The January Hit List: Audrey, Rolf and Daughters, Husk, and More

For more than a decade, Husk has represented the epitome of farm-to-table fare in Nashville. Even while managing through staff changes in the kitchen, the restaurant has remained a laser focus on the mandate by opening chef Sean Brock, “If it doesn’t come from the South, it’s not coming through the kitchen door!” The stately Italianate mansion that is home to Husk was once the home of a 19th-century Nashville mayor, yet the cuisine continues to combine modernism with historical techniques of preservation, pickling, and some of the finest fried chicken in the land.

The kitchen and the bar staff both take full advantage of the restaurant’s garden, where they grow heritage seeds into plants that show up as ingredients and garnishes in dishes and drinks. Genteel hospitality is another important part of the service at Husk, with an informed staff leading diners through an ever-changing menu.

Chef Philip Krajeck made the move to Nashville after earning a James Beard nomination for his work in the kitchen at Fish Out of Water on Hwy 30A in the Florida panhandle. Why would anyone leave paradise to jump into the competitive Nashville hospitality market? Because he thought it would be a great place to raise his children — the “and daughters” of the restaurant’s name — and Nashville is a much better place because of his decision.

Rolf and Daughters continues to innovate, introducing many local diners to cutting-edge culinary trends through the years: communal tables, natural wines, naturally fermented pastas and pizza crusts, bitter amari-based cocktails to whet the appetite before a meal, and whole-animal cookery. Not one to rest on his laurels, Krajeck continues to push the envelope of traditional rustic European cuisine by placing vegetables and seafood at the forefront of dishes, and introducing unexpected flavor elements to the delight of lucky diners. His cooking has become emblematic of the city’s progress.

After leaving the tables set and ready for guests for more than a year while waiting out the pandemic, chef Sean Brock finally opened his shrine to Appalachia in late 2021. Since then, Audrey has set a standard for thoughtful design combined with elements of the rural cooking of Brock’s youth. Open-fire cookery combines with molecular gastronomy to extract the essence of heritage ingredients like sour corn and greasy beans, creating 21st century dishes that still manage to tell the story of the hardscrapple residents of Appalachia.

Intricately-plated presentations demonstrate obvious skill from the kitchen crew, and Brock continues to push the cuisine forward with a perpetual reimagining of the flavors of his native region. Whether á la carte or as part of a fixed menu of the kitchen’s favorite dishes of the moment served family-style, a dinner at Audrey is always a treat.

Chef Josh Habiger burst onto the local restaurant scene as one of the opening chefs at the experimental Midtown restaurant The Catbird Seat, which introduced many Nashville diners to the wonders of a chef’s table. He reinvented the concept at his own restaurant, Bastion, moving away from performance spotlight to a focus on the food. Some of the city’s most talented chefs have worked by his side here before moving on to open their own spots.

The vibe at Bastion is decidedly chill, both on the Big Bar side where the only food on offer are some transcendent nachos, as well as in the cozy 24-seat dining room. Guests put themselves in Habiger’s able hands as he and his small staff create tasting menus revolving around ingredients that currently interest the cooks. Don’t be surprised if a chef moves away from his or her station to change the album on the turntable. It’s just another way that they’re controlling the environment to maximize the enjoyment of their patrons.

For reservations, call 615-490-8434.

Pizza master Michael Hanna created a reputation for himself by popping up in different locales around Nashville to introduce local diners to his band of Silicilian-style pies, known as sfincione. After setting down roots with his own restaurant in The Gulch, Hanna finally has a kitchen where he can perfect the seemingly impossible combination of airy and crispy crust that sets his pizza apart.

Topped with intriguing combinations of flavors like squash, hazelnuts, and goat cheese or the popular roasted potato, lemon, and potato cream, St. Vito’s sfincione has revolutionized the pizza scene in Nashville. Whether you’re looking for a sandwich or a slice at lunch or a full pie at dinnertime, St. Vito is bound to surprise and delight.

For a city like Nashville where transplants from California are often viewed with suspicion (at the very least), East Side Banh Mi owners Chad Newton and Grace Nguyen were quickly welcomed with open arms by the local dining community. In fact, notable Nashville restaurants clamored to be the next addition to the restaurant’s monthly roster of guest chef-inspired sandwiches, a high honor for all involved.

Combining classic elements of Vietnamese cuisine with family recipes and locally-sourced ingredients, ESBM has created a whole new category of sandwich shop. Ham hocks, pork shoulder, and smoked bologna step in for the usual Vietnamese chua lua ham and paté paté to create a version of the classic banh mi that is exotic and familiar at the same time, and Nguyen’s fresh house-baked baguettes provide the perfect canvas for her culinary inspiration. Salads, rice and noodle bowls are also available for those seeking “non-mi” options.

No reservations. More info here.

As soon as patrons enter this zen space with its background of chill house music, they’re grounded in the present moment, exactly what the owners of Present Tense are looking for. The proprietors have worked in the kitchens and front-of-house at renowned restaurants across the globe and have brought their appreciation of exemplary hospitality and artistic cuisine with them to this venture.

The specialty of the house is sake sourced from Asia and the U.S. GM Rick Margaritov’s encyclopedic knowledge of the spirit ensures perfect pairings with chef Ryan Costanza’s menu of small bites and large plates.

Our big pro tip? The new omakase experience at Present Tense is a 2-plus hour long journey through the mind of the chef with more than a dozen focused dishes prepared and explained by Costanza for no more than six people at a time. Let Margaritov provide the suggested sakes to complement the journey, and you’ll really understand the restaurant’s gestalt.

When chef Margot McCormack opened her inviting little restaurant in a converted 1930s gas station, the Five Points neighborhood surrounding it barely had any dining options, fast food or otherwise. Her bold venture quickly became the culinary heart of East Nashville, the sort of place where residents have standing reservations to dine and catch up with their neighbors on a weekly basis.

In addition to the charming ambiance in the appropriately lively dining room and small bar, it’s the restaurant’s commitment to fresh, local ingredients artfully presented on a menu that changes daily that keeps us coming back again and again. Grounded in classic culinary techniques, the kitchen presents Provençal cuisine that feels completely logical and fresh in the middle of the hipster East Side, and Margot (both the chef and the restaurant) is an essential part of the city’s soul.

This Japanese-inspired pub and ramen house introduces the traditional izakaya experience to Nashvillians without taking a flight to Tokyo. Visitors create multi-course meals out of small plates of comfort food, sushi, and bowls of ramen paired with appropriate beers, sakes, shochu, cocktails, and wines while soaking in the clubby vibe created by the use of dark wood and other natural materials that create an intimate and comfortable environment.

Even within the strict confines of izakaya traditions, the kitchen manages to include fun little Southern influences in dishes like Japanese fried chicken and sorghum soy skirt steak yakitori. While reservations are strongly suggested, they always hold back some space for walk-in customers, and a seat at a communal table is a great way to make some new friends, an integral part of the izakaya concept.

In a town filled with excellent taco options, Maiz de la Vida stands out thanks to chef Julio Hernandez’s fanatical dedication to spreading the gospel of heirloom Mexican corn, literally the “corn of life” that inspired the restaurant’s name. You haven’t truly tasted a tortilla until you’ve tried one made with maize sourced from Mexican fields, nixtamalized and ground by hand to create the perfect texture, and then griddled on a flattop before being stuffed with expertly prepared fillings to create transcendent tacos, enchiladas, and burritos. Don’t forget to take home a package of almost translucent lard-infused tortillas to raise your family Taco Tuesday to the next level.

Currently operating out of a small tortilleria in North Nashville and from a taco truck in residence at East Nashville tiki bar Chopper, Maiz de la Vida will receive a huge upgrade when its new larger location opens up this spring in the Gulch.

No reservations. More info here.