Your opinion about a hypothetical bill of fare?

Roger, when you said first week of March, did you mean that's a possible opening, or that's when you'll let us know more?

Let’s consider a hypothetical case. There’s a new eatery with emphasis on beer brewed in house, short food menu of bistro/brasserie fare: Belgian-style frites, sandwiches, mussels, salad and soup. Cold cheese and meat plates. As much as possible sourced locally and regionally, with a talented young chef manning the ship.

Insofar as possible, everything being vended comes from family-owned and/or small artisan businesses.

The only beers sold are draft, and brewed on site. No swill, period. The wine list is composed entirely of regional small winery products. Short but smart liquor selection and no “full” bar in the sense of cocktails; rather, something like 4 good bourbons, a couple each single malt and tequila, no foo-foo or fruit or wild creations best done by others who are capable. When possible, liquor comes from microbreweries now distilling.

Espresso and cups of coffee made fresh each time; no bottomless cups, European-style. No mass-market sodas (Coke, Pepsi, et al), but instead craft sodas (Sprecher springs to mind). Iced tea, though only because the owner was forced to compromise on something along the way even though he doesn’t like the iced version much.

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?

All hypothetical, of course.

We have been waiting for this hypothetical place for far too long!

We have been waiting for this hypothetical place for far too long!

Tell me about it! I hate it when worldwide financial crises get in the way of the master plan.

As most expensive item, the brewing equipment purchase was delayed but now has been finalized, and we expect it to arrive at the end of April to be followed by installation (some assembly required) and time to get matters rolling. Until then, we'll brew for Bank Street at the existing location, where the smaller brewery will continue to operate after the new system's up and running.

The opening's going to be soft and prolonged, with the hope being a start during the first week of March, then some semi-predictable hours after that. We may just do lunch and afternoon beers to begin, and segue into evening hours, but all this is being discussed, and I'll be back with firm information when we've decided on the plan. Obviously, that will be quite soon.

Back at the original ranch, Gravity Head kicks off on Feb. 27th, and I have my hands full with that little annual fest.

I promise to have firm info as soon as I can get it. Thanks.

We may just do lunch and afternoon beers to begin, and segue into evening hours,

I feel like such a doofus - I've always spelled sugue, "seguay", and I use the word frequently. Dangit!

I can't wait for this place to open. I will definitely patronize it, but at the expense so to speak of Richo's. Thanks again for choosing to make it smoke free!

Richard, you are a case study of sorts. You live nearer to the original location, and work closer to the new one. You also patronize the YMCA downtown. Do you think the addition of the Y will impact your choice of venues to "rehydrate"?

I wrote the following on Sunday at my blog after observing perhaps 60 cars parked near the YMCA at 2 p.m.:

There also were cars in the parking lot just out of view to the right. While resting for perhaps ten minutes before resuming my ride, perhaps a half-dozen people left the gym and another half-dozen arrived.

Seems like potential customers to me, but almost nothing is open downtown on Sunday.

The Bank Street Brewhouse team discussed this again last week, and once things are up and running, we're going to take a shot at Sunday hours of 12 noon though 7:00 p.m. (or maybe 8:00 p.m.) We're still thinking adult refreshments and a very simple food menu.

This seems to me the ultimate in chicken/egg arguments. Most businesses aren't open because no one's downtown on Sunday, but no one's downtown on Sunday because most businesses aren't open. The Y is open, so this would seem to indicate that people will come downtown on Sunday if there's a reason. Granted, there quite a few children at the Y on weekends, and children themselves aren't a brewery's target demographic (they have parents, right?). Still, it seems like something worth chancing.

I think Sunday hours would be great! A little marketing/promo would help though as I have only drawn blank stairs when I recommend The Windsor as most don't even consider downtown NA as having places to eat. My circle frequented Bistro NA, and it seems when they closed along with Speakeasy, everyone just assumed that downtown would never make it.

I understand the perception. There were reasons why BNA and Speakeasy didn't make it, but looking at them from the glass half full perspective, it was epochal that both concepts were embraced by the local market, especially the Bistro. There's an inescapable reality that colors any such dialogue as this: Far more Hoosiers are in the habit of crossing the bridge for food and entertainment than the other way around. It's almost like a glass ceiling. We know that it really must be good to get Louisvillians to come to us. On the other hand, our particular dysfunction in this context is the belief that we can't possibly do something good enough to succeed in this way. Chef Clancy's undercapitalized BNA didn't survive, but he proved that it could be done here in the artistic sense. That's huge.

Here's the mantra: Doin' It Downtown.

I LOVE the revolution you are planning for downtown NA

build it and they will come

hey, they even come all the way out here to Charlestown, surely they can make it to downtown Nawlbany

let me know when i can try some of Josh's food

shawn

Far more Hoosiers are in the habit of crossing the bridge for food and entertainment than the other way around. It's almost like a glass ceiling.

It's the one mile burning river of fire or perhaps just Jeffero-centricism.

well, im usually not a naysayer, but i think this restaurant may do ok at first but it may be very very tough to stay afloat in a market like new albany especially in such a location come say, next march aftre a long winner and the newness is gone . i wish the southern indiana suburbs of louisville were more like nky to cincy, but I guess someone has to come thru and try to change it. i do love nabc and will definitely check this place out as i live in downtown louisville.
with all this talk about new albany, i took a drive all around its downtown yesterday after eating at la rosita. the place has crazy potential and it is substantially more urban than the other indiana towns combined between evenasville and indy. theres a few nice places, some furniture stores, the Y, a book and music exchange, a nice music store that looked like doo wop, and even a mens store. the theme seems to be several corner nascarish dive bars (like good times) and some sort of 1960s diner that reminds me of juanitas in old louisville. the ymca looks wonderful except for its heinous surface lot, and i did notice several restaurants like the windsor, the fish house, and i saw what appeared to be three places opeing which were away cafe and river city winery on pearl, as well as toast on market. i also saw some facade work on a couple buildings which i assume are being renovated, but not sure about tenants.
that said, the bank street brewhouse is off the beaten path even for the beaten path. that is, downtown new albany is off the beaten path, but the bank st location is off the beaten path even for the beaten path (does that even make sense????). its kind of like east market street in louisville, only less developed. someone has to be a pioneer, but i would think new albany woul dbe better off strengthing one street at a time. if it has to be in new albany, i would have likd to see it on pearl st next to river city winery or perhaps near the new toast on market. that said, if it was my business, id open it right next to jack frys in that old two story red brik building for lease. the reason avaol and others are making their menu cheaper is bc that is what the yuppies and local hippies want, and that is exactly the type of person who would frequent rogers place. or perhaps on frankfort in the large window building by volare. but hey, what do i know, and roger seems to be doing great. i will definitely support the place, but i think its location will cause it lots of problems, whether the op would like to admit it or not. then again, new albany has more "coming soon" signs than I think ive seen in all of louisvilles urban area slately, so maybe its doing well despite the economy.

All I can say is "Good Luck" and I wish you well in your endeavours...I'll try to stop by and have a beer and snack at some point when the time allows.

BTW, something you don't know about me, I used to make the dough at your establishment on Plaza Dr many moons ago when it was Noble Romans in it's original incarnation..

i also saw some facade work on a couple buildings which i assume are being renovated, but not sure about tenants.
that said, the bank street brewhouse is off the beaten path even for the beaten path. that is, downtown new albany is off the beaten path, but the bank st location is off the beaten path even for the beaten path (does that even make sense????).

Legitimate points, but what everyone must remember is that the beautiful older buildings aren't the best place for what remains in essence a production brewery, albeit in smaller scale. And: If NA already is off the beaten path, another block and a half makes no difference. The great thing about being a destination for one's chosen niche market is that location isn't everything. From the new brewhouse, it's about a five minute walk tops to stand atop the levee and look at the river.

The concept has evolved to include more emphasis on the front of the house, and our estimates of what it will do are absurdly low.

Indeed, New Albany reeks of potential. If I only spoke about it and didn't act on my principles, it would constitute failure of a greater magnitude than the possibility of the new business not succeeding, or having to mutate in order to succeed. The exceptional quality of the folks working toward the goal of a revitalized NA downtown inspires confidence, even in tough economic times -- perhaps especially in tough economic times.

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!

Wow, what a complete misread of my post.

The "bug up the butt" comment wasnt to you, it was to the person who posted on some other website about their treatment at RichO's for trying to order a macroswill product. I wasnt implying you were referring to Rich O's, I was just using them as an example of a restaurant that survived DESPITE getting the comments about them that you said would kill a restaurant (they were also used for the obvious reason). So, I didnt make your point (or maybe I did, since I dont believe they really act that way), since people have claimed that the Rich O's staff has that attitude.

BTW, something you don't know about me, I used to make the dough at your establishment on Plaza Dr many moons ago when it was Noble Romans in it's original incarnation..

You're dating both of us.