Taking over the former home of a beloved neighborhood fixture is a risk, but the team behind The Overpass Merchant isn’t scared.
Masterminded by Nick Hufft (of Curbside Burgers fame) and partner Lon Marchand, The Overpass Merchant has transformed the dingy walls of the late Zee Zee Gardens into a fresh and innovative gastropub, without alienating the Perkins Road overpass neighborhood.
“The neighborhood is vitally, vitally, vitally important to us,” Hufft says. “We want to be that watering hole that everyone has known Zee Zee’s to be. People came in here to share conversation for the past 20 or 30 years. We’re trying to carry on what Zee Zee’s did—at four o’clock you can come have a pint and a some great conversation whether you’re a musician, politician, nine-to-five’er, venture capitalist or anyone in between. Everybody felt at home in here, and I’m trying to extend that conversation into the food side of things.”
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Though only the brick and mortar of the original building remain, even with new finishes like shiny subway tile behind the bar and industrial light fixtures, it has the feel of a restaurant with history. The walls are decorated simply with pieces from Marchand’s personal collection, like vintage Rolling Stone ads for Blondie, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Queen and a framed portrait of his great-grandfather. Atop an antique fireplace mantle in one corner sit two books: The Space Merchants and Merchants of Disaster.
The team has made an effort at every step to incorporate the history of Zee Zee Gardens into The Overpass Merchant, which has helped win over any skeptical loyalists. Waiters use old Zee Zee’s ticket books to take orders, the menu boasts a Zee Zee’s Club Sandwich, and Hufft is working on securing a vintage ’80s Zee Zee’s sign from Craigslist for their patio, which they’ve christened “Zee Zee Gardens” after the former bar. Before demolition started, Hufft painstakingly pried all the name tags (belonging to past employees and bartenders) off the bar, and he plans to mail them to their original owners with an invitation for a beer on the house.
But even without the element of nostalgia, The Overpass Merchant certainly stands on its own. Hufft’s concept for the menu revolves around shared plates, small plates and a family-style dining experience. The menu is creative and wide-ranging, touching on Cajun and Asian influences as well as American classics such as burgers and mac and cheese for made-from-scratch comfort food.
“We have the ability to serve whatever we want,” Hufft says. “We’re going to get you in that comfort zone that you can trust us to give you something great, and then we’re going to fire out daily and weekly specials. And it’s going to be anything and everything from grouper cheeks and redfish collars to house-made ramen noodles and braised lamb neck and anything in between that our kitchen feels comfortable with doing.”
For this First Look feature, Hufft has the kitchen serve us a little of everything. First comes the signature burger, a half-pound patty that’s a blend of chuck, brisket and short rib and smothered in your choice of American, cheddar or Maytag blue cheese. Cooked to medium rare, the burger is divinely juicy with the depth of flavor you’d expect from the creator of Curbside, but dressed up for the elevated atmosphere.
Next comes an order of deep fried chicken skins in a sweet and slightly spicy sauce, a poultry answer to cracklins and pork rinds. It’s an addictive snack with a satisfying crunch. The smoked pork steam buns with a bulgogi vinaigrette, pea shoots and a Thai chili relish take a decidedly Asian turn from more Creole-inspired menu staples, while the paper-thin flatbread floats delicate flavors of prosciutto, fig, goat cheese and arugula.
One of the most memorable dishes is comprised of tender fried boneless chicken thighs and tiny sweet potato beignets, served up with toasted pistachios, a Wursh beurre blanc and Steen’s cane syrup gastrique. If this savory-sweet dish is any indication of what’s to come from The Overpass Merchant’s brunch menu, the neighborhood should prepare for a very worthy player entering the brunch game. (Keep an eye out for pickled strawberries, which were added to the dish after our visit.)
The plates range in size, but all are sharable—a perfect marriage between menu design and atmosphere. It’s easy to imagine grabbing one of the 40-plus seats on the patio, ordering up The Overpass Merchant’s signature frozen Moscow Mule with Jameson and slowly working your way through half a dozen plates with friends.
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Though currently still in the soft opening phase with only happy hour and dinner shifts, Marchand and Hufft plan to have the gastropub open seven days a week for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch by late April to early May, with a grand opening pending. The bar is working toward developing a menu of about half a dozen craft cocktails by the time the restaurant is “firing on all cylinders.”
“We’re the new kid on the block,” Hufft says. “We know that we only get one shot with people, and so we’re going take our time and make sure that one shot is perfect.”
The Overpass Merchant is currently open Monday through Thursday 4 p.m.-midnight, and Friday through Saturday till 2 a.m., with the kitchen open until 10 p.m all days.