The June Hit List: Halls Chophouse, L.A. Jackson, Butchertown Hall, and More

Halls is celebrating one year in Nashville this month, and it hasn’t taken the opulent steakhouse long to rise to the upper echelon of the crowded upscale meat market. The combination of hand-cut aged USDA Prime steaks and attentive customer service has quickly made them a favorite for business dinners, foodie tourism, special occasions, and anyone seeking an outstanding dining experience. 

The Mockingbird proves that the kitchen can be dead serious about a menu of globally-inspired cuisine and still have a lot of fun at the same time. The convivial atmosphere in the multiple dining spaces extends to an attractive patio where diners can see and be seen as part of the scene in the burgeoning North Gulch neighborhood. From punches served like adult juice bags to whimsical small plates and decadent entrees, everything about The Mockingbird exudes a good time.

Call 615-741-9900 for reservations.

Sometimes it’s best to observe the fracas of the Gulch from above, and L.A. Jackson offers the ideal aerie to take in the action in a more serene location. With an expansive wraparound deck and plenty of seating options inside as well, the bar offers inventive cocktail options, including large-format drinks intended for sharing. (Really, don’t try to tackle one by yourself!) The tight menu of tuned-up bar snacks is easy to make a meal of or to split with the same friends sharing your voluminous “Drunk in Love” cocktail with.

You can smell the smoke at Butchertown Hall before you even enter the restaurant, and that’s a good thing! The best parts of the menu feature items that cook over live fire, from wood-fired oysters to tender pork ribs to some of the best brisket in town. A selection of Tex-Mex tacos also benefits from the kiss of smoke off the grill, and your choice of multiple margarita options provide excellent company for the tacos.

Now under new management, East Nashville’s favorite French wine bar is still a francophile’s dream. The new owners are both from France and still exert a strong European influence over the extensive menu of wines, most served by the glass. Classic bistro bar food options range from foie gras and duck rillettes to caviar, cheese and charcuterie plates, all designed to create a proper Parisian atmosphere.

For reservations, call 615-948-8654.

Even after changing the name, concept and menu from Firefly Grille to Cole’s Kitchen, this small independent restaurant remains a family favorite in the more chain-centric Green Hills neighborhood. The fun melange of continental and Southern cuisine is thoughtfully executed and offers something for almost anyone. A dessert flourish of a slice of the restaurant’s famous coconut cake might leave you wishing you could take a whole one home, and guess what? You can.

After a couple of years popping up at various restaurants around town, chef Michael Hanna finally has a home to call his own, and he’s taking full advantage of the opportunity. His take on Sicilian-inspired sfincione pies has changed the way that many Nashville diners think about pizza. Or perhaps more accurately, how often they think about it. (Which is constantly.) By the pie or by the slice, it sure is nice to know exactly where to pick up one of chef Hanna’s creations whenever the craving strikes.

Call 615-880-6561 for reservations.

Specializing in Sonoran-style Mexican cuisine, Rosepepper has dominated “Best of” lists for more than a decade, and the restaurant shows no sign of slowing down. The bar is stocked with dozens of varieties of tequilas, a few of which show up in Rosepepper’s beloved margaritas, and the burritos that arrive on huge platters appear too large to eat, yet somehow rarely ever make it into a to-go container.

This dapper dinner club is class personified from the tip-top hospitality of the staff to a wine list curated by the state’s only master sommelier. Enjoy dinner and a show in the Supper Club with live music nightly or listen to local singer/songwriters in the elevated honky tonk on the ground floor. Twelve Thirty’s refined rooftop bar literally rises above the more raucous options in most other Lower Broad bars.

Call 629-236-0001 for reservations.

Sure, Redlands Grill may be an offshoot of the J. Alexander’s restaurant group, but there’s nothing wrong with being part of an organization that maintains this sort of focus on high-quality food and meticulous customer service. Only the best J. Alexander’s locations were spun off to this new flagship brand, and the West End outpost continues to offer a broad menu of food from sushi to steaks to lasagna, all expertly prepared and offered at appropriate prices.