Beast + Barrel
Owners of the Hair of the Dog, the Honest Pint and the Terminal recently introduced a new venture to Chattanooga: Beast + Barrel. Opened in April, Chattanooga’s first gastro smokehouse offers an atmosphere and menu that are both impressive and unassuming, providing Chattanoogans with an “elevated” pub experience, as co-owner Matt Lewis describes it. The space—with décor that incorporates industrial, modern and luxurious elements—is at once elegant and relaxed. The owners have managed to create a space in which both tux and cut-off jeans (patrons’ choice) seem appropriate. Beast + Barrel’s best asset, however, is the menu. As the name suggests, the unique, French-influenced menu is focused on charcuterie and craft spirits, beer and wine. Matt believes that bartending is a notable profession to be taken very seriously—and they do. “Our bartenders enjoy crafting drinks,” he says. True to the belief in craft products, there are several spirits aging in-house, a long list of craft cocktails consisting of both “old-school, preProhibition-style” drinks and modern variations, and all juices and bitters are made fresh. The substantial beer
list includes 12 beers on tap, six of which are from Tennessee, as well as many bottled domestics and imports. An equally extensive list of more than 50 wines also includes six wines on tap. The talented kitchen staff is no less passionate, says Matt. All meats are cured in-house and as many locally sourced ingredients as possible as used. Even condiments are made from scratch. Like the décor, the creative menu is a blend of class and comfort, offering an array of delicious and unique dishes, such as roasted marrow, a pastrami salmon BLT and a chickpea burger (yes, even vegetarians are at home here). “We want people to come in with high expectations and to want to know what we’re doing,” he says. To top off the many reasons to visit Beast + Barrel, there is Happy Hour Monday through Thursday from 3 to 6 pm, during which time selected drinks and food items are more than 50 percent off, and guests in the bar area get their fill of the “popcorn of the day” for free. So why wait? Come. Eat. Drink. And be merry. Beast + Barrel 16 Frazier Ave. (423) 805-4599 beastandbarrel.com
chattanoogapulse.com • Spring/Summer 2014 • drink • The Pulse • 25