The new kid in the Riverwest neighborhood, Company Brewing has come out of the gate swinging, featuring excellent food and a wide variety of beer, wine and tap cocktails.
Let’s start with their superb food. For appetizers, the mushroom flatbread ($9) features a base of onion jam topped with a tomato confit and, of course, mushrooms. The portion is generous but not overwhelming, more than enough for two or three people to comfortably split. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, the fried pig’s ear ($9) features slices of breaded and fried pig’s ear in a fish oil sauce on a bed of peanuts and arugula and is a fine take on a nontraditional—for the U.S.—dish. The mixture of salty and umami flavor is delightful if a bit one-note and the crunchy-soft texture of the pig’s ear works beautifully with the crisp arugula and peanuts, making it an excellent starter course.
For main courses, Company offers around 15 dishes, split into vegetable, meat, fish and sandwich categories. I recommend the Company Burger ($12), cooked to order, topped with Le Cabrie cheese (a mixture of brie and chevre) and carmelized onions, and served on an English muffin. It’s an interesting and fun take on a bar classic, with the mild and creamy cheese fusing alongside the sweet onions to enhance the full flavor of the burger. For the vegetarians, the butternut squash salad ($9) is an attractively plated mix of squash, grilled kale, fresh grated Parmesan and pepitas, topped with an orange coriander vinaigrette that adds a bit of acidity and spice to the dish. Warm salads are especially excellent in the colder months and this one is no exception—plus, the salad can be easily made vegan by removing the cheese, which the kitchen was happy to do for our table.
But enough about their food—they’re Company Brewing, after all! I’m happy to note that their beers range from serviceable to excellent, which is a great place for a young brewery to be. They serve them in full pint sizes or “cupper” eight-ounce pours, which is a nice and relatively inexpensive option if you’re planning on tasting all of their options (I counted 10 of their brews and six guest taps at my last visit.)
Their best beer is the Riverwest Backyard Hops Brew, a pale ale brewed exclusively with hops grown in, well, the backyards of Riverwesters. It boasted a lovely, vibrant fresh hop character alongside a solid malt backbone. Their Night Rye’d Porter, available on regular and nitro tap, is a solid, easy drinking light beer with just a little spice from the rye malt to give it a warming touch; while the nitro pour buries the rye flavor a bit, it enhances the body of the beer and gives it a wonderful creaminess.
Company also offers five rotating cocktails on tap; the summer/fall selection Cucumber Collins ($9) is the best use of Dill Aquavit you’ll find in the city, and the Blood and Glitter ($9) blends tequila, mescal, bitters and a cherry-thyme-orange elixir into a dangerously drinkable treat.
Company Brewing is a really cool and inviting new spot in the Riverwest neighborhood, and is well worth a drop-in for a couple of local, fresh beers and a good meal.
Company Brewing
735 E. Center St.
414-930-0909
$-$$
companybrewing.com
Handicap access: Yes
