CultureMap cruised by Moon Tower Inn for an after-work hot dog this week, braving the chilly January air alongside scores of devotees enjoying the return of everybody's favorite East End bar.
After more than a year of renovations, Moon Tower reemerged this week with more than 60 beers on tap and a sparkling new brewing facility which owners Brandon Young and Evan Shannon hope to have up and running by early spring.
After more than a year of renovations, Moon Tower reemerged this week with more than 60 beers on tap and a sparkling new brewing facility.
Overall, the layout remains the same, with the covered patio area and expansive beer garden largely untouched aside from some cosmetics. The kitchen and bar, however, are now inside a dark blue shipping container that's been lovingly clad inside and out with reclaimed wood. From an architecture and design standpoint, the revamped look rules.
Moon Tower's notoriously long line was alive and well on Wednesday, which marked the bar's inaugural day of reopened food service. That said, new high-tech cash registers and a Niko Niko-style pager system will alleviate the wait once staffers work out the kinks.
But enough about renovations . . . The kitchen cranked out one very serious apple and sage veggie dog, which — if humanly possible — was even better than it was before the bar closed in 2011. The trademark Moon Tower pretzel roll seemed slightly larger and softer as well, making for a perfect pairing of bread and encased (faux) meat.
And then there are the 66 craft beers, the thoughtful selection of which encroaches on territory long-held by Hay Merchant and the Petrol Station. In true Moon Tower fashion, the brews are listed by number on a poorly-photocopied sheet of paper. Be sure to peek in the window along Canal Street to see the future brewing room.
Scores of Moon Tower fans braved the chilly January weather for the beloved bar's first night of food service on Wednesday.
