Sassafras offers unusual menu with traditional dishes

Jun. 8—Sassafras, "a hyper-local restaurant featuring scratch-made Kentucky and regional food with a global influence," opened last month at 420 Frederica St.

So far, it's serving only dinner from 4 to 9 p.m. and by reservation only.

But lunches are coming.

And soon, there won't be a need for reservations.

"We're taking baby steps for now," Matt Weafer, who owns the restaurant with his brother, Dennis, said Tuesday. "We know we'll have hiccups."

There's a 12-member staff now.

But the restaurant is still hiring and needs about 20 people before opening for lunch, the brothers said.

The historic downtown building that Sassafras calls home has housed three iconic restaurants since it was built in 1921 — Mike Callas' Sweet Shop, Barney's Callas Grill and Bill's Restaurant — and the brothers are hoping their restaurant reaches iconic status.

So far, the restaurant has had most of its 68 seats filled each night — Tuesday through Saturday.

"Our whole menu is unusual," Matt Weafer said.

The dishes are familiar — in many cases, comfort food. But they're not like what diners find elsewhere.

The Kentucky Johnnycake, for instance, features the traditional cornmeal flatbread, but with smoked meat, pickled onion, cheese and sorghum.

They like sorghum because it's "sweet, but not overly sweet."

The chicken and dumplings features smoked chicken.

The pork in the pork-and-beans is also smoked.

Dennis Weafer said his favorite meal is the smoked pimento cheese, which is an appetizer but can be a topping for burgers.

Matt Weafer's favorite is the short ribs and grits.

The sunflower seed-crusted trout is pretty good too, they said.

They make the vanilla wafers for the banana pudding in house.

The Weafers said they're trying to keep the cost of entrees at between $20 and $30 and the appetizers in the teens.

But food costs from their suppliers are exploding, they said.

"Every day something is not available," Dennis Weafer said. "And prices are doubling."

They try to buy as much locally as they can, they said.

The bar features Kentucky-made bourbon, beer, gin, vodka, rum and other spirits.

And yes, gin, vodka and rum are all made in Kentucky.

The art by local artists on the walls is for sale, Dennis Weafer said.

There's even a banjo made by found-metal artist Andy Shoemaker.

But it doesn't play, they said.

Matt Weafer owns Niko's Bakery & Café in Wesleyan Park Plaza with his wife, Jessica.

Dennis Weafer is the chef/owner of Fetta Specialty Pizza at 118 St. Ann St.

"We've always wanted to be in business together," Matt Weafer. "We enjoy working together."

Both continue to work at their own restaurants as well.

Asked when they sleep, Dennis Weafer said, "What's that?"

Matt Weafer said the restaurant's name is a tribute to the "world's largest sassafras tree" down the street at 2100 Frederica St.

"We'd like to use sassafras in our recipes, but the FDA has rules," he said. "But we want to use that flavor in other ways."

Sassafras was once used to flavor root beer and make a tea that was used in folk medicinal remedies, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it caused liver cancer in rats when given in high doses and banned its use in foods and beverages in the 1970s.

For reservations, text your name, number of people in your party and the time you want to dine to 270-570-0073, Matt Weafer said.

Keith Lawrence, 270-691-7301, klawrence@messenger-inquirer.com.