Monk's Kettle Plans Abbot's Cellar, Another Beer-Centric Mission Eatery

With new chef Adam Dulye now firmly in place at Monk's Kettle, owners Christian Albertson and Nat Cutler just signed a lease for 740 Valencia Street—current home of John’s Jaguars auto shop, within shooting distance of Luna Park. Their new venture, Abbot's Cellar, will be like a fancier version of Monk's Kettle, the kind of place where glass pours of beer are de rigueur. The "very focused" beer program will include 100 food-friendly bottles, some aged options, seasonal flights and 24 beers held on draft at the proper temperature. Beer geeks, please note two hand-pump cask engines will also be in the house. Duyle, who was made partner just in time for all of this, will cook a lot in the kitchen's brick hearth. He'll zero in on beer-and-food pairings too. Considering the recent changes at Monk's Kettle, this appears to be Dulye's strong suit.

The boys have also brought in big-time Lundberg Design to build out the 3000-square-foot middle section of the property shown above. When all's said and done, there will be about 65 seats, plus 35 at the expansive open kitchen counter/bar and lots of original exposed brick. Completing the fancy beer hall theme, there will be 24-foot ceilings, skylights and a glass-enclosed beer cellar. So, a nice place for a beer. An opening some time this winter is currently on the books.

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