Bourbon drives a pair of restaurants taking shape in Dunedin, including one with a rooftop bar.
It’s hard to miss The Rusty Lyon’s banner that proudly exclaims, “COMING SOON!” — especially for anyone hitting up its next-door neighbors, Dunedin House of Beer and HOB Brewing Company. Billed as a bourbon-inspired burger bar, this newcomer is the one planning to offer a watering hole above the pavement at 923 Broadway, where Sheen Dental Laboratory used to be.
The rooftop component of The Rusty Lyon will pour contemporary takes on classic whiskey sippers. Alongside the burgers and bourbon, however, patrons — who are encouraged to join the restaurant’s free, members-only Ambassadors Club, granting them access to private bourbon and beer tastings, pre-opening parties and special promos, among other perks — can look forward to an extensive list of craft beer.
Beer, in fact, is also a highlight of Dunedin’s forthcoming Whiskey Cartel. With boozy enterprises that guests likely won’t mind getting wrapped up in, the bourbon-infused newbie — which has kicked off its hiring process — will serve as both a kitchen and a haven for craft brews and cocktails at 1600 Main St. Specifically, “the craft of bourbon, Scotch and rye” is Whiskey Cartel’s specialty.
This article appears in Apr 5-12, 2018.