Marsh House
Marsh House, the Gulf-seafood-focused restaurant in the Thompson Nashville hotel, is reopening today, Oct. 1, with a new chef, a new entrance and a new plan.
The restaurant has been closed since mid-March. In June, L.A. Jackson (Thompson’s rooftop bar) and Killebrew (the hotel’s coffee shop) reopened, and the favorite Marsh House food has been served up on the roof.
“Reopening feels like it has been a long time coming,” says Brian Landry, chef and owner of the three restaurants. Landry convinced chef Vu Vo to come to town, naming him executive chef at Marsh House and encouraging him to bring his mastery of Gulf seafood and seasonal ingredients to a new menu. Landry and Vo worked together at several of Landry’s New Orleans restaurants, including Jack Rose. (Jack Rose holds my personal record of the most photos I have ever taken at a one restaurant ... topping four meals at The Catbird Seat and the time I ate a Mary Poppins-themed afternoon tea on rooftop in London.) “He cooks with so much flavor,” Landry says. The restaurant menu includes shrimp toast and Alabama blue crab fingers. The Gulch hot spot is also known for its cocktails and wine list.
The new entrance is at the intersection of 11th and 12th avenues (which is my personal example when explaining to people why navigating in Nashville is confusing; numbered streets shouldn’t intersect). It allows guests to enter the restaurant without walking through the hotel lobby. This is useful during COVID Times, when people are looking to reduce their interactions with others, and also helps solidify the restaurant as a destination on its own, not just for hotel guests.
For now, Marsh House will be open for dinner only Wednesdays through Saturdays, and will adhere to all the city's roadmap regulations, including reduced capacity. The patio will be available for outdoor seating. Landry hopes to bring back breakfast, brunch and lunch as restrictions lift. (I’m looking forward to the return of those biscuits.) Reservations are recommended. Dishes will be available for takeout, although, Landry jokes, perhaps not items from the popular raw bar.
