This is no longer the news it once was; Avenues Proper Restaurant and Publick House has been open for over two months now. But we local beer nerds spent the prior year hotly anticipating this new brewpub opening. Former Epic brewer Rio Conolly (namesake of Rio's Rompin' Rye) is one of the three owners, and is now brewing on premises. I had the good fortune to meet Rio in the past year and learn of his plans for this new venture. It became even more exciting when I found out it would be right in my neighbourhood, the Avenues--it's all of six blocks from our house. Through the winter and spring, I took to walking the dog by the site to watch the construction progress. And in late April, I managed to catch wind of their open house coming up on an early afternoon just prior to opening night and checked it out.
The space is gorgeous and impressive; it's much bigger than the shoebox I feared it would end up being. Much of the furniture (including the bar) are locally made, a focus that also shows in the food. The menu of bites, salads, and small and large plates feature a plethora of local and seasonal ingredients. At the open house, they provided samples of the duck fat popcorn and pretzel sticks with stone ground mustard; excellent stuff. The brewhouse is compact, but looks like a heck of a lot of fun. No house beers were ready for prime time for the opening, but their bottle menu keeps up the local theme with a heavy focus on Utah breweries. Also on hand for the opening were local coffee roasters Charming Beard, who specialize in sustainably grown single-origin coffees. I had a couple cups of wonderfully fruity and aromatic coffee, and have since sought out their beans for home enjoyment. The Proper staff were all very friendly and approachable; upon request, a couple friends and I even got a tour of the spacious and well-planned kitchen and prep area. A great first impression overall.
Mrs. Absalom and I got out that night to try the full menu on their opening service. The menu is admittedly higher end than we normally have when eating out, but the food was really excellent. We enjoyed the hell out of several small plates and bites; the marinated olives were particularly tasty. Paired with fine libations (including gluten-free options for Mrs. Absalom) it was an excellent night out. We've been back a couple more times and have been similarly impressed with the food, drinks, and atmosphere of the place; they've even managed to keep pretty busy in the middle of the week! It very well may end up being the perfect neighbourhood hang for a few of our friends and us when we want a drink out. All that's left is to try the beer; it can take some time to get a new system dialed in, but Rio should be just the man for the task. I look forward to getting a taste when we get back to town.
- Br. Absalom
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