It was a big day for a couple of new businesses in the downtown Reno area.
Brasserie St. James on Center Street held its grand opening Wednesday morning.
The Brewer's Cabinet on Arlington Avenue has been open for a couple months now, and they held a grand opening and fundraiser Wednesday night.
After two months of tweaking and adjustments, all the food and drinks at The Brewer's Cabinet are ready to go.
"We've got a blood orange hefeweizen," says Chris Kahl, one of the owners at the Brewer's Cabinet. "We've got a pumpkin saison. We've got a double IPA."
Folks were invited to sample some of those beers as well as some appetizers. The owners say they are excited about this downtown location which was once occupied by the Chocolate Bar.
"It's always scary when you open up a new business," says Kahl. "But, we feel that this is a great time, if you can do it, to open up a business. There's lots of opportunities down here."
The grand opening was also a fundraiser for the Reno Rebuild Project. Part of the proceeds are donated to help other small businesses in the area. Something the customers like to hear.
"It's good food and good beer," says Katie Hajec. "Really, at the end of the day, who doesn't like good food and good beer?"
If it's good food and beer you're looking for, the new Brasserie St. James is another option out there. The 13,000 square-foot brewery and restaurant opened its doors Wednesday morning.
"It's really exciting to see it full of people, see the lights come on," says the owner Art Farley.
Farley tells us people are ecstatic to finally see it opened up.
"The thing I keep hearing over and over again is not only does it not feel like we're in Reno, it feels like we're not in the U.S.," he says. "Feels like we're in Europe or something."
The look and feel matches the menu, which offers plenty of European dishes.
"A lot of like tartares and prudos, which is a raw fish preparations," says Farley. "Blood sausages, bone marrow."
Both Farley and Kahl say to be successful in this town, it's all about having a great location and product. And most importantly, passion.
"It's a ton of work. You have to know what you're doing. You have to care about what you're doing," says Farley.
Written by Adam Rasmussen
