Gastropub

A gastropub (or "gastro pub") is a British term for a public house which specializes in high-quality food a step above the more basic "pub grub." The name is a combination of pub and gastronomy and was coined in 1991 when David Eyre and Mike Belben opened a pub called The Eagle in Clerkenwell, London. [cite web
url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/wine/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=P8&xml=/wine/2005/11/24/edgastro24.xml
title=Is the gastropub making a meal of it?
publisher="The Daily Telegraph"
date=2005-11-24
accessdate=2008-07-10
last=
first=] cite web
url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JAW/is_84/ai_n19187661
title=American gastropub: what's in a name?
work=Art Culinaire
publisher=via findarticles.com
date=Spring 2007
accessdate=2008-07-23]

The concept "helped create a truly British culinary scene" and "arose from a conscious effort to promote great food in well-loved places." Gastropubs have been described as the Anglo-equivalent of the French "brasserie" or the Japanese "izakaya" [cite web
url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080628.NUTTALL28/TPStory/Entertainment
title=Octopus balls and fermented beans: Real Japanese arrives in T.O.
publisher="Globe and Mail"
date=2008-06-06
accessdate=2008-07-23]

Menu examples

In September 2004, Marks & Spencer began using the term to market a range of ready mealscite web
url=http://www.marksandspencer.com/gp/node/n/44943031?ie=UTF8&mnSBrand=core
title=Dine In With The New Marks & Spencer Gastropub Range
publisher=Marks & Spencer
date=2004-09-08
accessdate=2008-07-23] , citing an "ever-growing trend" towards "combining regional cooking with quality local ingredients" with a "shift from formal bistro and restaurant eating to more informal local pub dining." The products announced under the name were "adaptations of confirmed British favourites":
*Cottage Pie with Cheesy Mash, Salmon Kiev with Prawns, Lemon and Herbs;
*Roast Chicken with Apple Wedges and Cider and Calvados sauce;
*Smoked Haddock, Asparagus and Prosciutto Risotto;
*Crispy Wrapped Prawns with Chilli Dipping Sauce; and
*Wine and Orange Braised Lamb with Rosemary and Thyme Rice.

"British favourites" does not mean "of British origin"; in 2007, a magazine for chefs and food professionals described the menu this way::Because they are pubs first and foremost, British gastropubs are unfettered by culinary categories and cheerfully serve whatever they desire—British, French, Italian, Thai, Indian, even American cuisine.

TV Recognition

In September, 2008, a restaurant in Mount Sinai, New York called The Handlebar [http://handlebarlongisland.com/] was featured on the show Kitchen Nightmares, and transformed into a gastropub.

ee also

*Brewpub
*Coaching inn
*Coffeehouse
*Tavern

References