Holland House
April 25, 2010
Holland House
935 W. Eastland Ave.
Nashville, TN 37206
615-262-4190
http://www.hollandhousenashville.com/
The skinny: Great experience. We’d go back for their drinks, knowing that we’re paying coinage for the urban vibe and din, as well as the cocktail know-how and history. The food is good gastro-pub affair.
At center stage in this newly renovated brick building is a large, welcoming four-sided bar. Natural wood, exposed roof beams and brick walls give the place an urban, organic feel, barely lit by ornate chandeliers. The dimmed light glimmers off the crystal prisms and the myriad of liquor bottles. The crowd–from hipsters and neighborhood folks to trans-river visitors–seemed comfortable and content in the dark milieu. (It was too dark for photos.)
Holland House is quickly gaining a reputation, as a cocktail and food establishment. It’s a venture led by folks from the now-closed Ombi (one of our old favorite haunts), Terry Raley and Laura Wilson, along with Christian Dye, who hails from Miro District and Watermark. (Go here for more of HH’s origins.)
They focus on elaborate, historical cocktails. There’s an entire menu of hand-crafted drinks that span from the late nineteenth century to the prohibition period, stateside–a period heavy on the gin, aka the “Golden Age of the American Cocktail”. The cocktail names alone are delectable: Chelsea Sidecar, Straits Sling, Rum Swizzle, Caravella Mojito, Peach Julep. All for the flat price of $10/each. Pickled ordered an enjoyable Ramos Gin Fizz and then a glass of white wine. The server was spot on with her suggestion of a sauvignon blanc, L’Arpent des Vaudons Francois Merieau. I, however, am going through a vodka phase and just wanted either a vodka martini or vodka on the rocks. Due to their allegiance to a historical period preceding the importation of vodka, their vodka selection was limited, and there was a reluctance to make a vodka martini. We respect the historical fidelity, but wonder how long it will last. The bar didn’t stock cocktail olives, so they brought some out from the kitchen. Accommodating, though they still charged me a pricey $10 for each drink. Besides a boutique-ey wine list, they also have high gravity, high octane beers.
Food-wise: The menu offers a couple of salads, some samplers and dip snacks, small plates, and featured entrees. The entrees looked a bit too meat-heavy ($12-$19)–with the exception of a local veggie plate, and no seafood. So we opted for a bunch of small plates ($8-$12), sized in between tapas and entree portions. From our most to least favorite: grilled crab sausages, house steak tartare, fish and chips, spinach and fennel salad, and the pork belly confit. We could taste all the sausages’ subtle elements, which went well together. The tartare, with a raw quail egg on top, rivaled some of the better tartare we’ve had. The fish and chips had the right crisp-, fried-, and hot-ness. The portion, however, was tiny, even for a “small plate.” The pork belly confit was an open-face BLT, the pork was overcooked–killing all tenderness and richness of pork belly. Didn’t work. Our meal for two just exceeded the Benjamin mark, plus tip.
Initially, the good folks attempted to push Nashville’s taste buds with dishes like “honeyfire” duck feet and steamed littleneck clams. But Nashville wasn’t quite open-minded enough for such gnawing. Let’s hope that all of the Holland House’s vision and artistry–from their cocktails to their food–aren’t hemmed in by our un-adventurous tastes.
Make your reservations.
Yazoo Taproom
April 16, 2010
Yazoo Taproom
910 Division St.
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 891-464
yazoobrew.com
Thursday – Friday 4-8PM
Saturday 2-8PM
Yesterday we stopped by the new Yazoo taproom. According to a Tennessean article, it’s a bigger space for a brewing and bottling operation that has grown and grown. I love their beer: the Pale Ale is my preferred daily quaff. The new space is simple and clean–perhaps a bit too clean and still new–doesn’t seem to have as much character as the old Marathon Motor Works factory. You have to order at the bar, and lines can grow quickly. There are three cheese items for food options. The minimal food menu goes hand in hand with their limited hours (notice above)–as if to remind you that it’s all about the craft of brewery and little else. The crowd was a button-down-shirt crowd. Parking can be difficult (I’ve become a real Nashvillian, bitching and whining about parking when it’s hardly difficult).
Kermit Lynch Wines
April 8, 2010
There is a brief article on Kermit Lynch, the wine importer from Berkeley (actually Albany, CA) who has done a great job bringing reasonably-priced, excellent French and Italian wines to the American market. When in doubt and looking for nice earthy reds this is where we turn. The wines are usually in the $15-$20 range. The Woodland Wine Merchant always has a large selection. You can sometimes find them for a slightly better price at Frugal MacDoogal.
Pickled and Fried 
