Columns
By Kay West
Nature abhors a vacuum, and so apparently does Randy Rayburn. It was only a matter of time, then, before the savvy restaurateur figured out how to fill the empty space across from Sunset Grill that was marring an otherwise attractive and bustling stretch of Belcourt Avenue. The vacant building has been in a state of steady decline since the Southern Restaurant Group's inexplicable decision to close Easy's, a thriving joint, and turn it into Doobee's, a total burnout. The name alone qualified it for entry in the "What the hell were they thinking?" Hall of Shame.
In January, Rayburn, along with Sunset GM and wine manager Craig Clifft and Sunset/Midtown Grill executive chef Brian Uhl, got the keys to the building and began feeling out the space. What they don't want to do is replicate what they've already done. "I've got nearly 20 years in white-tablecloth dining, the same with Randy and Brian," says Clifft, who will serve as managing partner of the new business with Uhl. "We're ready for something different, something less serious."
The concept is taking shape as a gathering place for visitors and Village people alike, a bar that can be counted on to serve simple, good food and lend itself to many uses. "We'll have televisions so customers can see the game, but we won't be a sports bar," Clifft says. "We'll have a place on the patio for entertainers to plug in if the occasion calls for live music, but we won't be a music club. We're going to be as flexible as we can be to what our customers want. I think it will develop its own personality as time goes by."
The space, in the final days of the design process with architect Manuel Zeitlin, will most prominently complement and enhance its setting on a tree-shaded lot. "We are going to make the most of the beautiful piece of property it sits on," Clifft continues. "We want to open up the backyard of Hillsboro Village." They will accomplish that through the construction of a 2,000- to 2,500-square-foot patio that will be added to the back of the building. Though it will debut as an open-air space with just one solid wall, the structure is being built to accommodate a tall roof of some sort, similar to open-air pavilions common in outdoor communities. The interior of the building will be totally overhauled and designed to bring the outdoors in.
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They hope to begin construction by the first of March, with a 120-day completion goal. The place will open in time for late-afternoon happy hour and keep serving till the wee hours of the morning.
Send dining news and tips to kwest@nashvillescene.com.