THANK YOU!!! To all who voted for the Armsby Abbey in Worcester Magazine’s Best of Worcester 2009 Awards. THANK YOU!!! to our staff for sticking by us and giving the Armsby Abbey its spirit without you we couldn’t have made it this far!

The Armsby Abbey & its staff swept an unprecedented 13 categories and came in a close runner-up in 3 more! Here are the results based on you… our fans, customers, friends, staff and loved ones. We couldn’t be more grateful for all your patronage & continued support then we are today.

Cheers!
Sherri & Alec

BEST of Worcester Winners:
Best NEW Restaurant
Best Beer Selection
Best Chef, Louis Thomas & Alec Lopez
Best Bartender, Sherri Sadowski-Lopez
Best Male Server, Joe Scully
Best Female Server, Sara Sorola
Best Mixed Drinks
Best Lunch Spot
Best Date Spot
Best Sunday Brunch
Best Soup
Best Bread
Best Salad

BEST of Worcester Runners-up:
Best Bartender, Mike Porter
Best Restaurant
Best Restaurant Service

Alec Lopez followed Kevin… Which is good, because Alec would prove hard to follow in describing his Armsby Abbey. When he opened Armsby Abbey on July 31, 2008 all of his staff had undergone four weeks of training on beer, food, spirits and the local farms that Armsby sources all it’s food from. Alec compiled a binder with a page devoted to each beer, farm, food item and spirit on the menu; the servers had to know all about each one. To put this in perspective they carry about 150 beers alone. He then made the staff take a test which, unbeknownst to them, he had designed for them to fail. This way he knew where the weak points were and re-educated. Only after passing a second test were people allowed to work. Almost a year later, all 30 employees are still on board. As for the food at Armsby Abbey? It’s almost all made with beer in it in some capacity and with every food item they suggest a beer to pair with the meal. In the recent Best of Worcester Awards run by Worcester Magazine, Armsby Abbey took 13 categories, which is unheard of, and three runner-up awards. Alec is the head chef in addition to being the owner. Coincidentally his second in command chef used to be a brewer. Between the two of them, it’s no wonder they have such a good beer list! To close this paragraph, I’ll leave you with an interesting tid-bit I learned from Alec: Armsby Abbey goes through six cases of Brooklyn Brown Ale per week just making it’s Brooklyn Brown Ale Whole Wheat bread alone. That’s more than people drink there! Alec and his wife will be opening a bakery next to the restaurant very soon, though, which is good news to anybody near by. Basically, the lesson to take from this is that if you live at all near Worcester, MA definitely hit up Armsby Abbey sooner rather than later.

Read the full story here drinkcraftbeer.com/…

Wake up Worcester!!! Craft beer is the fastest growing segment of the adult beverage market. But who in Worcester knows about it? Ummm … ummm … ummm. Who in Worcester cares what the American public is so adamantly demanding? Echo … echo … echo …

There is one man. No it’s not me. Though I am a proud supporter of all things craft beer. It’s Mr. Alec Lopez. The owner/operator of The Dive Bar and the Arsmby Abbey has taken the craft beer scene to new heights in the seemingly forever stagnant Worcester beer landscape. Alec asked me specifically not to write a review of the bar or restaurant. This article is to show people what can be done through the right resources and a little bit of ingenuity.

Next week the Craft Brewers Conference invades Boston. I know that doesn’t mean anything to the majority of the restaurants in Worcester or Central MA, but Alec has created such a stir with the food and beer at both locations that the best in the craft beer business from around the world will be blanketing the city all next week. Alec’s goal, to put it his words – “Have the most obnoxious beer geek selection available.” Here is what’s in store for all those not in the know:

Monday (4/20): The Dive Bar’s annual Get Hazed event featuring Boulder Beer. This is the third anniversary of the event, held every year on 4/20. This night, “is all about Hazed”, says Lopez. Other beers on tap will include Boulder Sweaty Beaty, Boulder Mojo and Boulder Mojo Risin. If you’re not getting the theme, just get down to The Dive – it will all come full circle. Representation from the brewery will be there to answer any questions including local rep Marvin Simpson. Alec is also counting on the owner and head brewer from Boulder to be on hand as well.

Tuesday (4/21): The Armsby Abbey will host the MA launch of Duvel Green draft. The great thing about this is that Worcester gets the first draw. All other kegs will be delivered the next day around the state. Also being tapped that night will be Ommegang Rouge. Other Ommegang beers available on draft are as follows: Ommegang Three Philosophers, Ommegang Rare Vos and Ommegang Hennepin. Jake Feltenberger the Duvel USA local rep will be on hand. Other suprise visitors could include the President of Duvel USA and head brewers.

Wednesday: This is HUGE!! This may go down as the biggest one night event in Worcester restaurant history. The Armsby Abbey has partnered with Avery Brewing Companyfor a five course sit down beer dinner. Adam Avery, President of Avery Brewing Company, will be on hand to speak about his world class beers while Alec will be dropping knowledge about all the various food selections. Seating is limited for this event, so I would recommend you get your tickets now. The last beer dinner hosted by the Abbey was sold out in fifteen minutes once they posted it online. Talk about buzz!! The full menu with beer pairings can be found by clicking here.

Thursday: Alec is calling this a “day of rest”, but lord knows he’ll be around either location. Plus, they can’t let a day go during the Craft Brewers Conference without doing something crazy. Stop by the Abbey or it may be The Dive or it may be the Abbey to get a taste of Pretty Things Baby Tree – a Belgian Quad from our friends in Cambridge, MA. This will be another one of those, “you can only get it here”, beers.

Friday: Alec is off to what he calls, “the biggest compliment I have ever received.” Based on the decision of a well respected peer group throughout the Northeast, Alec will be representing the craft beer community and Worcester with world renowned brewer and author Garrett Oliver. Anyone with their own website is really is obviously a big deal. Alec will be part of a panel abtly named The Brewer, The Chef and The Restaurateur. The theme of the discussion will be the general importance of integrating beer into your menu and how to market it. Tickets for the Craft Brewers Conference can only be purchases on location at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston.

Saturday: From what this listener discerned, there will be a Lost AbbeyPizza Port night. Scheduled to be tapped will be Wipe Out, Serpent Stout as well a few other selections. Only twelve barrels were sent to the state and The Dive/Abbey has been allocated a third of them. Other barrels will be poured at some of the most well respected beer bars in Boston – Deep Ellum and The Publick House.

As for that “obnoxious” beer selection, keep an eye out all week for Kentucky Breakfast Stout, Weyerbacher 12, a slew of Dogfish Head aged limited release beers (120/World Wide Stout/Burton Baton) and Mad Bitch. There will also be a solid MA representation on tap with the likes of Mayflower, Honest Town, Berkshire and Pretty Things.

By Jamie Magee
Yankee Brew News February/March 2009

Not since the tornado of 1953 has Worcester felt an impact like the one made to its craft brew scene by Armsby Abbey’s owner Alec Lopez over the past few years. When Lopez evolved the tap line up at the Dive Bar, the Green Street hangout that has been a bar for almost a hundred years, he unleashed a torrent that has rewritten the Worcester beerscene. And in the center of that rich, cascading

storm of craft brew now lies the culmination of Lopez’ experience and passion: Armsby Abbey.

Armsby Abbey’s mantra is that it “aims to celebrate the artisan craftsman in all aspects of our establishment, support sustainable agriculture and promote a SLOW existence.” Not your usual beer bar credo!

“My wife and I wanted to combine everything in one spot,” Lopez said. “Her love of wine and artisanal spirits, my love of craft beer and food.” (His wife, Sherri Sadowski, is General Manager.) Their combined restaurant experience helped them with their vision for Armsby Abbey. “This project was on paper for many years and then we fell in love with this location.”

Housed in a classic brick building on Main Street in Worcester’s Historic Court District (just four blocks from the DCU Center),Armsby Abbey opened last August after a four month, full-scale renovation and seats around 80, including cozy front window bays for small groups.

Almost everything metal was fashioned by Alec’s brother Andres, (it helps to have a handy relative), including the draught tower. But the centerpiece of Lopez’ devotion to craftsmanship is the centuries old Douglas Fir drink rail that runs down the middle of the restaurant. Made from a beam that was rescued from the demolition of a 150-year-old Powder Point Bridge in Duxbury, the longest wood bridge in the US, the rail is fascinating, almost Tolkienesque, and makes a comfortable place to stand, enjoy a beer and take it all in.

Armsby Abbey’s spacious wooden bar is also emblematic of the attention to detail: it was handcrafted by Master Craftsman John Sammis in Petersham, Mass., and is made entirely out of sustainable South African mahogany. Behind that bar are 22 “Rotating Craft Draughts,” as well as a beer menu featuring “over 140 Unusual Bottles (100+ Belgian).” A gigantic black chalkboard on the wall indicates what’s on tap, with six taps dedicated to Belgian beers at any time. Pleasantly, beers are always served in appropriate glassware. Lopez noted that there is also an inspired choice of wines and local artisanal spirits.

As much as Lopez enjoys the creations of local brewers, a look at the menu betrays his other passion: local food. In fact, the mission

statement of the Abbey says that it will use locally grown produce and livestock, whenever possible, and when not, only items that support

sustainable agriculture. The menu features “an array of farmstead cheeses from New England and beyond; artisan baked breads, farm fresh salads, small plates, sandwiches and hearth baked rustic pizzas.”

A further sign of Lopez’ devotion is the Old World bakery and cheese shop called Crust, which Lopez is currently finishing in the neighboring space and should be open this Spring. Next summer there should be twelve umbrella-shaded tables in the beer garden. Outside seating is a passion of Lopez — last summer he created the huge beer garden behind the Dive Bar. Down the road, Lopez hopes to have a street festival featuring brewers, chefs and other artisans. The ideas, like the beers, keep flowing.

Armsby Abbey
144 North Main Street
Worcester, Mass.
508-795-1012

If Heaven made pizza, it would have ham and pear on it.

Okay, fine, I’ll explain. This month, your favorite gastronaut visited Main Street’s Armsby Abbey, the second bar-cum-beer-geek-hangout founded by the Dive Bar’s Alec Lopez. The Abbey, which in the dead of night is nearly impossible to find if you miss the diminutive neon Chimay sign on the side window, is a bar dedicated to the proposition that all food, like beer, is most certainly not created equal. Hence the singular delectability of the dish of which I partook this past weekend. But more on that later.

The Abbey wouldn’t be an Alec Lopez establishment without a helluva beer list. Twenty-two draft lines, six of which are dedicated to Belgian beer, rotate craft brews frequently. There are over 120 bottled selections, more than half of which are again Belgian beers. There’s even a dedicated cask line for fans of so-called real beer. I started out with a Founder’s Red’s Rye to cleanse the palate, shocked to my core to find such a wonderful beer available at a local dining establishment.

Then came the appetizer. The Abbey’s Belgian Slate was a wonder to behold. Chimay Bier, Petite Jurassic and Morbier cheeses took center stage on a solid cutting board, flanked by duck sausage, cornichons, candied walnuts, cranberry and hazelnut bread, sliced baguette, champagne grapes, small pots of ginger-fig and cranberry conserve and Dr. Gonzo’s Black Fly Mustard (it’s worth mentioning that Dr. Gonzo himself was seated at the bar; if the Doctor likes it, it has to be good). I challenge anyone to pack more flavor onto a cutting board. Absolutely superb.

As good as the Belgian Slate was, it was merely a precursor to the entrée. Mustering up all the courage I could, I ordered the ham and pear artisan stoned pizza. What arrived at the table was a familiar pizza crust bedecked with chunks of ham, crumbled blue cheese, shaved pear (how one goes about shaving a pear is beyond me), arugula, basil, and an aged balsamic drizzle. Yes, at the Armsby Abbey, I found God. In pizza form.

This was not the best meal I’ve ever had, but it was pretty darned close. So close, in fact, that it prompted a discussion of the best meals that my drinking buddy and I had ever enjoyed. For a point of reference, this pizza ranked right up there with the duck at New Orleans dining Mecca Gautreau’s. I’ll say that again: I had a pizza that was as good as a twenty-nine dollar duck breast at a fine dining establishment with a wait list six months long. A pizza.

So before you write off the Armsby Abbey as just another corner bar in a town (and on a street) littered with corner bars, swing by 144 North Main Street and ask Alec what’s on the menu.

The new kid on Worcester’s main block may just be the next big thing to happen to the big city.

Armsby Abbey, the latest Alec Lopez venture, focuses on quality upscale comfort food, featuring a farmhouse-style menu with several locally grown products. On a recent frosty weekend evening, Tabitha and I made the brief trip for our first look at this four-month-old dining destination.

We took our seats at one of the two window-adjacent corner booths that look up and down Main Street. Surrounded by a bevy of throw pillows that accompany the booth, we viewed the long and contemporary-looking bar area that features an impressive list of about 130 bottled beers. They also carry a solid array of wine, but the specialized beer list is too dynamic to pass up.

We resisted the temptation to build a little throw pillow fort (seriously, the mere amount of cushioning reinforces the relaxing vibe the Abbey gives off) and turned our attention to the rotating list of not-so-typical drafts. We zeroed in on a tasty Honest Town Blackstone 80 Schilling ($5), and a tangy seasonal Mayflower Thanksgiving Ale ($5.50), which got the night going in the right direction.

Without prior knowledge of the portion sizes, Tabitha and I decided to be conservative on the cheeseboard selection and tried the individual morbier board ($8), as opposed to one of the two tempting slates at $17. A sampling of morbier cheese was joined by sliced portions of a baguette, duck sausage, and a spreadible ginger-fig and cherry conserve that worked in perfect unison with each other.

Tabitha was taken by the selection of artisan stoned pizzas, ultimately settling on the BBQ chicken pizza ($14), which boasted locally raised chicken meat and Alec’s own homemade sweet and spicy sauce.

The crust was a bit tough, but could be easily forgiven thanks to the infusion of onion and Vermont cheddar tastes, accented with just the right amount of cilantro. She washed it all down with a bottle of Heather Fraoch ($6.50).

I channeled my inner-sandwich-fanatic and chose the chicken club ($12). This sandwich had some quality size on it — two hearty slices of honey oatmeal bread supporting locally raised chicken, thick slices of Niman Ranch applewood smoked bacon, tomato, Berberian Farm leaves and a creamy homemade mayonnaise.

Any time I am forced to use both hands to eat a sandwich, I applaud the size. A side of roasted potato salad was fresh, but was just a touch too bland.

Our first choice for dessert, a chocolate cake, was unavailable, so No. 2 on the wish list was the Mayan brownie ($5), spiced with cinnamon and ginger. The spice was balanced nicely with the sweet tones of moist chocolate and thick homemade cinnamon whipped cream.

Mayan brownie quickly moved to No. 1 on my future wish list.

Food arrival was prompt and our server, Becca, was kind and helpful with the menu selections while dealing with a crowd that seemed to grow steadily over the course of the meal.

The bill came to $57.95 after tax (before tip), which was very reasonable considering the substantial portions. As we walked back to the car, our first impression was that Worcester had found its next great establishment.

With the Crust Bakeshop, which bakes the bread for Armsby Abbey, scheduled to open up next door in 2009, they would be well-served to take a page from the Abbey’s playbook and concentrate on specific food selections prepared at a high level.

That and throw pillows — lots and lots of throw pillows!