42 North brew pub has officially opened its doors on Main Street, within the historic Wurlitzer building. Last evening, there was a decent crowd at the bar, and a steady stream of customers coming and going. My wife and I sat at the bar and briefly chatted with another couple who told us that they live right around the corner. It was not their first visit – they have already become fond of the new 42 North tasting room, because of proximity, but also because they’re fans of the brew pub concept in general.
Since we already know that 42 North serves up great beers, my wife and I decided to grab a couple of cocktails. I ordered The Last Word, and she ordered an espresso martini (light on the honey). Our attentive bartender told us that there are three ways to make a cocktail [laughing]. He said that there’s the way it is on the menu, the way the bartender likes to make it, and the way the customer wants it – hence the light on the honey, per my wife’s request. The espresso martini featured Buffalo-based Hartman’s coffee liquor, which was a welcome surprise. Both cocktails turned out to be so good that we drank them down and ordered a second round.
Sitting at the end of the bar gave us a great vantage point onto the aesthetics of the operation. I was happy to see that there was a rare Wurlitzer 1936 Simplex Multi-Selector on display. I hope that, in the future, 42 North owner John Cimperman (or building owner Drew Blum) keeps his/their eyes open for a few more Wurlitzer artifacts that would help to tell the tale of the building.
Other features that I liked at the brew pub were the bar’s bulbous extensions at the ends, the old-timey films playing on the flat screens, the bar’s classic foot rails and purse hooks (with LED lighting), the orb-sputnik lighting (although they could have been dimmed a bit towards the back), the cask barrel wall motif, and the Buffalo 1896 wall motif.
We asked our bartender, Justin, what he liked on the Queen City Bistro menu (by Fat Bob’s), and he immediately answered, “The wings.” He also mentioned the Breadhive Pretzels. Although the kitchen was closing at 8pm, and we had a short window to place an order for food, we opted to come back at a later date to try the banh mi and the Mediterranean hummus.
All-in-all, we found our adventure to the new 42 North brew pub quite pleasing, and are excited to go back – especially when there’s live music playing on the flex-stage, primely located in the front window. Of course we’ll also order up a couple of cold beers on a hot evening this summer. And hopefully there will be some patio seating coming at some point, which would help to create an even livelier buzz on Main Street.
42 North Brewing Company | Brew Pub & Tasting Room @ The Wurlitzer Flats | 674 Main Street
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