Beloved West Nashville restaurant Hathorne has been serving lunch for several months now, but owner John Stephenson has recently decided to get a little more festive by switching the focus to brunch Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Hoping to draw locals looking for a little fun during the week and tourists who just can’t seem to get enough brunch, Hathorne has rejiggered the menu to include some inventive morning dishes as well as a selection of a.m.-appropriate cocktails.
Stephenson has also taken advantage of the opportunity to bring back some fan favorites from his past stint working in the kitchen of The Family Wash. So if you were a fan of his delectable pan-seared steel-cut oatmeal and the buttermilk pancakes that the chef cribbed from his grandma’s recipe, you’re in luck!
I visited for a preview tasting and was mightily impressed by Hathorne’s new offerings. Some standout dishes included a big brunch salad, topped with a jammy egg, avocado and creamy avocado ranch dressing as well as an order of mushroom toast served on a slab of house-made focaccia. The confit mushrooms were mixed with ricotta, kale and Calabrian chilis to create a dish that was healthy and decadent at the same time.
Hathorne’s version of a breakfast sandwich was served on the same house bun that also cradles their delectable burgers. The soft bun amazingly held up to the overstuffed pile of scrambled eggs, wagyu bacon jam and crispy potatoes that will make you forget all about the golden arches! There’s a lot to like on this menu, so if you want to eat your way through it, make reservations at Hathorne’s website and plan to take the afternoon off.
Since Nathan Gifford has moved most of his bacon production to a facility in Alabama, his Gifford’s Bacon shop in East Nashville at 1109 Straightway Ave. has become a pitmaster’s playground, where he experiments with smoked meats and hosts entertaining dinner parties and classes. He already had plans for a whole-hog butchery class on Saturday, Sept. 30, from noon until 9 p.m., but he has decided to take it a step further and throw a full-on boucherie.
If that term is unfamiliar to you, a boucherie is a Louisiana Cajun tradition in which a community comes together to prepare a festive meal featuring an entire hog from head to tail (aka rooter to tooter, snout to … out?). Not only is a boucherie a chance to bring people together, but it is a demonstration of whole-animal utilization that forces cooks to get creative to avoid wasting any part of the guest of honor. In the days before refrigeration was common, if you sacrificed a hog, you needed to use every bit of it.
Traditionally, a boucherie begins with the killing of the pig, making the animal’s sacrifice a reality that all must respect. At Gifford’s event, the honoree will arrive already dispatched, so if that’s something that might make you queasy, he’s avoided that complication for you.
The boucherie will also feature a butchery demonstration where Gifford will break down the animal and explain his plans to use the various cuts and offal to create the dishes that the crew will help prepare during the course of the day. Think boudin and andouille along with more traditional ribs and chops. Of course, a Cajun party needs music and beer, so those will be present in abundance all day long until the event evolves into more of a pickin’ party (both pig and banjos) as the sun sets. Attendees are invited to bring their own instruments and play along if the spirit moves you.
If this sounds like your idea of a party, tickets are $129 for the whole day and evening of fun and education. Grab your seat at the table at Gifford’s Eventbrite site.
