Mikkeller Bar Gets Chef, Targets July 4 Weekend

The plans for the new bar (first floor at left, basement at right). [Photo: Courtesy Mikkeller Bar]

Things are coming along nicely at Mikkeller Bar, the Tenderloin craft-beer palace from Chuck Stilphen of The Trappist and Mikkel Borg Bjergsø of the eponymous gypsy brewer. The duo have now signed on a chef, Michael O'Brien, who previously worked at Church Key in Washington, D.C., which is considered one of the nation's best beer-and-food pairing restaurants. O'Brien is still working on the menu, but he's planning to use local ingredients in dishes like a grilled skirt steak with fries, a blackened Savoy cabbage "tenderloin" with dirty rice, and housemade sausages. He'll also have a house charcuterie program. Here's a sample menu (subject to change).

Though the food program is strong, it's the beer list that will make craft-brew fans swoon. Mikkeller Bar will boast a hefty 40 taps, including two beers on cask. There are going to be some seriously rare treats on offer, including Cantillon Fou Foune apricot lambic; Hill Farmstead Abner, an acclaimed Vermont double IPA; and De la Senne's Brussels Calling, a top-ranked Belgian blonde ale. They'll also have draft offerings from some breweries that are never or rarely seen on draft in the Bay Area, including Pretty Things, Upright, Anchorage, and Dieu de Ciel. Bjergsø is also working on a special Mikkeller Tenderloin Series of brews, including a wit, pilsner, American brown ale, and wild-fermented "spontanale," and he'll have several draft offerings from his regular portfolio, like a cream ale, oatmeal stout, and regular and coffee IPAs. The entire staff will be Certified Cicerones, and they'll also have a big bottle selection and a dedicated sour-beer room in the cellar. Here's a sample draft list (again, subject to change). We are drooling.

The two-floor, 6,000-square-foot former Crash Nightclub space will boast a 30-seat, four-sided bar, an 80-seat dining room, and a 20-seat private dining room. Designed by Martin Heid Design/Build, which also did Range, Adesso, and Commonwealth, it'll have a "Danish industrial" theme. They'll be open until midnight on weekdays and 2 am on weekends, and the target for opening is July 4th weekend.

· Mikkeller Bar [Official website]