Editor’s Note: Death in the Afternoon has closed.
Death in the Afternoon, the estimable lunchtime haunt that quickly won over critics and the public when it opened in June, is extending its hours to include beer tastings and a truncated evening menu beginning in February.
“The idea is to keep it fairly approachable, easy and convenient,” said co-owner Adam Frager. “We’re going to have enough on the menu for people to grab dinner.” He explained that the initial plan is to offer Death in the Afternoon favorites like the cheeseburger (pictured), pastrami sandwich and charcuterie, while offering a small cocktail menu, glass wine list and array of 10 local beers, including several from Upper 90 Brewing, the craft beer startup being constructed in the restaurant’s basement. Frager said it’s possible that new items will be added exclusively to the evening menu, though no definite plans have been made.
“(Executive chef Dave Rosenfeld and Upper 90 co-owner Mike Sinclair) have already had discussions about a menu that will complement the beer … a deeper collaboration than just pairing food with beer,” he said.
Evening service will extend from 3 p.m., when lunch service ends, to 9:30 p.m., Monday to Thursday. Weekends will still be reserved for private events and brunch.
Originally designed as a lunch oasis for the downtown working crowd, Frager and co-owner T.J. Vytlacil had hoped to keep Death in the Afternoon open in some capacity during the evening once the restaurant found its footing. In conjunction with the kitchen staff, Vytlacil and Frager have made sure the Blood & Sand sibling evolved even in its first months. Frager cited the restaurant’s basement, converted into a prep kitchen, house-made charcuterie room and, of course, the Upper 90 brewing room. “We turned a raw space into a usable space,” he said.
Mike Sinclair said the debut beer lineup is still in the works, though he expects to produce a Kölsch, Irish red ale and Mexican lager in the first few months of production.
-photo by Carmen Troesser
This article appears in December 2014.