Byron Stithem loves sake. For years, his Proper Saké Co. has been introducing Nashvillians to the fermented rice drink and the process by which it is made.
And starting this week, he hopes his new Rice Vice bar will take the city’s sake knowledge and appreciation to the next level.
“I really have a reverence for fermented endeavors,” says Stithem, who is an expert in koji, the fungus used to make sake. His expertise, developed working in hospitality in several great culinary cities, led him to open Proper Saké Co. in Nashville’s Pie Town neighborhood in 2017. From there he began operating Nashville’s only sake distillery.
The business had grown out of that space, thanks to the popularity of its drinks, which are sold on site, as well as at restaurants and in liquor stores in select states. Stithem intended to expand to a new facility a few years ago, but ... well, you know what happened in 2020.
Stithem and his father-in-law (who lives in Texas) spent the past year building what Stithem calls his “dream bar.” Decked out in cedar, Rice Vice is intended to be a warm, inviting spot with an aesthetic that is a nod to 1970s and 1980s Japan. “It is an ode to all my favorite spots,” Stithem says. The Rice Vice bar is about 800 square feet with both indoor and outdoor seating. The rest of the new space is home to Proper Saké Co.’s expanded distilling facility.
The Rice Vice menu will include both Proper Saké drinks and Japanese sakes not available elsewhere in the South (and in some cases, in the U.S.). In addition to a bartender mixing highballs such as a kinjo-ka with cantaloupe tepach, Rice Vice will employ a DJ spinning vinyl and will welcome a rotating list of chefs to offer pop-up meals from a large yakitori grill on site.
The opening weekend food lineup includes:
- Thursday, July 14, Ryan Costanza, whose food is a mainstay at The Hart;
- Friday, July 15, Alebrije Mexican street food;
- Saturday, July 16, Fox Den Izakaya; and
- Sunday, July 17, Kisser, Japanese comfort food
Stithem plans to host other chefs on an ongoing basis. Future Rice Vice appearances may come from the teams from Peninsula, Husk Nashville and Pastaria. Dumplings will be available on nights when there isn’t a special chef in the house. The sound system is designed with quality — this is Nashville, after all — but it isn’t intended to be so loud that you can’t have conversations.
Stithem urges folks — even those who have tried other sakes before and think they don’t like it — to stop by and sip a cold highball and try one of the unusual sakes on the Rice Vice menu. “I love sake because it is the best beverage,” he says, and he hopes to show others why he feels that way.
Rice Vice is located at 3109 Ambrose Ave., near Trinity Lane and Ellington Parkway in East Nashville/Inglewood. It will be open Wednesday through Sunday, starting Thursday, July 14. Initial hours will be 4-10 p.m. weekdays and 1-10 p.m. weekends. Stithem hopes those hours will expand in the near future.
