Chef and owner Mark Estee barbecues sausage for The Union's one-year anniversary celebration.
The Union served up some barbecue and cocktails to celebrate its one-year anniversary on Friday and the opening of its patio, The Union Backyard.
“The first year was what we expected and more. It’s been really fun,” said Mark Estee, who with partners Mark Trujillo, Tanya McCaffrey, Nick Meyer, and Tommy Linnett owns and operates the downtown restaurant. “I love being the part of the fabric of Carson. We built a 20-year restaurant. That’s our long-term plan.”
On the menu was sausage from Liberty Food & Wine Exchange, owned by Estee, and a lavender mojito cocktail made special for the occasion as well as The Union IPA and The Union Blonde on tap.
The patio at the corner of Curry and Proctor streets seats about 40 patrons, who order at the counter. Thursday through Saturday it serves as a beer garden, too, from 3 p.m. to closing.
On June 21, the first day of summer, the restaurant is switching to its summer menu full of locally-grown produce such as heirloom tomatoes and all kinds of peppers, including Jimmy Nardello frying peppers.
“There will be lots of summer corn,” said Linnett, The Union’s chef. “Local farms really shine in the summer.”