MEET REUBEN. The pastrami reuben – featuring house-made pastrami on wild rice and dill rye – is among the sandwiches at Yankee Jack’s Public House.

The newest chapter of Eau Claire’s culinary revolution opened its doors Nov. 1. Yankee Jack’s Public House, owned and managed by Jack Schulte, has located to a freshly renovated venue – formerly Mike’s Smokehouse, 2235 N. Clairemont Ave. – and has much to offer the appetites and taste buds of its guests.

The menu runs the gamut of cuisine and includes gourmet sandwiches, soups, salads, fresh bakery items, and signature pub entrees inspired by chef Nicolas Wiener.

“We did a lot of traveling trying to figure out how we wanted to do it,” Wiener said. “We asked ourselves: What can we create that’s going to be quick but still be delicious and fresh every day?”

Such exploration and creativity yielded an old-world philosophy that supports local and organic foods and ingredients, which are smoked, sautéed, simmered, baked, and chopped in-house to create one-of-a-kind meals made from scratch.

“What it does is develop a taste that you can’t get anywhere else because they’re created here,” Schulte said. “So a lot of love goes into the product that we do.”

In fact, even the design of the kitchen and restaurant space is local.

“We know that the dollar turns over in our community if we spend it here; we try to promote and support the area as much as possible,” Schulte said.

This support is also expressed in the restaurant’s beer selection. It has eight beer taps, one of which is dubbed the City Tap, which will offer a rotating selection of Eau Claire brews from the likes of the Brewing Projekt, Lazy Monk, and K-Point. In addition, the house brew is made by Leinenkugel’s.

Although this is a freshly turned page for Schulte and Wiener, they’re no strangers to dining, the Eau Claire restaurant scene, or each other. More than 20 years ago, Schulte was the manager of Sweetwaters in Eau Claire, where he hired Wiener, who was just 17 years old at the time. They worked together for just under a year before Nick left for school and to start a career in dining and hospitality.

Meanwhile, Yankee Jack’s opened at the Princeton Valley Golf Course 7 and a half years ago, and a time came when Schulte was looking for a head chef. In perfectly timed fashion, Wiener was hoping to return to his roots in Eau Claire and submitted his résumé.

“He didn’t have to interview because I knew all about him all ready,” Schulte said. “He’s a very conscientious chef and very creative; it worked out to be a good union for us.”

For four years, Nick and Jack worked together at the old location. However, eventually they felt their needs had simply outgrown the space. Their catering business began to take off, and they needed a bigger kitchen to prepare food for large events.

“About a year ago we started looking at different locations we could expand to,” Schulte said. “This building worked out really well because as far as traditional restaurants are concerned, it’s kind of off-balance; the kitchen is larger than the front of the house.”

Nonetheless, the Public House offers a lot of opportunities for the community to bond over a meal or some drinks in a pleasant atmosphere. For the first time in the building’s history, gourmet coffee and specialty drinks are offered, and the establishment opens at 6am on weekdays.

The future is bright and fruitful for the Public House, and Schulte hopes to expand on its catering services and welcoming atmosphere while remaining personable. In addition, Schulte says live music is a possibility in the near future.

“The idea of the Public House is kind of like the public hangout,” he said. “People can come and just relax; it doesn’t have to be strictly just come for dinner and leave. We would love for people to just stick around, visit, and build relationships.”

Yankee Jack’s Public House • 2235 N. Clairemont Ave., Eau Claire • Monday-Friday 6am-8pm, Saturday 8am-8pm, Sunday 8am-3pm • catering services available • (715) 225-3401 • yankeejacks.com • Facebook