The legacy of Cork ’n Fork lives on in Pregame Brew and Chew

CEDAR RAPIDS — A new sports bar and grill has opened on the southeast side under the protege of an old legacy.

Pregame Brew and Chew, a new offering from Cedar Rapids restaurateur Jade Luter, opened in August.

With a totally new menu, the owner of Daisy’s Garage in Cedar Rapids and Marion and Cruz’s Cafe offers a new spot to catch the game.

Luter’s uncle, Gary Sweet, was the original owner of the Cork ’n Fork Deli. The popular restaurant, which had its heyday in the 1980s and ’90s, closed in 2014 after more than 30 years in business.

  Buy Photo

Between Cork ’n Fork, her grandfather’s house and her mother’s Dairy Queen nearby, Luter’s memories of Mount Vernon Road SE are sweet.

“It’s where we all grew up as kids, getting sandwiches and ice cream whenever we wanted,” Luter said.

Sweet sold the restaurant and opened The Sand Trap in 1990 at 4100 River Ridge Dr. NE, where Luter worked her first restaurant job as a teen. The Sand Trap later became Vito’s on 42nd, and stands as The Pines Pizza and Pub today.

  Buy Photo

But it was the start of a career for Luter. After purchasing and molding several restaurants as her own around Cedar Rapids, she’s hitting her stride with Pregame.

The space

“It was fun for me because it’s the first menu I’ve written from scratch,” she said. “It’s a whole new concept.”

The idea for the sporty atmosphere came after she moved back to the southeast side and searched for a place to watch March Madness.

“There weren’t a lot of choices,” she said.

  Buy Photo

With wall-to-wall eye candy, there’s little time to be bored in the small space dominated by giant TVs, including a 98-inch centerpiece. A Wrigley Field reproduction sign centers the bar’s brick and ivy wall. To the left is a life-size mural of Caitlin Clark.

Walls on either side are filled with authenticated memorabilia across football, basketball, baseball and NASCAR. Among them are locals like NFL quarterback Kurt Warner and former Chicago White Sox baseball player Ryan Sweeney, a 2003 graduate of Xavier High School.

“I tried to pull as many locals as I could to (show) that a lot of people came from Cedar Rapids and made it,” Luter said.

First-time visitors tend to move around the room, gravitating from one centerpiece to another to get a closer look, she said. Children’s reactions, in particular, have been treasured.

  Buy Photo

“That’s really fun, to see their first expression when they come in,” she said.

The space was previously occupied by Mamacita’s Taco Bar, which closed in May.

The menu

With steaks and full-sized entrees, the fully-realized menu offers more than your average sports bar.

At the top, a few favorites from Cork ’n Fork over the years have been brought back — some with modifications. A namesake sandwich features bacon, avocado, sprouts and plenty of fixings on toasted rye. The Herkey comes with ham, smoked turkey, and Swiss. The “Sweets” Garden sandwich features another smoked turkey configuration on rye, right above the chicken salad and tuna salad sandwiches.

  Buy Photo

In the appetizers, there’s more than fries and onion rings — try the fried mushrooms, fried cauliflower, sweet corn nuggets or artichoke and spinach dip.

In addition to eight burger options, a large sandwich menu features a Cork ’n Fork-inspired hot beef sandwich with au jus, a Monte Cristo, Kentucky Hot Brown and plenty of wraps.

Wash them down with bottled domestics, pregame Moscow mules, sport-themed seasonal cocktails of one of six craft beers on tap.

And if you have room for dessert, consider the carrot cake served at Cork ’n Fork, too — it’s a family recipe.

  Buy Photo

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.