The Brewery to get make-over as Ward 426

[Robin Garr]

We probably should have seen this coming. I couldn't figure out why the high-power team that took over The Brewery didn't change things any more than they did. Now they're going to.

The Brewery plans makeover
Dana McMahan,
Special to The Courier-Journal 9:11 a.m. EDT July 28, 2014

Shawn Ward at The Brewery, which opened this past spring at 426 Baxter Ave., is going back to his roots, trading pub fare for fine dining.

"We should have done this from the beginning," says Dean Corbett, partner in the restaurant. "We've been fighting the tater tot battle. We finally said 'why don't we do what we're good at, which is fine dining?'"

With a new name, Ward 426, and a total makeover from Bittners, the restaurant will feature new American cuisine. "We're super excited to get Shawn back to where he should be," Corbett says. "In my humble opinion he is one of the top three chefs in the city and here he is doing wings and tater tots."

Full story in the CJ:
http://www.courier-journal.com/story/en ... /13261431/

[Robin Garr]

Here's my July 2 review. Looks like I'll have to go back for a do-over, too.

http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/we-st ... he-brewery

We ate there last week and the ribs were good. The calamari and lobster crab cakes were awesome as well. Hopefully they keep a fairly affordable price point. Very good service and the patio is very nice.

!

I was just there this weekend with four friends and had a really nice evening - the service was so spot on ... friendly, thoughtful, and attentive without being overbearing.

I had the American burger and it was great overall ... a criticism would be that it's served in the style where it sits half a foot tall on the plate. All of the components were yummy, from the burger to the house marinated (I believe!) cucumbers, however, personally, I want to have all of the ingredients of a hamburger sandwich in synergy in each bite. My face is only so big, so I had to kind of divide and conquer. The fries were delicious and the kitchen indulged us in the duck fat tater tots my friend had heard about, even though they were not offered on the dinner menu. In honor of ice cream month, they offered an assortment of peach ice creams, ranging from ginger to habanero. : ) I assume the shift to finer dining will fine tune the synergy issues.

And yes, the price point is nice !

This spot would be a great place to get our sports watching on, we noted on our departure ... if they are, in fact, keeping all the televisions in the re-do.

Is it just me or does the name conjure up images of dining in a straight jacket?

Is it just me...

Well, it was just you. I kept thinking of (Chef Shawn) Ward 426 (Baxter Ave.).

Now, though, I have this image of a small room with padded walls and Anthony Hopkins saying "Clarice".

I kind of had a reaction to the name too....must have been in too many hospitals.

The re-do sounds wonderful! I hope they are able to keep some of the price point too- we just don't do fine dining that much any more.
Can't wait to check it out-
Deb

When we were there last week a staffer indicated they are getting away from the whole sports bar thing during the September remodel. It doesn't fit so well with fine dining. And from reading the article it seems pretty clear the prices will accompany the food in heading to Jack Fry-ish territory.