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Jason McConnell, the chef who’s made a huge mark on downtown Franklin with Red Pony (sophisticated, Southern-influenced fine dining) and SOL (modern, creative Mexican cuisine) is bringing his new concept to historic Main Street.
McConnell (who has a degree from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and spent five years at F. Scott’s in Nashville) said that despite SOL’s popularity, it’s been a challenge to run a single restaurant in such a large, sprawling space.
“We are bringing the building back to the true essence and character of downtown Franklin, offering two intimate, quaint and charming options,” he said in a release Wednesday.
55 South, referring to the interstate highway that connects Memphis and New Orleans, and McConnell is giving the room a rustic Southern makeover, with weathered wood and reclaimed materials.
55 South is a rustic take on down-home Southern comfort food. Fresh oysters will be a big part of the menu, along with Southern-inspired bar snacks (fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade) and New Orleans cuisine (gumbo, crawfish étouffée, spice-dusted redfish).
Sol is currently open in the part of the building that faces Fourth Avenue. In its new, more intimate form, it will seat 65 diners. The menu of fresh, upscale Mexican fare and lineup of premium wines and tequila drinks won’t change.
