Rockwell Beer Co. launches new menu on the heels of Brasswell’s departure

All good things must come to an end, but often those endings can give rise to new opportunities. Such looks to be the case in The Grove, as Rockwell Beer Co.’s Vandeventer Avenue location reopens the kitchen with a new concept that balances familiar favorites with new offerings.

Brasswell and Rockwell opened side by side in 2018, with the kitchen serving Brasserie by Niche’s signature Brass Burger, with American cheese, housemade pickles and dijonnaise alongside fried chicken sandwiches, shoestring fries and seasonal soft serve ice cream.

The departure of Brasswell wasn’t a surprise, with Niche Food Group expanding outward in late 2023 with None of the Above and continuing efforts to open both Expat BBQ in City Foundry STL and the first of three Porano locations in Des Peres, Missouri. Niche also announced the closure of Cinder House inside the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis in late 2023.

Visitors to Rockwell will now get to browse a menu from Stephen Kovac, a longtime member of the Rockwell team who has recently taken over as culinary director for both Rockwell’s Grove location and the ever-popular Rockwell Beer Garden in Francis Park.

Will there be burgers? Absolutely, as Kovac puts his own spin on the famed Brasswell burger, with American cheese and garlic aïoli. Fries are essential to a burger-centric menu, but new offerings will include Llama Fries, a riff on In & Out’s Animal Style Fries. Expect plant-based burgers, wings, and two salads to hit the menu alongside an expanded appetizer menu of snack baskets, hummus, pretzel bites and more. “At the end of the day, I love a burger and a beer – it’s the perfect combination,” Kovac said in a release. "I’m excited for the opportunity to put my spin on these classics and to pair them with our beers.” Culinary director Stephen Kovac. 

“We’re really, really excited to have our own food program,” Lauren DuBro, Rockwell's director of marketing, programming and events, says. “It’s been in the making for a while, and we’ve really enjoyed our time with Brasswell, but with the success of our kitchen at [Rockwell Beer Garden], it just makes sense for us to have more creative direction over this kitchen.” The new concept will also see expansions including a dedicated kids’ menu, which DuBro says customers have repeatedly asked for over the years, and a late-night menu to capture the crowd hitting the taproom on Friday and Saturday nights.

In addition to the new menu, DuBro has been hard at work on the programming side of things, expanding events offerings to give everyone visiting the Rockwell something to look forward to. Kovac hinted that this expansion is the first of several set to happen in the coming months, and to stay tuned for more news very soon. “We’re really excited to be able to be creative and have fun,” DuBro says. “I think 2024 is a really big year for us. We’re doing a lot of creative things with beer this year, and being able to have direction over the food program gives us a lot of opportunities to create some really fun events for the community.”

Originaly Posted In Feast Magazine