheddar (which, not for nothing, is an excellent cheese).

Beyond the snacks, it’s a fairly basic board, with a meat-and-two-veg theme where customers choose a meat, automatically get a salad, and then choose two sides from the menu. This leads to combinations like a poussin with herbs de Provence butter, a side of endives au buerre with goat cheese and lemon, and a slab of pumpkin bread pudding topped with pumpkin custard, or perhaps a nice lamb pie with a root vegetable gratin and sauteed watercress with garlic cream.

Doors open tonight at 5pm. The kitchen is open ’til midnight, but will still pump out charcuterie plates until 1:30 in the morning. Check it out while you have the chance.

Butcher and Brewer Menu (PDF)
The Butcher & The Brewer [Official website]


    Related Tags: , , , ,

    Related Posts

    This entry was posted on Friday, September 28th, 2012 at 4:03 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

    • Steve

      Countdown to closing begins in 3…2…1….I feel sorry for the employees who are getting duped into working here, especially Jennifer. I liked her when she was at Watkins

    • Bryan

      There slogan should be “Visit us. We’ll be gone before you come back.”

    • http://Foobooz PPABootsquadVinnie

      There I was, out & about, trying to decide Where Next? Saw Doc Watson’s/Blue Bear Tavern/Boilermaker/ Butcher and the Brewer Door open, with a crowd, 9-10ish. Stopped in, went to the bar to buy a drink and was told Politely yet Firmly that this was an event to which I was Not invited. Hmmm. No wiggle room, no ‘have a drink and slide, Clyde’. There was a ‘Come back Fri when we open’.. Not likely. Last time that happened to me was at Reserve, and look what happened to Them. I sure hope my gypsy curse ['Thinner'] doesn’t rear it’s ugly head Again………

    • S. Janowski

      The Cook and the Crook is open already?

    • Roland

      I saw it on Mealticket too but it’s spelled BEURRE, not buerre. I don’t care if it was spelled like that on the menu they gave you, you could still proofread it.

    • Ally G.

      The 2 beers I tried were awesome (thank you Mr. Bartender for the recommendations), the Tallegio cheese plate was amazing, and the goat entree melted in my mouth (believe it was a special).

      I could barely walk out of the place I was so full and content.

      As far as food and beer goes… I give this place a thumbs up. But it appears that’s not a concern for other people. Weird.

    • Jake

      Why is that weird? That people choose not to support an establishment that fucks over their employees and treats them like shit. Shitty people are behind B&B and F-Cab and they don’t deserve a dime of my money. Many others feel the same way.

    • maf

      @ally G….you’re whats wrong with yelp and sites like this. Stop pretending you’re a writer and critic, please. You could barely walk out of the place? Thats not eating…thats gluttony.

      Go work in the restaurant business then get screwed over by an owner who cares nothing about the employees he hires then see how you feel about this chump. He’s a classless idiot.

    • get over

      Everytime I read about the farmers cab people I feel like bitteere. I appreciate when it seemlike a . Fair even perception fro dia. But everytime its very little about there about drama wtf is this Staph meal 2? Shees lady don’t say you were full bc that would mean your talking about food.

    • Worthy of Observation

      Statistically, 90% of the online defenders of FCab and the “team” on Foobooz have been drunk, mentally deficient, fledgling part time food critics, or all of the above. This statement is without bias.

      As for this new venture, please refrain from complimenting a restaurant for Taleggio and Clothbound Cheddar offerings. It just seems like a reluctant pat on the back for offering a standard.

      The entrees sound like banquet food. Perhaps this is a good idea seeing that wedding season is almost over and many Philadelphians will feel lost without a salad and side option to their chicken.

    • SoonMatts

      Payback time is coming very soon for the two Matts. We all can’t wait to see it happen. Down with the scum.

    • Steve

      Do they still have their stupid “order a beer by the number on the menu” rule? the two times I went to Boilermaker to give it a shot the staff was clueless about what beer they were even poring. on both occassions they completely confused styles (I kid you not…i ordered a stout and got a pilsner) and then blamed it on the numbering system

    • Bryan

      They’ll be gone soon and all their crappy incarnations. They just got busted in Virginia for their “craft, artisinal” brewery. Probably for not having a license. One of the Matt’s already skipped town.

    • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zwABievfNw Lord Chesterfield

    • HenryFloristu

    • Omega

      St. Lois ribs huh? 3 cheeses too, don’t want the kitchen to work that hard they are probably all tied up with all that meat curing they are doing.

    • Ali G

      Funny how every time there is a story on here about one of Matt’s biz ventures, the other “Ally G.” immediately shows up in the comments to sing his praises. “The only restaurants I will ever eat at are F-Cab and Butcher and Brewer cuz they are soooooo amazing and i don’t care if all the purveyors got ripped off and the employees don’t get paid and the owner is a felonious scumbag and I am not just saying that because my name is Matt Swa- I mean Ally G….” Seriously, check out the F-Cab articles on here where Ma- oops ALLY gets his panties in a bunch because F-Cab’s employees are complaining about the checks bouncing, kinda strange that someone with no relation to this restaurant’s owner would spend all their time online praising his businesses all the while getting butthurt whenever anyone critiques Matt or his failing/soon-to-fail restaurants.

    • TheSlime

      Who hell is Matt Swartz? I just am really amazed how someone like that can exist. He is truly an unique sample of human. Seriously. How many right wing, racist, homophobic, Dead Heads do you know? Um, not many right? Okay. This particular fringe member of a subculture also likes to open Gothic and/or Prohibition Era themed restaurants lit only by candles while sticking to an artisinal/craft/farm-to-table ethos. Nicely designed websites and decor, AMAZING beer lists (Farmers Cabinet probably had at least on 20 occasions the greatest draft board ever assembled), adequate food. Sounds like a winning strategy to me. But this guy can’t sit still for one bleeping second and nurture a concept. What is lighting such a fire under his ass? Did this guy ever even look into taking a finance class? Like one you could take at community college. The first thing you learn (I hope) is that things worth investing in and the investments that affect the most change and make the most impact (and make you the most money) are the ones that take a long time to do so.

    • Michael G

      Should change the name to The Drama and the Bullshit.

    • DramaQueen

      Really the slime? Can you be anymore of a drama queen? It’s black and white. The guy is a slime and does not know how to run a business. There is nothing original or special about what he does. He is another copycat taken down by his own vices. Save the drama for your mama about how “complex” that is…

    • TheSlime

      Smell your globs.

    • TheSlime

      @Drama Been. Want to grab some “lunch”?

    • uralldouchbags

      Can the ex employees of the grainary group stop useing this artical to insult good customers who are out to get good food and beer, if you check yelp you’ll see that ally. G is not matt swartz….you’ll also see that she has a good judge of food. So you’ve been screwed by an employer who hasn’t in the food industry, but you forgot about his current employees that work hard to make good food and do things correctly so maybe swartz past can be forgotten and the food can be remebered. If you have a problem with him stay out of his restaurants, don’t insult good people. Maybe you should get a life well your at it…

    • Steve

      I am not a former employee and have absolutely no affiliation with the owners. I am a patron who has tried both Fork and Barrel and Boilermaker. I had a less than desirable experience both times I gave F&B a chance (inconsistent food, overpriced drinks, inattentive/rude staff). I tried the Boilermaker twice. The first was during Beer Week and the service was ok…it was annoying having to order beers by number and we were brought the wrong drinks a few times, but it was forgivable. The second time I went was a Saturday evening with a friend and we were two of maybe 6 people at the upstairs bar….still had to order beers by number because the bartender was clueless about what he was even pouring. This was not forgivable. These restaurants are shoddily thrown together and from a patron’s standpoint they do not seem to care about their clientele, only making a quick buck before closing shop and moving onto their next concept under a different management name to avoid more lawsuits. I will NEVER support these sleazy owners again, especially after reading more and more about them the last few weeks.

    • Ally G.

      Again…

      http://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=Tvegk5s428x5XwFZcTQypg

      Last time I checked, my name isn’t Matt and I don’t have a penis. Please stop instigating all the negativity surrounding my review “Ali G.” Thanks.

    • http://www.floorspice.com Jennifer Choplin

      Enough! The past is the past. Our FOH and BOH crew are working very hard to bring great beers, a warm, convivial atmosphere and great food to the neighborhood. I love my job and my co-workers and I really don’t appreciate our team being bullied and personally attacked just for wanting to do a good job. Please stop by, say hello, have a beer and let us cook you dinner. :)

    • Russell Jones

      Didn’t the whole management team and kitchen staff walk out of the Farmers Cabinet again? I heard that they bounced almost as fast as their paychecks did.

    • Reality Check

      @Russell. No one is THAT quick. This guy is writing checks that he knows won’t cash. And somehow the doors are still open.

    • Reality Check

      @ Jen. Did you paycheck clear or are you getting paid in cash? Your song will change soon enough

    • Angie

      At all the comments for the poor Swartz’s and their employees…..I’m sorry but I do not take pity on people who knowingly work for criminals. It’s not just their past…they are now at the present…and most likely will always be criminals. You can’t tell me that you work for these people and have no idea about their criminal actions. I realize we all need jobs and have to support ourselves and our families…..but there are many other bars out there to work at……I personally have morals….and would not want to associate myself with the swartz’s. If you choose to work for criminals…than do not expect peope to take pity on you…that is YOUR choice. Matt and Colleen have caused much havoc on my family because of their criminal ways. They are not business owners…they are con artists…who will manipulate and steal from ANYONE who crosses their path….even from their own FAMILY. Also, as a patron I would not want to support a “business” whose owners are criminals….I’d rather support trustworthy business owners who actually work hard and give back to the community by providing excellent services.
      If you want to do a good job and not be bullied and be appreciated for what you do….then choose to work for reputable people…they are out there…..
      and to Matt and Colleen….it’s only a matter of time before the law CATHCES up with you BOTH…..so enjoy freedom while you have it! Love…cousin Ang

    • Mike

      Speaking of criminals, it is criminal how many inappropriate ellipsis you managed to cram into one post.

    • Angie

      @Mike Says:
      GET………………….A…………….Life:)

    • http://philadelphiarestaurantequipment.com Trenton China Restaurant Equipment & Supply

      Soooo, Im assuming the 4 Bounced checks wouldn’t surprise anyone…wish I read this before instilling my trust. sad sad sad how some people are…

    • Angie

      @Trenton China Restaurant Equip & Supply
      Did you report Matt and Colleen Swartz to the Better Business Bureau????
      Please anyone that has a problem with Matt & Colleen Swartz you NEED to report them to the proper authorities. (IRS, BBB, FBI) They keep getting away with their criminal actions because no one is reporting them. Even if what they do to you seems small…please report them. They are criminals and need to be put in jail where they belong. The economy is tough right now, and they are taking advantage of credible business owners hardworking employees. They need to be stopped. If people reported them it would not take long for the authorities to uncover all of their crimes.

    «
    »