Bacon flights and smoking cocktails are star attractions at new Stillwater restaurant

A new restaurant featuring burgers, bacon flights and smoking cocktails has opened in downtown Stillwater, continuing the food and beverage growth in the charming riverside town.

Brick & Bourbon (215 Main St. S., Stillwater, brickandbourbon.com) debuted in the former Green Room location in January, offering a laid-back atmosphere and pub-style fare with an entertaining twist.

"We wanted to add a craft flair," said Branden Warner, who owns the restaurant along with partners Adam Dreher and Gary Sivyer. "But we put balance at the forefront. You don't have to be educated [in food and drink] to understand what we're doing."

Whether you find it gimmicky or engaging, Brick & Bourbon's menu seems geared toward social media chatter.

Already, the "smoking gun" libation has made the rounds of Instagram. The drink — patrons have a choice between a smoked Negroni or a maple Old Fashioned — arrives encased in a lidded cake platter and enveloped in a blanket of smoke, allowing for a dramatic reveal. If that's not enough for your followers, check out the smoked ice balls, which guests are instructed to smash with a hammer. They're served alongside flavored whiskeys. What else? Spiked ice cream, wine slushes and a martini that is graced by "pearl dust."

"It's one of those walk-by-a-table, I-want-one-of-those things," Sivyer said. "We just wanted to have really interactive things that let our guests know that drinking can be fun."

The food tries to step out of the box as well — see the candied bacon flight, the chocolate cigars and the Reuben soup in a crock, along with more traditional fare such as burgers, sandwiches, pork ribs and chicken wings.

An open kitchen allows patrons to watch the action, too, and a 10-seat chef's table will play host to a variety of special dinners and other events.

Brick & Bourbon is open daily except Monday, and serves brunch and house-made cinnamon rolls on weekends.

The plan is to follow the Stillwater location with one in Maple Grove, and eventually, Eden Prairie.