A new restaurant is set to open this month in the former home of Hecklers Unique Sports Bar and Grill in the Beaufort Town Center.
The Irish Rose Pub and Bistro could open as soon as Oct. 12 in Suite 100 at 2121 Boundary St.
Owner Jim Presland said the focus will be more on food than alcohol, and it will have an Irish-American, comfort-food menu and weekend brunch buffets. Menu items include Guinness stew, Irish rarebit with soda bread, and Irish car-bomb cupcakes, made with chocolate Guinness cake, Jameson-infused filling and Bailey's Irish Cream frosting.
The ambiance will be family-friendly by day and bar by night, with space for private parties. Presland said Irish Rose will probably open about 11 a.m. on weekdays and earlier on the weekends for brunch. Closing times will depend on the amount of business.
The interior is getting a makeover, and most of the TVs have been pulled from the walls. A few TVs will remain at the bar, and a large, pull-down screen will be used for showing big games, he said.
Presland is a former Marine and his wife, Cjira, has about 10 years of restaurant experience in Los Angeles and New York, he said. They have recruited local staff, including a former head chef from Panini's Bar and Grill, and plan to hold special events for law-enforcement officers and new Marines.
Hecklers closed in May, less than a year after opening, and the previous occupant, Office Sports Bar & Grill, packed up and left without notice in February 2011.
Presland said he is confident of the venture.
"I just got out of the Marines, so I don't know how to fail," he said with a laugh.
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