Chef Deb Paquette
Chef Deb Paquette and her partners at 4Top Hospitality are quite good at making the best of a bad situation. 4Top operates a number of restaurants around the South, including Amerigo, Char, Etch, etc. and Saltine here in Nashville. Well, actually scratch that last one. Even though the original location of Saltine in Jackson, Miss., is still doing booming business, the cavernous space at 1918 West End Ave. never really took hold here, and a seafood-centric menu isn’t necessarily the first thing that comes to diners' minds when considering pandemic carryout.
Closed since March, Saltine did have a lot going for it, including an attractive space, talented culinary staff and abundant free parking. And now, it's also got the talents of Deb Paquette, who's creating the menu and running the kitchen at her latest venture in the space, which is reopening with a new name and concept in October.
Jasper’s is named after Paquette’s beloved Jack Russell Terrier, and she intends for the restaurant and menu to reflect the little guy’s playful attitude. Although I must admit my disappointment that Paquette didn’t continue her trend of naming spots similarly — after Etch and etc., she could have called her third venture “Et.”
Perhaps part of the reason why Saltine never grabbed a hold of Nashville’s psyche is that so many longtime locals still yearn for the atmosphere of the previous tenants at Blackstone, a brewpub that was a neighborhood gathering spot for decades. Even when I was sitting at the bar at Saltine, my eye couldn’t help but wander to what was once the library at Blackstone, which was such a convivial spot to enjoy a few pints. Jasper’s will be much closer in ambiance to Blackstone than Saltine, with shuffleboard, darts and games, plus the opportunity to rent out room for private parties.
I’ve been fortunate enough to take several cooking classes from Chef Paquette (oh hell, can we just call her Deb? Everybody else does!), and some of the best ones were those at which she threw her regular menu out the window and just cooked the sort of casual food she makes at home for her own family. One class focused on internationally inspired sandwiches and accompanying wine pairings, and while we ended up getting a little sloppy about the specific pairings and just poured whatever was open, it was a helluva lot of fun!
So I’m really looking forward to her upcoming menu at Jasper’s, which promises creative renditions of classic crowd favorites like flat breads, burgers, salads and hearty entrées. Shareable dishes will include Firecracker Wings, Lamb Barbacoa "Neatchos" and a variation of Paquette’s signature roasted cauliflower from Etch, the tempura "Cauli-Pop." She’ll also revive her Wagyu Beef Frank, which I still fantasize about since its too-brief appearance on the Etch menu almost a decade ago. Other promised menu items include a Picnic Burger with gouda and baked-bean ketchup (!). Larger entrées will be creative takes on casual classics like Tortilla Catfish with black-bean chili, Steak and Egg and Roasted Yardbird with bacon. Talented pastry chef Megan Williams will add Jasper’s to her résumé along with Etch and etc. and present desserts such as a Lemon Curd Cheesecake, Ice Cream Sandwich and a rotating offering of house-made cookies and confections.
Remember the larger room at the front of the building that used to house Blackstone’s brewing equipment (and then was decorated with a swimming-pool vibe at Saltine)? It's going to be put to an excellent use in the latest incarnation. The Market at Jasper’s will offer grab-and-go prepared foods, sauces, soups and spices, along with fresh pastries and hand-made ice cream from Williams. This should be a fantastic option for a quick stop on the way home to pick up a delicious dinner. While Deb’s plating has always been recognized for its beauty, it’s really the deep layering of exotic flavors that has made her food even more special, and access to some of her sauces and spices could really up your home cooking game!
4Top partner Doug Hogrefe is properly respectful of the asset the company has in a visionary chef like Paquette. “First off, when Deb wants to open another restaurant, you say yes,” says Hogrefe. “She’s primarily been in fine dining for a long time and wanted to do a casual restaurant. We happened to have a spot that was closed, so it was a natural transition to turn the space into a casual eatery and market.”
I can’t wait to get to play with Jasper, because I suspect he’s a really good boy. The restaurant is already hiring, by the way. So if you’d like to play too, email your résumé to hiring[at]jaspers.restaurant.
