Liquid Bread Gastropub in Campbell
The new Liquid Bread Gastropub opened in downtown Campbell just a month ago and is on the fast track to becoming a South Bay hot spot for top-notch food and beer offerings. Liquid Bread boasts 20 rotating craft-beer taps and 70 to 80 bottled beers for in-house consumption or purchase to go. There is also a selection of fine wines and soda.
The beers on tap represent a variety of styles to pair with menu items of small to medium plates, and introduce and educate those new to enjoying beer with their food. Several taps are devoted to local South Bay and Bay Area breweries, and recent draft beers have included El Toro Poppy Jasper Amber Ale (Morgan Hill) and Red Branch Ciders (Sunnyvale). On tap now is the Ale of the 2 Tun Imperial Stout from San Jose’s Hermitage Brewing Company.
Having attended Santa Clara High School together, the Liquid Bread partners have South Bay pride and more than 10 years of food and beverage experience each. Jordan Trigg, owner of Jack’s Bar & Lounge in San Jose’s Japantown, helped start the successful San Jose Beerwalk events. Ryan Banderas has worked extensively in the restaurant and bar scene and developed the beer program at Rootstock Wine Bar in Los Gatos.
Executive chef John Burke has cooked at several acclaimed Bay Area restaurants, including two with a Michelin star—the Village Pub in Woodside and Trevese in Los Gatos as its chef de cuisine. He was most recently the chef de cuisine at the Silicon Valley Capital Club in San Jose. Along with sous chef Tyler Graham, he provides a fresh take on new and traditional California cuisine that features local ingredients and is vegetarian friendly.
Regarding the unusual name, Jordan explains: “Liquid bread refers to beer. The phrase came from the time when water was not very sanitary, and beer was consumed for both water and valuable nutrients. We feel Liquid Bread represents our primary focus of beer, but at the same time encompasses the aspects of a gastropub—the focus on drinks—liquid—complemented by high-end cuisine—bread.”
The partners recently hired a beer manager to help order and maintain a stellar beer lineup and to run beer-related specials, including food- and beer-pairing events and beer club memberships. The beer manager is Larry Hoang, previously the assistant brewer at Campbell’s Rock Bottom Brewery and, yes, also a friend from Santa Clara High.
Liquid Bread Gastropub
379 East Campbell Ave., Campbell, CA; 408.370.3400
[This post was shared on SanJose.com.]