“Come and ride along with me, Brown County’s beauty we will see. And when it’s time to brake and eat, Brown Bike’s the place where we will meet.” That’s the message that greets customers at the Brown Bike “eatery and drinkery.”
The newest restaurant in Nashville opened June 12 at the corner of Van Buren and Gould streets.
“We named it Brown Bike, Brown for Brown County and bike for the biking taking place here,” co-owner Doug Crook said, watching as the lunch crowd makes their way to their shaded tables.
Crook owns the restaurant with his brother, Jeff Crook. They also own Fresco Italian Cafe on the Canal in Indianapolis.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]They were looking to open another restaurant when their father came to visit Nashville. He heard that this building was going up for sale, so the brothers contacted the owners.
“We looked in the downtown area and we were just not finding anything that was exciting, that we felt was reasonable,” he said.
“We had a vision. We like a corner location. The owners were receptive to our idea. They wanted to do all they could to help us realize what we were envisioning for this corner.”
Brown Bike is different from Fresco in Indianapolis. “There, we use our Italian recipes. Here, we’ve gotten into the frying, and that’s something we don’t do there. It’s new to us,” he said.
However, they did decide to bring their Italian beef sandwich to Nashville because “it’s such a special sandwich.”
“There’s a lot of Italian beefs in Indianapolis, but ours is really exceptional. We thought, down here, there wasn’t an Italian beef,” he said.
The Italian beef is a 60-year-old recipe with 14 secret spices and herbs, said Barbara Shackelford, the hostess “with the mostest” at Brown Bike.
“It is really, really good. They slow-cook it for three to four hours, then they trim all the fat and gristle off of it, so you’ll never find fat and gristle,” she said.
The rest of the Brown Bike menu doesn’t overlap with the menu in Indianapolis. “We have some sandwiches up there once we’re comfortable with what we’re doing here, maybe introduce one a month and do a special,” Crook said.
Shackelford is in charge of making the authentic Italian ices and gelato. “There are no preservatives, no additives, no fructose corn syrup. I can attest to that, because I make it fresh every morning,” she said. “I zest the lime, I zest the lemon. It is so good.”
The Italian beef sandwich and the spiked Italian ice are some of customers’ favorites so far, along with the “cheese frenchie,” a fried grilled cheese sandwich, she said.
“We take the ice and we turn it into a slushie. In the lemon we put a shot of vodka, in the lime we put a shot of tequila. That tequila and that lime is like the best part of a frozen margarita you’ve ever had,” Shackelford said of the spiked ice.
The restaurant also offers other sandwiches, including thin-smashed burgers. Salads are made fresh every morning. “There is no lettuce in a bag. We cut up all of our own vegetables,” she said.
The Brown Bike also brings campfire s’mores to customers’ tables, with a heater, wooden sticks, marshmallows and Hershey chocolate bars.
Overall, Crook is pleased with how Brown Bike is doing, but they’re still working out some kinks, he said. He asked for the public to be patient as they work through their systems and processes. “There was a couple of lunches that were just overwhelming,” he said.
Right now, seating is only available outside, which has been challenging with the recent rain and high heat. However, the Brown Bike may expand and do indoor seating in the brick building next door.
A restaurant with outdoor seating only was something the Crook brothers thought Brown County needed. “There’s nothing like this; we knew that. We were aware of the risk with the weather. I think the benefits will outweigh those challenges with the weather,” Doug Crook said.
“In Indianapolis we’re set up where we have dining for 80 on the patio and only 12 inside. It’s seasonal; we understand how it operates. There’s going to be days where it’s just going to rain, and I think it’s just part of it,” he said.
The Crook brothers grew up in southern Indiana, so they are familiar with the small-town atmosphere, and they wanted to be part of Brown County. They have other ideas for getting further involved, such as charity bike rides.
“The people of Brown County have welcomed us with open arms. We really appreciate that, because we’re kind of the new kids on the block and we’re being treated like we’ve been here for a while. … It’s making us feel good.”
“They made us feel at home even though we’re very new to the area.”
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Address: 110 N. Van Buren St., Nashville
Hours: 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays; closed Mondays
Facebook: @theBrownBike
