King of the Rodeo, from left, the Swearwolf, the Even-Older-Fashioned and the Cosmo are a few samples of cocktails at Preservation Bar & Grill. Lee Ball Photography
Charcuterie, a nightly special. The plate features dry aged mild salami, procuitto which is a cured dry aged pork, homemade cured smoked turkey, ribeye sausage smoked pork tenderloin, pickled vegetable medley, kalamata and green olives, creole mustard, toasted walnuts and pita chips. Lee Ball Photography
King of the Rodeo, from left, the Swearwolf, the Even-Older-Fashioned and the Cosmo are a few samples of cocktails at Preservation Bar & Grill. Lee Ball Photography
Charcuterie, a nightly special. The plate features dry aged mild salami, procuitto which is a cured dry aged pork, homemade cured smoked turkey, ribeye sausage smoked pork tenderloin, pickled vegetable medley, kalamata and green olives, creole mustard, toasted walnuts and pita chips. Lee Ball Photography
The Grub: Preservation without refrigeration. The specialty of the kitchen employs old-world style methods of smoking, curing, pickling and fermenting. House-made components accent hand-selected cuts of meat and fish to create unique, ecologically responsible and tasty dishes.
The Booze: Every cocktail component is house-made if possible, and done with seasonal ingredients that are being shared by the kitchen, creating a fresh, efficient, and ecologically responsible product. Just like the kitchen, nothing goes to waste. The wine selection is painstakingly chosen to match up with the food offerings. Beer also receives a lot of attention, with the goal of showcasing seasonal local offerings, along with the staples that we’ve all come to know and love.
The Crew: Brad Berwick, General Manager & Pickling Viceroy - A journeyman chef-turned-GM. With a range of work experience that goes from sushi and donuts in Austin, Texas to operating the kitchen of a lodge in the Yosemite area of California, his broad array of culinary adventures has been invaluable to the creation of this weird machine. Matt Indest, Executioner Chef - A New Iberia native son, Chef Matt actually began his culinary career in the dish pit of Clementine’s approximately 20 years ago. As an outdoorsman, an artist, and a father and husband, his attention to detail and emphasis on quality create a perfect storm. Matt Lahr, Bar Manager & Apothecary - The bar manager got hooked on with Chef Brad and Chef Matt at Antlers Seafood and Steakhouse in Broussard. Always tapping into their culinary minds, he adapted the scientific approach that they use for their cooking and applied it to his creative process that goes into the craft cocktails.
The History: “The building itself is obviously a staple to downtown New Iberia, and it’s been the host to a litany of great establishments. To have our turn in such an iconic location is humbling, to say the least. The size of the metaphorical shoes that we’re hoping to fill is not lost on us, and it’s one of the driving forces in our day-in, day-out attention to detail and quality,” says Berwick.
Favorite Dish: The Reuben really represents the idea of what Preservation does. House-made corned beef, red cabbage sauerkraut and Forked Island Dressing (their take on 1000 Island) and marble rye bread. Garlic truffle fries on the side don’t hurt anything, either.
Can’t Miss Cocktail: The Even Older Fashioned has been the most popular. Bar-Matt makes specialty bitters, single batch syrup and candies the cherries for a classic cocktail reimagined from the ground up.
