Upcoming Sylvan Park Restaurant, Answer, Has Been Three Years in the Making

An opening continues to creep closer for Answer, business partners Victoria Rothberg and Chris Raucci’s new Sylvan Park restaurant. Located at 132 46th Avenue N. in the heart of the neighborhood, Rothberg says that their planned late March opening will be the culmination of a three-year journey to getting their first restaurant off the ground:

“Three years ago Chris and I worked an opening for Ted’s Montana Grill for the first time together, running the kitchen and front of house, respectively, and our strengths really balanced out. We worked well together. Atlanta’s market was so saturated, so we decided to travel around the South looking at other cities. We came to Nashville for the first time two and a half years ago and just loved the vibe. Then earlier this year, when we saw the restaurant space, it was exactly what we wanted.”

Raucci adds that when they returned from that first Ted’s opening, they sat down and drew their restaurant plan out on a napkin, and “Answer is almost that exact same restaurant.”

As for the origin of the restaurant’s name, Rothberg says that their goal is for it “to be a comfortable space for guests to connect, like a dinner table for families and friends. I always think of eating with my family and questions like ‘How was school?,’ etc. And that would prompt our connecting.”

Described as globally inspired, the restaurant’s menu will feature Italian, Asian and Latin influences. Approximately sixty percent of the menu will be shareable plates, with the other forty percent made up of more composed dishes, all still falling within the $5 to $25 price range. “We want it to be a really well-run neighborhood restaurant and don’t want people to come in and feel like they can’t do it every week,” says Rothberg in regard to the price point.

The full bar will offer “high-end but approachable” options, including five house cocktails.

The restaurant’s feel will be “comfortable-modern,” offering seating for approximately 70 inside and featuring a 22-seat bar and a mixture of banquettes, two-tops and six-seat high-tops. Rothberg enlisted former Houston’s coworker Hannah Collins, now owner of Hannah Collins Designs out of San Francisco, to handle interior design services, with Chattanooga-based Range Projects, whose work can be seen at local spots 5th & Taylor and The Back Corner, creating Answer’s custom furniture.

A 28-seat outdoor patio is also included, but Raucci says that the patio won’t open with the restaurant, giving them time to get their sea legs before opening up the additional seating.

Dinner will be served Tuesday through Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m., with weekend brunch hours of 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.