Get ready for “Moondance Grill,” a new Germantown restaurant from Liz and Tommy Peters and the Beale Street Blues Co., which brought you Itta Bena, the restaurant above B. B. King’s Blues Club, and Lafayette’s Music Room in Overton Square.
Peters, president of Beale Street Blues Co., came up with the name. “After my favorite artist — Van Morrison,” Tommy says.
The new restaurant, slated to open in early September, is at 1730 Germantown Parkway. The restaurant actually is “on Neshoba off Germantown Parkway,” Tommy says. “In front of Germantown Performing Arts Center.”
“We wanted to have a nice, social bar in Germantown and a place for people to have fun,” Liz says. “We didn’t want it to be stuffy. We didn’t want it to be formal. We didn’t want it to be too casual. But somewhere in between.”
“We can’t ever duplicate Itta Bena,“ Tommy says. But, he adds, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It’s influenced by elements from four or five of our favorite grills across the country.“
The restaurant will feature an oversized bar area with a rectangular bar with 32 seats.
Moondance will have a grand piano, acoustic guitar, and “some saxophone,” Tommy says. “All background music. Quiet music. Everything we do has elements of music to it.”
It will feature an open kitchen, “which we’ve never done before,” Tommy says.
Food will range from “good seafood to steaks and great salads,” he continues.
And a “large small-plate menu,” Liz says.
Moondance will feature a raw bar with a jumbo shrimp cocktail and other items.
All the food is “classic-style” with “good quality,” Tommy says. “Food with simplicity. Real butter. Lemon.”
They don’t plan to change their menu, unless something doesn’t work, Tommy says.
Moondance also will include a 42-seat weatherized patio with air conditioning, heat, and a roof.
So why is Morrison Tommy’s favorite artist? “He is a true artist ,and he plays from his heart and soul for himself,” Tommy says.
Tommy, who’s seen Morrison in concert “probably 22 times,” says Morrison “plays how he feels.”
And why did Tommy choose “Moondance” over other Morrison songs? “If you put that song on, it’s the vibe that I want from this place,” he says, quoting the line, “What a marvelous night for a moon dance.”
“What I do is create subliminal moods through the music,” Tommy says. And, he adds, “If you listen to ‘Moondance,’ that’s the vibe I want every piece of this place to evoke. If you listen to that song and have a glass of wine and you’re seeing people talking around you, it’s sensual. Music is spiritual. And it’s the one medium that can take you back and make you feel.
“People will want to escape and feel great when they’re in our environment. And hopefully get away from their troubles.”
