bras•se•rie: [bras-uh-ree; Fr. bRAsuh-Ree] an unpretentious restaurant, tavern, or the like, that serves drinks, esp. beer, and simple or hearty food.

Brasserie is the French term for brewery. The brasserie first got its start with the destruction of the nobility during the French revolution. Chefs who had worked for the nobility still wanted to showcase their gifts and skills, so they migrated to the loading docks and opened humble, unpretentious eating establishments in the surrounding warehouses to serve the local workers and residents.

These spacious warehouses, typically located near the harbor, had high ceilings and tin roofs. These buildings were appealing to the newly unemployed Chefs as they offered an abundance of fresh and local ingredients directly from the unloading ships and the rent was inexpensive. Due to the lack of financial resources, Chefs often covered their dining tables with inexpensive butcher paper and used dish cloths for napkins. Waiters used the linen table cloths for aprons. Menus were designed for the working class who toiled on the loading docks 24 hours per day. The menu offered an eclectic mix of items--as the chef never knew who was beginning and who was finishing their shifts. Large overhead wall clocks were mounted inside the restaurant to remind customers of when they were due back to work.
Importantly, the brasserie offered wine or beer with food.

Pavil Restaurant and Bar is an authentic French brasserie that juxtaposes sophistication and intimacy with a high-energy environment. The restaurant features all the classic elements that mark a true Parisian brasserie. From the wait-staff, dressed in crisp, white table cloths as aprons to the butcher paper-clad tables with white dish cloths as napkins, from the intricate, hand-laid mosaic tile floors to the rich mahogany millwork, the impressive zinc bar and the antique wall clock and the understated chandeliers,
Pavil envelopes you in its authentic style and comfort from the moment you walk through its doors.