Ever since the Scene broke the news back in the fall that chef Ryan Poli was returning to Nashville to helm the food and beverage operations at The Bobby Hotel, we’ve been waiting to see what’s for dinner. Now it’s official. On March 16, the newly renamed Union Tavern will open with Poli’s new menu and approach to dining, and what he considers a decidedly 2022 outlook.
Union Tavern is the second renovated restaurant Poli has overhauled (so far) at The Bobby. The first was the casual Café at Bobby — and our own Chris Chamberlain is a fan. The process of developing that scaled-back menu helped Poli show his team that "less is more" is an approach that could work on the dinner menu too. The menu includes seafood, vegetables, grains, meat and desserts, with specifics driven by what’s available from Poli's favorite local purveyors. So yes, there is a menu, but yes, it may change often. For example, the Bear Creek Farm Steak of the Week will include potato pave, mushrooms and a red-wine sauce. But the cut of steak? That depends on what Bear Creek’s LeeAnn Cherry has available each Saturday. Instead of demanding ribeyes only, for example, Poli will work with what Bear Creek has on hand, which is a more sustainable way of looking at food.
It also fits with the way Poli thinks kitchens need to adapt to life in 2022. Inflation and supply-chain delays are real, and ongoing increased gas prices are certain given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Worker shortages continue, and kitchens are staffed by people who are still learning the ropes. So Poli thinks having fewer items on the menu and having them be flexible based on availability is the way to success.
“You have to be bamboo,” Poli says. “You have to sway and never break. We don’t live in a world where we can have a lot of extra ingredients. Small, tight, thoughtful menus with delicious flavors are where we need to be.”
The new menu includes Spanish, Italian and Asian influences, and Poli describes it as a smart menu for Union Tavern, which has been renamed for this reinvention. The idea behind the new name is to focus on the gathering (or union, get it?) that takes place when people dine together. After two years with limited opportunities for those said unions, that’s a concept many of us will be happy to embrace.
Union Tavern is open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday, 5-10 p.m., with extended bar service until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Union Tavern’s bar will be open Monday and Tuesday, 5-10 p.m. Reservations are available online at Tock.
