Bar Tour and even contacting the local borough hall to find out who applied for the license in their neighborhood. The Food Housed in a former “boutique pizzapie shop,” Hop House Harlem still maintains the same pizza ovens in their space today, which may be one of the reasons their pizzas are so unusual. The other reason, is that, like everything else on the menu here, the ingredients they use are so fresh they appear to be bussed in from a local farm as you wait. The meat on their Pepperoni Pie, for example, sounds simple enough, but it actually isn’t even pepperoni at all. It’s something called “Salumeria Biellese,” an amazing honey-drenched, sun-baked meat. They’re also well-known for their deep-fried pickles and comically oversized, homemade Bavarian pretzels, which come with a mini-buffet of mustards nestled inside the massive holes in the dough. “It’s not uptight. It doesn’t need to be. It’s food and drink—not brain surgery,” says Kerrigan. Like all of their beers, the ingredients in the food are also locally grown and sourced. Their chef, Kerrigan’s cousin Michael Reardon, was owner and
Harlem’s House of Hip-Hop & Hops
barbizmag.com
Executive Chef of Bistro Zella and cut his teeth at local hotspots like Le Bernadin. He returned home after a stint on the west-coast scene at places like One Pico and the gourmand getaway Shutters on the Beach, leading the local restaurant scene with simple preparations and complex flavors, all while still maintaining a distinct Cali flare. His clean culinary philosophy translates fresh ingredients into simply plated creations that are pure in taste but have a playful and heightened sophistication. Hop House Harlem embraces a rebellious spirit and runs off of a creative passion that defines the growing craft-beer community. With a strict focus on complex and delicious local brews, beer lovers from novice to nerd can discover unique interpretations of local hops and new favorites to share at this friendly, neighborhood gastropub. Kerrigan is happy to be a part of the Harlem Renaissance, and after fifteen years in Alphabet City, she’s excited to return uptown. “Most days I spend behind the bar at Hop House introducing myself to customers and introducing them to new tastes, which is what I love.” hophouseharlem.com
Erin Kerrigan PROPRIETOR
H
op House Harlem is the vision of proprietor Erin Kerrigan, who began her twenty-plus years of experience in the business at her family’s two restaurants in the Hudson Valley, where she was exposed to every facet of the industry. “It was at these independently run restaurants where my dream of owning my own place was born. This venture has not only been a chance to fulfill that dream, but also a chance to work with my family once again,” says Kerrigan. Hop House Harlem’s hip-hop soundtrack, playing at a tasteful level in the background, also happens to be particularly good. When I mention it to her, she tells me, “Most people that come in here comment on the music, and that’s because I used to be a DJ.” After discussing our favorite members of the Wu-Tang Clan and the 2011 documentary Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest, Kerrigan’s Harlem bona fides continue to grow. And finding great new music to play for people is not unlike finding them “underground,” local craft brews: You just have to look around you.
February 2017
Bar Business Magazine
45