The Mission is making some good food moves lately and the Valencia at 18th St. block is especially hot. Getting in on the excitement is the Abbot’s Cellar, the big sister to Monk’s Kettle. Before the Abbot’s Cellar officially opened its doors on Wednesday, I stopped by for a peek at the restaurant, and of course, to eat.
As soon as I get inside, the big open kitchen signals this is not a bar that has good food. It’s a full-on restaurant with a massive craft beer menu. The Abbot’s Cellar is the complete integration of well-sourced food designed to balance select beer. And it’s pretty. Its sleek, industrial yet barn-like feel was designed by Lundberg Design (Who also put their stamp on Slanted Door and Quince).
When the food passing begins, I trade my little napkin for a plate and dominate a tray of smoked and grilled bison on top of summer corn fritters drizzled in dandelion chocolate reduction, which is paired perfectly with the chocolately oak-aged Yeti.
Lemon essence with anything pickled is a never-fail pairing, which comes next as the citrus-rich Sorachi Ace and pickled albacore with cucumber, radish, and pea tendrils sample. Samples. I realize I’ve assembled a light dinner out of passed tray samples. For dessert, I make my own pairing of the apricot-flavored Sculpin IPA and sugared pretzel donuts with carmelized peach sauce.
Christian Albertson, cellar master and co-owner, curated a list of 22 draft and 100 bottled beers. Along with these, there are two drawn-from-hand pump casks kept in a two-story, climate-controlled beer cellar with a catwalk. Ceiling-high shelving holds hundreds of glasses, each designated for a specific style of beer. The Tripel Karmeliet is poured into crystal. Another fancy note — 10 rotating specialty beers come in 750 mL bottles and are presented and served like wine.
The paired-selections meal that I ate that night was just a taste of the daily changing menu, which features appetizers like braised goat ragu with gnocchi and pecorino. Entrees like dry-aged strip loin and crispy hen of the woods with spring onions usually make my stomach happy and my wallet sad, but chef/co-owner Adam Dulye aims at keeping all entrees here under $30. And I hear a modestly-priced prix fixe menu is coming soon.
The Abbot’s Cellar definitely stepped up the beer hall game. It’s open everyday for dinner from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays until midnight.
All photos by Summer Sewell
