Vivo Beach Club unveils new culinary offer, expanded brewery
The Ocean Lab Brewery hosts state-of-the-art equipment that is capable of producing a variety of craft and specialty beers.
Vivo Beach Club, a sprawling beachfront entertainment complex in Carolina, unveiled its re-imagined culinary offer that is a fusion of local, regional and international flavors.
Complex owners also offered members of the media a sneak peek of what will be its expanded Ocean Lab Brewery, one of the few micro-breweries in the Caribbean, which produces a variety of craft and specialty beers.
“The new Vivo Beach Club is focused on creating a unique, distinctive and special gastronomic experience for lovers of culinary fusion and international cuisine,” said Patrick Tracy, general manager of the property.
The new offer consists of modernist cuisine that combines “select dishes” paired with a variety of wine options, he said. Fresh proteins and a variety of locally sourced ingredients are used to create dishes such as octopus “ceviche,” prawns on a bed of squid risotto, and filet mignon with vegetables. The menu is rounded out with desserts, including a deconstructed cheesecake, garnished with fruit and edible flowers.
The complex is also doubling the size of its micro-brewery, pumping about $1 million into equipment and infrastructure to meet its goal of tripling its current production level of 42,000 cases a year to more than 125,000 cases, which have already been sold.
“That additional capacity is already sold, so now Ocean Lab Brewery will be able to grow and reach more markets,” said Iván Cardona, a spokesman for the complex. The expansion should be completed by August.
To make the Ocean Lab Brewery bigger, Vivo Beach Club is relocating the restaurant formerly operating on the ground level to a space directly above it. That area is being designed to provide an open-air environment that can be switched to an air-conditioned space through drop-down rolling doors, Tracy explained.
Vivo Beach Club is also rebuilding its stage, which got a beating from Hurricane María last September. The venue is used for concerts, including a few coming up by rock band Cheap Trick and Enanitos Verdes.
The complex facilities are open to the public as well as reserved for members. Vivo Beach Club has agreements in place with several cruise ship companies that sell an excursion package to passengers wanting to spend the day there.
