Tradition on Tap

A new restaurant in Columbia is brewing up some old favorites with some new twists. Grindstone Brewery at 47 E. Broadway opened on May 27.

“We’re improving ourselves quietly, and then we can promote the business,” says co-proprietor Sam Chou. “We want to be in tip-top shape before we promote ourselves.”

Chou says that a summer opening will allow them to work out any “kinks” and maintain the “most important piece of the puzzle:” the beer.

Chou’s family has owned the building since 1986 when it was Chou’s Buffet.

The Buffet closed its doors in 2003, but Chou said he couldn’t stay out of the restaurant business for long.

In September 2004, after months of discussion, Chou and business partner, Taz Pfefer, gutted the building and turned the former Chinese buffet into a brewery and restaurant.

While Chou supplies his restaurant knowledge, Pfefer is in charge of the brewing.

“I’m a soul brewer,” says Pfefer. “I am always trying to make a better beer.”

Pfefer brews six flavors of beer plus mead, which is fermented honey. Pfefer describes the taste of mead as “light and sweet, a little like champagne.”

Pfefer, a hobbyist beekeeper, said he started making mead at home from his bees’ honey seven years ago when his wife asked him to brew a batch. Since then, he says he’s been trying to perfect his art.

Pfefer and Chou want to offer something for everybody, so Pfefer even brews homemade soda in flavors such as ginger ale, honey crème and grape.

The sodas are served from a soda fountain at the bar.

Grindstone Brewery’s menu was created by executive chef Sam Hancook.

Bar food mainstays include nachos ($8), burgers ($6) and potato skins ($5), but Hancook also incorporates Duck Confit pizza ($8.50) and grilled eggplant sandwiches ($6) for something different.

Hancook dresses up classic pub food such as the Philly cheese steak sandwich with garlic aioli or bratwurst with mead sauerkraut. These menu items cost $7, allowing diners to experience a new twist on traditional foods for a low cost. Other items such as Thai crab cakes or goat cheese pizza cost $9.

Entrees cost more. The prime rib cis $18, which makes it the most expensive item on the menu followed by grilled salmon ($17) and seared grouper ($16).

“I try to cater to everyone’s different tastes,” says Hancook. “For those who want sophistication, they can have it, but simpler foods are available.”

Hancook, who was trained in French culinary technique, said he feels passionately about the diner’s experience at Grindstone especially when it comes to visual presentation.

“You eat with your eyes so food tastes better with large presentation,” says Hancook. “When you take a bite, it is the climax of it all.”

One example of inventive presentation is the onion ring tower ($7).

Hancook says he had a welder design a metal stand to present onion rings in an original design, something he thinks customers will appreciate more than a plastic basket and paper napkins. Hancook serves them with remoulade instead of ketchup.

Hancook says the menu design will highlight Pfefer’s brews, as well as the food. He uses Pfefer’s beers and mead in marinades and sauces.

Diners can see the enormous copper barrels in the brewery through windows at the bar, and the view extends into the open kitchen. Outdoor seating is also available. The stainless steel furniture maintains the modern theme.

The dining room at Grindstone Brewery is large and open and has an industrial feel. The stainless steel furniture and exposed beams and duct work add to the brewery atmosphere.

“We brew our own beer, but we have a very fine restaurant,” says Chou. “We want to express a high quality in our beer and food and be different than everyone else.”