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It's now official. In what they describe as "just a better fit," Sean Conroy and Brad Lobdell have chosen Soulard over Dogtown for the second location of their International Tap House; specifically, 3450 sq ft (plus patio) of the renovated building on 9th St., directly across from Carson's Sports Bar & Restaurant.
The partners had seriously considered leasing space at the SW corner of Clayton and Tamm Av, in beautiful dahntahn Dogtown, but thought the Soulard space--and Soulard in general--made more sense.
The goal is to have I-Tap's taps flowing by June 11, the day the World Cup commences. It'll be fun to pair international beers with the respective countries participating in the Cup, but take note: anyone rooting for the US Men's National Team might consider quaffing something other than draft Bud or Bud Light (neither will be served there), a gentle reminder that I-Tap tries to stay clear of pedestrian brews--even if they are brewed in the neighborhood.
The format for I-Tap 2 will be the same as the original, right down to zero kitchen facilities--customers will again be allowed to order select items from select neighborhood restaurants. I applaud the group for taking such an approach (anyone who's installed a commercial kitchen surely understands) and although I've never said so in print, I especially salute them for having the stones to locate the flagship store in Chesterfield, a Zip Code I would assume much prefers Bacchus to beer. Putting an I-Tap in Soulard, though? Slam-dunk, no-brainer--insert any "sure thing" metaphor here. In this case, let's go with: "scoooore!" -- George Mahe