Owners Mike Baresse and Dave Patrizi wanted to create a relaxed atmosphere at their new Scranton eatery.
Classics Bar and Grill opened Aug. 17 at 1259 Bryn Mawr St. in the city’s West side. Baresse, a musician who previously worked at bars with Patrizi, said he wanted to a place where musicians could perform in the background while patrons dined.
Chef’s Table recently chatted with Baresse about his hopes for the restaurant and what it offers.
Q: What is the history of the restaurant?
A: This is our first restaurant, but before our location was the Angry Irishman.
Q: What kind of food do you serve?
A: We will serve wings and wing bites, burgers, tacos, pulled pork, flatbreads, appetizers and entrees. We have salads with a choice of shrimp or grilled chicken, and we can accommodate special dietary requests.
Jake Danna Stevens / Staff Photographer
Q: What are your most-ordered menu items and why?
A: We expect our most popular items are going to be our tacos and our boneless bite special.
Q: How did your menu come to be?
A: We patronized the restaurant (the Angry Irishman) under its previous owner, and we enjoyed the menu, so we kept it relatively similar. Wings are so expensive, but we decided to pay the extra money to keep the bone in the wing because we enjoy (them) and wanted to give that to the customer. We also will be adding some new (wing) sauces.
Q: What is the atmosphere like?
A: The atmosphere is very chill. We have restaurant seating for families and a fun bar inside. Acoustic performances will take place throughout the week. Patrons can check the Facebook page for upcoming shows.
Q: What type of seating do you offer?
A: Indoors we have the bar, front dining room, private dining room and multiple high-tops. Seating is available in the game room.
Q: Do you offer promotions?
A: We will have Taco Tuesday, which offers half-off tacos; Burger Night on Wednesdays at a discount price; Thursdays are $5 boneless wing night; and we have a Flatbread Friday, where you can get any flatbread at a discount price.
Q: Do you offer catering, event space, etc.?
A: Yes, we offer catering, and we have a room for private parties. You can reach out to the main number.
Q: Are you currently offering delivery, takeout or curbside pickup?
A: You can pick up food for takeout.
Q: Where do you see the restaurant headed?
A: I hope the restaurant becomes a staple in the community for family and friends to get together and have a good time and create great memories and “Classic” times together.
Laura Rysz is the features copy editor and calendar editor at The Times-Tribune and runs the Talk of the Times column, which focuses on local fundraisers and other events. She also writes Chef’s Table that profiles restaurants around the region. Additionally, Laura curates events online on AccessNEPA.com. Laura is involved in the special Mother’s Day edition and curates occasional features Marry Memories and Times Travelers. She is a graduate of Haddonfield Memorial High School, New Jersey, and earned an English professional writing degree with a minor in mass communications from King’s College, Wilkes-Barre. She also earned a certificate in Social Media Marketing from Rutgers Business School. Contact: lrysz@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5228.
