At the [Reader], Ben Schiller says he wants to open an old man bar, that is, a place where “you can get an amazing cutting-edge cocktail and bring your uncle from Wisconsin who’s a welder.” Is that a contradiction in terms, the former automatically ruling out the latter? Perhaps we’ll see, but actually that’s the second and more provisional piece of news, anyway. The first and more immediate piece of news is that Schiller, who popped onto the cocktailing scene at In Fine Spirits and has been the crafter of bar menus at the Boka Group for the last four years, told Mike Sula he was leaving it to join the Fifty/50 Restaurant Group’s Berkshire Room, the new and increasingly ambitious classic cocktail lounge project in the Acme Hotel. A subsequent release confirms the details: Schiller is joining Fifty/50 Group as its beverage director, exactly parallel to the announcement about executive chef Chris Curren a couple of weeks ago; he’ll start with responsibility for The Berkshire Room and Homestead, and help develop future concepts for the group.
Previously: Chris Curren Joining Fifty/50 Group As Executive Chef; To Homestead and Beyond
West Town Bakery To Open New Location, Cocktail Lounge Inside ACME Hotel Co.
