GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – More than a week before they open up the doors, the media got a chance to taste and look at some of the offerings at Lambeau Field’s newest attraction.
1919 Kitchen & Tap, located inside the Atrium, will open to the public on Friday July 24.
On Wednesday, we got a sneak preview of the menu and a look at the decor and operation of the restaurant which will replace Curly’s Pub.
“We didn’t want to deviate from what was successful at Curly’s and in the area,” says Operations Manager Eric Sampson. “We wanted to bring in local ingredients, take what we knew was successful and step it up a notch.”
Mainstays like burgers, sandwiches and cheese curds will remain.
However, diners will notice some new twists with a nod to some food trends. Items like Pork Belly Tacos with charred kale and cotija cheese, or the Apple Salad with Napa cabbage, chicken crisps, goat cheese, candied walnuts and Espelette honey and cider vinaigrette.
“To appeal to a local guest and somebody who’s traveling in is a challenge,” says Sampson. “We have a great culinary staff, great resources, Drew’s (executive chef) been in a number of different markets and on the cutting edge of what’s been working in other areas.”
An increased focus on locally-sourced ingredients with an eye on seasonal items can be a challenge for budgets, especially those of customers.
“That’s one of the challenges,” says Sampson. “Certainly with the burgers and sandwiches, we’re basically flat with what we were doing at Curly’s, and where we did elevate the price are on things we weren’t previously offering.”
Speaking of burgers, the namesake 1919 Burger is a prime example of that new twist. It’s a grass-fed beef patty with Havarti cheese, fried sauerkraut, peppered bacon and a red pepper aioli. Another one is a nod to the old standard beer cheese soup — Beer Cheese Bisque with crème fraiche, chives and brioche croutons.
1919 Kitchen & Tap will have a seating capacity of about 250 inside on the main floor, as well as 100 on the restaurant’s outdoor patio outside the Miller Lite Gate. It also features an open-concept kitchen, which is yet another part of the learning curve for the staff.
“When you’re going through this you get to be flying around and making it happen, and communication is a bit easier because you can be as loud as you need to be,” Sampson said. “We need to be respectful of the guest that’s dining 15 to 20 feet away.”
The new restaurant, which also features a bar with 40 varieties of draft beer, replaces Curly’s Pub which operated on the Atrium’s second floor since 2003.
