The Rail Public House under new ownership; cocktail upgrades high on priority list
One of downtown Gadsden’s most popular restaurants is under new ownership, and the transition has been smooth so far.
The Rail Public House at 538 Broad St. announced in a Facebook post on June 10 that is now owned by local businessmen Roger Boatner and Caleb Campbell, and operating partner Ryan Sherrod.
Boatner said he learned that previous owners Dee and Jami Grimes, veteran local restaurateurs and friends of his, were moving to Charleston, South Carolina, and had the restaurant up for sale.
He and Campbell enlisted Sherrod, a native of Gadsden with 16 years’ experience in the service industry, to handle day-to-day operations and as executive chef and chief mixologist.
Sherrod also is no stranger to the downtown dining scene. He worked as bartender and manager at Blackstone Pub and Eatery, and on the culinary side in the kitchens at Nola on 2nd and Harp and Clover.
He has been at The Rail since March, familiarizing himself with the place. “I can’t say enough about how hard he’s worked,” Boatner said.
So far, there have been minimal changes to the menu, which features an assortment of appetizers, salads, burgers, sandwiches and dinner entrees, plus weekly specials (and brunch on Sundays).
“I’ve made some small changes that I think are improvements,” Sherrod said.
He described his culinary vision as “trying to infuse Southern style into other styles of cooking. For example, I have a rice dish that I love. It’s Asian-style flank steak over rice, served with collard grens and chilied corn.”
Recent weekly specials have included:
General Tso’s tacos, with fried chicken tossed in house-made sauce on flour tortillas, with red cabbage vinegar slaw and topped with green onions and sesame seeds;
Grilled salmon with lemon quinoa, sautèed kale, sundried tomatoes, shallots and harissa;
Marinated flank steak sandwich served with horseradish sour cream, spinach and pickled onions;
Sweet heat quesadilla with pulled pork tossed in honey hot sauce with red onions, sun dried tomatoes and diced jalapenos, between two flour tortillas with melted Cheddar and pepper jack cheese;
For Fathers’ Day brunch, a 14-ounce ribeye served with a roasted poblano pepper stuffed with scrambled eggs, mozzarella cheese and pineapple salsa, with Choula hot sauce.
Sherrod said additional refrigeration has been installed in the kitchen to improve efficiency, as well as a new fryer “to help us keep up with demand and move tickets faster.”
The top priority, however, is getting The Rail’s new cocktail program in place. And while Sherrod likes being in the kitchen — from an artistic standpoint, he enjoys creating both dishes and drinks — he said mixology is his strongest suit.
Self-taught in the field, he handled the creation of the bar and cocktail program at Albertville’s Busted Oak Bourbon Society.
“There’s not been anywhere in Gadsden in the last decade that does cocktails the way people in the forefront of the industry,” Sherrod said.
One of the upcoming creations designed to rectify that is a cocktail made with fresh strawberries, pineapple-infused Cachaça and elderflower liqueur. A healthy offering of classic cocktails are also available, along with house-made syrups, bitters and liquor infusions.
Sherrod said the new offerings will have a kick. “I like to go stronger with cocktails,” he said. “A lot of people feel liquor should be hidden away within drinks, and I feel that it is an essential ingredient. The flavors within liquor are the most important parts of a cocktail, they are the core, and I like to find ways to accentuate liquors.”
He said he also uses the best liquors — “premium tier” not “bottom shelf” — because they have the flavors he’s looking for. One upcoming cocktail, he noted, includes 2 ounces of Johnnie Walker Black.
Drinkers won’t be caught unaware, though. The alcohol by volume will be clearly posted so “you know when I hand you something, and it says this whole drink is 45% alcohol, you know what you’re getting into,” Sherrod said. “It also helps justify the price, although the prices will be accessible for everyone.”
Business has been “pretty good,” he said, adding, “A lot of people came here for Dee and Jami, and I’m not Dee and Jami. There are a lot of things they could do as two people that are difficult for me as one person, but I believe our regulars have continued to come. I think the transition has been going well.”
Sherrod said he hopes the upgraded cocktail program will be appealing to millennials, but stressed that The Rail offers something for every age group. “We have plenty of variety in our clientele right now,” he said.
Boatner said he was grateful to the restaurant’s staff, who stayed during the transition, and cited plans to upgrade the downstairs area, which has a full bar, and give it more of a “speakeasy” vibe.
Sherrod said the transition wouldn't have been possible without the staff's efforts, both in the front and the back of the house. “They’re the ones who make it all possible,” he said.
The Rail is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for dinner on Monday and Wednesday, and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. for dinner on Thursday and Friday. It’s open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for Sunday brunch. It’s closed on Tuesday.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: The Rail moves forward under new ownership
