Beginning Thursday, March 5, The Raleigh South Beach launches Buck’s Beer Garden & Bonfire, a twice-monthly pop-up on first and third Thursdays from 6 to 10 p.m. in the iconic hotel’s backyard Oasis area. With the name inspired by the antlered subject of the hotel’s logo, Buck’s Beer Garden & Bonfire reimagines Germany’s favorite pastime on Miami Beach, complete with Restaurant Michael Schwartz food concessions and a draft beer bar tapping a new local craft brewery each month, beginning with Wynwood Brewery Company. Surrounded by bonfire pits, revelers can pop a seat at Buck’s picnic tables, try their hand at lawn games including corn hole, ping pong and giant Jenga and even break open Buck’s DIY s’more kits for fireside roasting. Michael’s Genuine® Home Brew will be available at each event, and in addition to the starting lineup of La Rubia Blonde Ale, Pop’s Porter, and one of Wynwood Brewery Company’s IPAs, The Genuine Hospitality group Beverage Director Ryan Goodspeed is installing the hotel’s first tap tower at the outdoor White Bar to rotate a local selection on draft at the restaurant.
“Basically we all love spending time at The Raleigh and now the neighborhood has one more great reason to join us,” chef Schwartz explains. “The Oasis is such a beautiful spot for special events and now it will have an event of its own. We’re going German-inspired, American-made here, with good food, drink and friends.”
Taking place among a lush tropical setting behind the hotel’s legendary pool, Buck’s Beer Garden & Bonfire invites locals to re-acquaint themselves with the “grand dame” of South Beach Art Deco hotels, as named by Condé Nast Traveler. Guests have flexibility with an à la carte, “pay-as-you-go” format purchasing tickets at a booth for food, beer and wine (one ticket equals $1.) The casual and dynamic setting boasts an inviting price point to match, with all food items 10 tickets or less, 12 ounce pours of beer (five tickets,) wines by the glass (seven tickets,) and a special valet rate with Buck’s cashier validation of $5 per car, subject to availability. Tickets are reusable at future events.
Restaurant Michael Schwartz Chef de Cuisine, Molly Brandt is cooking up a variety of food stations with the spotlight on a traditional Schwenker grill serving a variety of German sausages like bratwurst, kielbasa, knockwurst, and currywurst on crusty rolls, as well as Schwenkbraten – paprika-marinated pork neck steak. Toppings include mixed cabbage sauerkraut and beer bathed onions. There will be a fish sandwich, as well as burgers with or without cheese – mandatory open-air fare, with choice of toppings including bacon, mushrooms, and caramelized onions, as well as sides of warm German potato salad with bacon and savoy-celery root slaw with green apple and buttermilk vinaigrette. Picnic tables will be stacked with condiments from malted ale mustard and curry ketchup, to chow-chow, smoked pickle relish and bread and butter giardiniera. S’mores packages available for purchase next to the fire pit with roasting sticks come with housemade graham crackers, vanilla-bourbon marshmallows, and chocolate.
Visit www.bucksbeergarden.com for more information, and follow @theraleighhotel with hashtag #bucksbeergarden on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.