Father John's Microbrewery

Have any of you ever lived in a place where it seemed like "good eats" as we Americans like to say; can be nearly impossible? After living here in Bryan, OH. I had nearly given up hope that there could ever be such a place. I mean sure we have a decent amount of family places, diners, fast food take aways, and pizza places, but ethnic food is almost non-existant as there is only one Mexican place, One "sit-down" Chinese place, one Chinese/American buffet, and one Italian/Mexican/American restaurant. We also do have one "elegant" place to eat where you can have such foods as Lobster Bisque and Char Grilled Salmon, but it is above average at best. There are also two other restaurants where I do truly enjoy going to, but to be honest their food is not exactly in the same category, so for these twelve years it seemed like nothing truly exciting would ever happen in the way of truly great dining. Well I only recently found out; on my 50th birthday these two weeks past no less; how wrong I really was.

See, Bryan, OH. is a small place; I guess it fits as a small city; some might call it a "larger" town. It's down town can be driven in most directions from one boarder to the opposit one in about ten minutes, but it does have a population of about 9k. Except for the one murder that happened about five years ago; the first in over fifty years; our crime rate is almost non-existant, so Bryan, does have its good qualities, but it is extremely boring; especially in the winter when the only real in town entertainment is the local cinema. In circumstances like that, people do tend to look for things like decent restaurants to be able to do something different, so they have to decide whether or not they are willing to drive about an hour away to find those places in the larger cities. So imagine my surprise to find a place called Father John's Brewing Company right here in Bryan.

Though the owner has not spent huge amounts for advertising expenses; they have been here for just about two years. A retired maxillofacial surgeon named Dr. John Trippy; purchased an old historic Methodist church that was actually doomed for the wrecking ball if he had not saved it. Promising to keep what some call "the historic footprint" of the structure; I believe he has gone far beyond that. Staying with the theme of the building structure itself; he kept the main worship area as a historic piece for people to see, and turned the basement into the main bar and restaurant. While trying to repair areas of the foundation; he found a coffin that some believe to be one of the church's original pastors; turning it into a "mini catacomb" for people to view as well. Having a huge love of travel and a belief that everyone has a right to their views and their faith, he incorporated elements of Christianity, Buddhism, Arabic culture, and Medievalism into the decor of the restaurant. He of course also made use of the choir loft as well, turning that into a bit of a night club promoting all sorts of local talent from folk groups to stand up comics.

Now; getting to the most important part of his establishment; Dr. Trippy also has a huge love of good food and drink to the point that nothing, and I mean NOTHING in his restaurant is made from frozen ingredients, or from dna adjusted, hormone infused, maltreated animals or poor quality ingredients... The vegetables and fruits are either grown in his own gardens or purchased from local farms, as are meats like beef and chicken; bison is only purchased in season from the most reputable farms giving their stock the best treatment. The chef creates dishes that literally melt in your mouth and create an explosion of flavor that you literally wonder if you died and went to foody heaven. Even their desserts are made fresh daily; the only two other places that could compete with them in desserts are Four Seasons and Union Street Grill; and their coffee is such that you wonder if you are still in the US thanks to the reputation of most American coffee, but I guarantee theirs is delicious indeed, and I hope they are around for a long time to come.