Charlie’s Beat: River Oak Chophouse says YES to Madison’s request

First, a note about Charlie’s Beat: After five-plus years of covering the music scene in Madison, I feel it’s time to broaden the scope of this column to include all the cultural happenings in our wonderful town.

So still plenty of music coverage, of course. But also art, food, unique businesses, influential people, whatever and whoever contributes to making Madison such a delightful and fun place to work and live. I’m super excited about it, and I hope you enjoy the wider range of topics. So let’s get into it …

“First of all, we knew we wanted to open a restaurant in Madison,” says Elizabeth Riley, owner of the new restaurant going in where Bad Apple Macs used to be. “My husband Troy and I have been looking for quite some time for the right space. We love Madison and we want to be a part of what’s happening here.

“But when it came to building the menu, we asked the people of Madison what they wanted. We immediately heard ‘steak house’ from almost everybody. And we also heard a lot of people mentioning the closure of the popular Key West Shrimp House, and the need for a seafood restaurant in town. We heard you loud and clear, and that’s why we are opening River Oak Chophouse, hopefully in very early March.

“But just to be clear, the menu will have lots more to offer than just steak and seafood. Our Chef Nash Frederick has a diverse and refined sense of fine dining, and he will be surprising and delighting everyone who tastes his creations.”

Elizabeth Riley grew up on Stream Cliff Farm, Restaurant and Winery, just over the Jefferson County line in Jennings County. “I’m actually the sixth generation on the property,” relates Elizabeth. “My daughter, who has spent some of her youth there, is the seventh. My family’s been there since the 1800s.

“We’ve been in the food and hospitality business at Stream Cliff for about 50 years, so it’s pretty much in my blood. But then we had a chance to open Crimson Oak in North Vernon, built around the talent of Chef Nash.

“Nash is an interesting story. He’s a proud North Vernon boy, and he went off to Louisville to follow his culinary passion. He trained at Sullivan University, he really honed his skills at some of Louisville’s best eateries. But ultimately, he wanted to come back and share passion for food with his home town, and that’s where we got involved.

“We basically built Crimson Oak around what Nash wanted to do. He had free reign to follow his vision and make it his own unique dining experience. It’s been a great success, and now we want to share Nash’s excellence and attention to detail with the people of Madison.

“Anyone who’s dined at Stream Cliff or Crimson Oak already knows the emphasis we put on fresh ingredients and scratch-made dishes. Virtually everything is homemade. We don’t even buy Ranch dressing, we make our own!

“Speaking of excellence, the manager at River Oak will be Emily Pearson, who has been the front of house manager at Crimson for three years. She’s a proven professional at delivering great hospitality and exceptional service to our customers. We feel really great about the team we’ve assembled.

“We are pushing hard for an early March opening. I’d encourage anyone who wants to stay up on our latest news to follow us on Facebook, or go to our website at RiverOakChophouse.com. You’ll find the latest updates about our opening date and what will be on the menu.

“We’re very excited to be a part of the growing Madison cultural scene. There is so much happening here with the arts and music and food. It’s absolutely growing and we want to contribute to that energy. We look forward to meeting everyone!”

Hot Tip of the Week

We need to give an “Indiana’s Music City” tip of the hat to Rivertown Grill, celebrating their third year anniversary this week with a special Karaoke party on Thursday. Owner Joe Breeck at Rivertown has been one of Madison’s most consistent supporters of live music, several nights of every week. They have the ever-popular AC/DC tribute band on Saturday night, and it’s not unusual for Joe (a great guitarist in his own right) to take the stage for a turn depicting Angus Young! Also of special note this week, Rusty Bladen will be doing a duo show with his wife Andra at Thomas Family Winery on Saturday. They only do this once a year, and it’s a very warm and friendly experience.

Looking out a few weeks at ticketed shows, you might want to pick up tix to the House of Jane Songwriter Series next Thursday, Feb. 8, and there are a pair of shows at Red Bicycle Hall on Feb. 23 and 24 that will likely sell out. All are available at MadTixEvents.com.

Wednesday, Jan. 31 • The Central: Jam w/Jimmy • Rivertown Grill: TBA Thursday, Feb. 1 • Rivertown Grill: 3 Year Anniversary Karaoke Party • 1st Street Saloon: Open Mic Friday, Feb. 2 • 1st Street Saloon: Hank Haggard & the Wolfs • Park Theatre (North Vernon): Bac to Mac Tribute Band • Rivertown Grill: Bi-Polar • The Central: Power Plant Saturday, Feb. 3 • The Central: Dirty Laundry • Off Broadway Taproom: Matt Red Moore • Thomas Family Winery: Rusty & Andra Bladen • 1st Street Saloon: DJ Nate • Rivertown Grill: Bon DC (AC/DC) • Fairgrounds: For the Love of Bluegrass (& Gospel & Country — 2 p.m.) Sunday, Feb. 4 • Rivertown Grill: Jordan Tyler