The King is dead, long live the King!

If you’ve known me for any period of time, you would know that, for many years, I’ve dreamt of opening a bar and restaurant.

Since November of 2021, I have poured my heart and soul into a property that was on my shortlist. It had history. It had location. And boy, did it have character!

In 1890, Charles Wagner announced plans to construct a new three-story hotel and tavern at the intersection of East Grant Street and Lenox Late. Working with Lancaster’s pre-eminent architect, Cassius Emlen Urban, Charlie Wagner’s Cafe opened in 1891 and was celebrated as “the handsomest bar-room in the city and finer than in many larger cities”. It operated for three decades before closing with the advent of prohibition.

This was going to be the home of Bar Cassius. And it was going to be something truly special.

Until it wasn’t.

Although I believed that every “t” was crossed and every “i”, dotted, cracks began to form in the plan.

If you’ve known me for any period of time, you would know that speed bumps don’t slow me down.

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths”

— Walt Disney

10 months in, shit hit the fan. Bar Cassius was dead. Irrevocably, implacably, dead.

PIVOT!

My dreams of opening Bar Cassius were no more. I had spent the better part of a year convincing myself and others that we could create something truly special. A place that I saw in my mind's eye and sold to everyone involved.

If you’ve known me for any period of time, you would know that I describe things as if they exist. As if they are an experience that you have already enjoyed and fallen in love with.

I had put together a team that believed in this idea. And I wasn’t about to let that go.

As the cracks began to spread, another location with which I have a lot of history became available. I contacted the owner requesting a quick walk-through.

Serendipity apparently had something new in store.

Bar Cassius is dead, long live Passerine!

Passerine will be a seasonal neighborhood restaurant and bottleshop in the heart of Lancaster, drawing inspiration from regional producers’ hard work and plentiful bounty.

Passerine will open in the center of Gallery Row, which holds a special place in my heart. In 2014, My business partner Crystal & I bought a property with the hopes of opening a boutique hotel. For the next 5 years, as we tried to get those plans off the ground, we operated the Prince Street Park — a gathering place for our neighbors and an incubator for the local businesses. Passenger, Ellicott & Co, Fox Duck, Penny’s Ice Cream, and a number of other local businesses got their start operating at Prince Street Park for summertime visitors and around the Christmas village fire.

Since selling the property in 2019, Gallery Row has gone through an evolution of its own. And I believe it is, again, ripe for the energy we can bring.

Passerine will take the place of Beer Wall which closed in August of 2022. We will be completely renovating the restaurant, making it something new.

An all-day menu of bites, shareable plates, and a vast selection of wine, cocktails, beer, and specialty teas will be available on tap alongside a reservation-only tasting menu experience designed by chef Joshua Manny. A retail bottleshop featuring sustainably sourced natural wines and a curated selection of beautiful cookbooks will anchor the space.

Passerine is poised to become something truly exceptional.

If you’ve known me for any period of time, you would know that I am excited for what’s to come.

Follow our journey @cafepasserine

Onward!