SCENE By Michelle Paolillo Lockett
Brewing on Up T
One husband-and-wife team transform their quaint New York restaurant with home-brewed beer.
he day that Anderson Sant'anna De Lima and Jennifer Sant'anna Hill opened their Mediterranean-
American restaurant, dubbed 508, in 2008 Lehman Brothers collapsed. Despite the odds, they continued on their quest to create a place that off ered great food and wine in an approachable atmosphere. Th ree years later it's safe to say they've
found success. "Th e food we started with was probably too upscale," admits Hill. "We experimented and listened to our customers and we adjusted accordingly." And the West Village New York locale
continues to evolve. Th e latest addition is beer brewed on-premise in the basement by De Lima. "Th e beer theme is inherent in the
place," says De Lima. "Th e building used to be a brewery and bottling facility in the 1880s—United Bottling Co. Jen found a bottle searching for something else on EBay." Th at bottle is proudly displayed as a conversation piece in the restaurant. Th e story of the homemade brews began
two years ago when Hill bought De Lima a home brewing kit for Christmas and he never stopped enjoying it. And he's dedicated to creating great brews down to the littlest detail. When brewing, he's there daily from 9 to 6 p.m. making sure everything is perfect. Th e day we visited the restaurant, they received a 1,500-pound pallet of grain, which De Lima unloaded himself. "I do have one kid help me wash
things," he admits. "Ninety percent of the process is washing stuff . Dirty kettles will ruin your beer."
A bartender pours a beer.
16 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012
FULL-STEAM AHEAD In July 2011, they made the decision
to serve only their beers and that's when they changed the restaurant's name to
www.cheersonline.com
NOAH FECKS
