French Connection Coming to East Nashville

Melvil Arnt is at it again. “It,” in this case, means renovating a space to transform it into something else entirely.

In May, Arnt closed Mel’s Wine & Spirits, his year-old East Nashville wine shop. Now, with Natasha Nancel, he's opening French Connection, a modern, inspired-by-France cocktail lounge within its once-nondescript walls. Arnt built out the bars he sold earlier this year (The Authentique and Overlord, now Martha, My Dear) and his family’s restaurant across the street, Once Upon a Time in France. 

Nancel has managed the restaurant for the past three years and is ready to own a place and create it from the ground up. The couple (who recently got engaged to be married while on vacation in France) envisions a place more modern than Arnt’s previous joints, with white walls and limited wall art. But don’t expect anything spartan: An artist is at work creating a sky mural for the ceiling, and velvet furniture is on the way.

“We’re going to completely embrace the concept of a cocktail,” Arnt says. “We’ll have a couple of beers, a couple of wines, but really, it is truly cocktails. People will know that they are stepping into a European-style upscale cocktail lounge.”

“We missed having our own place,” Arnt continues, talking about the sales of The Authentique and Overlord. Because he has a lease on the space that used to house the wine shop, they decided to build something together.

Neither Arnt nor Nancel sees French Connection (also the same as the name of Nancel’s radio show, Mondays on WXNA) as competing with The Authentique, next door.

Alexandre Meunier, one of the owners of The Authentique, has concerns about the proximity of the new bar, and as a result, he and co-owner Philippine Maillard are taking this opportunity to expand their food menu to differentiate themselves. It’s too early to announce all of their planned changes, but recipes from Maillard’s grandmother are among the new developments.

Nancel understands those concerns, but Nancel and Arnt feel the bars will complement each other, rather than compete. “We understand the initial hesitation, especially in this part of town not being used to having similar businesses right next to one another,” she says. “But when you go to more populated and walkable cities, you bounce from place to place. It can only benefit French, European businesses.” 

"People who truly love Europe in general are going to be so happy to have a wine bar and a cocktail bar next to each other,” Arnt says.

Because the French Connection will be a small spot — 40 seats total, 12 at the bar — the staff will be small, and the operation focused. Nancel and Arnt have called on Martin Terporten, a Dutch mixologist living in Nashville, to develop the cocktail list from European spirits. The plan is to have 95 percent of liquor from Europe (bourbon is the exception). Cocktails will be priced between $12 and $15.

The couple is hoping to open by the end of the summer. French Connection will be located at 925 Gallatin Ave. in East Nashville.