 |
|
COURIER photo/Gabriel Fenoy
|
| John Solana, his wife Heather Solana and their daughter Sunday stand in front of the old Ice House building in the Village Expansion. Mr. Solana plans on opening The Back Abbey, a Belgian pub and eatery, at the location. |
Belgian pub brings flavors of the old country closer to home
Once the air conditioner of The Packing House, a small building in the Village Expansion commonly referred to as the “Ice House,” will soon be home to some of the “finest flavors of Europe.”
A Belgian pub with specialty imports and award-winning brews will open up just north of the Laemmle Theater later this year, and owner John Solara feels like he is finally turning his dreams into reality.
A chimney sweep by profession, Mr. Solara plans to transform the dilapidated building into a classy establishment where patrons feel welcome and comfortable. Passionate about beer, Belgian culture and his hometown of Claremont, Mr. Solara sees the venture as a marriage of work and pleasure.
“I just feel it will be a really great addition to the landscape of the Village and a nice complement to the existing businesses there,” Mr. Solara said.
With up to 30 beers on tap, mostly from Belgium, but also from France, the United Kingdom and Germany, Mr. Solara hopes his establishment will satisfy the pickiest of beer drinkers.
“Anyone that’s a beer connoisseur can’t argue when you refer to Belgium,” he said. “It’s hard to compete with.”
The pub will also serve up to 70 varieties of bottled beer, a menu of wines, 14 different artisan cheeses and homemade Belgian dishes that Mr. Solara promises will be fresh.
“There won’t be any frozen food in the Ice House,” he said.
Called the “Back Abbey,” the pub’s name pays tribute to the monks who have brewed top-quality beer for centuries in Europe.
Mr. Solara said the pub will not be “just another sports bar.” He plans to make it an upscale establishment that preserves the building’s historic significance and charm. (story continues below)
 |
|
COURIER photo/Gabriel Fenoy
|
| A worker pours new cement onto the old “Ice House” building floor. A new Belgian pub and eatery, The Back Abbey, will open at the location soon. |
The 1050-square-foot building was originally located at the corner of First Street and Indian Hill Boulevard, said Ginger Elliott, executive director of Claremont Heritage. Owned by the Edison Company, it was moved to its current location in the early 1920s.
When the union ice house company managed the building, large quantities of ice were stored there and cooled fruit from The Packing House through an underground tunnel, Ms. Elliott said. Ice was also loaded onto each end of freight trains that transported fruit cross country and was reloaded at various icehouses along the way.
“They could almost be described as a partnership between the citrus and the railroad industries before refrigerated carts were used,” Ms. Elliott said.
The Ice House was still functional until the early 1990s, selling ice to individual and event organizers throughout the region. In 1996, the city purchased the building along with much of the land where Hotel Casa 425 and the Village Expansion plaza now sit.
Jonathan Tolkin, developer of the Village Expansion, said he was approached by numerous applicants wanting to occupy the Ice House, including restaurant owners, retail store operators and a florist. He feels the pub is “just the right fit” for the building and will be a popular destination among locals.
“I think it will definitely add value to the Village,” Mr. Tolkin said.
