As soon as I announced my semiregular (or more accurately, irregular) new series “Good Hangs,” local PR reps began to fill my inbox with nominations of clients who might be featured. I know that’s their job, and I don’t pay for my inbox by the email, so it really doesn’t cost me anything other than the time to read their suggestions. And good PR people often make my job easier by sharing information or helping to set up interviews, source images, schedule hard-hat tours in advance of openings and more. Nashville is blessed with a lot of good culinary PR professionals.
But before diving into my next installment, it might help to explain my definition of a good hang is. It’s a place where you would want and would be allowed to hang out for an extended period of time. You could watch an entire college football game without receiving the stink-eye from a manager or server. These spots might not even have a manager, and they don't take reservations.
A good hang is not exactly the same thing as a dive bar, although one can be both. There needs to be a welcoming attitude at a good hang where even first-timers can feel comfortable and not rushed to leave. I’ve been to welcoming dive bars, but I’ve also turned on my heels and walked out of places when I immediately felt the symbolic needle scratch of all conversation halting as soon as I walked in.
Even though smoking is now banned in Nashville bars that aren’t cigar lounges, good hangs often have a corner of the parking lot or some slightly covered outdoor area where smokers just inherently know where to congregate. Non-smokers in these spots generally tolerate the smokers, but there is an unwritten law that it’s OK to eat the extra chicken wing if your buddy takes a smoke break before he’s had all of his share.
Another element of a good hang: seeing a dog in the bar. Perhaps the pup is sitting quietly under the table while his drinking companion enjoys a book and a cocktail served in a pint glass. If pooches are only allowed outdoors, that’s a dog park that allows drinking, not necessarily a good hang.
With all that criteria in mind, I believe the original Neighbors in Sylvan Park qualifies. I certainly don’t begrudge them for experiencing enough success to open new locations in The Gulch, Germantown and Murfreesboro, but I still remember when the first Neighbors opened on Murphy Road. Pat Martin would pop up on weekends to cook a whole hog on a smoker he trailered behind his truck. The parking lot behind the building was free, and there were plentiful spots. (Although a few of them disappeared when a wooden deck popped up seemingly overnight thanks to a crew of employees and friends armed with hammers.)
On a recent visit, I was the only customer when I walked in for a late lunch, although the place filled in a little bit by the time I departed. One friendly fellow worked the whole floor, and the cook visible in the kitchen made quick work of assembling my excellent made-to-order buffalo chicken wrap and sweet potato fries.
Yeah, the television was a little loud, blaring Pat McAfee while other screens displayed muted talk shows, but I’m sure the volume would have been fine once the crowd filled in later that night.
The decor was primarily alcohol-related: beer signs, liquor posters, neons and stickers, just as it should be. I compare all potential good hangs to my personal favorite, the upstairs bar at the erstwhile Sportsman’s Grill in the Village.
Neighbors definitely has that Sportsman’s vibe, and you’d always be welcome to stay as long as you’d like at both places. What really sealed it for me was when I visited the screened-in back porch and spied two eyelets with clips attached screwed into the main support post. A sign read, “Pets must be on leash at all times.” Two water bowls were placed at the base of the post within easy reach of any tied-up pup.
Yeah, that’s a great hang and some good neighbors!
