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1 building, 2 concepts for the old BrickHouse; The State Room opens soon

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New Year’s Eve also marked a farewell for the BrickHouse Brewery, which had operated for 26 years in Patchogue’s oldest mercantile building.

And the new ownership team that took over in June got right to work on renovations. They has also spent time on social media, teasing what’s to come at 67 W. Main St.

And we got the scoop. Or, at least, half of it.

The upstairs barroom and catering space will be opening soon, with an entirely separate entrance facing Havens Avenue — marked by an awning.

It will be called The State Room.

Co-owner Bert Wiegand told Greater Long Island that the team is just finishing up the final touches to the upstairs bar area.

“We’ve been focusing on the second floor, the BrickHouse’s previous catering room,” he said.

There, they gutted the room, put in new chandeliers and added all-new furnishings.

The State Room will strictly serve small plates, but with a large cocktail list.

Wiegand, also a longtime bartender at Tullulah’s in Bay Shore, said he’s planning about 20 different cocktails ranging in strong spirited to citrusy and sweet. The menu, as of now, has about 15 options, some including pasta made in-house with the shop’s new pasta maker.

The whole downstairs of the BrickHouse is undergoing renovations as well, and should be opened up by the summer, he said.

“It’s one building, but two different concepts,” Wiegand said.

While he didn’t want to give too much information away just yet about the downstairs — including a name — he would say there will be something there for everyone with an entirely different aesthetic than The State Room.

“The vibe in The State Room is a nice, dim-lit, quaint cocktail bar,” he said. “We want somewhere where you can order a bunch of small plates, dive in with a couple of friends and share.”

Chef Francis Derby and the team plan on utilizing local farms, like Early Girl Farm and the H.O.G. Farm in Bellport, to get fresh produce for a true farm-to-table experience.

“We’re keeping it local,” Wiegand said.

A look at what’s on the menu at The State Room in Patchogue. Photo from Bert Wiegand

Passing of the torch

The old ownership group ceremoniously handed off management of BrickHouse Brewery and Restaurant this past summer.

Tom Keegan, one of BrickHouse’s original founders, had said in June that such a shift had been in his plans for years.

“I said that for our 25th anniversary, I’m going to find the new generation to do this,” said Keegan, an attorney still practicing law. “That was in the middle of the pandemic and I missed it by a year. Monday was our 26th anniversary.”

The new team is operating the building under a management agreement.

That team also includes:

Dave Prunier, a co-owner of four other South Shore restaurants: Tullulah’s in Bay Shore, Sayville Athletic Club, Patchogue’s Great South Bar and King’s Chophouse in Bay Shore; Stephen Rizzo, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and opened Sayville’s Off the Block Kitchen and Meats in 2015; and James McPeak, a partner of Great South Bar and Sayville Athletic Club.

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Top: The former BrickHouse Brewery in Patchogue (Credit: Mike Busch/file photo)

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