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It's like, we lost one and we get back two.
Despite the kerfuffle of a few weeks ago, when Jester Concepts announced that they'd be bringing back Butcher & the Boar and Kaskaid Hospitality said "hold on, we've got the conch", there will be life back in the storied Hennepin Ave space.
"We're ready for the next chapter," Kaskaid's owner Kam Talebi told me, "so we're opening The Butcher's Tale in the space this May. The more I thought about it, it wasn't about the name, what made the place special was the team, the food, and the location. That's what we want to invest in. We're going to focus on the future and what's ahead, while building on what we've learned from the past."
The team is a big piece of this for Talebi, who has brought back Chad Waldon as GM, and chef Peter Botcher, who was the original butcher for Butcher & the Boar under founding chef Jack Riebel. Botcher had been working in the Caribbean for local hospitality magnate Paul Wischermann when he got the call, "You know this is the only restaurant I would have ever gone back to. I was in Anguilla and loving it, but there's something about this place. I knew in 30 seconds I was coming back."
Botcher intends to bring the sausage, don't you worry, and many of the favorites will be back too, including the beef long rib, the legendary pork chop, and the grilled oysters. But there will be changes to the menu which had largely gone unchanged for years. "We are going to bring in some lighter options, a few more salads and some fresh seafood dishes, to appeal to a wider audience," Botcher told me. "Plus, you know I'm 44 now and I can't really just live on meat and bourbon like I used to! I will say, coming back to this place now, and seeing it through older eyes, I can really appreciate what [Tim] Rooney's vision was and how amazing it was that he built this."
So, this is a new business, with a new name, but it's heavily rooted in what B&tB was. The space will largely go unchanged, with a few updates to soundproofing and such. But that gorgeous patio and beer garden will be back open before you know it. And the wood smoke smell is already hitting the neighborhood. The mural will not only stay, but Talebi mentioned that they felt it needed celebrating more, "We're doubling down and going to light it up and let it shine. It's an icon for the city, and we're bullish on downtown. We want to bring people back down here and give them a reason to celebrate after the year we've all had."
Because I had checked in with Brent Frederick of Jester earlier this week, I can report that he is also undaunted by the kerfuffle. "We are moving forward with opening Butcher & the Boar. There's a space we have our eye on that we are in process with, we are working to secure our chef and we hope to be open in the later part of 2021."
Like I said: twofer.
