The inspiration behind Embers Ski Lodge in 12 South came from a desire to create a solid neighborhood hangout. Co-owner Lars Kopperud spent time growing up in Alaska while general manager Matt Buttel has experience as a competitive skierthey reasoned that a re-creation of the après-ski scenes of Aspen or Val d'Isère would reflect the spirit of camaraderie that they recognized as being a hallmark of the community. (The team also owns Mafiaoza's next door.)
The alpine theme works its way throughout the ambience and menu with dramatic snowflake lanterns illuminating the interior and a vintage conical fireplace that will be lit once the weather grows cool enough. A huge mural of a snowy mountain makes up one wall while rough-hewn logs serve as beams and facing for the large bar.
Cocktail expert Gary Hayward, who functions as a sort of a creative director and consultant for the bar program, says the goal was to create a bar with fast service, quality ingredients, and a fun atmosphere.
'Nashville is moving forward in the cocktail culture, but there are enough serious bars in town already,” he says. And he's serious about that quick service: 'We're all about the four-minute rulenobody should wait longer than that to get a drink.”
There's a large selection of domestic and imported whiskeys, as well as clever cocktails like the Cool Runnings, a bourbon-based drink that includes banana, cocoa, and coffee. The Stars & Stripes is what British-born Hayward calls 'America in a glass.” The sweetness of the bourbon is balanced nicely by various bittering agents and a hint of cherrywood smoke before being topped with red stripes of port wine as a floater to represent the flag. Drinking one will make you feel downright patriotic.
To eat, there's an eclectic food menu with items like the Mongolian flank steak sandwich served on a bao bunorder it with a side of hand-cut Belgian frites. (Fried, baked, and then fried again, these potato morsels are seriously addictive.) The Mt. Everest cheeseburger is a relative bargain at $10it's more meat for less money than what many boutique burger joints in town charge. Slightly healthier is the Alaskan salmon spread, made from an old Kopperud family recipe and ready to be paired and shared on slices of baguette.
Perhaps the richest and most over-the-top dish on the menu is the foie gras toasted pound cakeit's grilled, buttered, and smeared with seared foie along with macerated strawberries and jam. Best eaten slowly, this sweet and savory appetizer could double as dessert.
2410 12th Ave. S., 615-866-5652; emberskilodge.com
