Phrankly Focus — The Playhouse
Phrankly sits down with owner Brian van Etten to talk about a few of the things that make The Playhouse/Swillburger so great, from the beef to the beer.
There is something immensely satisfying about stepping back into the simple foods that you grew up with. My scope of what qualifies as comfort food has expanded over the years, but it’s hard to deny that feeling you get when biting into a juicy burger and some fried potatoes. The Playhouse/Swillburger opened up right before Christmas in 2015 and immediately made a mark on the local dining scene. No place in recent local memory had such a build up prior to opening with multiple pop up events and a huge social media buzz. Thankfully, they delivered on my expectations and have been killing it with their simple food that is just executed perfectly.
I went over to The Playhouse to talk with owner Brian van Etten about his choice to work with local providers to source their ingredients. If you want to learn more about The Playhouse, check out the podcast I recorded with Brian Van Etten and Christian Simeone on Food About Town.
The Playhouse is a large building in the Swillburg neighborhood of Rochester. It has had a rich history, with time spent as a church, and has been completely transformed. It now houses a full service bar with twenty taps, a fast casual farm to table burger joint called Swillburger, and an arcade focused on the classics from the 80s and 90s. The interior design was a collaboration with Staach that includes an amazing Tetris-like centerpiece over the bar area. The combination of the clean, wooden pieces and the casual vibe of the space is a delight.
We’re a streamlined farm to table restaurant with high quality ingredients while still fitting in with a neighborhood bar and arcade. It’s a food philosophy of myself and the staff to keep our standards high while being accessible to everyone in a way they’re comfortable with.
That casual vibe carries over into the food and drink being served at the Swillburger counter. I love the old school pin letter menu and the simple approach to the offerings that; griddle cooked burgers with fantastic crust, fried chicken thigh sandwiches, fresh cut fries and creatively topped tater tots. What makes it extra special is the dedication to using quality, local ingredients. Like Seven Bridges Farm beef and potatoes from local sources like Headwater Food Hub.
I know I can taste the difference between our local ingredients and a generic one. The taste is just more satisfying, while still allowing us to offer a great value to our customers. Our customers know the difference too, and tell us all the time that they appreciate where we get our ingredients from.
The hits don’t stop rolling once you get past the burgers and fries either. The team, headed up by Chef Christian Simeone, makes their condiments in house and treat tater tots as a canvas for their culinary whims. The buns are from from Flour City Bread, one of Rochester’s best bakeries. The milkshakes are made with ice cream from Eat Me Ice Cream, allowing them to serve a full suite of unique vegan shakes that don’t disappoint. Thanks to the dedication of the team, vegans and vegetarians have lots of options at Swillburger.
It’s definitely a priority to offer a good variety of vegan options. We would be shooting ourselves in the foot by not exploring the expansive amount of options in that area. Virtually everything we do at Swillburger can be turned onto a vegan option. We even make a vegan version of our house Swill Sauce to make sure everyone gets the same great experience.
The bar is the visual centerpiece of The Playhouse and it carries the same attention to detail as the food at Swillburger. Bar manager Jay Rodgers oversees the eighteen beer taps as well as the finely crafted cocktail program. I almost always find something I haven’t tried before and the taps are constantly rotating to keep things fresh. The spirits are well thought out with a good selection of local options to choose from including two cocktail taps featuring Black Button Distilling based cocktails.
We try to pick higher quality products the bartenders enjoy working with. When we can bring in New York State spirits and beer, we love to do so since it helps builds the local community.
The bar also hosts the over the top Bar Room Battle Royale finale of the Rochester Cocktail Revival, where bartenders compete head to head in different events. If you can make it out this coming Sunday, it’s truly a unique experience that shouldn’t be missed.
When you look at the whole Playhouse/Swillburger experience, it’s hard to deny that it’s the kind of place that just gets it. It takes the typical burger shack and turns it into both your favorite neighborhood spot and an entirely new experience all at the same time. You can attend a themed tap takeover, get nostalgic over classic games, and then chow down on a true farm to table burger. I appreciate how much they care, but they don’t shove it down your throat — They know that burger can stand on its own and I completely agree.
Keep on reading Phrankly Focus for awesome spots that excite their customers like The Playhouse does. Until then, keep eating and let me know if you find someone we need to feature here!
You can listen to Chris Lindstrom on the Food About Town podcast or check out his food blog, Foodabouttown.com. Share any dining tips with him on Twitter and Instagram @stromie.
