Local Pig officially replaces Bridger’s Bottle Shop today
The new sign is up, and today the Local Pig butcher shop has bacon, chops and beef for its retail customers at 510 Westport Road. Bridger’s Bottle Shop and its order-at-the-counter sandwich shop, Preservation Market, are officially history.
Alex Pope, the 31-year-old chef who created the Local Pig butcher shop in the East Bottoms two years ago (and later added his own food truck, Pigwich, to the complex) has taken over the lease at 510 Westport Road and put his own brand on the venue. Beginning next Friday, November 7, the restaurant part of the business offers a new menu — bringing back most of the popular choices from Preservation Market — in a full-service setting with a complete bar. Bartender Erik Maiscal takes over as the restaurant’s full-time mixologist; expect a full cocktail list.
“We’ll still have over 250 beer selections,” Pope says. “Still the biggest in Westport. Customers can choose their beer from the refrigerated cases or order it from their servers.”
The Preservation Market kitchen staff will continue at the new Local Pig, but Pope has hired a new staff for the front of the house. The dining room will still seat 55 (with 20 more seats at the new bar), but will now have new tables and chairs. The room boasts a new paint job.
Pope says the changes were needed. Since opening as Bridger’s Bottle Shop last April, Pope says, “we had a real drop-off of beer people in the seats.”
“We’re going to do what we do best, with multiple concepts in an appealing location,” he adds.
No Pigwich burgers and fries, however. The Westport venue doesn’t have a flattop grill or a hood suitable for fried foods. So Pope instead plans to introduce a braised short-rib “burger” with the same porcini aioli ands tomato jam as the Pigwich burger.
The charcuterie choices will be expanded — including chicken-liver mousse and rabbit pate — and there will be more dessert offerings.
Starting November 10, the hours at Local Pig in Westport — for both the restaurant and the butcher shop — will be 10 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Saturday. Pope has applied for a Sunday liquor license so he can add Sunday hours.
UPDATE: The Pitch received a tweet asking if Local Pig owner will continue the Bridger’s Bottle Shop’s “Take-Out Tuesdays.” Alex Pope tells us, “No, we won’t offer that anymore, but we will have reduced priced on beer and food during our daily happy-hour specials.”
