Chef Chris Cunningham brightens the menu at Sunset Grill, Hillsboro Village's 20-year-old dining landmark
Golden Hour
by Carrington FoxArticle Tools
Prices:
Feta-stuffed lamb meatballs $9
Bacon & eggs $10
Seared scallops $27
Braised lamb shank $24
Seafood platter $20
For 20 years, Sunset Grill has been a bellwether of the local dining scene, setting the bar for service, introducing food trends and providing the gastronomic anchor for a neighborhood that defines Nashville. For those two decades, Randy Rayburn — owner of Sunset, Midtown Cafe and Cabana — has commanded respect from his industry and loyalty from his diners, with consistent innovation and community involvement. If you like half-price late-night menus, thank Randy. If you like clean-air dining, thank Randy for his part in Smoke-Free Tennessee. Don't like guns in bars? Randy's had a hand in keeping weapons out of watering holes. And here's a challenge: Find a nonprofit organization in town that hasn't benefited from Rayburn's largesse.
It's easy to see how a personality like Rayburn could keep Sunset consistently muscular — and crepuscular — in restaurant rankings across town and beyond. But there have been times when those lists skirted the delicate issue of the food, focusing instead on the half-price wines or the full-strength social scene, when the edibles were less glowing.
But these days, the belle of Belcourt Avenue seems to be focusing as squarely on the food as on the stellar ambiance and the inimitably casual white-tablecloth service. Chef de cuisine Chris Cunningham, a self-taught culinarian and an alumnus of F. Scott's, 106 Club, Bound'ry and Zola, recently overhauled the menu, peppering the roster with new Southern-flavored items, reassuring classics and a dash of nostalgia.
Before you ask: Yes, the Sonoma Salad is still there, with not a Granny Smith apple or toasted almond out of place. And Voodoo Pasta still casts its meaty spell with chicken, shrimp and sausage in spicy tomato sauce. But those staples are at risk of losing most-favored-dish status to a sassy, breakfasty newcomer.
Don't mistake Cunningham's "Bacon & Eggs" for a low-brow consolation for diners lacking the stamina to stand in line at nearby Pancake Pantry. On the contrary, the twee triptych of sunny-side-up quail eggs, slow-braised pork belly and buckwheat blinis drizzled with sorghum is a destination dish in its own right. Cunningham & Co. cure a hunk of Niman Ranch pork belly for a week in red pepper, peppercorns, salt and sugar, before slow-braising for four hours in chicken stock with celery, onion and carrots, and pressing to remove the excess fat. The result is a taut brûléed packet whose crisp exterior gives way to an unctuous core with the texture of chewy bacon. Accented with warm golden egg yolk and sweet Tennessee syrup, each forkful is a decadent balance of salt and sugar. If word ever gets out about this exquisite untimely breakfast, tourists will start queuing around the block.
Another Southern-accented highlight of the extended menu was the special of frog legs, braised in Texas Pete hot sauce and chicken stock, rolled in semolina flour and french-fried to sandy crispness. Served over a cool bed of celery sticks with a side of remoulade, the zesty meat recalled Buffalo chicken wings — but the muscle-bound limbs looked like deep-fried He-Man action figures battling to the death in a tiny Greco-Roman wrestling match.
Look no further than the sweet-and-sour duck for evidence that Cunningham worked under Zola's chef Deb Paquette, playfully dubbed the Queen of the Extra Ingredient for her extravagant combinations of seemingly unrelated flavors. A light crêpe riddled with scallions swaddles tender strings of duck thighs that have been cured in salt and brown sugar, submerged in duck fat and smoked. Finished with spicy blood-orange salsa, crème fraîche and a flurry of toasted coconut, the busy roll-up is a worthy homage to Paquette's skillful layering of textures, temperatures and flavors.
In a clever move to co-opt the goodwill from the bygone Zola, which closed this year when the Paquettes decided to head to the beach, Cunningham pays homage to two Paquette signatures. "Chris' Version of Beet & Heat" is a nod to the beloved salad of beets, oranges and spiced pecans. "Ode to Zola Paella" — a medley of shrimp, mussels, fish and sausage in saffron-tinged rice — is another feel-good tribute, but on our visit, the briny broth failed to re-create the rich depth of the original.
The seafood sampler offered more intrigue, combining a generous lump-crab cake topped with Tabasco aioli and a prosciutto chip; crawfish fritters with smoked-tomato butter over warm chayote slaw; and white cheddar grits with shrimp sautéed in Tabasco butter and drizzled with chive oil. (That said, the combination of three seafood elements with their various flavored butters, aiolis and oils was slightly lipid-heavy.)
Cunningham extended the dessert roster, too, adding a handful of locally made cakes to the stalwart list of coconut sushi, crème brûlée and Jack Daniel's chocolate pecan pie. But nothing on the new list of locally made cakes and pies could distract from the tried-and-truly outstanding butterscotch habanero bread pudding. A sinful convergence of sugar and spice that simultaneously burns and soothes, it's as reliably warm and lovely as the setting sun. It's nice to have favorite foods — and restaurants — you can always count on.
Sunset Grill serves lunch Tuesday through Friday and dinner nightly. Sunset will serve brunch on Mother's Day (May 9) and Father's Day (June 20).
Email arts@nashvillescene.com.
Showing 1-3 of 3
I hope this is an indication that his stand on permit holders came back and bit him.
Zola Paella was one of the worst dishes I have ever eaten. As someone of Spanish heritage it's sad to think that this is what Tennesseans must think of Spanish cuisine.
Not so much idgaf. It's just what happens in the restaurant biz from time to time.
Comments (3) RSS