Even in the face of the headwinds of competition in Nashville, new restaurants continue to swing open their doors in search of patronage. Three notable newbies have or are just about to enter the crowded marketplace.
At the highest end of the spectrum will be the Sept. 10 debut of Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak towering 34 stories above downtown in the newly opened JW Marriott Hotel at 201 Eighth Ave. S. Executive chef Michael Lishchynsky will helm the kitchen at this high-end steakhouse, promising to offer “only the finest cuts of organic and hormone-free beef, pork and lamb, a wide selection of shellfish and wood-grilled fish, unique wines and hand-crafted cocktails to Music City.”
Celebrity chef and entrepreneur Michael Mina says he's excited to be a part of the Nashville dining scene. “We look forward to another exciting chapter for Bourbon Steak and are eager to offer Nashville diners high-quality, organic beef and sustainable seafood while incorporating local flavors and products sourced from Tennessee,” says Mina. “We’ve been inspired by the city’s atmosphere, community and culinary scene, and can’t wait to open the doors to our new Music City location.”
According to the official opening announcement, guests can expect “tableside classics like Michael’s Ahi Tuna Tartare and Maine Lobster Pot Pie as well as some of chef Mina’s signature preparations such as and Back Truffle Mac & Cheese. Additional menu highlights include a tableside Hickory Smoked 30-Day Dry-Aged Porterhouse and World-Wide Wagyu Trio of Japanese A5 Striploin, Australian Filet and American Rib Cap using organic beef, Smoking Hot Miso Buttered Shellfish Platters, a Hudson Valley Foie Gras 'Donut' as well as a selection of light and refreshing sustainable seafood offerings such as sashimi, tartare and crudo.”
Bourbon Steak Nashville’s hours will be 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, while the Bourbon Sky bar will be open 4 p.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday-Saturday.
More prosaic, but no less anticipated is the first Tennessee outpost of the cult favorite Shake Shack this Thursday, Aug. 23, at 11 a.m. at the Hills Center Green Hills development at 4031 Hillsboro Pike. The first 100 visitors on opening day will receive a free make-your-own Amelia's Flower Truck bouquet, but if past Shake Shack openings are any indication, you might need to already be in line to be in the first hundred.
I don’t know how many of y’all remember when Trader Joe’s first opened, but the line of cars stretched from the parking lot all the way up Hillsboro road to, I shit you not, the offramp of I-440. You might want to familiarize yourself with the MTA No. 7 bus schedule and load a good book onto your Kindle app.
Once you do get in the door, though, you’ll enjoy the dishes that have made the Shack famous: their 100% all-natural Angus beef burgers, chicken sandwiches and griddled flat-top dogs, fresh-made frozen custard and crispy crinkle-cut fries, plus some dishes with local twists like their Crackle Shack Cheeseburger featuring a cheeseburger topped with Peg Leg Porker’s seasoned cracklins and ShackSauce.
I’m out of town on opening day, so y’all tell me how it goes.
Already open is Stay Golden Restaurant & Roastery, which served its first official cups of coffee last week. The latest project from Jamie Cunningham, Sean Stewart and Nathanael Mehrens, the team that opened Nashville’s popular Steadfast Coffee, Stay Golden is a full-service restaurant complete with coffee and cocktail bar, an onsite coffee bean roastery, a private event space and hydroponic gardens. Located in the busy industrial strip of the Berry Hill/100 Oaks neighborhood at 2934 Sidco Drive, Suite 130, Stay Golden aims to feed and hydrate area workers during the day and serve as a happy hour respite from rush hour in the early evenings before closing at 7 p.m. I had the chance to sample some of their drinks and the cuisine from executive chef Simoni Kigweba, and I will say I think they’re on a very good track. And it’s only 90 seconds off I-65 at the Powell Road exit, so it’s a lot more easy to access than you might imagine.
To celebrate the opening, Stay Golden will be offering a complimentary coffee to every first-time guest throughout the month of August. Customers can claim their free coffee in store or online.
