For Immediate Release January 13, 2016
Chandler, AZ – The BRICKYARD DOWNTOWN, Chandler’s newest destination by restaurant veteran Gavin Jacobs and Elliott Hall offers a sneak peek at their menu and announces their powerful management team. They have put together a collaborative group to make it all happen: Chef de Cuisine Vincent Contreras, Head Bar Manager Bobby Kramer & Marketing Director from Dygert Consultment, Chelsea Dygert.
Jacobs announces that the restaurant will be open to the public and welcoming guests on Wednesday January 20th, 3pm-11pm (happy hour 3-6pm). “We want to start serving Chandler diners ASAP” the co-owner states. To indulge in menu trivia and find out specifics on opening specials you will have to find The BRICKYARD DOWNTOWN on Facebook, Instagram, or their website.
Whether you are a casual downtown Chandler native, or a central Phoenix foodie, this cozy restaurant nestled away on Boston street in historic Downtown Chandler will be a social experience around trying foods in new ways. Specializing in new American tapas & craft cocktails their menu will include the traditionals as well as inventive new concoctions.
THE CHEF
With over 20 years of experience, Chef Vincent Contreras, Phoenix native, brings exquisite talent & creativity to Chandler. After a long tenure in Las Vegas under multiple James Beard awarded Chefs, Contreras left his pots and pans in NV to return to cook in the desert kitchens once again. Restaurants on his Las Vegas resume include Valentino’s, one of the Venetian’s most acclaimed restaurants, one of the most famous NY French restaurants, Lutèce, named for it’s small cozy space (18 tables in the main room), and Tsunami, which would seat up to 600 for special events. For the last few months, Contreras was with Local Bistro in Scottsdale and will now be joining the BRICKYARD team.
THE MIXOLOGIST
An 8 year veteran of the US Military and Arcadia native, Bobby (Robert) Kramer is appointed Head Bar Keep and will manage the beverage program at The BRICKYARD DOWNTOWN.
Bobby was 1 of 3 AZ finalists in the Regional placings of the USBG World Class competition, (judged on short essays, industry achievements & cocktails) alongside the well-known Brandon Casey & Clint Spotleson.
As our master of mixology, Kramer learned his craft working through the industry including his recent tenure as Bar Manager at Virtù in Scottsdale, and most recently Bar Lead at Blue Hound Kitchen and Cocktails.
“The Brickyard concept is truly my craft-love child,” Bobby notes. He’s been looking to work on a concept from ground-up and this is the perfect place. “We’re all working hard to add something cool to Downtown Chandler. There’s some great stuff already here, but with a little more, it’ll make this area a destination.”
From the exquisite gastronomy of Chef Vincent Contreras to the craft Mixology of Bobby Kramer, this contemporary concept in a historical building will be both approachable and exceptional. With daily happy hour starting at 3pm, skillful entrées and beverages will include familiar go-to options as well as creative new offerings with flavors inspired both by the creators personal taste, and the influence of cultures around the globe.
THE FOOD AND DRINK
The BRICKYARD DOWNTOWN will offer an amiable twist on tapas. Offering tapas is designed to encourage conversation. Diners aren’t overly concentrated on choosing and eating an entire meal to themselves but rather focused on discussing each other’s taste preferences & enjoying the tangential dialogue. The BRICKYARD DOWNTOWN’s vision is to bring global flavors to a traditional concept by which a few different small plates are ordered to make a full meal.
ta·pas | ˈtapəs/ noun
1. Directly meaning “to cover”
Small plate of savory dishes, typically served with drinks at a bar.
Wide variety of appetizer styled food, originally found in the Spanish cuisine.
With an origin dating back to the 1700s, whether they are cold or hot, they’ve evolved into a sophisticated cuisine.
A Sampling from the Food and Drink Menu
Beet & Goat Cheese
A beautiful preparation of Roasted Beets, Fried Goat Cheese, Beet Paint, Beet Marshmallow, finished with Citrus Dressing.
Crusted Ahi Tuna
A perfect portion that includes Wasabi Scented Potato, Green Apple Gremolata, Bok Choy, and Ginger Foam
The Block Cut Strip Loin
Plated with Charred Shishito Peppers, King Trumpet Mushroom, Fried Herbs
Pork Belly Skewers
An offering of Braised Pork Belly Skewers with Garlic Chips, Honey Soy and a Ryu Powder
Root Beer Flip
Traditionally, a flip is made with a full egg and a root beer float is made with ice cream. Here at Brickyard, we like applying our own twist to traditional methods. In this cocktail, we balance Kentucky straight rye with sugar, Amaro (an herbal, bitter liqueur), and an egg white to give the cocktail a creamy smoothness. A root beer float (or flip in our case) is typically completed by the grandaddy of root beer; A&W. Oh, and a dash of cocoa bitters never hurts.
Ain’t Cho Paloma
Ancho Chili is a sweet and spicy mexican poblano that has been dehydrated or dried. We pair the spicy chili with a pepper infused reposado tequila and a poblano liqueur. No Paloma is complete without a sparkling grapefruit component, so we created our own. To accomplish this we combined a ruby red grapefruit shrub (a Colonial way of preserving fruit with sugar and vinegar) and sparkling lemon soda. The cocktail is finished off with fresh grapefruit zest and a spicy salted rim.
For trivia and further information on openings, happy hour times, special events & seasonal offerings, follow The BRICKYARD DOWNTOWN on Facebook (The Brickyard Downtown), Instagram (@BrickyardDwtn) and Twitter (@BrickyardDwtn).
Gavin Jacobs, Co-owner and General Manager & The BRICKYARD team will be available for scheduled media interviews and media tours immediately.
