Nashville’s dining scene has been abuzz ever since Austin Ray and Chef Jason Brumm announced they were partnering on an undisclosed project in a yet-to-be-named location. There were few details in the original disclosure other than it was promised to bring a much-needed type of food to a neighborhood that was underserved, but Tennessean food writer Jim Myers breathlessly hinted, “I've been selfishly waiting thirty years for a place like this to open in Nashville. I am giddy with hope and excitement.”
High praise, indeed, but if you know Jim, there were some clues in that initial article. In addition to being a veteran food writer, Jim is a proud native of Wisconsin and a big baseball fan. So when word became official that the new Ray/Brumm restaurant will be a sausage and beer garden named Von Elrod’s, located less than a hundred feet from the home-plate entrance of First Tennessee Park, it all begins to make sense.
But wait, didn’t Ray announce in his original press release that the restaurant would “fill an unmet need in a neighborhood we’re very excited about?” Isn’t Butchertown Hall already serving up beer and sausages just a couple of blocks away, also in Germantown? Well, yes, but directly comparing the two would be a very superficial analysis of what Ray and Brumm have planned for Von Elrod’s.
Their intention is to create a venue with an emphasis on community with a laser focus on sausages cooked over live fire. “The space will be very ‘Now Nashville,’ " Ray tells the Scene. "We want folks to experience the long chunky communal wood picnic table. In fact, other than bar stools, there’s not a seat in the place that’s not at a communal table.”
Brumm and Ray recognize the potential pitfalls of opening any new concept in Nashville's current hyperactive restaurant environment. “Four or five years ago,” Ray recalls, “it seemed like there was a span where it felt like every seat in every restaurant in town was full. But now there’s always something new for diners to choose from.”
The friendship between the restaurateur and the chef goes back years; they worked together on projects in the Gulch more than a decade ago, and together they found the courage to jump into a joint venture. Ray explains, “Jason and I have had a lot of conversations about this food and have eaten it in places around the country together. We’re taking this brand all the way.”
Brumm adds, “It’s about beer and sausage. Period. It won’t be another bourbon bar. We want to constantly be thinking about what makes us special and make what we do really shine.” Ray is definitely the man to concentrate on the beer. His menus at M.L. Rose Craft Beer and Burgers have featured fantastic international, regional and local craft beers since he opened the first location on Franklin Pike in Melrose, years before most other restaurants offered much more than Bud/Miller/Coors.
“We had a big cocktail program planned” at the new place, Ray admits. “But we basically killed it. We’ll have about 40 beers on tap, and we won’t ignore German and Belgian beers. But we also don’t want to force Old World beers into 2017 Nashville. Little Harpeth makes a fantastic dunkel a mile away, so I imagine we’ll want to feature that. My bet is American craft beer will be about 80 percent of the menu.”
Unlike at more touristy and commercial beer halls, like the Hofbräuhaus chain (which is coming to Opry Mills), every day won’t be Oktoberfest at Von Elrod’s. “We won’t have frauleins delivering beers,” promises Ray. “Will we offer steins to drink out of? Yes. Will we serve Oktoberfest beer? Sure, during Oktoberfest.”
Brumm is especially excited about the 20 varieties of sausage that he has floating around in his head as he tests recipes, and says he knows he’ll have to come up with something really special to stand out. “It will be a production nightmare with all these different recipes, but we are committed to having lots of varieties in two different categories: Old World and Jason’s Creations," he says. "I intend to make the best brat for a hundred miles, and I know that’s what we’ll be judged by. We will have a great veggie sausage, served on an amazing bun, but also an Argentinian ribeye sausage with chimichurri or an andouille studded with crawfish." He adds, "It won’t just be brown on brown on brown.”
In earlier announcements, Ray and Brumm hinted that the concept was inspired and informed by a book that both of them owned and had been cooking out of. They didn’t reveal it explicitly because the book focuses on charcuterie, and that might create a misconception that their new venture would offer a lot of fancy-pants slow-cured products. Instead, the focus will strictly be on fresh sausages, which also count as charcuterie. Brumm makes a bold promise: “There’s a very clear distinction in what we’re doing. If you see a country ham or a tube of salami hanging in this kitchen, you can slap me!”
Ray says he can’t wait to open, and hopes to swing open the doors to take advantage of as much of the Nashville Sounds’ schedule as possible. “This food has been extremely fun to talk about, and it will be to eat. Located right across the street from the home-plate entrance, we want everyone to feel comfortable walking in and ordering a couple of dogs or a brat and a Bud. But there will also be plenty of more exotic things to explore. The comfort level of the space and the accessibility of the menu are very important to us.”
The location of the building at 1004 Fourth Ave. N. has a historic importance besides just being so close to the baseball stadium and in the middle of a booming Nashville neighborhood full of excellent dining destinations. At one time, the building was the depot for a small regional bus line called Tennessee Trailblazers, which operated until 1983, connecting Music City with rural communities around the state. The bow-truss warehouse building is still owned by the family that ran Trailblazers, although a long-term lease has been secured before renovation work begins.
Offering both indoor and outdoor seating, Von Elrod’s Beer Garden and Sausage House will feature a fun communal dining concept, where patrons will be seated at long tables with the borders of their party physically marked off by servers using a piece of chalk. Like a culinary game of Tetris, you may be seated in a line, in a square or diagonal from the rest of your party. The point is to meet your neighbors anyway as you enjoy brews, sausages and maybe even half a rotisserie chicken together.
Ray understands that the concept will take a little explaining to some people. “We know the box that we’re creating for ourselves. The distinction helps to let people know that this restaurant is for everyone, basic but elevated. Eating this way can be a very emotional experience.” Families will be welcome, and Brumm promises there will be a kid-tested hot dog as well as a genuine frankfurter. And Brumm promises not to give side-eye to anyone who puts ketchup on one of his dogs: “Heck, I’ll give them extra if they want it!”
An exact opening date is months away from being announced, but hopefully, before we get too deep in the Sounds’ 2017 season, we’ll have another great spot to grab a pre- or post-game beer and a brat at Von Elrod’s
