Ty Burrell of 'Modern Family' opens restaurant in Utah

Ty Burrell of ‘Modern Family’ opens restaurant in Utah

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Ty Burrell poses with a beer at the bar he co-owns in Salt Lake City, Bar-X. (Rick Bowmer / Associated Press)

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Ty Burrell, left, poses outside of his new restaurant Beer Bar in Salt Lake City. (Rick Bowmer / Associated Press)

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Amanda Bertana, left, and Chris Call have drinks at Beer Bar in Salt Lake City. (Rick Bowmer / Associated Press)

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Bar back Lori Campbell, center, serves food to Andrea Latimer, right, and Nichole Peterson at Beer Bar in Salt Lake City. (Rick Bowmer / Associated Press)

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Ashly Burton, front, and Noelle Fitzgerald, carry their beers to their seats at Beer Bar. (Rick Bowmer / Associated Press)

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The exterior of Beer Bar. (Rick Bowmer / Associated Press)

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Ty Burrell sits at the bar at Bar X, the cocktail bar he co-owns, in Salt Lake City. (Rick Bowmer / Associated Press)

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Ty Burrell in front of Bar-X. (Rick Bowmer / Associated Press)

By Jenn Harris

April 22, 2014 1:14 PM PT

Ty Burrell, who plays the awkward dad on ABC’s “Modern Family,” is a budding restaurateur in Salt Lake City. The Emmy-winning actor has just opened a beer-focused bar and restaurant helmed by Utah chef Viet Pham.

The restaurant, called Beer Bar, is located next to Burrell’s existing cocktail bar, Bar-X, which he owns with his brother Duncan and other members of his family. At Beer Bar, Pham, named one of Food and Wine magazine’s best new chefs in 2011, is making sausages and Belgian fries. The restaurant also serves local breads and has 150 variates of beer.

According to Food & Wine magazine, Burrell met Pham while dining at Forage, a restaurant in Salt Lake City. Apparently, Burrell noticed Pham’s cooking, but Pham didn’t notice the TV star.

“I said, who the hell is Ty Burrell?” Pham told Food and Wine. “Chefs don’t have time to watch TV.”

The two eventually got together to collaborate on Beer Bar. One of Pham’s signature dishes at the restaurant, the brat Reuben, includes pastrami, bratwurst, Swiss cheese, pickled vegetables and Russian dressing on a hoagie.

“It’s a super simple menu, which is what we wanted from the beginning,” Burrell told the Associated Press. Burrell has lived in Salt Lake City since 2008. “Basic, but well-made and local. Instead of putting the energy into a lot of elements, making sure you have fewer elements and you are taking the time to make them right.”

The restaurant also serves beer cocktails, including the Low Approach with a spiked India pale ale and the Belgian 75 with gin, lemon juice, simple syrup and Orval beer.

Want more quirky food news? Follow me on Twitter: @Jenn_Harris_

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