New restaurant The Honeysuckle gives a glimpse of what’s to come

The Honeysuckle, a new upscale southern restaurant located in Cool Springs, shared a bite of their philosophy and menu in an open house on Aug. 10.

The restaurant announced plans to open on Wednesday, Aug. 12.

“We’re modern Southern comfort food meets dry-age steakhouse meets oyster bar — with a big healthy helping of fresh seafood,” said Josh Weekley, executive chef, when asked to describe the taste of the restaurant. Weekley is from south Florida and will be playing off his seafood background in The Honeysuckle.

Food was served as hors d’oeuvrs during the open house, giving the guests an opportunity to sample many of the restaurant’s specialties. Among those included crab cakes, deviled eggs, shrimp and grits and more. The oyster bar was also open, and guests were given the chance to enjoy the taste that The Honeysuckle is so proud of.

“Our taste is fresh and passionate. Our chef puts a lot of love into every plate. Food here’s not just going to be thrown on a plate — it’s going to be a Picasso on a plate,” said Steven Hudson, restaurant manager.

The Honeysuckle aims to become an attraction to customers of all ages, and will become one of the only oyster bars in Franklin, along with being the only restaurant providing dry-aged meats in Franklin that are done in house. Their dry-age cooler was still covered during the open house, but will surely become a novelty in the Franklin area. In addition, they feature an award-winning local pastry chef.

Some of the staff favorite dishes include the Tennessee stuffed trout, grouper, dry-aged steaks, the scallops and the meatloaf.

“We wanted to give the locals somewhere to be social without having to go all the way to Nashville,” Hudson said. “We want to give them the downtown vibe without the loud music and the Uber ride 25 miles and back.”

In addition to its food, the unique, rustic dcor of the restaurant caught the eye of the guests. Caroline Black, the wife of owner Kelly Black, explained that her husband personally designed the restaurant.

“The bar is a doorway to an office building that we found in an architectural salvage store in Alabama, and we deconstructed and recreated it as a bar,” Caroline said, giving us a glimpse into the background of some of The Honeysuckle’s most iconic pieces. “The windows inside are from a Baptist church in Alabama. The colored glass is original, and we just sprayed the back with a mirror finish.”

Beautiful antique pieces are scattered throughout the restaurant, such as an old piano, used as a service table. All of the pieces were handpicked by Kelly, through flea markets and salvaging.

“Kelly designed everything but the menu,” said Caroline. “Every single item here he either chose or made. Every design, every light fixture, every plate, every glass — that was Kelly.”

The Blacks, in addition to The Honeysuckle, also own the Pie in the Sky restaurant chain and the Row in Nashville, which has become a popular destination for locals and tourists alike for its feature of songwriters throughout Nashville history. The Honeysuckle took them nine months, from concept to opening, but it is their first attempt at upscale dining.

“I hope all the Franklinites come visit,” said Caroline. “We welcome anyone who’s hungry!”