There are plenty of spirits in the back bar at The Eastern Peak, but look at all those decorative empty bottles above the bar begging to be filled with sake. Just sayin'...
With the pace of new restaurant openings, it’s almost impossible to keep up with the latest and greatest. It’s also difficult to pay attention to some of the old reliable favorites that deserve a little fresh notice, so I’m going to make a better effort to stay on top of news about the New Kids on the Block and the Old Reliables, starting with this week. (It doesn’t go without notice that two of the most shared stories on the Scene’s Facebook page in the past couple weeks were pieces I wrote about Las Palmas and Whataburger. Y’all are some nostalgia lovers who don’t necessarily get as excited about the newest shiny restaurant openings as PR professionals would have us believe.)
One recent arrival that I really enjoyed is actually on old favorite, albeit a little difficult to find. The Eastern Peak recently opened its third location in Nashville, joining the original on Thompson Lane and the second in One Bellevue Place. The latest outpost is on the ground floor of The Gossett on Church, which is the building that abuts the viaduct across the Gulch at Church Street. You’d have to rappel down from Church to get to The Eastern Peak though, since it’s actually located at 133 12th Ave. N. near the intersection of 12th and Grundy Street in what some folks call “North Gulch.” Just Google the location or follow your Waze.
Once you locate it though, you’ll be rewarded with free parking in The Gossett’s garage, a rarity anywhere in the urban core. Entering the front door, diners are greeted with a stunning new dining space, decorated with sleek modern fixtures and a lovely combination of natural materials and Space Age highlights. The large bar should be a popular gathering spot for Gossett residents and neighborhood workers seeking to wait our rush hour. Offering a menu of inventive and cheekily named cocktails and an impressive roster of top shelf spirits, The Eastern Peak excels as a cocktail emporium over and above what you’d normally expect from an Asian fusion restaurant.
The menu is equally upscale, thanks to the addition of a new chef imported from Thailand. The cuisine focuses on elaborate sushi preparations and elevated classic Thai dishes, so don’t come expecting to find your standard California roll or garden-variety pad Thai. Instead, the sushi offerings are over-the-top options, like two sports team-related rolls: The Titan Roll and the Predator Roll. The former features crab, avocado, cream cheese, tamago, masago, spicy mayo, kabayaki, crispy rice and chives, while the latter is a visually stunning presentation of everything but the kitchen sink — hamachi, spicy yellowfin tuna, avocado, scallion, masago, grapefruit, spicy mayo, momigi oroshi and jalapeño. These fancy rolls aren’t cheap, but they are so large and so rich that you’ll probably end up sharing them anyway.
On the entree side, a dish of miso-glazed black cod was a standout with perfectly grilled fish adorned with sake butter, asparagus, soy-braised vegetables, japanese rice and miso sauce. I might never venture beyond that dish on the menu except that would mean I’d miss out on the confit chicken with Korean hot sauce, and high-grade wagyu steak dishes, both of which I also enjoyed.
I’ve been a fan of The Eastern Peak since the first location opened, and I hope that Nashville diners make the effort to seek out this sexy new iteration. I don’t know if I’d have chosen this basement location hidden away under a bridge around the corner from Maneet Chauhan’s compound of also excellent eateries, but that just means more cod for me! (Please make it difficult on me and try it out for yourself and report back here in the comments.)
