When the Hermitage Hotel announced plans to replace the venerable Capitol Grille with Drusie & Darr, a new restaurant concept from acclaimed chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, some feared the character of the dining experience would change markedly to the sort of tweezer-plated food that wins Michelin stars instead of the seasonal farm-to-table fare that Nashvillians have enjoyed there for years. These worries were quickly allayed as Jean-Georges and his executive chef Kelsi Armijo have created a new restaurant that fits into Nashville just fine. During a visit to celebrate the restaurant’s one-year anniversary in the spring, Vongerichten was clearly conscious of the reputation of the Capitol Grille and respected its place in the community, noting: “This city has a lot of soul and history. It feels like a new town with a backbone of history. We want to be part of the local culinary scene by offering the best of what we do in New York City without getting too fancy.”
Jean-Georges and Armijo made it a point to visit the local producers and farmers that had supplied the Capitol Grille’s kitchen, and now that Armijo is taking her second lap around the culinary calendar, she demonstrates considerable expertise, consistently creating exciting new dishes that showcase the bounty of the region as the seasons change. The physical changes to the space also hit the mark. Previously, the kitchen was shut off from the dining room, concealing the work of some of Nashville’s most talented chefs. The new open kitchen offers views of the staff taking advantage of a dramatic wood-fired oven to give a kiss of smoke to vegetables, meats and pizzas. The iconic rathskeller structure of the dining room remains intact, but the vaulted ceilings have been painted in pinks and peaches accented with contemporary touches like pendant lamps and natural materials like metal, wood, leather and stone.
While some fans lament the redesign of the Oak Bar — rotated 90 degrees and stripped of the dark wood and clubby ambience — once you get over the new orientation and realize that the cocktail menu and whiskey collection are both still top-notch, it really is a lovely place to enjoy a drink among friends. The Hermitage has also finally achieved potty parity by upgrading the ladies’ room into a bright-pink Instagrammable inner sanctum to match the lime-green and ebony Art Deco elan of the award-winning men’s room.
