Courtesy BEAST Butcher & Block
The signature Bacon, Egg & Cheese sandwich includes three cheesy scrambled eggs, thick cut house bacon, fry sauce, cider greens, and sliced heirloom tomatoes on grilled sourdough.
"BEAST's brunch in The Grove had just started to really become popular, and then—BAM!—along comes COVID," laments David Sandusky, who owns BEAST Butcher & Block in The Grove along with his wife, Meggan. (The couple also owns BEAST Craft BBQ in Belleville and BEAST Southern Kitchen & BBQ in Columbia, Illinois, slated to open this fall.)
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Sandusky was referring to BEAST's nose-to-tail brunch, a “fire-to-table” concept that showcased the double wood-burning grills in The Skullery, the complex’s experimental kitchen and special events space. Although BEAST’s indoor dining areas have yet to reopen, Sandusky thought a mini-brunch of items designed for takeout or patio dining would be another way to ramp up interest for when in-house dining returns.
So starting tomorrow, eight items (all priced under $10) will be available for online or walk-up ordering. Guests can take the items to go or enjoy them on BEAST’s 36-seat patio. Mimosas and Bloody Marys will also be available (for $6 apiece), fountain drinks are $2.49, and coffee is a buck.
Courtesy BEAST Butcher & Block
The headliner on the menu developed by executive chef Ryan McDonald is the Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Sandwich (see image at top). The Sausage, Egg, and Biscuit (pictured above) pairs the same eggs with a 6-ounce sausage patty, a scratch-made biscuit, and maple syrup from Such & Such farm. An everything bagel is the base for cured and cold smoked salmon with everything spread and caper aioli (pictured below).
Courtesy BEAST Butcher & Block
Courtesy BEAST Butcher & Block
Two tartines are offered as well: a Tomato Tartine (think avocado toast with heirloom tomatoes, basil, and maldon salt) and a Peach & Lonza Tartine with sliced local peaches, house-made lonza, dried farmers cheese, and sorghum molasses (pictured above). And Sandusky gives a brunch staple a boost with Briskets & Gravy, made with brisket breakfast gravy, topped with Creole spice and scallions (pictured below).
Courtesy BEAST Butcher & Block
Courtesy BEAST Butcher & Block
Brunch orders are placed at BEAST’s in-house retail butcher shop, which reopens September 6 as well. The shop boasts sausages, charcuterie, bacon, and grill cuts, all prepared from local Berkshire hogs. Signature steaks from Double R Ranch and ground beef are available as well. Sandusky says his two chefs—McDonald and apprentice Derek Graue—have been working hard on new charcuterie, “and, quite frankly, we’re looking for an excuse to show it off.” The Butchery also delivers fresh and cured meats.
The Butchery is open six days per week, and BEAST’s BBQ menu is available for takeout from 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Brunch orders can be placed in The Butchery’s online store on Sunday for takeout or patio dining. Brunch hours are from 10 a.m. –1 p.m. "We'll do this every week until we can reopen inside again for brunch," Sandusky says.
"And we have more things in the works," adds Sandusky, who launched a delivery-based chicken wing business, Wing Runner, last month.
