Just when I've devised every possible alternate route to avoid the snarling traffic knot of Green Hills, Christie and Melissa Hauck debut Goozy Dessert Bar & Cafe, where a tightly edited roster of sandwiches, soups, salads and sweets lures me back into the congested heart of 37215. Fortunately, while the surrounding neighborhood can tend toward bumper-to-bumper mayhem, Goozy offers a quiet and comfortable refuge, equally suitable for families with kids as for adults on date night.
On a recent visit, for example, my family piled onto barstools, alongside another family, and our merged groups filled a tall communal table with grilled cheeses and ice creams. At a nearby banquette, a gentleman sat peacefully by himself sipping a glass of red wine. Seldom do we see such disparate dining experiences taking place so close together and so comfortably. And to think, the next morning, the small but versatile room would swap cocktails for coffee brewed with Just Love beans roasted in Murfreesboro.
The name Goozy was coined by the owners' toddler years ago and is likely a portmanteau of gooey and oozy. As founders of The Christie Cookie Co., which formerly occupied this retail space in Village Green shopping center, the Haucks know a little something about those words. Of course, their erstwhile inventory of cookies and brownies oozed with chocolate, while the gooey ooze at their new concept adds a savory element.
Chris Haston oversees the menu, which is anchored by a selection of artisan grilled-cheese sandwiches in creative combinations such as brie, pear, roasted turkey, aioli and arugula on cranberry wheat bread, and marinated artichokes, chèvre, Swiss, roasted tomatoes and arugula on Tuscan loaf.
Benton's bacon makes cameos on three sandwiches: the Nashville, with pimento cheese and house-pickled jalapenos; the More Cheese, Please, a decadent pile-on of mac-and-cheese with Parmesan, cheddar and chives; and the BLTC, a BLT with cheddar C.
We particularly enjoyed the Parma Melt with meaty layers of mortadella, prosciutto, taleggio, roasted tomato, balsamic-marinated onions and arugula on Tuscan bread.
For purists, there is a classic melt with sharp cheddar and Swiss, but even in its low-key classic-ness, the sandwich stands out for its abundant overflow of molten gooeyness and its perfectly golden griddle-striped bread from local bakery Provence Breads & Cafe.
Seven sandwiches, two cheese-and-charcuterie plates, two soups and three salads — that's it for the savory side of the menu. But what Goozy might lack in selection it more than makes up for in quality. As one diner at our table said, it's a best-of-the-best situation.
Two superlatives in our experience included the Goozy Mule and the Roasted Roots salad. The first, one of six offerings on Lauren Theobald's tightly curated cocktail roster, blends honey-tinged whiskey, lime and ginger in a chilled copper mug. The second is a mound of mixed greens loaded with beets, potatoes, carrots, parsnips and fennel roasted to bring out the sweetness and balanced with tangy gorgonzola dressing. The heaping $8 salad nearly steals the show and serves as a perfect meatless counterpoint to so much bread, bacon and cheese.
While the Haucks have exited the cookie business — The Christie Cookie Co. still operates in Germantown — they are hanging onto their Bravo Gelato brand, whose cooler of colorful frozen custards serves as a centerpiece of Goozy's small storefront. Bravo flavors such as maple-bacon and salty caramel serve as the base for sundaes, milkshakes and as a topping for others. There's even a list of boozy shakes, such as the Irish Coffee — espresso gelato, Bailey's, Kahlua and fudge.
Pastry chef Leisa Johnson oversees a repertoire of baked desserts ranging from crème brulee to s'mores, whose unifying theme appears to be elegantly simple decadence. Think dark chocolate molten cake with a molten Nutella center and a skillet cookie topped with gelato. Our runaway favorite was the lemon blancmange cake. A ramekin layered with airy sponge, warm lemon pudding, raspberry compote, whipped cream and shreds of candied lemon was a comforting spin on the traditional molded blancmange pudding, which more often resembles cold panna cotta.
With surprisingly few independent eateries in Green Hills, there is naturally a lot of curiosity about Goozy. When people ask, I find myself short-handing the explanation like this: It's as if a grilled-cheese food truck parked inside your favorite gelato shop and got an espresso machine and a liquor license.
What could be better?
Here's a thought: More Goozy.
In fact, there's more Goozy — and more Goozys — in the works. Haston says there are plans to extend morning hours to earlier than the current 11 a.m. opening. There are also plans in the works to open Goozy stores in the former Christie Cookie locations in The Mall at Green Hills and at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel.
Email arts@nashvillescene.com
