Its been a long time coming it seems, for those of us following the progress of "The Perch" in
downtown Chandler, but the time has finally come. Last night, for the first time, The Perch Pub opened its doors (and rooftop) to the public for the very first time.
My wife and I were lucky enough to have a babysitter last night (it was Valentines Day after all, thank you Rachel!) and after our dinner party we attended, decided to see if the Perch wasn't too busy. We didn't get there till about 10, and we were told the crowds had died down a bit, although it was still quite busy when we got there, but it wasn't packed. My wife had never been inside before, so before we got a drink, I gave her a quick tour of the downstairs dining area, bar and the garden patio. The whole time making our way through the crowd with ease (there is a lot of room here!), and even getting a chance to say hello to a few friends we ran into along the way.
After our tour of the downstairs, we made our way to the rooftop patio, by far this already unique drinking hole's most outstanding feature. While it was pretty busy up there, it was not packed, and still had some seating available, and much like downstairs, it was very easy to make your way through what
crowd there was up there, due to the more then antiquate amount of space. We made our way to the bar, and before we even tried to get anyone's attention, a very attentive bar tender was in front of us, offering us a tap list, and making himself available for any question we had. After making our selection, and getting our beers (literally within a minute, very quick!), Mrs. Czar and I walked around the rooftop, checking out the sites of downtown Chandler, and City Hall, the rooftop view of the brew house, and garden patio, I even got to show off my very own contribution to the eclectic décor! ( I was asked to creatively cover up an unsightly hole that was in one of the walls at the top of the stairs, seen here on the right).
My wife and I were only there for about 2 hours, but I have to say, it was a great two hours. This being a soft opening, I was expecting at least some delays, confusion, mistakes, fire drills, tempers you name it. I saw NONE of that. The staff was just awesome! Helpful, friendly, willing to make the run up and down the stairs for you, make recommendations, brag about their new job, even pose for some photos. I have to tip my hate to James and his management team. The staff was VERY prepared. They were all fun, smiling and laughing, all while maintaining a certain level of professionalism that made our visit all the more enjoyable.
We didn't have any food while there, but I did see some of it, and it looked, and smelled fantastic, and I heard from a few other folks earlier in the evening that said they eat there, and really enjoyed it. I heard from more then one person say the hummus was outstanding! Next time I will report back about the food.
With a wine and tap list to keep even the most hardened beer snob satisfied (they haven't started brewing yet on site, hopefully within the month I was told), and a small, but intriguing, wide ranging menu, combined with the most comfortable, unique settings of any restaurant I have been to in the east valley, The Perch is a must stop for anyone. There is a family friendly atmosphere (did I mention they have a huge bird cage full of birds by the garden patio!), while at the same time evoking a very, cool, laid back, adult atmosphere (if that makes sense). I also think this is now probably the best place to take a date in the east valley as well!
I want to take a moment, to give a quick shout out to a few staff members that stood out, and made themselves available to us. They were friendly, helpful, and informative, and for that, I want to thank AK, AJ (behind the bar) and especially my new friend Carl, for the great conversation we had about the current and changing state of craft beer. There were many others, but sadly, I didn't get all of your names, and for that, I apologize. I promise I will in the future, as I plan on spending a fair amount of time there in the future. Thank you, all you guys were awesome!
If you have a chance, do yourself a favor, and stop by The Perch. If you are looking for a quite place for a glass of wine, or a fine beer, a great place to impress a date, or a dinner with your entire family, this is a perfect spot for any of them. If you do go, let me know what you think of it, I would love to hear your thoughts.
So congrats, to James, Rebecca and the gang at The Perch, its been a long time coming, but it was well worth the wait. You guys have a real gem, congratulations!
Until next time
Bottoms up my friends!
The Beer Czar
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