Queen Mary Pub Opens Friday
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- Published on Wednesday, 09 September 2009 23:08
Another highly-anticipated opening in the Ave Maria town center will take place Friday when the Queen Mary Pub and Grille opens its doors to the public for the first time.
Fr. Robert McTeigue will bless the premises at 4 p.m. and the pub will th
en be open for business.
For owners Daniel and Monica Dix (right) it will be the culmination of a summer of planning and preparation. The pub, with a full bar, extensive menu and table service, is a significant change from their other enterprise, The Bean of Ave Maria coffee house next door.
"I've been working on the menu all summer," Mrs. Dix said. "It's not just like planning a big dinner party."
Mrs. Dix explained how they got into this venture by saying, "If people wonder why we did this, it's because this is what people wanted. We just listened to the customer."
The Queen Mary has an authentic British feel to it, and serves Guiness, Boddington's, Fuller's London Pride and Newcastle Brown Ale on tap.
The menu offers American and British classic dishes, pasta, salads and sandwiches prepared primarily by chefs whose combined restaurant experience totals more than 30 years. Two of them, Leo Altamirano and Claudio Garcia (left with Monica Dix) will be familiar to patrons of The Bean. A third chef, Polo Santiago (below right) was hired specifically for the Queen Mary.
The pub will employ about 20 servers, bartenders and other staff and will initially be open weekends only. It plans to be open this weekend from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Hours for the following weekend and beyond will be determined.