Kelsey and Amanda McNair have learned a great deal since opening North Park Beer Co. (NPBC) in 2016. Together with their team, the husband-wife entrepreneurs have put those on-the-job lessons to good use, working to continually refine production and packaging procedures, improve customer service and fine-tune event logistics. That overarching culture of advancement has been key in NPBC becoming a standout on a local, national and even international level.
In 2021, feeling dialed-in and ready to take on the next chapter, the couple secured a site in Bankers Hill to open their first-ever satellite venue, one that would present them with a challenge that, even after more than a half-dozen years in the beer biz, was completely new to them: managing a culinary operation. Located at the base of the Secoya by the Park mixed-use building on Fifth Avenue, NPBC’s taproom is equipped with a full-scale kitchen. In the four short months since its debut, its food program has won the hearts, minds and stomachs of early visitors. Not too shabby for first-time restaurateurs.
“We knew that we wanted to offer a concise menu featuring familiar, approachable and delicious dishes made from scratch using top-notch ingredients,” says Kelsey, who is also NPBC’s Brewmaster. “It was so important to us that food quality would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our beer.”
It sounds simple, but wanting to offer quality food on-site is far easier than conceptualizing a bill of fare than executing the dishes on it. While the McNairs were closely involved every step of the way, as with their suds-based successes, they note that they couldn’t have done it without the tireless work of their dedicated staff. They specifically point out Director of Hospitality and Sales Operations, Mac McAlister, who assisted in menu development, and NPBC Chef and General Manager, Sam Navarro, who brought it all to life.
Navarro’s previous experience includes serving as Executive Chef at Morgan Run Club & Resort and Executive Sous Chef at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station, plus positions at Encinitas’ Union Kitchen & Tap, The Lodge at Torrey Pines, and downtown San Diego’s U.S. Grant Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel. He is no stranger to beer-and-food events or the process of incorporating beer into recipes, key assets that made him an ideal candidate to head kitchen operations at the Bankers Hill taproom.
“We didn’t want to take on culinary operations without the right management team in place,” says Kelsey. “Having this group made it an easy decision to move forward with managing our own kitchen.”
The “Buns” section of NPBC’s everyday menu includes a variety of wagyu beer smash burgers and a pair of Impossible burgers (including one with vegan mozzarella), plus a bacon grilled-cheese and a choose-your-own-adventure chicken sandwich with options like “Buffalo Style” and “Nashville Hot”. Those same yardbird preps can be applied to “Bankers Tendies”, while hot wings take varied inspiration from Memphis (dry-rub), Kansas City (barbecue) and Thai (fish sauce and garlic with spicy chilies) cultures. A pair of salads (wedge and Caesar) and twice-fried hand-cut fries round things out. Those Kennebec-style spuds can be ordered smothered in a cheese fondue infused with NPBC’s award-winning West Coast IPA, Hop-Fu! (Chef Navarro has kindly provided the recipe for that fondue below.)
“In general, all of the items have performed really well, but I will say the standouts have been the original smash burger followed closely by our 24-hour beer-brined chicken tenders,” says Navarro.
Things have gone so well on the food side that the team has been able to fast-track a pair of next-level initiatives. The first is weekend brunch. Served Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., it includes classics like chicken and waffles and a chorizo- and bacon-stuffed brunch burrito with cilantro-lime aioli (along with a Soyrizo version for vegans). They share menu space with filling “Dankers Plates” of “supreme” French toast with all the fixin’s, and biscuits with Memphis potatoes smothered in chorizo gravy (topped with Bankers Tendies if you’re feeling particularly ravenous). Next up will be specialty bundt cakes and fresh-baked cookies.
NPBC’s other initiative is called Supper Club and was inspired by someone very close to the McNairs and hundreds of others in the local beer community, Nate Soroko. An iconic ambassador for local breweries, Soroko worked as chef at popular North Park craft-beer bar Toronado, where he would offer an affordable weekly steak dinner each Tuesday night. Toronado has since closed and, sadly, Soroko passed away in 2021, but the McNairs and McAlister wanted to remember their friend by presenting their own version of his Steak Night. As such, each Tuesday, the Bankers Hill location features a one-night-only menu with special dishes, which are available to the first 100 diners who order them.
I’m excited about this program because it honors a legacy of goodwill to the community, a great meal at a great price that you can count on every Tuesday. I like to think that Nate would be stoked to see someone picking up the torch and keeping it going.”
Kelsey McNair, Co-owner & Brewmaster, North Park Beer Co.
For the first of these Tuesday night affairs, NPBC brought in a guest chef, someone who was a close friend and frequent collaborator of Soroko’s, Mike Arquines. Known for his expertise in presenting special-event and pop-up dinners, often in collaboration with multiple chefs through his venture, The LAB Dining Sessions, Arquines worked with Soroko to launch Toronado’s popular brunch series in 2013. Those events went from that duo developing and pairing innovative multi-dish menus with beers from monthly-changing featured breweries to hot-ticket, sold-out events featuring rotating teams of guest chefs from across San Diego. The “Toro Brunch” series were a mainstay for seven years and Arquines describes those events as some of the best times of his life.
The menu for the inaugural Tuesday Night Supper Club menu included Red Oak coffee-smoked prime rib in wild mushroom au jus with Robuchon potatoes and broccolini, plus tiramisu for dessert. The price of that dinner was $39.99 per person, half of which was donated to Kitchens for Good, a nonprofit organization Soroko was a champion of. The typical price per-person will be $19.99.
The McNairs and Navarro look forward to having more guest chefs take part in Supper Club dinners. When asked who he would like to have over to cook, Kelsey says there are too many potential collaborators to choose from, but given the theme he would most like to see friends of Soroko don their aprons in his memory.
North Park Beer Co.’s satellite tasting room is located at 3095 Fifth Avenue in Bankers Hill
Hop-Fu! Fondue
Yield: About 3½ cups
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ Tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 1½ Tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp New Mexico chili powder
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5⅓ ounces Hop-Fu! West Coast IPA, room temperature
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 7 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1½ Tbsp roasted garlic, pureed
- 2 tsp Crystal hot sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
In a pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Gradually whisk in the flour until fully dissolved. Continue whisking until the mixture takes on a light-brown color and has an aroma similar to popcorn. Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat the oil in a separate pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 8 minutes. Stir in the paprika and chili powder. Add the cream, IPA and milk and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the flour-and-butter mixture (roux) and simmer, stirring gently, until the mixture thickens, 10 to 15 minutes. Lower heat to medium-low and add the cheeses, a handful at a time, whisking until fully incorporated before adding another handful. Monitor heat so that the mixture does not go above a simmer, but is warm enough to melt the cheese. Remove from heat. Stir in the roasted garlic, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce, season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
NOTE: If sauce becomes too thick, thin it out with milk until desired consistency is achieved.
Recipe courtesy Sam Navarro, Executive Chef & General Manager, North Park Beer Co. – Bankers Hill