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Kobe Burger
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Cheese and Charcuterie
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Ricotta Ravioli
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Whipped Goat Cheese
When co-owners Ben Powell and John Dibble set out to open Fable Lounge just off of West End Avenue in January, they wanted to offer an escape for their guests.
An experience at the dramatic speakeasy-style lounge starts behind a heavy velvet curtain, where high-backed booths, damask wall coverings, darkened ceilings, and barmen in vests await. The two-story space also features a more casual second-story lounge, as well as a broad balcony set with fire pits. Around the space and on the menus, fictitious animal drawings, give it, as Powell says, “sort of a Great Gatsby meets Alice in Wonderland” feel.
Six weeks after Fable opened, COVID-19 struck, shuttering Nashville’s bars and restaurants. The partners made the decision to close and spent the next several weeks reassessing. The short time they were in business, Powell says, was almost like a TV pilot.
“Essentially what this time has done is given us the ability to dial in and say, ‘Here is what was working really well—now let’s make it better.’”
In late May, a few weeks after the city’s first phase of reopening, Fable opened its doors a second time with a number of safety regulations in place. Certain tables are roped off for social distancing; both the courtyard out front and the balcony have become dining areas; and there’s plenty of hand-sanitizing stations around the space.
“We want to be mindful to the reality. Fable was designed to be a social restaurant but now we’re in an age where social is cool—as long as you’re six feet away.”
With that in mind, head to Fable for a slightly altered social experience, and be sure to make a reservation in advance. They’ve updated their menu to match the season—look for a baby gem and Asian pear salad, or the heirloom tomatoes with burrata for seasonal treats. The cheese and charcuterie boards are a fun start: Select from a list of regional and international cheeses—they’ll even bring an iPad over (with a sanitized stylus) to give you details on options like Dancing Fern from Sequatchie, Tennessee, or P’tit Basque, brought over from France. Then, choose from cured meats, like coppa or prosciutto. The boards come loaded with sweet onion jam, bacon jam, apricots, and crackers and make a fine pair for one of the bar’s Notions cocktails. The Emotional Intelligence blends Fidencio Clasico mezcal with Crème de Cacao, allspice, and lime for a heady yet refreshing sip.
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Emotional Intelligence
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Lunar Elixir
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Bourbon Banana Bread Pudding
Follow that up with the whipped herb goat cheese, which is cratered with a pool of herb oil at the center and a rim of toasted baguette slices. Or, move on to the Vittles, a selection of nibbles (appetizers) and bites (entrées). Although Fable calls itself a lounge, the dishes read restaurant, and are hearty enough to make a full meal. Grab a few plates—crispy Brussels, meatballs Arrabiata, white wine PEI mussels—for more of a graze, or go big with the double patty American Kobe burger, which arrives on a branded bun, and a sidecar of thin-cut truffle fries. There’s also smoked corn ricotta ravioli and a chicken dish with black garlic jus. Don’t sleep on the bourbon banana bread pudding doused a caramel miso sauce—it’s a decadent finale.
While the full Fable experience will eventually return, this chapter of the restaurant’s brief history is worth a read—it certainly provides the kind of escape we need in times like these.
“Take a few hours, enjoy a meal, and let us take care of you for a bit,” Powell says.
Fable Lounge, 114 28th Ave. N., 615-645-5150; fablelounge.com