1 of 2
2 of 2
At the heart of Tailor, Vivek Surti’s singular and delectable restaurant, is the intersection of food, drink, heritage, and family.
More than a decade ago, Nashvillians were introduced to Surti through his popular pop-up supper club, Vivek’s Epicurean Adventures. But his story begins as a first generation Indian American growing up in the south. His palate was informed by the culinary traditions of his Gujarati parents and grandparents. He came to embrace cooking using seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients. A self-taught chef, Surti broadened his knowledge through travels and trial and error. Surti’s was an avocation that became an impassioned life’s calling: With business partner Heather Southerland he transitioned from pop-up to bricks and mortar, taking up residence in the back of the old Southern Broom & Mop Co. building in Germantown. In 2018, the duo introduced Tailor, a multi-course dining experience where guests can relish in the flavors and dishes of Surti’s heritage—a meld of South Asian and American cuisines—and the stories behind them, presented in an intimate dinner party setting.
Now, Surti and Southerland begin a new chapter with the unveiling of Tailor’s stunning new home on the perfectly-named Taylor Street, just blocks from the former site. The building, which shares a brick wall with Rolf & Daughters, had also been a Werthan Industries boiler room. For Surti, the raw 2000 square foot space provided the right blank slate.
“Our concept is the same,” says Surti. “We are serving Thursday through Sunday, with seatings at 6 and 8:30 pm. Heather and I assessed our pressure points from the old place: the flow, how we receive people, how we bring them into the experience. And how we graciously flip the room.”
“Vivek was very intentional with his vision,” says Southerland, who oversees the front-of-house service as well as the beverage program. “We wanted a natural and easy progression to highlight those wow moments.”
Entering the restaurant, you feel as though you are being welcomed into someone’s home. Yes, it’s a bar and a reception area, but it has the look and vibe of a living room, with couches and chairs, books and plants, chandeliers and cabinetry, all designed in rich jewel tones. Overhead is a dried floral installation by Tennessee Jane of Saint Maide, entwining the flowers of India—marigolds and jasmine. It’s a lovely spot to sit, relax, and have a drink while you await the next step.
When it is time to be seated, you’re ushered out of the living room and through the butler’s pantry for the grand reveal. Centered in the space’s eye-catching archway hangs a majestic chandelier, a dazzling showpiece from Tailor’s first iteration, which originally hung in Surti’s childhood home. The combination open kitchen-dining room is impressive. Surti had the kitchen custom-designed to accommodate all kinds of cooking. He’s excited to have a flat top range, a fryer, and a grill at his fingertips.
“Before, we had two induction burners and a hot box, with limited access to an oven and stovetop in a shared kitchen,” says Surti. “Now, we have the equipment to showcase a much wider variety of dishes.”
The menu arrangement remains unchanged, although Surti has made some tweaks (including some newly introduced one-bite snacks). The overall menu changes seasonally, but there can be modifications from one day of service to the next.
“We order a whole lamb each week. We’ll make lamb tartare for all four nights. We’ll cook the bones to make our saffron sauce. One night, we’ll offer rib loin wrapped in lamb belly, the next night, belly-wrapped sirloin, the next night, roast legs, and then kebabs,” he says. “We use the entire animal.”
Surti takes the same holistic approach with fish, using the belly for crudo, then steaming the fillets for a main dish and preparing the skin, spiced and shatteringly- crisp, as a condiment. “We save the collars for something celebratory or special bites at the chef ’s table, or late-night industry snacks.” While Surti demonstrates his creativity with the mains, he balances that with a portion of the menu devoted to traditional Gujarati thali. (Thali is Hindu for plate.)
“This aspect is the most heartfelt,” says Surti, who named the restaurant for the trade of both of his grandfathers. “It focuses on the food of my grandmother—the dishes that we, as tailors, ate at home.”
This includes Rotli, unleavened bread also used as a utensil; Dal Bhaat, stewed pulses and basmati rice; and Shak, a seasonal vegetable. The varieties are endless but follow this same formula. Anyone who has savored Tailor’s Gujarati Sweet-Sour Lentils and rice feels its blanket of comfort.
Surti muses, “My cousin has it down to this abbreviation: For dinner, we’re having RDBS.” It’s worth noting that they’ve included a wine cellar in the buildout, which will expand Southerland’s ability to provide more high touch service for her guests. She’s been working with Surti to fully integrate the bar program with the culinary offerings.
“We have a strong team, and it is our priority to continue giving our guests the Tailor experience we’re known for,” says Southerland. “We are yes people. It is selfless service.”
When changing a restaurant’s location, there is a risk that a key element essential to its identity could get lost in the move. Not so at Tailor. More than retaining that intangible feeling of warmth and hospitality, it expresses it in greater fashion. And the guests pay what Surti and Southerland consider the highest compliment: It feels like home.
(620 Taylor St.; tailornashville.com)