Stepping Stone Gets Viking Treatment Late Summer

When The Viking closed at the end of April, most of the veteran bar staff was left jobless. The lovable and surly Darren Miller, who had been at the Vike for 10 years, was one of them. So, he did what any sardonic, middle-aged bartender would do: He bought the bar down the street, The Stepping Stone.

"Well, I've been a bartender for years and years and years, so I figured, I'm too old, fat, and grumpy to work for anyone else, so I might as well do it myself," Darren tells Eater. He and wife Liz Nielsen Miller purchased The Stepping Stone from Robbie Becker, who built the bar from scratch a few years back.

The couple plans to apply for a liquor license, but aren't worried about all that quite yet, since their main concern is getting the doors open.

Food-wise, Darren wants to feature good sandwiches, a daily soup, a few salads, and snacks like hummus. There is talk that they will use their friends' new place, Olaf's, as a commissary.

Currently, the duo plans to open sometime around the beginning of August, assuming all goes well. They are currently remodeling the interior of the small watering hole.

Hours will likely be noon to 2 am daily, giving all displaced Viking regulars a place to hang once more. The plan is to keep the same name, at least for now.

— Julia Wayne, freelance writer and Assistant Editor at Wetpaint

· The Viking Tavern's Last Call [~ESEA~]
· Copper Gate Becomes Olaf's in August, Ship Not Included [~ESEA~]
· All FIrst Word Coverage [~ESEA~]