Liquid Nitrogen at Farmers’ Cabinet, New Plans for The Boilermaker


I can say this for the employees who’ve stuck it out at Farmers’ Cabinet and The Boilermaker during all the goofiness of the past week or so: They must never get bored. I mean, how could they? Every day they come into work, there’s just no telling what kind of weirdness they’ll be walking into. New staff, new management, new concepts, new rumors of imminent closure…

But after last week’s 4-way staff walkout, we now have word of some (more) changes happening at both of Matt and Colleen Swartz’s joints.

First, there was word from a well-placed tipster that Farmers’ Cabinet was taking in a shipment of liquid nitrogen tanks. The assumption was that either the kitchen was planning on getting super-freaky under its new command, or that the bar crew had something up their sleeves.

Turns out, it was the bar. And mostly it was new consultant/employee Jeremy Osslund (an NYC restaurant and cocktail consultant from Jigger, Beaker and Flask and, most recently, of the Flatiron Lounge, who ops manager Will Pumphrey told me has now joined the Cabinet/Boilermaker team full-time). Osslund, it seems, is one of those guys who truly digs the Weird Science end of the mixology spectrum and has brought some of his Mr. Wizard tricks to the bar at Farmers’ Cabinet with at least one liquid nitrogen drink on the cocktail list right now, and more modernist drinks (including ones served inside ice balls) on the way. Val Boyle and Paul McDonald are tending the long oak during the menu switch, and the new board will go into full effect on Monday.

Meanwhile, Osslund has also been poking around The Boilermaker where word is they’re looking to change up the concept somewhat. While there’s no firm idea yet on what the new concept will be, Pumphrey did say that Osslund has suggested a doubling-down on the name (“He said we should embrace it and have 40 boilermakers, not just 8,” said Pumphrey) and that the kitchen is looking to expand its offerings under Chris Allen‘s direction. “People look at [The Boilermaker] as a bar,” Pumphrey told me. “We want people to look at it as a restaurant. As a bar, too. We don’t want to lose the bar crowd. But we think it can be a good restaurant, too.”

Farmers’ Cabinet [Foobooz]

The Boilermaker [Foobooz]