The Grid, a Lounge, Set to Open Below Baume & Brix

About a week after Baume & Brix opens, which could be in the first or second week of October depending on how inspections go, the team will then open a bar and lounge beneath the restaurant called The Grid.

The Grid, which will seat about 150, will have a separate entrance and will be somewhat below grade, but will have plenty of windows so you won't feel like you're underground. The upscale, rustic decor will have a lot of wood, metal and beam ceilings, leather couches, five large communal tables, about 25 TVs, a bangin' sound system by Funktion One and four ventless floating fireplaces.

B&B co-exec chef Thomas Elliott Bowman said the Grid's "sophisticated bar food" menu will have four sections: snacks, jars, bites and sweets, with about six items in each category save sweets, which will have three to four.

Snacks, which will range between about $2 and $5, will have items like duck fat cheddar popcorn and a nut of the day like pad thai-flavored peanuts. Jars, ranging between $4 and $9, will have foie mousse with grilled brioche; tuna poke with sesame tuile; and flageolet beans with baguette toast points. And the bites, which will be more substantial offerings priced between about $10 and $16, will have pork belly and burrata poutine; Western-style Kobe burger with housemade barbecue, cave-aged cheddar and crispy shallots; and boneless wings topped with freeze-dried buffalo powder with Stilton blue.

The team decided to add the lounge aspect to the project after realizing there weren't a lot of bar-type options in the neighborhood. "The area right around there is missing a local bar, lounge and tavern," said owner Steve Tavoso (Epic). "We'll be next to East Bank Club and the Merchandise Mart. We have all the high rises down Kingbsury. There's no real local bar or restaurant for all of those places."
· Epic Owner, Former iNG Chef Team for Baume & Brix [~EChi~]