New on Resy: lou, Emmy Squared Green Hills, Miel Restaurant

If a Venice Beach bohemian and a charismatic Frenchman opened up a restaurant, it would look a lot like lou. This all-day gem from chef-owner Mailea Weger serves brunch seven days a week, and when the kitchen isn’t busy whipping up breakfast cakes, the bar is pouring some of the city’s best natural wines. Pair your sips with your choice of small plates (Japanese street corn, roasted kabocha in mole) or simply cake.

Detroit-style pizza just got a sprawling stage to preach its rectangular slice gospel. Emmy Squared Green Hills is the second Nashville and overall largest location from the Brooklyn-based Pizza Loves Emily empire. Here, 5,500 square feet and two patios spotlight pies that get the “frico” treatment — cheese drizzled onto the pizza edges for a shatteringly crisp brown crust.

If you’re unsure of what’s good and in season, a trip to Miel Restaurant should suffice. Reading the menu at this decade-old stalwart — an early pioneer in Nashville’s local food movement — is a lesson in seasonality and taste, and one where local purveyors shine. Pro Tip: Warmer days call for Miel’s lovely back garden, one of the city’s best al fresco spots.

Parson’s Chicken & Fish is on a mission to prove that wallet-friendly, fast-casual fare can be well-sourced, without skimping on the quality. This Chicago import is a shack-like eatery known for its negroni slushies and skills with the fryer: Beer-battered fish, expertly fried chicken, and cream cheese-laced hushpuppies are noted highlights.

Housed in Printers’ Alley coolest boutique hotel, Tavern at Bobby is a stylish hideaway where elegance and grit collide. Using seasonal ingredients, the kitchen executes American staples to the nines, especially what has been called Downtown’s best burger. Head upstairs to Bobby’s Rooftop Lounge, which has transformed into a wintery paradise, private igloos included.

In a converted shipping container right off the Charlotte Pike, plant-based cuisine reigns supreme. Avo serves a vegan menu fresh out of the farmers market, twisting the unlikeliest of produce into familiar dishes. Think nachos loaded with coconut queso and sun dried tomato-and-walnut chorizo; pad thai with zucchini and kelp noodles; and a Bourguignon that slips in meaty mushrooms instead of beef.

Though it may not feel like winter, a ride up the 27 flights to L27 Rooftop Lounge might fool you into thinking otherwise. There, you’ll enter a bona fide chalet, where tartan throws, snow-covered trees, and a stunning citywide view serve as the backdrop to Swiss fondue and rum-spiked hot chocolate, amongst other boozy delights. Try the adult version of a PB&J.

Though Santo comes from the same team that gave us family favorite Epice, it is a stunning spot dripping in sleek wood and golden accents. Santo dishes a polished Mediterranean menu where the likes of braised lamb neck brush up against duck cassoulet. Do browse the wine list, which pulls from countries surrounding the Mediterranean, and offers vintages at every price point.

At Dallas & Jane, chef Alex Belew pays tribute to his grandparents not just by name, but in style. Lauded as a Murfreesboro hidden gem, Dallas & Jane cooks to the tune of the seasons, delivering an ever-changing menu that satisfies. Pastas shouldn’t be missed — they’re fresh and locally made — and the cocktails are outstanding, shaken and stirred with house-made syrups, bitters, and shrubs.

With its third outpost, The Eastern Peak is now supplying the North Gulch with its bevy of Asian specialties. There’s Korean in the shape of hot chicken confit and kimchi fried rice, or Japanese with sushi rolls, katsu dons, and bento boxes. But it’s the Thai side that dominates with a roster of the usual suspects, as tom yum soup, drunken noodles, and massaman curry light up the tables.

City Winery is all about the grapes — so much so that every dish comes with a recommended pairing. A winery, music venue, and restaurant all in one, this sprawling Pie Town facility imports, crushes, and ferments its grapes on site. Get the chorizo poutine with a suggested glass of Pinot Gris.

Self-described as a “brothel of epicurean delights,” Suzy Wong’s House of Yum is Nashville’s go-to drag brunch destination. And as fabulous personas strut up and down the dining floor, the kitchen serves up food where the East meets the South, from katsu chicken and waffles to wasabi deviled eggs.

Boozy brunch with a view doesn’t get any better than Rock Bottom Brewery. This Broadway locale boasts no less than 17 small-batch beers on tap alongside a rooftop bar and appealing bites. Get handsy with kölsch-battered fish and chips, nachos, and firecracker shrimp.

Tucked away in the heart of Music City, JWB Grill is here to feed the night owl crowds, whether you’re a Margaritaville Hotel resident or not. The menu is a melting pot of influences that have become part of America’s culinary lexicon, boasting everything from short rib empanadas to pork au poivre.