Emily Dorio
On the 34th floor of the JW Marriott, your perspective changes. Indeed, it heightens, as you take in the unparalleled vistas of city and sky. But it magnifies, as you put yourself in the care of the Bourbon Steak staff. They expertly guide you in making cocktail and wine selections, preside over deft tableside presentations, and tend to your dining needs seamlessly. You realize: the art of fine service is everything. It makes chef Michael Mina’s signatures—his premium oak-fired steaks, shellfish broiled in red miso butter, and Maine lobster pot pie in brandied cream—all the more luxurious and memorable.
michaelmina.net/restaurants/tennessee
Set within the base of the 21c Museum and Hotel, Gray & Dudley offers up its own form of modern art. The space is adorned with conversation-starting original sculptures, strategically lit to provide emphasis. And now, the menu brings a new form of artful exhibition thanks to the work of chef Rob Newton, originally from Arkansas and recently arrived from Brooklyn. Newton’s passion for Southeast Asian cuisine blends with his own Southern upbringing in dishes like steamed beef rangoons napped with red-eye gravy, and duck-ham laced fried rice. It all provides strokes of color and flavor on the plate, worthy of the restaurant’s location.
Occupying a corner perch of the Thompson Nashville, Marsh House offers a prime seat for watching the city go by, as well as one of the best seafood-driven menus in town. Chef Nathan Duensing’s seafood sensibilities are drawn to the Gulf with oysters, crawfish, gumbo, and shrimp all in heavy rotation. Get the seafood tower for the full effect. But you can also tuck in for breakfast, featuring the outstanding pastries of chef Lisa Marie White, or brunch, when sunlight streams over tables, for a tall, stately burger. For a truly happy hour, head over in the early evening for a plate of caviar-filled ranch served with potato chips alongside or the $5 “chambong” and oyster deal.
Mandy Lunn The Tennessean
Capitol Grille at the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, August 14, 2007.
At the Capitol Grille, inside the historic (and Forbes Five Star rated) Hermitage Hotel, Southern traditions of excellence have long run strong. After chef Tyler Brown’s departure in late 2015, those hit a wobble or two. Now under the leadership of executive chef Derek Brooks, who’s led the kitchen since December 2017, the restaurant has regained its superlative confluence of fine food, beverages, and service. Oysters Rockefeller with creamed collards. Roasted beet salad with whipped feta and baby greens. Sorghum-braised short rib in hot pepper mash. The dedication to using produce from Glen Leven Farm, in partnership with The Land Trust for Tennessee, continues with delicious results.
The look of Henley, its meld of modern and turn-of-the-last century elements, beckons visitors and locals alike, first for a drink. Like the Betty Davis eyes graphic over the marble bar, mixologist master Benjamin Rouse’s cocktails are pretty and potent. (The Manhattans!) Executive chef Daniel Gorman makes playful, Southern-inspired fare to match, from his “Trailer Baby Cracker” saltines topped with pimento cheese and Gulf crab to his Cheerwine-glazed heritage porterhouse pork chop. And, general manager James Garrido sees that service is smooth and personable. (Ask about The Rabbit Hole, Gorman’s intimate, multi-coursed tasting, in a niche behind a panel in the restaurant’s clubby backroom.)