08/29/2020
It’s exciting to see all of the new businesses opening up on Washington St. in Ellicottville! Check out the new EBC Taqueria on your next visit!
EBC Opens Taqueria
New Business Brings Mexico City Street Fare to Ellicottville
By Judy Shuler
Relations between the two countries were admittedly frosty.
As traditional diplomacy faltered, the Craft Brewers Association, Boulder, CO, had an idea. They were looking to promote better relations with Mexico and wanted to use beer for diplomacy.
Ellicott Brewing Company (EBC) volunteered to work with craft brewers in Puerto Vallarta but someone else got that assignment.
“We were paired up with Falling Piano Brewing in Mexico City last July,” says Peter Kreinheder of EBC. It was serendipity, “something meant to be.”
EBC head brewer Dan Minner collaborated with Falling Piano to exchange craft beer recipes. He took blueberry hibiscus agave beer. “We found all the new ingredients in Mexico we never use here,” says Kreinheder.
Their collaboration got a lot of press in Mexico, and an appearance on a morning television show. In the process they created deep friendships.
“The Mexican people, the whole culture is just fantastic.
“The U.S. State Department wanted us to create better relationships, and it actually worked. Now we just have these rich relationships with brewers in Mexico.”
During several trips, Kreinheder and Minner also discovered Mexico City street tacos, and inspiration for their new Tap + Bottle and Taqueria, slated to open September at 20 Washington St. in Ellicottville. Their Mexico counterparts planned to come for the opening, until stopped by COVID-19.
Mexico was the missing culinary component in Ellicottville, he says.
EBC acquired and renovated the building formerly occupied by the Gin Mill on Washington Street in Ellicottville for 40 years before they moved to a larger space last summer. The interior space for Tap + Bottle is mostly complete, he says, crediting craftsmanship of Mike Nickolson who worked alone thanks to the virus. New wiring, air conditioning, fire alarm system are done. Final step is replacing glass and the façade, awaiting supplies in the supply chain disrupted by virus.
“We wanted to help keep Main Street alive,” says Kreinheder. “You have to reinvest to move ahead.”
A featured menu item will be Al Pastor, a taco made with spit-grilled pork. It combines traditional Middle Eastern spices with those indigenous to central Mexico. One piece of equipment, made and shipped from Mexico City, is a vertical spit for grilling pork marinated in chile peppers, spices and pineapple.
Despite the Mexico-inspired food, the real star will be craft beers produced throughout New York State “that (Gov. Andrew) Cuomo has done such a good job of promoting,” Kreinheder says.
“We wanted to design a new store to focus on New York craft beers as well as artisan wines and spirits.”
In the first six months they will feature craft beers from the Hudson Valley and Five Boroughs of New York City, beers rarely found in Western New York because they don’t have the distribution chain to bring them this far.
They will offer beer by the bottle, draft or six-pack. There will be a tasting bar and seating for 40. Tacos can be ordered in person or on line, easily packaged for pick-up.
Ironically, taquerias make up one of the fastest growing restaurant segments in the U.S., Kreinheder says. When he took his daughter to college in Tucson, he saw one on every corner. People are even traveling there for the culinary experience.
Schwarma is a seasoning made up of garlic powder, black pepper, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, chili powder, oregano, salt, and cloves. Mole sauce includes chiles, garlic, tortilla strips, cinnamon, cloves and dark chocolate.
Making taqueria fare is “super simple. Keeping things simple is the hardest part.”
Elliottville Brewing Company employs 180 at locations in Ellicottville, Fredonia, and Bemus Point, with another scheduled to open next year in Little Valley.