Spacecat Brewing Company in Norwalk Debuts Food Truck + New Cocktail Program

The next time you’re enjoying a pint in Spacecat Brewing Company’s taproom, that tray of burgers that just went by IS NOT courtesy of Shake Shack’s Shack Truck.

Right out back by Spacecat’s appropriately named patio, “The Litterbox,” is their own brand-new food trailer where the brewery smashes burgers, grills up Connecticut’s own Hummel Bros. hot dogs, and fries to perfection a crispy chicken sandwich.

Spacecat’s owner, James Bloom, used to have a revolving band of food trucks before launching their Whistleville Grille truck, and mentioned the brewery will still call in reserves like their partner truck, JJB Wood Fire Pizza & Pasta Truck, on busy beer days.

And if burgers, dogs, or chicken isn’t your thing, they’re still cool with you going with the BYO method.

“By all means, if you don’t eat those three things, please bring what you like,” Bloom says. “On Saturdays, we still have JJB Pizza here, and maybe when we can sustain two trucks regularly, we’ll do that. But right now, it’s just the one (ours) most days.”

Back to that burger.

The WhistleBurger is a LaFrieda beef blend patty that’s pressed down on a screaming hot flat top, then it’s dressed with lettuce (thankfully not too much of it), raw onion, pickles, a few thin, ripe slices of tomato, classic American cheese, and homemade house burger sauce. Call it a dead ringer for Danny Meyers’ burger if you want (Psst! Spacecat’s is juicier), but my guess is you’ll want more than one WhistleBurger, or do the proper thing and make yours a double.

As for the chicken sandwich, it’s an organic Bell & Evan’s thigh, dredged in a secret blend of flour, herbs, and spices, deep fried, and topped with pickles, and your choice of house-made garlic-herb mayo or buffalo and ranch together, on a Martin’s Potato Bun.

Albeit simple, Bloom and the team at Spacecat are doing it the right way.

“We’re not cutting any corners with this stuff,” he says. “We’ll soon make our own chicken tenders, too. We’re just hoping that over time, people will say, ‘Hey! This is a really high-quality burger!’ We’re not looking to change the world, but in this general area, there’s not another one like this.”

What’s also new for Spacecat besides the grub, is a craft cocktail program led by general manager and bartender Chris Tishelman, that gives non-beer drinkers another option.

Back when I covered Spacecat’s opening and origin story, cocktails weren’t really present unless you’re counting a vodka soda or an espresso martini courtesy of their neighbor a few blocks away, SoNo1420.

Tishelman’s creations, a mixture of classics and slight interpretations, though, are all made with Connecticut spirits, including SoNo1420, Litchfield Distillery, Fruitful Mixology, Waypoint Spirits, and Hartford Flavor Company & Wild Moon.

As to whether Spacecat would get into any other beverages besides beer in a down market, Bloom mentioned that aside from cocktails, they’re staying the course.

“It’s enticing to think about doing a seltzer, but we’re trying to shut some of that out,” he says. “This doesn’t happen overnight and we’re committed and don’t want to dilute our brand. We don’t want to package cocktails in a can. It’s an on-premise thing here. Once you put it in a can, it changes and your whole brand changes. We make good beer and we put together what I think is a very cool bar.”

57 Chestnut Street, Norwalk
203.857.1074, spacecatbrewing.com