Revived Sutler Saloon Opens in Melrose

The much-anticipated

has opened on Franklin Road in the Melrose neighborhood.

The original Sutler was both neighborhood bar and music venue, and helped hatch the Americana scene in its early days. The Scene's Jim Ridley recalls that it "sometimes resembled a scruffier, bawdier, less stuffy version of the Bluebird."

The new version's owners are Austin Ray and Joe Parkes Jr. Ray, best-known for M.L. Rose, is also involved with chef Dale Levitski's Sinema restaurant, located in the old Melrose theater in the same development as The Sutler.

The Sutler opened quietly last week and officially announced its launch via press release this afternoon.

Unlike the no-frills beer and bar fare of the original Sutler, the new joint touts its "Southern craft cocktails, craft beer on tap" and "creative and fresh cuisine inspired by the South and West."

The menu features "dunks," which are sandwiches served with a shallow bowl of soup for dipping. For example, the Short Rib Dog is a Porter Road Butcher hot dog with house-made pork-fat sauerkraut, stout-cumin mustard and a dunk of pinto beans and roasted green chilies.

The BC Burger is made with local grass-finished Bear Creek beef, with pit-smoked onions and a Wickles pickle out of Alabama; the dunk is cheddar soup spiked with Yazoo Dos Perros beer.

Another new twist is "Horseshoes," a dish layered with Texas toast, house fries, cheddar-ale gravy, and a choice of local brisket, pork or chicken — topped with a fried egg, if you wish.

There are also hickory-grilled entrees, and "veggies," or small plates for sharing.

The main level is called the Saloon; the Cellar, downstairs from the Saloon, has a "speakeasy setting," with lounge seating and a fireplace.

Meanwhile, the stage has an audio system "created specifically for the acoustics of the space," but there are no details on the live music planned.

The Sutler is at 2600 Franklin Pike, Suite 109. It opens nightly at 4:30 p.m.