Matt McCartan, owner of The Public House at The Alexander and PH Burger Bunker at Red Leg Brewing Company creates his establishments with a sense of connection and community. Ultimately though it is the sense of ambiance and unique yet comfortable food choices that elevate his endeavors.
McCartan, who opened PH @ The Alexander in June 2021 after a successful run at his original location on Cheyenne Mountain Boulevard, says that, as a business, they have always been locally focused as far as beer and spirits. That said, he himself always loved Irish pubs. “That was the basis of my design with The Alexander. Lots of wood, greens, copper, that kind of stuff … it just kind of gives you that pub feeling and makes you feel like you’re not sitting in Colorado Springs.”
However, he also wanted to still make it a “Colorado-style pub.”
The Alexander itself he says is a cool building to be a part of because of its history, which he wasn’t even fully aware of until they started moving in. The building was the former home of the Alexander Film Company between the 1930s and the 1960s.
McCartan says they were the world’s largest producer of film advertisements, making commercials for all the big auto manufacturers including Ford, Chevy, and GMC as well as soda and cigarette commercials, all within the city of Colorado Springs. Their entire footprint took up, according to McCartan, nearly 30 acres.
A New Venture with a Sense of History at The Public House
The Public House at The Alexander is in one of the old department spaces that were right behind the main building. When they first moved in, they found a bunch of original ads as well as some old movie projectors. “The history is super cool to be a part of. That was definitely a selling point on it.”
Joe Koskove, who owns Blackhat Distillery, approached McCartan since he was thinking of moving his distillery there. The space was formerly Tap Traders. McCartan says “It was pretty finished out already, so it was kind of a turnkey operation sitting there just waiting for somebody to come and give it a facelift. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up.”
While Blackhat spirits are used primarily at PH @ The Alexander (with specialty exclusive cocktails coming soon) and a large number of local drafts including Red Leg adorn the wall, the food has really been a steward for the business McCartan has created.
“I think now people are more conscientious of where their food is coming from. They want it fresh. They don’t want stuff that’s been sitting in the freezer for a month.” This reflects in the menu for McCartan in “turning out quality for a decent price and just trying to give that familiar pub fare but a little bit elevated.”
Fresh Food with Some Spice Reflects the Local Palate
McCartan laughs that people do have somewhat of a spicy palette in the Springs. “They do like a little kick on some stuff … and that’s pretty much anything. Green chili, people love that out here.” The green chili mac n’ cheese, he says, is one of their most popular items. The Colorado Cheesesteak has also been a huge seller. “Little cheesier than your average cheesesteak,” he adds.
He next mentions The Big Dill chicken sandwich, which brings together crispy fried chicken breast on a ciabatta bun topped with dill pickles, dill ranch, dill Havarti and applewood smoked bacon. “Everybody loves a nice, crispy chicken sandwich.”
At PH, they make a dill ranch sauce in-house. “We get requests to buy it by the jar.” On some of their burgers, they will also put dill Havarti cheese and then douse the veggies on top with the dill sauce. “People go crazy for that.”
McCartan says they have also been using Aspen Ridge beef the entire time at PH … fresh, never-frozen beef. “That’s just really good quality beef. I’d put it up there right next to Callicrate.”
Traditional with a Sense of Elevation
Despite this adherence to ultra-cool ingredients, McCartan sees their food space as “traditional meat-and-potatoes kind of stuff” with a little bit of an elevated spin. “I don’t want to say ‘dive bar,’ but just more kind of a beer drinkers’ place where you can pair it up with an elevated burger.”
PH @ The Alexander, as an example, serves pot roast and potatoes but also southwestern salads and chicken satay. “I’m just trying to spread our chips across the board and have something for everybody’s palate.”
He even entered the taco game a bit. “Our shrimp tacos have just been a crazy hit since we’ve added those to the menu. I mean, it’s just a really simple dish, but it just kind of hits you right in the mouth with a bunch of different flavors.”
McCartan got his start in the industry at a bowling alley bar in Monument in the mid-2000s. When the bowling alley eventually closed, he bought all the bar equipment there and held onto it until he could figure out a place to put it. He ended up using a lot of that equipment when he opened the original PH location.
What he says he learned in those early years in Monument were the importance of great people and loyal regulars. PH @ The Alexander is an elevated form of that where, he says, “You still have that same place where regulars come in every day, but you also get those people that want a good meal coming out.” He says people don’t think of PH as a bar. “We are kind of a food destination. I always say, ‘I tried to open a bar and accidentally opened a restaurant.’”
Surprises and the Next Step
The food side of PH has surprised McCartan. “Originally when we started, we thought we were going to be more of a bar with good food. And we turned into a restaurant with good drinks and good beer. But that’s just kind of the way it evolved. You just sell what’s selling, and the food has definitely been what keeps people coming back.”
The burgers, he says, are what they hang our hat on. “That’s kind of what started the whole thing rolling.” And that is going to roll into their new venture: PH Burger Bunker, which is open in cooperation with the Red Leg Brewing Company on Garden of the Gods Road.
This kind of place will be perfect for the summer days when people want a cold beer. This is true at The Alexander as well. “These hot days right now, our chicken wraps sell like crazy, the wings. You pair that with an ice-cold IPA or pilsner…something light like that goes super well. And then you can kick back on the patio and just eat with your hands…skip the knife and the fork.”
It is about that comfort and chill for McCartan. “We always say, ‘Our house is your house’ … bring friends and family to our spot.”
