Vandyke Bed and Beverage
Hotel bars are a unique and beloved subgenre of traditional drinking establishments. They serve a varied clientele of business travelers looking for a glass of comfort to take the edge off of a day of commerce, tourists grabbing a quick snort before hitting the town for an evening of honky-tonking, or locals who just happen to enjoy the ambiance of a luxurious lobby locale. Nashville is blessed with a plethora of exceptional hospitality spots like these, ranging from the iconic cocktail shrine Oak Bar at the Hermitage Hotel and the edgy modernist Gray & Dudley in the 21c Museum, to theme bars like the vintage 1956 Greyhound bus on top of Bobby, and the sporty Barlines at the Omni.
The folks at the new Vandyke Bed and Beverage in East Nashville’s Five Points neighborhood are looking to separate themselves from this crowded field. Co-owners Doug Martin and Justin Prince have assembled a talented team to develop the new property, including some members who’ve worked at Martin’s Germantown restaurant and bar, Geist. Freddy Schwenk is the general manager and beverage director of the bar at Vandyke, and he has brought his accomplished head bartender Matt McPeak over from Geist to help run drink operations. Geist executive chef Seamus Rozycki has developed a playful menu of elevated snack foods to complement Schwenk’s cocktails, and Tinsley Dempsey has come aboard as property manager. Dempsey has experience in boutique hotel properties from her work at The 404 Hotel, but her background is in art — she’s the muralist who founded the street-art gallery Off the Wall. In addition to running day-to-day lodging operations, Dempsey also curates the property’s art program. Rounding out the team is Prince’s wife Brooke, the interior designer and contractor of the project who has been instrumental in creating the hotel and bar area’s whimsical design and thematic guest rooms.
The hotel and bar’s name comes from the cheeky term “vandyking,” defined by Webster as “to stagger, weave, or wander in the zigzag course of one drunken or irresolute,” and whose etymology reputedly refers to deeply indented zig-zag collars popularized in Flemish artist Anthony Van Dyck’s paintings. Martin and Prince also did not take a straight-line path to hotel ownership. Ever since a sign went up months ago, it’s been a standing joke on East Nashville listservs and Facebook groups as to when — or if — the project would ever open. The entire process took about three years, beginning with Martin and Prince first discovering the available parcel next to Bongo East and deciding it would be suited to be more than just a single-tenant property. After considering a multi-use rental space, they figured it was best fit to be a boutique hotel, and sketched out their initial plans on a cocktail napkin. Construction and codes delays prolonged the project, but Vandyke finally officially opened its doors to guests this month, with the bar set to open this Friday, April 19.
It is a decidedly adult hotel with an unofficial motto of “no children, no pets, no cigarettes.” It’s meant to be an immersive experience where guests can enjoy private space in one of eight beverage-themed rooms, but also interact with locals at the bar or in the cozy public courtyard. Each guest room has a unique design theme and is named after a drink, such as beer, gin, rum or wine. The two “top shelf” suites on the upper level are named after Champagne and whiskey, of course.
Vandyke Bed and BeveragePhoto: Daniel Meigs
Much of the property exudes a midcentury-modern gestalt, and a large wraparound banquette dominates the main bar area, encouraging communal seating and the making of new friends. A custom mural of local luminaries — including Todd Snider, Jack White, Gillian Welch, Loretta Lynn and the Fisk Jubilee Singers — stretches across two walls to draw attention and stimulate conversation.
While Vandyke will certainly become a popular destination for visitors, the staff wants to concentrate on locals as well, with the bar and restaurant program as a major draw.
“East Nashville is very sensitive to change, but we felt anything pertaining to a cocktail program would be well received, and we hope that’s the case as we open the door,” says Martin. “The first tagline on our website is ‘Fearlessly Local,’ and we are keenly aware that drives a lot of our decisions.”
One clever locals-friendly decision was to establish the bar as a separate business from the hotel, avoiding the added hospitality taxes that make it expensive to drink in other hotel bars. So a $12 cocktail is really $12 — no extra surprises on your bill. “This was a very conscious choice” Schwenk says. “We know this space is going to appear fancy, especially in this casual neighborhood, but we don’t want to scare people off. We’re still going to have PBR on draft, and our drinks should be two bucks less than at other hotels.” In addition to the Pabst, there’s a tight list of local craft beers and affordable wines and bubbles on the drink menu.
If you’ve enjoyed the cocktail programs Schwenk has had a hand in developing at local favorites like Geist, Rambler or Flamingo Cocktail Bar, you know that creative and focused cocktail menus are his MO. You also know there will probably be at least a hint of tropical influence, and the menu will change seasonally based on fresh available ingredients. While they can certainly stir or shake up any classic cocktail you desire at the bar at Vandyke, the core menu of specialty drinks only showcases 10 items.
TrashmopolitanPhoto: Daniel Meigs
The Deal Alley Daiquiri is named after a shady location behind another bar where Schwenk worked, and it’s the real deal — along with expected ingredients like Plantation Rum, fresh lime and pineapple juice, Schwenk has added an exotic ingredient: pandan. This East Asian plant is known for its detoxifying properties (and as an air freshener, go figure) and contributes lovely nutty and vanilla notes to the cocktail, plus a vibrant neon-green color reminiscent of a green-apple Jolly Rancher. Vandyke’s boozy signature version of an Old Fashioned should quickly become a neighborhood favorite thanks to its use of high-proof Old Forester as the base spirit and a delicious house-made cream-soda syrup. (“Because who doesn’t love a cream soda?” notes Schwenk.)
Keeping with the property’s focus on sustainability, Vandyke also serves a so-called Trashmopolitan, made with St. George citrus vodka, Pisco and “recycled fruit.” Since Schwenk has access to all sorts of fresh fruit and high-tech juicing devices at his side gig with Nashville Bar Alliance, the bar will have a virtually unlimited supply of citrus purées and juices to add novel flavors to the fluid recipe. For a lower-proof treat, check out the Kalixmoto Mule, based on the traditional Spanish concoction of red wine and cola. This particular version uses a delicious Vega de Tera tempranillo as its base and adds a spicy kick of ginger.
Fried Brussels sproutsPhoto: Daniel Meigs
Rozycki’s food menu is also concise and creative. With just eight dishes designed to be sharable or snackable, it offers an ideal complement to the drinks program for a quick stop after work or before an evening’s debauchery, or for some sustenance on the way to bed. Rozycki trained in New Orleans under noted chefs Emeril Lagasse, Isaac Toups and Justin Devillier, so you can bet his fried boudin with pepper jelly is on point. The small kitchen works its frier hard with other excellent dishes, like a spicy fried Brussels sprouts with chili vinegar and pickled red onions, and a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich that benefits from the clever addition of pickled squash to add interest to the ubiquitous pimento cheese topping. Of course, any hotel has to have an exemplary burger, and Vandyke’s doesn’t disappoint, thanks to dry-aged beef from Porter Road Butcher. Rozycki summarizes the menu simply: “It’s great drinking food! You need something salty.”
Vandyke expects to add weekend brunch soon to take advantage of the bright and airy bar area as a gathering spot for locals. But even at night it’s a pretty attractive place for a snoot and a bite. Whether you’re a guest at the hotel or a friend from the neighborhood, you might just stay long enough to get a little “vandyked” yourself.
Luckily, there’s a sign over the bar announcing whether there are any vacancies, and the bartenders have access to the room keys.
