Butternut cavatelli at Watermark. Available on the Restaurant Week prix-fixe menu.
As Nashville's dining scene continues to expand, so does its association of locally owned independent restaurants, Nashville Originals. With more than 60 members, the association encourages diners to visit homegrown restaurants, including a number of old favorites, as well as new members.
Twice a year, Nashville Originals members throughout the Nashville area (including Brentwood and Franklin) host Restaurant Week to encourage visitors to branch out and try new restaurants (or revisit old favorites). Next week, Jan. 16-22, restaurants will have specials and prix-fixe menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as their regular menus.
The newest member of the group participating this month is Fifty-First Kitchen in West Nashville. The chef, Francisco Vito, previously made fantastic food at Cha Chah and now brings an Italian flair to farm-fresh with special Restaurant Week menu items such as beet root spaghetti, steak and sausage with a cippolini jam, roasted squash and broccolini, and a ricotta panna cotta. A three-course meal is just $35 per person.
If you're looking for a new-old place to try, I recently visited Watermark to check out the menu from the new chef, Elliott Cunniff. On the Restaurant Week prix-fixe menu is one of the dishes I tasted, the butternut cavatelli pasta. I highly recommend this pasta, which is made fresh from scratch daily. It is rich and immensely satisfying, and was large enough to serve as dinner the following night. Their special menu also includes a roast chicken breast, wood-grilled salmon, and abraised short rib, along with choice of soup or salad and dessert for $40.17 per person.
Check out the full roster of participating restaurants (with links to their Restaurant Week specials) on the Nashville Originals website.
