With new owners, ‘great food,’ brewpub to welcome Boise musicians — Pizzalchik-style

When the amps fell silent forever at Pizzalchik, it left a void in Scott Wallenberg’s world.

For years, diners had frequented the now-defunct State Street restaurant to eat pizza and watch musicians like him perform. Local players were encouraged to collaborate with the house act, led by Pizzalchik founder Brad Breakell. A tie-dye-clad chef and drummer, Breakell died unexpectedly in December 2018.

“People came in because they wanted to listen,” remembers Wallenberg, singer-guitarist for the Boise band Blues Addicts, “not just to go eat and talk with their friends.”

So when the owners of Garden City brewpub the Barrelhouse pitched a similar concept recently, Wallenberg’s ears perked up.

Especially after he inspected the gleaming new sound system. And heard plans for a secondary jam-session room in the back of the 7,500-square-foot restaurant at 5181 N. Glenwood St.

“I think it’s a wonderful dream,” Wallenberg says. “It definitely has potential.”

Wallenberg’s words are music to the ears of Jerry Miller. In December, Miller purchased the Barrelhouse with bass player Alex DeLuca, a retired transplant who moved here recently from New York City.

“We are trying to liven up the music scene down here,” explains Miller, who has lived in Boise since 1982. “We want to be where the musicians go to jam and play. There’s a lot of jams in town, but it seems like there’s something missing from that old Pizzalchik. Everybody talks about how much fun they had, and the camaraderie they had. We’d like to give them that back.”

Starting in March, the Barrelhouse plans to offer a live music schedule featuring acts each Friday and Saturday night.

Wallenberg will strap on his ax for a Scott Wallenberg & Friends gig from 7 to 10 p.m. Feb. 29. (No cover, just bring your appetite, he says.) They’ll perform on the pub’s modest main stage, which is tucked into the southeast corner of the brewpub.

Focusing on live music is a new dimension for the Barrelhouse, which opened in 2013 under the ownership of Crooked Fence Brewing Co. After being sold the following year, it settled into a traditional brewpub role.

Along with being a co-owner, Miller serves as general manager. He says fresh energy suddenly has permeated the kitchen.

“The food’s always been pretty good,” Miller says. “Oddly, when we bought it, the chefs — I don’t know if they felt empowered or unleashed or what, but the food has turned spectacular since then. ... I’m constantly getting stopped from people saying the food is great, the food’s top-notch. I’ve got a sous chef making soups that I’ll put up against anybody in the Valley.

“It’s a lot of food for a decent price, and it tastes great. What else could you ask for?”

The menu is mostly the same as it was under previous ownership. But beginning March 7, the brunch menu on Saturdays and Sundays will become a full-on breakfast starting at 8 a.m. Patrons also now find $10 sandwich-soup-salad combos at lunch, along with weekend dinner specials.

Wallenberg and Blues Addicts bassist Bob Umphress — a self-described foodie — have tested the menu.

“We were totally impressed,” Wallenberg says.

With the kitchen humming, liquor pouring and beer flowing from 22 taps, the building blocks seem to be in place. But the Barrelhouse still has work to do, Miller says.

The main stage will be made slightly bigger to accommodate larger bands. “Right now, you can fit four on there,” he says, “with a drummer.”

A second, portable stage — being built for use in the rear banquet room — will give local musicians a separate jam-friendly space, probably emphasizing Thursday nights. “It’ll be designed like a New York City nightclub,” Miller says. “Most of the time, it’ll be open for musicians to come and play.”

Wallenberg says he’s been wowed by DeLuca’s commitment to gear.

“He even bought, like, guitars and amps to keep in the back room for people just in case they’re flying in and want a Les Paul or Fender Twin,” Wallenberg says with a chuckle. “I think it’s a little much, but ...”

But yeah, baby!

And as for that new P.A. system up front?

“The sound’s really good,” Wallenberg says. “I mean really good. I kid you not.”

In June, the party will move outside. Plans are being made for a music festival in the spirit of PizzalStock, the annual patio bash that featured dozens of local bands at PizzalChik. “We’ll be doing that as a memorial to Brad, the old owner of PizzalChik,” Miller says. The rest of the summer, he hopes to continue showcasing local bands outside — and appealing to diverse audiences.

“Right now, the bands we’ve booked have been mostly from the Boise Blues Society,” he says, “so they’ve been classic-rocking blues bands. But we’re trying to bring in some beach music, rockabilly, calypso — whatever we can bring in so we’re doing something different.”

The Barrelhouse’s new attitude will probably lure a middle-aged or older crowd, Miller says, “just because that seems to be who comes out for that kind of stuff.

“Obviously, the younger crowd is more than welcome to come,” he adds. “We’d love to have them in there, too.”

But ultimately? It’s all about the Barrelhouse being one thing, he says: “A welcome place for musicians.”

Online: barrelhouse.beer.

This story was originally published February 24, 2020 at 9:57 AM.