Monday, August 13, 2012
Restaurant openings Hattie B's Fires Up Hot Chicken in Midtown
Posted by Dana Kopp Franklin on Mon, Aug 13, 2012 at 12:10 PM
It’s the project of Nick Bishop Jr. and his dad, Nick Sr., who operate the Cool Springs meat-and-three Bishop’s. They quietly opened the door of the new joint in Nashville on Thursday.
The Bishops are longtime fans of Nashville’s classic hot chicken places, so they decided to experiment with recipes. “We started running hot chicken at Bishop’s on a whim, and now it’s 20 to 30 percent of our business down there,” Nick Jr. said.
They figured their chicken would go over gangbusters in Midtown, especially if they also served beer, something most hot chicken places don’t offer. “I’ve spent a lot of time talking to beer folk about good choices to pair with poultry and spicy foods,” he said.
Most of the beers are craft brews, and many are local, including a few from the Bishops’ friends at Jackalope Brewing Co. In fact, later in the fall, Jackalope will introduce a beer created specially to complement the Bishops’ hot chicken.
If you’re not into scorching your palate, Hattie B’s also serves traditional (as in non-spicy) Southern fried chicken, served either on the bone or as jumbo chicken tenders. You can also get the tenders grilled instead of fried.
But for heat seekers, the chicken comes in three spice levels: medium, hot and “damn hot.” Nick Jr. said he’s especially proud of the sides — they’re all made fresh in house (except for the fries). Options include cole slaw, Southern greens, red-skin potato salad and a piquant salad of black-eyed peas.
The Bishops are working off the five years they’ve spent refining recipes in Cool Springs. They also come from a generational restaurant family. The elder Bishop is the son of Gene Bishop, who was the CEO of the Morrison’s Cafeteria chain. Nick Sr. worked for that company for many years, including its foray into hospital food service, which is what brought the family to Nashville 20 years ago. He retired from that a while back and started Bishop’s with his son.
And speaking of family, that leads us to the story behind the name Hattie B’s. (Originally it was just Hattie’s, but the Bishops added the initial “B” to avoid any confusion with another fried chicken place in the Northeast.)
“Hattie is an old family name,” Nick Jr. explained. “Hattie was my great-grandmother’s name, and my grandmother’s middle name. And now it’s my daughter.” Little Hattie just turned 1. “She’s the queen,” he added, laughing.
Hattie B’s is located at 112 19th Ave. S. The phone number is 678-4794. Hattie B’s serves beer and soft drinks like sweet tea, but no wine or cocktails. Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 11 a.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
A version of this story appeared in the Food Biz column in today's print edition of The City Paper and online in the Nashville Post.
Related Locations
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Hattie B’s Hot Chicken
- 112 19th Ave. S.,, Nashville Broadway/ The Gulch/ Music Row/ West End TN 37203
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678-4794
- hattieb.com
- (based on 2 user reviews)
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