Post Road Brew House
The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park opened up another pop-up restaurant on February 16. Post Road Brew House made its debut at the CIA just two weeks ago, and is the newest addition to the CIA’s Restaurant Group. The restaurant is also an extension of the school’s brewery, offering a number of beers on tap brewed at the CIA and local New York State breweries. According to the CIA’s News and Media website, Post Road Brew House is “a casual, contemporary American beer-driven pop-up restaurant combining seasonal Hudson Valley cuisine with classic European gastro-classics.”
The menu, created by Executive Chef and Assistant Professor Theodore Roe, was comprised of a multitude of choices ranging from fish and chips to mouth watering burgers and, of course, beer. “The menu was driven by classic pub foods. To put it simply, the menu was inspired by beer,” Roe said. Some of the beers offered at the pop-up, listed on the CIA’s News and Media website, include Cleaver IPA, Mise en Place Wit, Beefsteak Blonde, Wee Chef Scotch Ale, and the Smash Stout. The beers range from dark and heavy ales to light and crisp brews.
The pop-up restaurant is part of the CIA’s curriculum for students to gain experience in restaurant dining, according to Roe. “These courses are the final ‘capstone’ courses to finish their Associates Degrees, which is required before heading into the bachelor program,” Roe said. The students are required to take one class specializing in formal dining, and one class specializing in contemporary dining such as the Post Road Brew House According to Roe, this pop-up experience is offered to students in their second year.
“The CIA offers pop-ups to round out the students restaurant experience and to give the students options in contemporary restaurant cooking. Offering pop-up concepts also gives us the ability to respond to current market trends,” Roe said.
Pop-up restaurants seem to be a reoccurring theme not only at the CIA, but around the world as well. These styles of restaurants offer a variety of food choices to the public for a limited amount of time. Dan Barber is a chef and co-owner of Blue Hill restaurant in Pocantico Hills, New York. According to Roe, he just opened up a Blue Hill pop-up called “WastED” in London. “I believe we are going to see more pop-ups in the industry over the next five years, and I believe the CIA will continue to do pop-ups based on industry trends,” Roe said.
As for the CIA, Roe has some predictions about their future pop-ups. “Do you know what we will do in the future? Time will tell I guess, but who really knows? Maybe we will see a pop-up food truck at the CIA in the future? Food truck = killer eats!”, he says.
Post Road Brew House is open for dinner from February 16 until June 15. More information on their hours of operation, as well as the full menu, can be found on their website http://www.ciarestaurantgroup.com/post-road-brew-house/#hours.
