From the October 29, 2004 print edition
Crescent Cafe & Oyster Bar swims into the Vandy area .......Judy Sarles
The Vanderbilt University has reeled in a seafood restaurant, which is expected to open Halloween weekend.
Crescent Cafe & Oyster Bar is owned by Scott Crane, who is from New Orleans but has lived in Nashville since 1988. Crane has a rich legacy with entertainment venues and restaurant businesses. He previously operated Ace of Clubs on Second Avenue, Lava Lounge and George's Elliston Place Pool Hall, as well as restaurants in Knoxville and Santa Fe, N.M. Crescent is at 21st Avenue and Scarritt Place, across from Vanderbilt and behind San Antonio Taco. The entrance is on Scarritt Place.
"This is the only location at the moment," says Crane. "Who knows what the future will bring." The contractor for the 2,000-square-foot restaurant is Rob Elkins, who could not be reached for comment. The restaurant is in a renovated home and features an aquatic decor with tile tables and bar top. Crane calls it a funky old space. "It's great for what we're doing," he says. The restaurant's menu features oysters, specialty seafood dishes, pizzas incorporating gourmet pita bread, and beef tenderloin with rosemary potatoes.
Crescent seats about 75 people indoors and another 50 people in the brick courtyard and patio area, which features a fountain. Crane invested his own money in the business, which employs 12 people. He expects to bring in $500,000 in sales during the restaurant's first year. |
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Scott Crane
is no stranger to Music City. Growing up in his hometown of New Orleans, another "music city" he rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in the music industry, Luminaries such as George Harrison, The Allman Bros, Billy Preston & Bonnie Raitt were among some of the stars to stand in front of Scott's camera lense, as he honed his craft as a photographer. In fact he was the only official tour photographer for the Sex Pistols on their legendary 1976 US tour.
After leaving New Orleans he had a string of succesful clubs from Shreveport to Knoxville, Nashville to Santa Fe, the most prominent in Nashville being the legendary "Ace Of Clubs". People still talk about the "Ace" today, as it was one of the largest and most succesful clubs for live music that Nashville has seen. "It's all about the music" Scott would be heard to say, indeed club owners with diehard commitment to live music are a rare find these days, but many musos will tell you of the bar tab they couldn't pay, that one day mysteriously just disappeared.....yes Scott is a friend of the musician.
So we come to the present day and Scott felt the call of New Orleans again, and decided to open a New Orleans based theme restaurant close to Vandy. He chose the funky little joint that used to be Guidos and set about transforming it into a cozy little shack with good food, cold beer and live music.
Stepping inside the Crescent City Cafe & Oyster Bar is a little slice of New Orleans right here in
"Music City."
"If you think gritty hole-in-the-wall joints are sexy, then Crescent Cafe which serves up a Big Easy menu of seafood, sandwiches and oysters on the half shell, will be a perfect beer-stained aphrodisiac. There’s something about this spot, attached to SATCo, that attracts Vandy grad students and undergrads alike to kill the time between and after classes."
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