Anniversary Dinner in Nashville

I'll be spending my anniversary in Nashville this year, and while we'll be hitting our fair share of Meat & 3's, BBQ & Biscuits, I'm looking for an upscale place serving southern-inspired cooking for dinner on a Sunday. Kind of like Big Jones, only local. Does anyone have a suggestion for me?

If you can get in, I've heard that the Catbird Seat is pretty awesome.

=R=

The Catbird Seat
1711 Division St
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 810-8200

We've had dinner three times at Margot's Cafe and Bar and have loved it each time. It's small, cozy and romantic Margot's Cafe and Bar Oops, just read your OP and see that you wanted something like Big Jones...this is a French restaurant. I was just thinking of what I would like on MY anniversary
Also you can have drinks at the Patterson House before which is fun. It's a little like the Violet Hour.
The Patterson House

Husk. Period.

Diane wrote:We've had dinner three times at Margot's Cafe and Bar and have loved it each time. It's small, cozy and romantic Margot's Cafe and Bar Oops, just read your OP and see that you wanted something like Big Jones...this is a French restaurant. I was just thinking of what I would like on MY anniversary
Also you can have drinks at the Patterson House before which is fun. It's a little like the Violet Hour.
The Patterson House

Actually, Margot's looked pretty good, but also closed Sunday. This might be harder than I thought. (Husk was booked up.)

stevez wrote:

Diane wrote:We've had dinner three times at Margot's Cafe and Bar and have loved it each time. It's small, cozy and romantic Margot's Cafe and Bar Oops, just read your OP and see that you wanted something like Big Jones...this is a French restaurant. I was just thinking of what I would like on MY anniversary
Also you can have drinks at the Patterson House before which is fun. It's a little like the Violet Hour.
The Patterson House

Actually, Margot's looked pretty good, but also closed Sunday. This might be harder than I thought. (Husk was booked up.)

Darn! Sorry!
We have also had dinner at the Hermitage Hotel's dining room-the Capital Grille (not the chain) and it was very good.
The Capital Grille
I was pleasantly surprised-good wine list, good food, pretty setting.

Anyone ever try The Southern? A friend just recommended it, but I don't consider him to be the final word on dining.

When I was in Nashville last summer, my family and I went for one upscale meal, City House. From what I know of Brock, it's not in the league of Husk, but it was a very fine place nonetheless. Think of it as a Southern version of Mado (with good cocktails). On Sunday's they do a special set of small plates. They post the menu, see last week's here. It would not be a posh dinner, but a fun one.

Diane wrote:

stevez wrote:

Diane wrote:We've had dinner three times at Margot's Cafe and Bar and have loved it each time. It's small, cozy and romantic Margot's Cafe and Bar Oops, just read your OP and see that you wanted something like Big Jones...this is a French restaurant. I was just thinking of what I would like on MY anniversary
Also you can have drinks at the Patterson House before which is fun. It's a little like the Violet Hour.
The Patterson House

Actually, Margot's looked pretty good, but also closed Sunday. This might be harder than I thought. (Husk was booked up.)

Darn! Sorry!
We have also had dinner at the Hermitage Hotel's dining room-the Capital Grille (not the chain) and it was very good.
The Capital Grille
I was pleasantly surprised-good wine list, good food, pretty setting.

Okay, my daughter just got her MBA from Vanderbilt - these are her favorites:

Kayne Prime
Rolf & Daughters
Monell's
Loveless Cafe
Lockeland Table
Silly Goose
Miel

I've got twins starting as freshmen at Vanderbilt this fall, so have visited a couple times recently. We loved the dinner we had at the Germantown Cafe about a month ago and are planning on returning there when we drop the kids off in a couple weeks. Many of the dishes have a southern influence, although they are definitely not striving for the authentic vibe I've noticed at Big Jones. The restaurant has a nice view of downtown too...

We actually spent an anniversary in Nashville recently, and were in Nashville a few months before. Our favorites:

1. Husk - we've been twice and absolutely love it. We ate in the dining room the first time and it was a great atmosphere with those lovely windows, and then we ate in the bar the most recent time during brunch and really enjoyed mixing it up with the bartender (who was outstanding, even as the sole bartender making cocktails for the entire restaurant during a very busy brunch). The oft-talked about burger was good, but not even near the same league as Au Cheval. Biscuits were awesome, especially with the sausage gravy. My favorite item of our entire trip, though, was the shrimp and grits - I have never liked grits, and he made me a convert. Pic below.



2. Lockeland Table - I love that this place seems to be smack in the middle of a neighborhood. Really solid food, creative cocktails (a lot of amaro, as expected), it was small, bustling, and fun. Pizzas, small pasta dishes (our gnocchi was very good), and other random items (Shepherd's Pie, empanadas, mussels, pork and shrimp dumplings) completed a strange menu, but everything was done very well. Our favorite item was the crab and corn fritters, which I expected to be dry but were surprisingly moist and flavorful.



3. 404 Kitchen - this is a new restaurant that only recently opened, and we were actually staying in the adjoining 4-room boutique hotel (highly recommended). It was a semifinalist for James Beards' best new restaurant, although didn't become a finalist. A relatively well-known chef in the area did some cool things, including some housemade pasta with truffles (their "truffled egg study" whatever that means), an admirable (if a bit bland cioppino) stocked with seafood and perfectly cooked fish, and a perfect gnudi with short rib that I could have eaten all night. The whiskey selection here was top notch, with the managing partner being an Englishman with a master of whisky from Scotland, with some good stories of his time spent in restaurants in San Francisco, Dallas, and other areas of our country. Very friendly folks and if you can snag a table (it's very small and very popular), I'd recommend it.



4. Hattie B's - this place gets crazy busy, but really good Nashville hot chicken. Really good. Go.

5. Broadway Brewhouse (in West End) - a really laid back vibe, I really enjoyed their gumbo, and they have a phenomenal beer list.

6. Peg Leg Porker - some good dry rub bbq here. Really enjoyed the ribs.

7. Rumours (in the Gulch) - Caleb (I believe) was one of the nicest bartenders and most knowledgeable I've run into. Great cocktails, incredible service. This guy deserves an award for being awesome, and I was only there for 30 minutes.