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Only a few weeks into its opening, Husk Nashville had a reservation list that read like a who's who from the music and food worlds: Darius Rucker, the Zac Brown Band, chef Frank Stitt, and distiller Julian van Winkle had all stopped in. Bon Appetit named the original outpost of Husk in Charleston 'The Best New Restaurant in America” in 2011, and when chef Sean Brock decided to open this second location in Nashville's SoBro neighborhood, he brought an equal amount of fanfare with him.
Dishes To Try:
Since the menu changes twice daily, look for specific suppliers to guide you. Clams from Clammer Dave, beef from Double H Farms, poultry from White Oak Pastures, lamb from Border Springs Farm, and anything from Benton's Country Hams. Be sure to ask the extremely well-prepared servers for advice.
The Bar:
The downstairs bar features cocktails crafted with the same local ingredients that the kitchen uses. Suppliers like Belle Meade Bourbon and Corsair are featured, along with a host of incredible bourbons and whiskeys. A patio off the bar will make a great place to grab drinks before an outing to LP Field.
Like he did in Charleston, Brock put a great deal of emphasis on the location. Here, he settled on a refurbished 1880s mansion on Rutledge Hill that once served as the home of Nashville's 50th mayor, Richard Dudley. He also upholds the Southern-only approach to ingredients, even drawing the line at olive oil, which he sources from Georgia. But in Nashville, the focus has been put on Tennessee purveyors, many of which were recommended to Brock and McGlone by other local chefs.
'Tandy Wilson of City House and Tyler Brown from the Capitol Grille at the Hermitage Hotel introduced us to all sorts of great farmers like Bells Bend, Bloomsbury Farm, and Farmer Dave out of Bethpage, Tennessee,” says McGlone. 'In fact, we buy some of our vegetables from Glen Leven and the beef for our hamburger from Double H Farms, both of which are projects of the Hermitage Hotel and Tyler.”
The menu at Husk changes daily…twice. Before lunch and again before dinner, Brock and new Chef de Cuisine Tim Moody will confer to consider the availability of the absolute best and freshest ingredients and craft a menu around them. Diners can expect a selection of 10 to 12 small dishes, appropriate as appetizers or for sharing, as well as six or seven entrees. An abundant garden sits just outside of the dining roomnot only does it set a lovely backdrop for those seated inside at the rustic wooden tables, but will actually supply the kitchen with a host of fresh herbs and small batches of vegetables throughout the growing season. At the other end of the house, there are quieter dining rooms upstairs and a bar tucked into the terrace level of the building.
37 Rutledge St., 615-256-6565; husknashville.com