If you have picked up a copy of the April issue of Nashville Lifestyles, then you have already seen our ranking of Nashville's best restaurants 2019.
We're counting down our list revealing 1 of our top 15 picks every day. We hope you use this list as a guide whenever you find yourself asking the question: Where should we go to eat tonight?
Emily Dorio
It’s rare to sit before a group of working chefs, watch as they operate with a quiet assuredness, and think: Man, that looks fun.
At Bastion, diners get front-row seats as a small crew of cooks, led by chef Josh Habiger, move with precision and grace, slivering, drizzling, and plating the selection of modern dishes that parade forth each night. The restaurant is an extension of Habiger himself—he wants it to feel like he’s invited you to his house, complete with a curated record collection to set the tone. Having launched a similar, more formal dining concept with The Catbird Seat (see number 6), Habiger has made things personal at Bastion.
Emily Dorio
The room is unfussy—understated and casual. And by appearances, the food is, too. Some dishes arrive looking like a pile of leaves or ground grains in a mound.
But underneath, it’s revolutionary. Ingredients are combined in imaginative ways, deceptively packed with layers of flavor. Sliced raw cobia with bits of freeze-dried raspberry scattered over the top. Lamb tartare set over a yogurt made of sesame seeds. Bite after bite, you come to realize that these dishes took days, maybe weeks to conceptualize. And after that meal, may be gone or altered forever, a fleeting moment of flavor, exquisitely executed.
Without fanfare, the chefs act as servers, diligently and quietly plating the food, before delivering to you by hand. No theatrics. Just a quick nod of accomplishment.
Dining this way feels like more than a good meal. It’s an experience, punctuated by quiet confidence, lack of pretension, and a brief glimpse of genius within.
434 Houston St., 615-490-8434; bastionnashville.com
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