Goose Island brings in big guns for Goose 2.0

Greg Hall, the head honcho over at Goose Island Brew Pub, knows that in today's economic climate, if you want to compete in the restaurant biz, you gotta go big or you gotta go home. And since Hall is a regular at Hopleaf, The Gage, The Bristol and The Publican, he's figured out that even if Goose Island was lucky enough to keep its Clybourn lease, it better step up its game if it wants to see success in 2009. "As soon as we knew we could keep the brewpub open, we were committed to making changes," Hall said. "The bar has been raised around town, and the craft-beer drinker and the foodie are no longer mutually exclusive, so it’s time to make an investment in the food, and the beer, programs."

As the first step, Hall is bringing in John Manion (at right), chef-about-town best known for Mas and, more recently, for Old Oak Tap. Manion will start as Goose's executive chef next week, and his plan is to start introducing what Hall calls a "gastropubby" menu bit by bit, overhauling the entire menu within the next six months. "He's not a consulting chef," Hall says. "He’s our chef-chef, and our expectation is that this is a long-term relationship." Manion's "rough draft" menu includes a list of "bar snacks" like Welsh rarebit, chicken liver toasts and crispy back fat, plus housemade pates and terrines, global salumi, lamb sausage, curried rabbit pot pie, a porchetta sandwich, cassoulet, fisherman's stew and Matilda-steamed mussels.

Step two: Hall has tapped Paul Johnston (former beverage director/manager at HotChocolate and The Bluebird) to revamp Goose's bar. Aside from stepping up the wine and spirits lists, Johnston and Hall plan to double the amount of taps to 24 in order to offer more limited-edition brews (such as the saison and a Matilda with Seedling Farm raspberries). The taps should be in place by February, alongside four new beer engines so Goose can offer a total of six "cask-conditioned" ales at all times.