A 1920s building in Czech Village was renovated to house the new Sauce Bar & Bistro in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
CEDAR RAPIDS – The wait is finally over.
Co-owner Lenny Sims summed up the opening of his restaurant, Sauce Bar & Bistro, in one word: “relief.”
After two years of work, it’s no wonder.
Sims and co-owner Chris Robinson used two days this week for a soft opening of the bistro, at 1507 C St. SW, with the formal opening planned for Thursday, June 25, 2015.
Co-owner Lenny Sims stands behind the bar of Sauce Bar & Bistro, on Tuesday, June 23, 2015, in Czech Village. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Lunches only will be served for the first two weeks or so, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hours may be added once Sauce obtains its liquor license, Sims said.
Sauce’s concept features high quality, seasonal food in a casual atmosphere.
Lunches will reflect the name of the business, offering slow roasted meat sandwiches and other selections. Eventually, locally sourced dinners with a menu that changes with the seasons will be served.
Weather was among the issues that led to a much longer than anticipated wait to open the bistro, which will seat about 80 people.
Sims and Robinson ended up doing much of the work on the leased building on their own. The 1925-era building – flooded along with the rest of Czech Village in 2008 – formerly served as a garage, an appliance store, a Harley-Davidson business and a meat market.
Chris Robinson
Sims will handle the financial side of the business, while Robinson, who most recently worked as a chef at Daly Creek in Anamosa, and Joshua Tibbetts – known in Cedar Rapids for riding his unusually tall homemade bike – will be chefs.
Sauce will help fill a void already felt by the recent closure of another Czech Village restaurant.
Smuggler’s Wharf, a seafood restaurant just around the corner at 95 16th Ave. SW, closed earlier this month. Owner Al Zindrick attributed the closure, in part, to the loss of the restaurant’s liquor license.
Follow Sauce on their Facebook page and see more photos from their soft opening, below:
Chicken Paprikash on a ciabatta roll was among the items served for lunch during a soft opening at Sauce Bar & Bistro on Tuesday, June 23, 2015. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Sauce Bar & Bistro, at 1507 C St. SW, in Czech Village in Cedar Rapids, will officially open on Thursday, June 25, 2015. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
A chalkboard menu displays the items offered during the soft opening at Sauce Bar & Bistro on Tuesday, June 23, 2015. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Why must you bring up smugglers wharf. Al has been through enough grief!
Mary,
Including the closing of Al’s restaurant in this article is meant to recognize its significance to Czech Village. There is definitely no intention to cause him any grief. I’m a huge fan of Al’s.
Are these the same guys who sell amazing sauces at all of the local farmers markets?
I don’t believe so.
Looking for a non chain place to eat lunch. Just happened upon Sauce Bar and Bistro. So glad I did. The food is so good. I had the chicken paprikash. The people are really nice too. Definitely recommend it.
We enjoyed our lunch so much!!! We had the burgers, one medium rare, one well done. Both cooked to perfection. We also had Mike’s grilled cheese with the tomato bisque, both far above the norm. Great food. We will be back.
I hope they have a few fish and vegetarian options!
They do, Jeanne, and their chefs are willing to make vegan dishes and other options, too! Here is what they said about this: Sauce is happy to work with any dietary needs. Just call ahead the day before to see what’s available and if not, we will MAKE something available. We are angling towards local, seasonal foods. And many folks who support that are also very intentional about WHAT they eat.
So we will do whatever we can to get some good local chow in your gullet. We are carrying Tempeh and Smoke Grilled Portabellas at present for vegetarians and vegans.
Any sandwich on our lunch menu can have either of those (or both) substituted for the listed meat.