Toftrees to unveil rebranded restaurant Wednesday

The Field is on tap.

Toftrees Golf Resort recently renovated and reinvented its restaurant, even going as far as to ditch the old Down Under Steak House moniker for a more rustic look, revamped menu and new name.

The Field Burger and Tap, as the restaurant is now known, opened Sept. 10 and will have its grand opening and open house today, hosted by the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County. The 5-10 p.m. event will kick off with several speeches, introductions and a ribbon-cutting, all with the backdrop of the restaurant running on all cylinders.

Live music and giveaways will be a part of the festivities. The event will also benefit the J.B. Griffin Memorial Foundation, which will receive 20 percent of the grand opening’s revenue. The foundation supports local charities.

Speakers will include representatives from the foundation and Shaner Hotels, which manages the resort.

The Field embraces a farm-to-table mentality by locally sourcing ingredients and food, including breads, regional Amish cheeses, and a blend of sirloin, chuck, brisket and short rib to create hand-formed burgers. It also has a selection of craft beers from State College and milkshakes hand-spun using ice cream from Penn State’s Berkey Creamery, making the eatery a major threat to everyone’s diet.

“This is very exciting and something we’ve looked forward to over the last three months during renovations,” Toftrees Director of Sales Laura Phillippi said. “To see it all come together is really exciting. From every menu spec we did to the renovations, we spent time going over every detail.”

Renovations include the use of local repurposed products, like the unique idea to have an old barn door hang from the ceiling to serve as a place holder for several lights over a table near the center of the restaurant.

The restaurant’s remake, Phillippi said, is the first phase of rebranding the resort.

“We really want to rebrand the resort and want more of a fresh take on things,” Phillippi said. “We’ve been quiet about it for a while, but I can say more things are on the way.”

This story was originally published September 29, 2015 at 5:29 PM with the headline "Toftrees to unveil rebranded restaurant Wednesday."