Get a Sneak Peek at Bar Pastoral, Opening Nov. 12

Grid View

• The soapstone-topped cheese and charcuterie bar with butter-churn chandelier
• The wine bar will have 3 beers and sparkling wine on tap
• The walls will feature chalkboards featuring seasonal wine and cheese offerings
• Gather 'round the udder table
• Tables, made of reclaimed wood from the ceiling, feature wine-crate name plates

There's been a lot of excitement and support for the opening of Bar Pastoral, the new wine, cheese and charcuterie bar opening next to the original Pastoral on Broadway in a couple of weeks. The bar undergoes inspections this week and if all goes well, Bar Pastoral will open on Nov. 12.

You already knew that owners Greg O'Neill and Ken Miller enlisted Mark Hayes for the beverage program and former Vincent chef and Top Chef season 10 contestant Chrissy Camba in the kitchen, but now Eater has more details after getting a sneak peek at the space this week.

The approximately 50-seat wine bar, designed by Moss' Matt Nardella, has both a cheese and charcuterie bar and a wine bar. The wine bar will feature three rotating beers on tap as well as a special Pastoral sparkling wine from Michigan's acclaimed L. Mawby Vineyards. They'll have 16 glass pours all priced at $10 (with half pours at $5) featuring hard-to-find and sustainably produced wines. In addition, Bar Pastoral will have cocktail selections made with local spirits; the first batch will feature Koval Distillery.

A few steps away, the dark soapstone-topped cheese and charcuterie bar, which is fronted with reclaimed ceiling tin, features a handful of seats where chef Camba will have seasonal cheese selections, housemade cured meats and various small plates, including a pear and ricotta grilled cheese; roasted housemade ham with boiled heirloom tomatoes and raclette; and Merguez-stuffed apricots. The bar will also have shelves just in front of guests displaying cheeses and meats and a Ted Harris-designed butter-churn chandelier hangs overhead.

In the corner between the two bars is the "udder table," a round six-top with another fixture Harris created using a vintage mechanical milking machine. And just down a short hall from there, the back window will get filled in with the bases of numerous wine bottles to emanate a green glow toward the front of the bar.

During the build-out, the team removed the wood from the ceiling to use for tabletops throughout the bar. They created a curved cheese-cave-like ceiling where artist Anna Wolfson added a cool plaster finish. They also unearthed beautiful original exposed brick as well as "American" stamped concrete blocks that have been painted yellow to tie in with the decor next door in the retail space. Those walls will be adorned with chalkboards to highlight the seasonal cheese and wine offerings as well as photos from the Pacific Northwest.

The front windows will open on to the street during warmer months and a 25-seat patio will stretch across the bar and retail space. So if all goes well with inspections, Bar Pastoral should open in the next couple of weeks, adding yet another element to the booming East Lakeview culinary scene.
· Pastoral Expanding With Bar Pastoral Next Door [~EChi~]
· Bar Pastoral Chef Chrissy Camba Set for Top Chef: Seattle [~EChi~]