Your opinion about a hypothetical bill of fare?

So many echoes of previous threads! The question to me is this: How far against the grain of the concept must one go to please anyone who might come through the door? Must there be burgers, a kiddie menu, and light beer?

I do not ask this confrontationally, or rudely. The idea is to present options usually not seen, and to revel in the differences. The tag line is American Brewing, European Sensibility.

Gin and vodka come later; martinis and tonic only. Two veggie options, more possible (my wife is lacto-intolerant and vegetarian). Water the ultimate low cal option, and nyet on sweet tea, sorry. Not intending to be terse, but I'm on my iPhone in a van bound for Indy.

Eh, I don't really blame you for not having sweet tea. Like I said, I don't drink the stuff myself. I've been drinking my coffee and tea black since I was 8 anyway. Sweetener is for toddlers!

If you feel like something is compromising your values, then my advice is not to do it regardless of how much the people on here (myself included) pontificate. I'm not at all a proponent of slippery slope arguments, but in cases like this its best to not risk it. Like I've said before, you could serve anything except for casu marzu http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casu_marzu (technically it is European ) and I'd still show up.

This doesn't feel like flows at all, but I must say it: huzzah for gin!

I know you asked about the bill of fare, that sounds inviting. Simple is always good.
We are especially looking forward to the outdoor area that the Grantline spot lacks.
Also, being open for Sunday, will help us meet our objective of having NABC beers once a week. (We live in Oldham County.)
There are ALOT more restaurants/bars than microbrew pubs. That will still be the focus and the food will be a bonus.
Having a setting in a historic river town near Louisville should be a great draw for visitors. 64 has more traffic.
I know when we went to New England last year to visit relatives, most of our restaurant meals involved microbrew pubs. Wherever visit we look for one as our local dining experience. (We drove up to Cincy Sat. for UofL women's bball and allowed time to eat at the Hofbrauhaus first.)
Best wishes. See you at both places and we'll spread the word about the new place.

I've started this idea three times now, only to delete the attempt as a result of my inability to get the idea out. What I'm trying to say isn't all that complicated, but I'm sure struggling with it. Let's see how this goes.

The "Coke" availability question seems to be both simple and complicated.

Simple:
Offer Coke - People Enjoy It, and, thus, are more likely to come/come back.
Don't Offer Coke - Stay in line with beliefs on which the establishment is founded.

Complicated:
Offer Coke: Undermine what seems to be the whole point of the establishment (local, non-corporate), so people can "buy into" the concept w/o really buying into the concept.
Don't offer Coke: Run the risk of ostracizing too much of the population that will spend money at the place. Have to close the doors.

From my perspective, I wouldn't put forth a noble concept - local, micro - and then turn to one of the largest corporations to supply my beverages. But, that's easy for me to say, because I'm not a businessperson invested in the concept.

[Robin Garr]

The "Coke" availability question seems to be both simple and complicated.

Even simpler: Offer Havana Cola. Made in Louisville, extreme high quality, fairly priced, comes in natural cane sugar and no-sugar alternatives (as well as a few other flavors like Mojito). Sounds like a win-win-win to me.

I'd be willing to try it once, but it would have to be amazing, from the East End, New Albany is too much of a hike, to make on a regular basis...

and for the non-sweetened tea issue, if you venture further north, a restaurant not having sweet tea isnt a big deal, its fairly commonplace, but being as many call louisville is the gateway to the south, chosing not to serve a southern staple, might turn some off. But it also sounds like your eager to serve foodies and not general population.

So all the best.

I'll gladly accept Robin's solution on the cola option. I must have a no calorie beverage so that I can have dessert. Priorities!!

I love the concept, it speaks to the true foodie in me. As far as swill, now that they are foreign owned, does that not make them imports and so priced, You want a Silver Bullet, you have to cough up the silver to pay for it as you would an import in any other establishment. House brew is cheaper than a specialty selection, problem solved. Bring on the squirrel smothered in morel gravy with a ramp side and a sharp pale ale. Yum Yum

I'll tell you what would ABSOLUTELY KILL the restaurant/cafe/bistro you have in mind however. The first time, and I can't stress this enough, the first time ANYONE walks in and flippantly asks for a Bud/Coor/Lite (because 'artisan' is not a big word in their vocabulary) and they are met with a snide look or veiled sneer, your place will be marked as 'uncomfortable'. More so than a good price and great food, people dine where they feel welcome and comfortable. If they are made to feel uneducated or lacking in any way because of their tastes they will stay away- in droves. And they will share that story with everyone to which they speak.

Ive seen people make comments like that about Rich O's on websites before. Rarely*, but Ive seen the comments. Yet somehow it didnt kill them.

* I think its rare because Ive never seen the staff act that way. I think someone got a bug up their butt because they couldnt get a Bud light.

Thank you Rob for making my point for me! If the staff never acts in the manner that I described then , it follows to reason, they wouldn't suffer, In fact, I never said or inferred ANYTHING about Rich Os at all. That connection was all you sweetie! And no, I have no bug up my butt (last I looked) and I never drink any Budweiser or Miller products.

Congratulations on those olympic awards for jumping to conclusions!

Perhaps I should explain myself because somehow , someone feels I was taking a jab at Roger or Rich-O's and nothing could be further from the truth. In an effort to make sure I didn't veer off from the OP I went back and reread it. The final question was...

Now, is this the sort of thing that would scare folks off, or are there enough adventurous souls hereabouts to make a go of it?

A legitimate question given this tricky economy. The question was NOT, "Do you think that would be a great place!?" or "Would you be willing to eat there?" or "Isn't Rich-O's swell?" (I answer "yes" to all those.) But my answer to the OP must be a bit more couched. Frankly, given the location in/near an area (metro Louisville) that is so very family oriented instead of having a heavy population of professional singles I'm a bit leery. Define "make a go of it". I think it would be fantastic in a heavier populated area with a larger, single population base to draw from. Maybe Austin or one of the may coastal/tourist towns. Frankly, right now, I don't think Louisville is there yet. It's not a matter of educating the public either. Louisville has the tastes. It's a matter of limited occurrences for dining out coupled with "we have to take the kids with us if we go". And frankly the menu didn't look kid friendly. Roger may want to make a few minor concessions in order to accommodate enough of a crowd to make the place pay off.

Now, go ahead and call me a buzz kill and accuse me of not being supportive but Roger asked. In my mind we are dealing with someone his hard earned money. Roger's. If you feel differently perhaps you'd be willing to help Roger finance his venture.

The "Coke" availability question seems to be both simple and complicated....

It's actually a lot more complicated because once you open the door and offer "Coke" where do you stop? Do you offer Pepsi, Mountain Dew, 7-UP, Big Red, etc. and of course then you have to consider the variations of each. I think in this case opening the door if there an option.

Carla, I agree completely. You're right on!

While the nomenclature may be different, I think the overall simplicity and execution will help make it work. Those of us who want expertly prepared European dishes made from locally sourced items will get them. For us, it will be an expression of culture, values, politics, etc. But, if someone completely unconcerned with such things goes in seeking a hot ham and cheese sandwich, fries, and a soft drink, they'll get what they want, too.

I know lots of people who enjoy the original NABC venue for completely different reasons than I do.

It was a long day on the road yesterday.

It should be obvious that what I've outlined is the path we intend to follow at the Bank Street Brewhouse. It might help to know that in writing the business plan, a central tenet is success at brewing beer and distributing beer regionally, all of which occurs in the back of the new house. As for the front of the house, the imperative has been to organize it in such a way as to best make use of limited space, but moreover, to rebrand the house brewed beers, which are subject to somewhat of a glass ceiling at the original location, where we sell everyone's beer alongside the venerable pizza menu. Nothing changes at the pub and pizzeria.

The idea at Bank Street: Be completely, entirely different, and in fact, as different as possible apart from the familiarity of the house brews.

Rich O's started 17 years ago with a keg of Guinness and the notion that we could educate/create a local clientele. Same thing now, but a different curriculum, and a large part of any educational endeavor surely must be the ability to ultimately convince the student that other ways of thinking are valid. No one has ever suggested that this process be done confrontationally. Alternatives can be explained, and the rational side of the brain engaged. Inevitably, there will be people who are offended irrespective of the care with which they're handled. There will be folks who cannot get past the absence of Miller Lite (and, dare I say, Diet Coke), and to be honest, I find this very sad.

To paraphrase the politician, all dining's personal, and I can't imagine limiting myself in such a way. I've gone to eateries from one side of Europe to the other, and permitted them to bring their specialty to me -- whatever you eat and drink around here, just bring me some of it and tell me what I owe you. Tripe stew in Portugal? Cool. Lackluster lager to go with it? Fine. You say the red wine's better? Give me some of that, please. I'm a tremendously snobbish beer guy, but I regularly dine at places where the beers I like are unavailable. I won't forego Vietnam Kitchen because they don't offer a Double IPA or Belgian Tripel. I eat the great food, and I drink water with it ... and I'm serene.

One of the reasons I decided to initiate this dialogue was to see what sort of attitudes toward the project would emerge, in the sense of it being in New Albany, and in the sense of noting from the outset that we'd be doing what we do and what we think is fitting in a spirit of innovation and experimentation ... and will the people best suited to "get it" really "get it"? I deeply appreciate the opinions so far, so I'll try to provide a few answers.

As for the issue of children, I never said that children were to be excluded. In fact, given some odd state laws that govern the use of floor space, we've tried to construct the interior to allow kids legal access in spite of the proximity of the bar. I have no children, but I believe strongly that they should be allowed to view the responsible consumption of alcohol rather than be segregated from it -- subject, of course, to the wishes of their parents. Is it necessary to have a tagged "kids menu" when there'll be frites and croques (ham sandwiches ... omit the ham, and they become grilled cheese)?

We voted democratically to be non-smoking. The room's just too small.

There will be a couple menu items that are veggie/vegan.

We'll be open on Sundays, which perhaps is the most radical step considering downtown NA's usual business practices. There'll be a bike rack, and at some point I'll complete the map that my friend JP drew that shows the best way to get here from there, and put it on the web site.

We are trying as best we can to be green, to be local, and to offer something special. New Albanians supported the late Bistro New Albany to an extent that even surprised me, and I believe they'll do so with us, too. The location is easy to access from Louisville. New Albany's my town, and in spite of all the objections that could be raised, I'll go to the mattresses in my town and take the calculated risk. Life's rather boring unless you stand for something and can be passionate about something, and that's precisely what we're doing in downtown New Albany.

I'll let you know more as we get closer ... first week of March, maybe.

I think this is a really exciting concept, and I can't wait to visit once it's open. Living in Schnitzelburg I don't get to New Albany very often, but I'd definitely vouch for the New Albanian and La Rosita as being two of the best restaurants in the area, without doubt.

Rich O's started 17 years ago with a keg of Guinness and the notion that we could educate/create a local clientele. Same thing now, but a different curriculum, and a large part of any educational endeavor surely must be the ability to ultimately convince the student that other ways of thinking are valid. No one has ever suggested that this process be done confrontationally. Alternatives can be explained, and the rational side of the brain engaged. Inevitably, there will be people who are offended irrespective of the care with which they're handled. There will be folks who cannot get past the absence of Miller Lite (and, dare I say, Diet Coke), and to be honest, I find this very sad.

I'm completely in; where do I contribute?

Oh, I have to wait a few weeks. I've never been good at waiting.

I do agree with almost all of the sentiments Roger voices and can only have respect for the risks he is willing to take. Roger, I'm extra motivated to get over there now as I have issue with an idea that seems implied in your post - that the rational side makes up for the shortcomings of the emotional. But, hey, I'm not looking for a confrontation, and I'm willing to listen to alternative viewpoints. Really, I only have one rule: I'd rather be having the conversation with a beer in my hand.

Best of luck with the new endeavor.