Okay, I admit it. I don’t like to do things the hard way, so we went to Tap & Cellar’s soft open. If we’d gone the next day for the grand opening, we could have enjoyed a live band, and there would have been more photos on the wall, but we probably wouldn’t have had the great pleasure of talking with Mike, the owner (and, on Thursday night anyway, our bartender).
After looking at their website for directions, then going to Google maps, Mindy noted that Tap & Cellar might be hard to find (their website mentions that they’re “hard to find on purpose”). The bar’s in a business park, and we had just a little trouble finding it in the dark because we thought it was behind a closed security gate. When we circled back, the gate was open, and we made our way through.
It’s next to a karate school, so we wondered about kickers and punchers getting too much alcohol. The outside is a little drab -- although maybe that’s just because it was dark when we saw it -- but the interior is warm and inviting, with old barn wood on the walls, reclaimed heart redwood tables, and a shiny polished wall of taps. A few guys sat at the bar and baseball was on the TVs; it was opening day. Seeing MLB again was good (Seattle was playing Cleveland when we got there, the A’s and Giants having already won their openers). A guy who came in just after we sat down said next year he was going to need to take opening day off since he spends the whole day checking scores when he should be working.
Cole, a seat or so down from Mindy, was on his laptop and talking to two guys down the bar. They were talking about the business, and after a while, we noticed Cole had stepped behind the bar to get himself a drink and to serve some newcomers. He said he’d spent the day before on the road from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm, checking out breweries from Auburn to Santa Cruz (with two or three stops along the way) for Tap & Cellar.
As often mentioned here, we aren’t fans of beer, but other people would be delighted to see the wall of taps. We were amused by the names of beers (“Devil’s Teeth,” “Pulp Addiction,” “Don’t Tell Claudia”). I actually ordered from the wall, because we noticed a pineapple cider (from Oregon). Mindy was happy to see the Saviez Vineyard syrah rosé on the menu, and she ordered that. (Oddly enough, we had pineapple cider and rosé at The Black Cloister in Toledo, which came up in conversation at Tap and Cellar)
Mike, who took our orders and poured our drinks, seemed pleased with her choice, and we learned he was the winemaker. His family -- on both his mother’s and his father’s side -- has been in the wine business for over a century (Saviez was founded in 1902).
Mike said he’d been looking for a more personal means of selling their wine. For a time, they’d considered opening a tasting room at their vineyard, but bureaucratic obstacles changed their minds. Instead, a little over a year ago, Mike began the work of opening the Tap & Cellar. Their soft open began a couple of weeks ago (though they had friends and family over for a Super Bowl celebration since they had the TVs available).
The TVs were pretty much the only decorations on the walls, but Mike told us there’d be historical photos of the family property (and the family) up by noon the next day for the grand opening. Mike showed us one photo of his great-grandfather that was also on one of their bottles.
While telling us about his family, some of whom had gone to jail during Prohibition, Mike said that the great-grandfather in the photo had been the basis for the Charles Laughton character in the 1940 film They Knew What They Wanted. Mike talked about how lucky he felt to be born into his family, with a chance to follow his dreams rather than just working for a living.
We asked Mike our standard questions, “What makes for a good bar?” and “What makes for a good church?” Mke said a good bar needed, “Atmosphere and people. We’re in the service industry, not selling wine but an experience.” In designing the Tap & Cellar, they were looking to make a cool environment that was about more than beer or wine -- though wine is important to Mike, “I love people, and I hope people love my wine.”
As for what makes a good church, Mike said, “I go to church occasionally. I’m a firm believer in God.” He said the same things that make a good bar make for a good church: the atmosphere and the people.
Knowing that Mike is a winemaker (commuting between wineries in Napa and in Fresno), I asked whether he was more of a wine guy or a beer guy. He answered with an industry saying: “It t
akes a lot of beer to make good wine.”
Both beer and wine will bring people to the Tap & Cellar, but I think the staff will play even a bigger part in making people feel welcome. Even before the official opening, the welcome was grand.
Mike, who took our orders and poured our drinks, seemed pleased with her choice, and we learned he was the winemaker. His family -- on both his mother’s and his father’s side -- has been in the wine business for over a century (Saviez was founded in 1902).
The TVs were pretty much the only decorations on the walls, but Mike told us there’d be historical photos of the family property (and the family) up by noon the next day for the grand opening. Mike showed us one photo of his great-grandfather that was also on one of their bottles.
We asked Mike our standard questions, “What makes for a good bar?” and “What makes for a good church?” Mke said a good bar needed, “Atmosphere and people. We’re in the service industry, not selling wine but an experience.” In designing the Tap & Cellar, they were looking to make a cool environment that was about more than beer or wine -- though wine is important to Mike, “I love people, and I hope people love my wine.”
As for what makes a good church, Mike said, “I go to church occasionally. I’m a firm believer in God.” He said the same things that make a good bar make for a good church: the atmosphere and the people.
Both beer and wine will bring people to the Tap & Cellar, but I think the staff will play even a bigger part in making people feel welcome. Even before the official opening, the welcome was grand.
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