Table Hoppin': After Hangover Pub and Broth closing, Michael Arrastia keeps busy

Last August, executive chef/owner Michael Arrastia closed his two businesses, The Hangover Pub and Broth after almost seven years in the city’s Canal District. The beloved “bacon gastro pub” Hangover was a brunch favorite for foodies, while Broth, promoted as “Worcester’s first ramen restaurant,” became a go-to spot for noodle lovers.

After closing, Arrastia told a Telegram and Gazette reporter that there were many factors that led him to shut down the businesses. His desire for a better work-life balance was one of them. “At the end of the day, of course I’m sad,” he said, explaining how he also looked to the future.

I recently got to sit down with Arrastia at Sturbridge Coffee Roasters in Southbridge to chat about his new career path. Arrastia, who lives in Southbridge, said the café is a favorite of his.

“I needed to take a short break, clear my head and figure out what my next move would be,” said Arrastia about closing. It didn’t take very long before potential employers, some of them Hangover regulars, reached out to him, he said. Arrastia currently is chef consultant at The Hare & the Hound in Putnam, where he spends a couple days a week creating and testing recipes, in addition to teaching staff how to prepare his weekly specials. “I can be creative as a I want, there’s no stress and everyone says ‘thank you’ when I leave,” said Arrastia. “Honestly, it’s fun.” The restaurant’s owner, Michael DiCenzo, cares about the business and is a good friend, he said.

Robert (Bob) and Nancy Bixby, co-founders of Altruist Brewing Company in Sturbridge, also hired Arrastia for pop-ups at the brewery located in the Sturbridge Marketplace at the Falls. The chef plans to do pub food at the next pop up scheduled 2 to 8 p.m. Dec. 17. He’s at the brewery a couple times a month, he said. Connect on Facebook for more info.

Looking ahead to the new year, Arrastia will showcase his culinary skills on Jan. 21 as a visiting chef at the Westbrook Inn, Derry, New Hampshire. He has chosen a four-course menu with focus on Puerto Rican cuisine, a reminder of his Puerto Rican heritage. Executive chef Christopher Bairos of Hudson, who has worked as a private chef and at local restaurants, including Fish Restaurant & Wine Bar in Marlborough, will be Arrastia’s sous chef. The men are friends who have worked together before. They also have competed against each other at local food events. Visit https://www.thewestbrookinn.com for information about the historic New Hampshire wedding venue and special events.

Arrastia’s fans also will be happy to learn he’s chef for the ticketed New Year’s Eve celebration at Penny Pinchers Brewing in Millbury. The entrée will be the chef’s special beef short ribs.

For the Fat Tuesday Jazz Fest on Feb. 21 at starlite gallery in Southbridge, a craft cocktail bar and live music venue, Arrastia will serve up Mardi Gras specials. Food to let he good times roll, he said.

The dish on Hangover Pub and Broth: Arrastia had partners when he first opened the pub and was sole owner of both restaurants for the last several years. “It wasn’t that I didn’t work hard and have creative vision,” said Arrastia, about his decision to shut down. He managed to survive the pandemic, he said, only to find he faced new challenges as did other business owners. “It isn’t easy to try to handle inflation, labor shortages, rising costs and supply chain issues all at the same time,” said Arrastia. “The pandemic challenged restaurant owners in ways we had never dreamed. Sure, you adapt but sometimes it’s not enough.”

Take-out and delivery became lifelines during the pandemic, but for some restaurants the economics of delivery simply don’t add up, said Arrastia. “If you outsource to third-party providers like DoorDash or Grubhub, you’re charged a fee that cuts into already razor-thin margins.”

When people question Arrastia about why he closed his restaurants, he said he asks them if they would like to go to a job every day and not get paid. “I remind them as a business owner you have to pay staff and bills before you pay yourself,” he said. “You work to stay afloat, but you’re also grappling with more uncertainty and financial risks.”

He said Polar Park didn’t help to bring new customers through the door. On WooSox game days dinner hours at his restaurants were quiet, said Arrastia, who remains optimistic about the Canal District despite other restaurant closures this summer. On the list, Smokestack Urban BBQ, PreGamers Sports Bar and Grill and Buck’s Whiskey & Burger Bar, which was sold.

Arrastia has worked in a variety of places including the Publick House and the former Rovezzi’s, both in Sturbridge. He’s a member of the Joseph Donan Chapter of Les Amis d’Escoffier Society and an Iron Chef winner at Worcester’s Best Chef competition. He has cooked at local fundraisers, taught cooking classes and has appeared on the Travel Channel. He built a reputation on serving scratch-made food and embraced “anything bacon” as owner of Hangover Pub.

The chef definitely is forging a new path. “When you’re in the restaurant industry, it becomes your life,” said Arrastia. “One thing I know for sure is that I don’t want to own another restaurant.” He is seriously considering a chef/manager position in a restaurant that will open next year in Southbridge. It will be breakfast and lunch only, he said, and the location is close to his home. He currently caters private parties and is teaching a local food truck owner how make ramen. He’s creating the recipes.

“I’m getting older and my knees hurt a little from years working the line, but I’m still passionate about food and cooking,” said Arrastia. “What I enjoy most is being able to spend more time with my family. I finally get to sit in the stands and watch my son’s football games. I’ll choose my family over money any day.”

Arrastia and his wife, Ashley, who teaches Spanish at Tantasqua Regional High School in Fiskdale, have two children, middle and high school students.

Follow Arrastia on Facebook and Instagram. He’s definitely on the culinary radar.

Redemption Rock making Fizzle Fiends

The latest news from Redemption Rock Brewing Company in Worcester is all about its “first-ever” hard seltzer, a raspberry-lime flavored beverage with the catchy name, Fizzle Fiends.

According to Redemption’s press release, Fiends is a collaboration with Worcester-based podcast SeltzerTime, which “champions businesses, artists, musicians, community advocates and more across the city.”

“As soon as we decided to make a hard seltzer, we knew we had to get SeltzerTime involved,” said Dan Carlson, head of marketing at Redemption Rock. “They’re not only Worcester’s preeminent seltzer experts, they’ve been big supporters of ours and so many great things in the city for a long time. And of course, seltzer should be enjoyed with your friends.”

Dani Babineau, CEO and Co-founder of Redemption Rock Brewing Co., said, “Our mission has always been to create a taproom that’s welcoming and accommodating to all types of people, and that’s why we have such a diverse variety of beer styles and a robust café menu. With Fizzle Fiends, our gluten-free customers now have a delicious alcoholic option to enjoy and be excited about.”

Fizzle Fiends (5.5 percent abv) is available on draft in the Redemption Rock draft taproom, 333 Shrewsbury St., Worcester, and to go in 32-ounce crowler cans. In the future, the brewery plans to introduce new rotating flavors of Fizzle Fiends, according to Carlson. FYI: Non-alcoholic options include coffee, tea, lemonade and more. Visit www.redemptionrock.beer for hours and more info. Connect on social media.

Brewery events in 2023 will keep the taproom hoppin.’

Beer Dinner

Greater Good Imperial Brewing Company in Worcester held a recent Beer Dinner at The District Wood Fired Kitchen, Harding Street in Worcester.

Rick Araujo, who is executive chef at Off the Rails restaurant in Worcester and executive chef and managing partner at The District Wood Fired Kitchen executed the five-course menu with sous chef Buddy Bartlett. Greater Good Gin & Tonic (Botanical gin, Greater Good Pulpy Dreams Craft Hard Seltzer, tonic bitters, citrus twist) was the welcome drink. Greater Good pairings included its Crush Groove, Funk Daddy, Helena, Gingerbread Ale and Sugarplum Gumdrop.

On the food menu: Oysters 3 ways; Grilled Skate Wing; Seared Duck Breast, Ginger and Allspice Spiced Oxtail Stew; Local Cream Panna Cotta.

My take on the dinner, great food and beer pairings.

A Medusa Brewing Beer Dinner is scheduled at 7 p.m. Jan. 26 at The District Wood Fired Kitchen. Cost is $75 per person. Tickets can be purchased at the restaurant, or online, https://thedistrictworcester.com. Reserve early. Medusa Brewing Company is located in Hudson. I expect its beer dinner to be very informative and a lot of fun, based on information from the brewer and friends who sat next to us at the December beer dinner. Food and beer launch great conversations!

If you have a tidbit for the column, call (508) 868-5282. Send email to bhoulefood@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Table Hoppin': After Hangover Pub and Broth closing, Michael Arrastia keeps busy