After an eight-month COVID-19 closure, Prairie Fire on Harvard Street in Coolidge Corner has reopened, and they’ve revamped the restaurant from top to bottom. The pandemic caused the Prairie Fire team to reevaluate their strengths and their ability to serve the community.
“We very quickly shifted gears on the concept,” says co-owner Dan Kerrigan. “I realized people really wanted a dinner restaurant in the neighborhood, something that has a good bar program and real dinner food, a de-emphasis on casual food like pizza and sandwiches and more emphasis on quality, thoughtful cooking.”
During the closure, Prairie Fire added a few new team members to their roster. Kerrigan and partner and chef Brendan Joy brought on executive chef Andrew Iacono and general manager Ricky Czachor, formerly of Eastern Standard and Island Creek Oyster Bar. Iacono and Joy have collaborated on a few new menu items, including a rolling raw bar cart that delivers the best of Boston’s fresh seafood right to your table.
The interior of the space has also been upgraded to reflect the new dinner-centric concept. More comfortable banquettes were installed, paint tones warmed up, and lighting softened. These changes perfectly match the wood fire behind the bar, a cozy draw for the Coolidge Corner community since Prairie Fire opened in 2017.
Soon Brookline residents can also enjoy the great outdoors at Prairie Fire at their newly installed beer garden. Located in the back of the building, away from the hustle and bustle of Harvard and Beacon Streets, the beer garden will serve beer, wines by the glass, and cocktails as well as small, traditional beer garden bites. Visitors can sample a pretzel made at the company’s Milton bakery, a bratwurst, and a classic New England lobster roll.
“We’re not trying to do Prairie Fire dinner outside,” says Kerrigan. “The idea behind the beer garden is we’re trying to create a gathering space outdoors for the community. You can come in and sit and enjoy a beer and a couple of snacks off the menu.”
Kerrigan plans to run this outdoor experience as late into the season as possible and hopes it will help diners feel more at ease during this uncertain stage of the pandemic. The new Prairie Fire is meant to better serve the Brookline neighborhood in the coming months.
“We want to be viewed as a rustic, New England local, seasonal restaurant that has a really thoughtful and well-executed food program,” says Kerrigan. “We’re excited to keep making changes in the months ahead and dial this into a place where it’s of great value to the people in this community. That’s really the goal.”
Prairie Fire is open for dinner Wednesday-Sunday from 4-10 pm.
