It’s hard to imagine someone having a better 18 months than Julia Sullivan.
Since she and general manager Ally Poindexter opened Henrietta Red in early 2017, Sullivan has been showered with accolades for their Germantown restaurant. A Nashville native, Sullivan moved to New York after college to learn her trade, working in some outstanding kitchens, before returning to help open Pinewood Social five years ago. Henrietta Red’s menu, a mix of influences but rooted in seasonality and the ocean, screams comfort from top to bottom. Whether it’s reflected in the impeccably sourced raw bar or the wood-roasted oysters or items like smoked mussel toast and roasted fish, Sullivan’s love of seafood comes through. The Scene named Henrietta Red the Best New Restaurant last year, and national acclaim has followed.
The very first item on the Henrietta Red menu is a value statement of sorts: anchovy butter on wood-fired bread. It’s a small miracle of umami and luxuriousness so powerful that we’ve seen it stop conversations cold at a table. Sure, it’s just bread and butter, but it’s that bread and THAT butter, a glorious mix of richness that belies the simplicity. Sullivan’s menu proceeds along these lines, celebrating ingredients on their terms but unafraid to show a creative streak (we’re looking at things like the sweet corn polenta and the squash salad, which is augmented by just a little heat and fish-sauce funk). You’ll find few things more delightful than the Poppy’s Caviar, a glorious bit of Tennessee paddlefish roe over sour cream and spring onion vinaigrette.
It’s no surprise that Food & Wine named Sullivan one of the country’s best new chefs this year, adding her to a truly star-studded alumni list. She took home our Iron Fork competition trophy in April, too. And all of this has come while she maintained a reputation as one of the nicest humans in Nashville’s dining scene. Very quickly, Julia Sullivan has graduated from promising talent to standout chef, one of the best the city has seen. STEVE CAVENDISH
