Atlanta’s favorite fish camp will open in Nashville.
Announcing the opening via Facebook, they state, “sound the horns 🚢 the optimist nashville is docking in germantown on june 22nd!”
missing or outdated ad configThe Optimist Nashville will be located at 1400 Adams Street, Nashville.
According to a representative from the restaurant, The Optimist Nashville will be operating in accordance with CDC Health & Safety guidelines & will conduct strict daily cleanings to maintain a sanitary, healthy & safe environment for all staff and guests.
Across all Rocket Farm Restaurant locations, employees will receive daily pre-work health screenings and temperature checks, are required to wear face coverings and disposable gloves at all times & maintain compliance with all sanitization & Health Department standards. All dine-in locations will strictly adhere to the Restaurant Association COVID-19 Guidelines that include but are certainly not limited to mandating that reusable menus are cleaned after each use or disposable menus are utilized, limited party sizes, socially distant floor markings for waiting areas, rolled silverware & no presetting of tables & maintaining at least 6 feet of separation between all seated parties.
The menu will highlight parallels of classic technique and contemporary flair from Zetts featuring yellowfin tuna carpaccio with crispy sweetbreads, black trumpet mushrooms and fava beans, seared scallops with braised bacon, corn and charred okra plus more playful dishes such as chicken and dumplings with potato gnocchi, swiss chard and pearl onions and corn milk hushpuppies, beignet style, with a side of cane syrup butter.
Designed by New York City-based design house Reunion Goods & Services, the Nashville outpost’s design will serve as an extension of its Atlanta predecessor while still maintaining its own distinct identity. The Optimist is set in a reclaimed warehouse and anchored by an impressive open kitchen with endless concrete countertops. The natural space delivers with an array of luxe, roomy banquettes, industrial slag glass and steel studded walls, rich blue plaster accents, flowing curtains and eye-catching indoor and outdoor soapstone, and plaster-clad fireplaces. A backbar stairwell ascends to an intimate oyster bar clad with a custom mural and vintage furnishings.
A focal point outside, an expansive patio bar is affectionally known as “Jacqueline” will transport guests beachside and offer an air of fun, excitement and action with bright accents, lawn games, shaved ice cocktails and an unforgettable frozen Hurricane plus a selection of beverage manager and Nashville native Tracy Ardoin-Jenkins’ variety of the tried & true. A classically trained pastry chef turned master behind the bar, Ardoin-Jenkins has worked closely with beverage director Eduardo Porto Carreiro to conceptualize cocktail, beer and wine lists that complement the individual Optimist experience.
You can visit The Optimist for dinner Sunday through Thursday from 5 pm to 9 pm, Friday and Saturday from 5 pm to 10 pm.
About The Optimist
Fry first introduced the Optimist and his whimsical take on a seaside fish camp experience to Atlanta in 2012 – a concept that shortly after opening earned a #7 spot on Bon Appetit’s Hot 10 list and took home Esquire’s coveted title of ‘Best New Restaurant of the Year.’ The hotspot’s success has led to its second edition in Nashville – not quite a replica but in the same spirit as the original. Executive chef Ryder Zetts will helm the dinette’s kitchen, expressing his creativity through a timeless presentation of wood-grilled seafood and southern-sourced ingredients.
