The Pharmacy Burger Parlor & Beer Garden: first taste

The new Pharmacy Burger Parlor & Beer Garden opened its doors officially today, and began slinging burgers, beer and ‘wurst at 731 McFerrin, just behind Holland House.

A little recap, for the (likely few folks) who’ve missed all the verbal salivating in advance of the new space: Holland House’s Terrell Raley is behind The Pharmacy, with brother Trent Raley running the kitchen. Emerging from said kitchen: burgers made with organic Tennessee beef; an array of from-scratch sausages; black bean and falafel burgers for the non-meat-eaters; lots more. From the bar: more than 60 beers; classic soda fountain-style carbonated beverages; shakes and malts.

Double bonus: As The Pharmacy was built as a beer garden, diners will be able to enjoy al fresco (even in our wintry mix, bold diners can do so, sort of — part of the space has heaters and elements-shielding plastic).

So, do the results deliver on the anticipation? We’re a little under the weather around here, but couldn’t stand missing out, so a Farm burger — pictured above — was delivered by a kind loved one to our waiting hands for a first Pharmacy taste.

Said burger’s breakdown: a healthy-sized, charmingly imperfect patty of juicy local beef; a perfectly runny sunny-side-up egg; thick slices of bacon (that were slightly undercooked for our taste, but we like ‘em crispy); thin slices of country ham; a perfectly proportioned, but very soft bun.

The beef was seasoned and cooked to a full thumbs up, and the salty bacon and ham mixed with the sweet runny yolk for a seriously balanced world of burger flavor. Those of you who don’t cotton to the very soft brand of buns: Prepare to potentially be bummed. Ours had a nice grill on the meat-approximate sides, but was intensely doughy and pliable on the whole; we love a soft, doughy bun, so no complaints here, but we know the doughy/bready bun thing is a passionate debate.

Potato accoutrements come in either fry or tot form; the fries are of the thin, shoestring variety, and were crispy and a nice degree of salty. The tots: pretty standard tots — which, really, ain’t such a bad thing — but a lot more crispy than you’ll find on a lunch line.

The question on many a Nashville burger lover’s lips: Are these better than Gabby’s'? Consensus around our circle was mixed, but we have a two out of three vote in favor of The Pharmacy. (Though, if we’re pledging burger allegiance, we still have to plant our feet firmly in Marche’s ring, as their juice-monster of a burger remains the best we’ve had in Nashville or anywhere else.)

Opening night’s set to be a late one, so you’ll have plenty of time to taste for yourself today — via Facebook, The Pharmacy folks said they’ll be open “until we feel like closing.” Their own Josiah Lester will “supply some grooves” (we’ll read that as DJing) starting at 10 p.m., and they’ll be dealing $3 Spaten Munich Dunkels, in deference to the German origins of the beer garden.

For more: Visit The Pharmacy on Facebook.

Above Farm burger photo: The Pharmacy Facebook