The Nashville Grange
One thing I don’t think that locals pay enough attention to is the fact that Nashville is blessed with some extraordinary hotel dining options. While the downtown hotels in particular cater primarily to the tourist trade, their dining properties certainly welcome local guests and in fact cannot survive on just serving their transient guests. Some of the city’s most beloved restaurants are located inside hotels, including classics like Capitol Grille, The 404 Kitchen (especially before moving across the street), Gray & Dudley, Marsh House, Mason’s, Ellington’s, Stateside Kitchen, Makeready, Little Fib, Mane & Rye, Henley, Oak Steakhouse and Bourbon Steak as well as newcomers like Yolan, White Limozeen and Commons Club.
Hotel restaurants are definitely a different animal. Often the exec chefs are also responsible for banquet and room service operations, as well as three meals a day plus late night and weekend brunch. Their menus have to appeal to business travelers and leisure guests, most of whom might only dine in the restaurant once in their lives — but they also have to offer cuisine that’s compelling enough to attract locals to add the restaurant to their regular dining rotation. That’s a lot to ask!
So I thought I’d shine a little light on some new developments in hotel dining this week and encourage Bites readers to consider a little staycation that won’t even require you to get a dogsitter since you’ll only be there for a meal. First off: the brand-spanking-new Grand Hyatt at 1000 Broadway.
Of course, the headline here is the opening of chef Sean Brock’s latest project, The Continental, which is currently offering carryout, curbside and delivery before opening to limited dine-in service on Nov. 18. Brock’s homage to classic American cuisine grounded in French techniques and casual elegance, the menu at the Continental harkens back to when dining out was still a special event.
While I haven’t had the chance to try it yet, the opening announcement’s list of dishes looks like a lot of fun:
Menu standouts include starters such as a Chilled Maine Lobster Salad (Shellfish Mousseline, Meyer Lemon, Leek Vinaigrette), Short Rib Chou Farci (Foie Gras, Green Apple, Savoy Cabbage), and a Kaluga Caviar Presentation (1oz Caviar Co Kaluga Caviar Kit with Traditional Accompaniments & Potato Crackers); entrees including The Continental Prime Rib (10oz Prime Rib, Horseradish Cream, Natural Jus), Game Bird Pithivier (Rohan Duck, Mushroom Duxelles, Citrus Marmalade, Chestnut), Autumn Vegetable Tarte Tatin (Onion Soubise, Vegetable Demi-Glace), and Half Roasted Chicken (Stuffed Breast and Confit Leg Presse, Butternut Squash, Albufera Sauce); and sides like Pommes Purée with Herb Butter and Parker House Rolls (Sourwood Honey, Cracked Black Pepper, Cultured Butter). Desserts from Pastry Chef Keaton Vasek include a Dark Chocolate Tart (Soft Caramel, Malt Ganache, Brown Butter & Citrus) and Maple & Sweet Potato Ice Cream (Oat-Infused Maple Ice Cream with Sweet Potato & Yuzu Sorbet).
The Continental has its own entrance from the street, or it can be accessed through the Grand Hyatt’s spectacular lobby, which reflects its location above the railroad gulch with beautiful Art Deco elements like an art piece over the front desk inspired by the Radnor switching yards and accents referential of railroad ties and tracks. Lunch and dinner are currently available at The Continental Wednesday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., and 5 to 9 p.m.
But Brock isn’t the only veteran Nashville chef working at the Grand Hyatt. Former Gaylord Opryland chef Brian Owenby is the executive sous chef over much of the dining operations, and I had the chance to catch up with him as they prepared to open the main three-meal dining option in the lobby area — a very attractive restaurant named The Nashville Grange where Owenby has created a veggie-driven menu of Southern/agrarian food driven by the seasons and featuring Tennessee and Kentucky farmers whenever possible.
The open kitchen shows off the talented culinary staff pumping out dishes like salmon over field peas and braised collards and a roasted squash salad with a butter pecan vinaigrette dressing. The menu is divided into sections labeled community (share plates and apps), soil, pasture, sea and more to help guide you to choices. I would guide you to Owenby’s take on shrimp and grits, which is more grounded in Louisiana than the Lowcountry thanks to a base of cream and hot sauce and texture provided by candied bacon lardons made using local bacon hero Nathan Gifford. Owenby is also proud of his ham plate, which features regional favorites like a two-year-old “prosciutto” from Bob Woods at The Hamery in Murfreesboro.
The Grange is a comfortable space that I imagine will become a popular lunch and dinner spot for downtown denizens — including their new neighbors at Amazon, who will be able to walk along a boardwalk above the planned 5.5 acres of public green space that Nashville Yards will offer back to the city. Wraparound windows offer sweeping views of the Gulch and the trains rolling past, and a street-level view of Broadway and Union Station across the street that is unrivaled anywhere other than in the honky-tonks of Lower Broad. And I don’t imagine you want to see what’s happening down there while trying to enjoy a power lunch.
Lou|Na
Other drinking and dining options at the new Grand Hyatt include a dramatic gilded lobby bar named Aurum, Hummingbird Coffee Market featuring Stay Golden coffee and a rooftop lounge named Lou|Na, a play on the moon (which will be visible from that lofty perch) and the name of the old Louisville/Nashville railroad that operated passenger and freight services through Union Station.
The next time you’re walking around downtown, make a little detour to the Grand Hyatt to see what they’ve got going on down there. They welcome locals, so at least stroll through the lobby and grab a drink, or sit down to a meal at The Continental or The Nashville Grange.
