The last restaurant I visited in 1995 was John Wills Bar and Grill in Memphis. We were on our way back from three days with my parents in Hot Springs, and Steve was dead set on barbecue. It would certainly have been unthinkable to pass through Memphis and not stop for barbecue, and Steve has fond memories of fat chopped pork sandwiches at the old John Wills, just one step above a dive, out by the old fairgrounds.
The new John Wills, on Sanderlin Drive behind an office park, is clean and bright. It is modeled—the owner admitted in a framed newspaper article—after Houston’s. It did have the fern-bar kind of feel, but the house specialty survived the upgrade. If it’s barbecue you’re wanting, you’ll find a tasty selection at John Wills—pork ribs, pork shoulder, beef brisket, Polish sausage and even barbecue bologna. We had a jumbo pork sandwich plate, chopped and extremely lean, a nicely mixed texture of crunch and tender white meat—not the least bit greasy. The beef brisket was thinly sliced and layered on a bun. We remembered the barbecue at the old place being a tad hotter, but perhaps some of the bite was lost in the move.
It’s been a long year, food-wise. If you are what you eat, then you can just call me Sybil. I zigzagged from India to South America, from Mexico to Thailand, from Barcelona to Japan, from catfish to foie gras—and sometimes, it seemed, all in the same meal. I ate in Nashville, Brentwood, Ashland City, New York, San Antonio, Destin and Houston. I have answered more questions about restaurants, dishes and chefs than I can possibly count. Complete strangers have called my home on Saturday mornings wanting advice on where to take their in-laws for dinner that night. I have taken my share of slings and arrows from Scene readers, not to mention my very own peers. (Self-righteous, indeed!)
In the past two years, Nashville has experienced a culinary revolution that had foodies drooling with anticipation and casual eaters reeling with confusion. New restaurants with new chefs, new restaurants with old chefs, old restaurants with new chefs, new menus, new suppliers, new concepts.
The first restaurant I visited in 1995 was Bound’ry, which certainly got the year off to a great start. Bound’ry, which recruited one of Nashville’s favorite chefs, Debra Paquette from Cakewalk, introduced Nashville to the concept of tapas—small plates of food that could be used to start a meal or build a meal. We especially loved the watercress ravioli, the sausage sampler (designer sausage was another food trend in Nashville last year), and the sweet cheeks.
Ever-prolific Jody Faison opened not one, but two new restaurants and did some menu fiddling at his first, Faison’s. Cafe 123, just across the street from the perpetually adolescent 12th & Porter, represents a grown-up Jody, with its sophisticated decor, informed servers and something-for-everyone repertoire. His brother, chef Robert Faison, manned the kitchen. More recently, young whippersnapper Bobby Moran has been dishing out the goodies.
Jules Dining Hall and Bar Car, which Jody is partnering with Jules Leib, is, in my view, the most aesthetically exciting new restaurant to open in town in years and, certainly, one of the most anticipated. Perhaps that explains the minor disappointments experienced at the two review visits we made. Perhaps we were expecting too much. Overall, Jules Dining Hall, with its imaginative menu and sensitivity to vegetarians, makes a sensational contribution to the local food scene. Subsequent return visits have been most satisfying.
Probably my favorite new face on the dining scene is ensconced in one of Nashville’s few remaining historic landmarks. The Capitol Grille, in the basement of the newly renovated Hermitage Hotel, offers food that more than lives up to the promise of the breathtaking room. Even the bread basket is a masterpiece, with an eclectic array of sourdough rolls, farm bread and papadam, served with a small bowl of mashed split yellow peas in place of butter. Try the signature roasted onion cream soup or the portabello mushroom Napoleon. Order any of the salads, and keep in mind that from the entrées, the fish plates were superlative. Named by Esquire magazine as one of the top 25 new restaurants in the country, the Capitol Grille and chef Guillermo Thomas bring a new standard of excellence to town.
Speaking of new chefs and standards of excellence, the Sunset Grill imported Will Greenwood to Belcourt Avenue from Washington this summer to rave reviews from loyal customers and neophytes alike. After a few months of tweaking, testing and tasting, the menu is now virtually Greenwood-esque and emphasizes his penchant for freshness, simplicity and clean flavors.
Other newcomers that have added much to our dining options are Sole Mio, an Italian restaurant and pizzeria with a to-die-for seafood salad; Barcelona, the new Spanish restaurant in Brentwood, of all places (love the mussels and the Mar y Montana); The Melting Pot, staging a fondue revival on Second Avenue; Cuisine of India on 21st, offering Indian food fans another tandoori to choose from; El Salvador in Antioch, a cheap eats find with scrumptious pupusas; and entering the Nashville market via Chattanooga, the Big River Brewing and Grill Works. Order the beer sampler and the homemade sausage plate.
I’ve been glad to see Wolfy’s hanging on, weathering arena construction on Lower Broad. Likewise, Tin Angel, Rick and Vicki Bolsam’s other restaurant, has outlasted some feisty newcomers and claims a fiercely devoted neighborhood clientele. And Koto made the move from Fourth Avenue South to Seventh Avenue North, adding more than 20 seats to the sushi bar and a passel of new Wayne roll fans.
Some of my most memorable meals were taken out of town, at Paesano’s in San Antonio; at Aja and Zucca in New York; and most especially, at Picolo in Grayton Beach. I was grateful to learn that the Petit brothers weathered the hurricanes that attacked the Florida Gulf Coast last summer and Picolo will again be dishing up amberjack, penne pasta and spaghetti with meatballs this summer to sand-encrusted adults and children alike.
The worst dining experience I had in 1995 was at the Green Hills H.R.H. Dumplin’s, thankfully since closed. On the other hand, I wish the Fish Market had made it.
I’m looking forward to trying Trilogy—the latest installment from Naomi Judd, the mini-series; Bosco’s in Hillsboro Village; Bongo Java’s new outlet and Terry Carr-Hall’s new bread emporium, both also in the Village. Carr-Hall spent several months in Europe this summer studying the fine art of baking bread, and I expect great things.
I still long for more choices in Italian, a fine French restaurant and a cozy French bistro, and any kind of Cuban restaurant.
And finally, my two favorite meals of 1995...
First, Mr. Wonderful and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary at The Mad Platter. It was delicious, it was romantic, and it met all of our expectations.
Second, we marked the end of the year and the start of the next at home, at our own dining room table, with a dinner crafted by six couples and sommelier duties admirably performed by Mr. Wine. Not a chef among us, we managed every ingredient for a most wonderful evening.
