Flying Squirrel

This is strictly a review of the drinks as I didn't get a chance to try anything on the food menu.

I tried the Watermelon Old-Fashioned and an Infused Lemonade with their house-made blueberry gin. While both were fairly tasty (especially the Lemonade), neither was very strong, and at $8 a pop ($10 for the Old-Fashioned), I expected more alcohol, and an Old-Fashioned shouldn't include soda water in my opinion. It was disappointing considering the place seems to bill itself as an upscale mixology experience. Looking around the room I only saw one other person drinking a cocktail as most people seemed to prefer beer. Maybe they knew something I didn't. I hate to make comparisons to Nashville bars, but places there charging similar prices always seem to deliver on the speakeasy style of a tasty, unique drink that's also plenty stiff. Flying Squirrel needs to work on this point for the prices they're charging.

For the second round I switched to beer. Their selection of beers was fairly wide and well balanced. They were even divided into Dark, Pale Ale, IPA, etc. to help make choosing your beer easier. This was a small but nice touch. Another was that they listed the next beer up on a given tap once the first runs out. Both of the beers I tried were plenty cold, and that's worth noting since a lot of bars seem to forget how important beer temperature is.

The look of the place seemed to fit their "upscale" vibe, though I recommend sitting upstairs as the downstairs was packed the whole time we were there, and the seating upstairs was cushy and inviting. The music varied in style but mostly fit the vibe of the room, and was thankfully never too loud to hear those in my party.

The staff were very courteous and helpful, though no one greeted us when we walked in and we had to wander upstairs before anyone approached us. There was also no signage whatsoever, so I had to ask the door man the name of the bar to make sure we were in the right place.

Overall it was a fairly enjoyable experience, and a cool place to hang out, but if you're looking for exceptional cocktails, you might want to keep looking. That said, I realize this place is still fairly new, so maybe it can be chalked up to growing pains. I'll give them another shot next time I'm in town.

Great job overall. Just one thing was not up to par for the menu. The charcuterie plate was not as good as the rest of the menu. I found the menu to be very nice. But the charcuterie plate failed to live up to the rest. Just a couple of unimaginitive meat and stale bread. I like to find this as an avenue for a bit of fun for my guest. Yes I also cook for a living. I would say. Play with some mustards. Add some nice house made pickled veg. Grill up the bread. Put on some meats like different sausages, head cheese, maybe some corned beef tongue. You are in Tennessee. We love to celebrate pork.

Atmosphere is everything in this hip, friendly place.  The architecture will blow you away.  Based on other reviews, as a 60-something, I thought I might feel "out of place" in a crowd of younger folks, but heck no!  Early in the evening, while we were there, the crowd was very mixed.  As we left, the younger crowd was flowing in.  Terrific cocktails, very creative, inventive and delicious.   I have to go back and try more of the food, but my first impression is ... if you are hungry go somewhere else.  The only reason I dropped a star is because of the very limited choices.  That and a plate with a miniscule amount of mushrooms was pricey and silly.  We probably didn't choose well and I did notice some nice looking dishes going to tables as we were leaving.  Gotta go back and give the food more of a chance.  That being said .... this is a wonderful place to meet friends for drink and a light nosh.