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Nicola Harger
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Nicola Harger
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Nicola Harger
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Nicola Harger
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Nicola Harger
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Nicola Harger
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Nicola Harger
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Nicola Harger
On April 15, 2009, The Patterson House (TPH) opened its doors in Midtown, forever changing the cocktail culture of Nashville. Patterned after Chicago’s renowned bar, The Violet Hour, and under the direction of then-GM Josh Habiger, TPH introduced us to the sophistication, playfulness, mystique, and downright lusciousness of the well-conceived sip, savored in an escapist, speakeasy-style setting. The interplay of spirits, alchemy, and ice elevated the craft to a new standard.
Habiger — not only an alum of The Violet Hour, but also Alinea and Craft — valued the one-on-one relationship a bartender has with a guest, something he wished could happen for a chef. Two years later, that wish manifested in The Catbird Seat, perched a floor above TPH, with Habiger and Erik Anderson as lead chefs of the avant-garde restaurant. Working inside the signature U-shaped counter, they engaged with guests, as they prepared and served extraordinary dishes, all part of a multi-course tasting menu, a mystery to each guest, until presentation.
What The Patterson House did for cocktail bars, The Catbird Seat did for fine dining.
Both were conceived as experiences in constant evolution — the former ever in pursuit of honing the libations; the latter acting as an incubation and launchpad for innovative chefs.
Evolution continues: The month of May marked a new chapter for both concepts as The Patterson House and The Catbird Seat (now in its sixth iteration) welcomed guests to their new digs on the top floor of the Bill Voorhees building (aka Paseo South) on 8th Avenue South. There is a risk, in changing locations, that a key component will get lost. Be assured, Strategic Hospitality partners Ben Goldberg, Max Goldberg, Josh Habiger, and the team made mindful (dare we say strategic?) decisions to preserve the integrity and character of each while making desired — and needed — improvements. You’ll be enthralled.
Enter the building and take the elevator up to floor five. You’ll step out into a dimly lit reception. To your left is The Patterson House, anew. The space is dark and swanky, modern, with a nod to pre-Prohibition times. You’ll note floor-to-ceiling windows draped in deep blue, upholstered banquettes lining long tables, and cozy chairs in niche seating. Retro elements like the pressed copper ceiling and patterned wallpaper add to the of-a-time ambiance, with beaded chandeliers illuminating the array of spirits arranged on the shelves of the central bar. To longtime guests of TPH, much feels familiar, yet more spacious and refined.
One critical aspect is greater kitchen space. (The Midtown location had a mere 100 square feet.) Now the staff has room to stretch themselves: making shrubs, syrups, bitters, liqueurs, sprays, infusions, all of the components needed to execute both their Long and Short cocktail menus.
The Short Menu is a rotating selection of West Coast-inspired drinks: forward, experimental, and generally, never made before now, because they didn’t have the space. Examples? Mango Negroni is a terrific one, made with Wonderbird no.97 experimental Magnolia Gin, Campari, Bruto Americano, passion fruit, a sake-vermouth blend, and, of course, mango. Or consider the Fig Leaf Paloma, with a vegetal elixir and fig leaf syrup adding complexity to the traditional tequila with lime, grapefruit, and soda. We also noticed one featured in TPH’s 2009 opening menu: Bacon Old Fashioned, which drew raves back in the day for Four Roses yellow label bourbon infused with the deeply smoked taste of Benton’s bacon. These will never appear on the Long Menu, which is more classic, East Coast-derived. (It’s been calculated that they’ve created over 1,200 different cocktails over 16 years. The Long Menu will feature about 150 of them at a time.)
And then, there’s the food.
Co-executive chefs Andy Doubrava and Tiffani Ortiz work deeply with ingredients in a closed-loop menu, meaning they use sustainable practices, root-to-stem, to minimize food waste. Helming The Catbird Seat 6.0 and overseeing the food menus of TPH, the couple gained acclaim for their nomadic cooking venture, Slow Burn, where they traveled the country for two years doing one-night pop-ups on farms, ranches, and at restaurants, using ingredients grown and foraged in the area, plus the extensive larder of preserved ingredients they’d prepared along the way. Connecting with Strategic Hospitality was kismet. “There was clear tie-in with our ethos,” says Doubrava. “We were used to a rotating larder and venue, which fits with The Catbird Seat. We could bounce ideas off Josh (Habiger) and Matt (TPH chef Atkinson.)”
To accompany these esteemed libations, Doubrava and Ortiz have collaborated with Atkinson and Habiger, and designed a compelling menu that goes beyond snacks. Some highlights: Twice-cooked potatoes, all bite-sized globes in an array of types (Peruvian blues, new reds, and Yukon golds) are cloaked in a rich cheese sauce — just the right dish to ballast some potent booze. Hearth-roasted hakurei turnips in gremolata impart gratifying earthy sweetness. A simple salad of local lettuces gets its boost from shallots, fresh herbs, and white balsamic-honey vinaigrette. There’s a lovely vegetarian campanelle pasta dish of mushrooms, peas, and greens sparked with citrus. The heavy hitter of the menu is Doubrava’s One Pound Pork Chop, a thick, juicy bone-in marvel drenched in a whey-based sauce dotted with toasted coriander, herbs, and trout roe. And, have no worries, there is a burger, and it is oh-so delicious. The beef is from Bear Creek Ranch, the handheld available in single or double patties under a melt of Kenny’s cheddar, and served with a bowl of charred onion jus for dunking. (Think the best au jus you’ve ever had with a prime rib sandwich). Divine! Crispy fries and an addictive herbed aioli round out the plate. Satisfy your sweet tooth with a slice of Chocolate Basque Cake, or a bowl of warm sweet cream donuts.
“The menu is really a reflection of what we like to eat, filtered through the lens of a high-end cocktail bar,” says Ortiz. “We wanted to offer substantial late-night food that we felt the city was missing.”
What has evolved in this grand move is a symbiotic relationship between the two kitchens — a sharing of ingredients, or parts of ingredients — further promoting the closed-loop system. Patrons of TPH may be offered a special, such as halibut rillettes made with trimmings from a fish course at The Catbird Seat. There have times when the two collaborate on the f ly. Ortiz calls it socially inclusive. As the team gets into its rhythm, and summer produce comes to the fore, expect a dynamism in offerings — even items grown or raised by the chefs themselves.
As Doubrava tells it, “There’s a custard that Tiffani and her sous chef have created that uses eggs from our chickens who have been fed vegetable trimmings from The Catbird Seat kitchen — that’s about as full-circle, closed-loop as you can get!”