Husk

jwoodovetail
Dec 28, 2020
4 min read

Husk located in Rutledge Hill, just a few blocks south of Historic Broadway, in the heart of Downtown Nashville. Husk, from The Neighborhood Dining Group, is reinterpreting the bounty of the surrounding area. Exploring an ingredient driven cuisine that begins in the rediscovery of heirloom products and redefines what it means to cook and eat in Nashville.

At Husk, there are some rules about what can go on the plate. If it doesn’t come from the South, it’s not coming through the door. The resulting cuisine is not about rediscovering Southern cooking, but rather exploring the reality of Southern food. Seed saving, heirloom husbandry, in house pickling and charcuterie programs by Executive Chef Katie Coss and her culinary team are the basis of Husk’s cuisine.

Husk Nashville, located at 37 Rutledge Street, was constructed into the side of a hill between 1879 and 1882 by Dr. John Bunyan Stephens. Its storied history includes serving as Mayor Richard Houston Dudley’s home, where he lived when elected in 1897. The area was settled by the Rutledge and Middleton families of Charleston who were descendants of two of the original South Carolina signers of the Declaration of Independence. Mayor Dudley added the Carriage House located on property in 1890, which will serve as a space to satisfy the restaurant’s culinary whims and host private/special events. The design of the Husk’s interior spaces enhances the building’s roots while demonstrating a sense of Southern style, modernity, energy, and cosmopolitan flair.

We had family in town visiting and wanted to end the reunion with a nice dinner for the six of us. Everyone was hungry and wanted to eat an early dinner so we made reservations for 5:30 pm out on the patio. The Southern colonial style home was spectacular with the proper porch and ample rooms to accommodate different groups of diners from romantically inclined couples, to four person business pow wow, to the large six or more party celebrating a momentous occasion. I’ve heard so much about Husk that undoubtedly the expectations were high as we eagerly took in every part of the experience that was Husk related. The interior was bright, clean and very inviting, with the wonderful aromas emulating from the open kitchen format where the chefs and kitchen professionals were working diligently to create amazing delicious dishes.

Was perplexed at the music choice of Dear Abby by John Prine, but then quickly reminded myself of where I was and that Husk was the epitome of all that is Southern from the ambience, decor, as well as the theme of the cuisine. So yes, Dear Abby worked. The restaurant was just getting busy as we all sat down on the patio table and ordered a bottle of wine and all had cocktails as well. Kevin was our server and the knowledge, conversations and service from Kevin was stellar and near flawless. We all ordered starters and shared it family style. I ordered the Field of Dreams duck and while it was tasty, it was deep fried Southern style and I felt it took away from really allowing the duck to shine. Woozie had the Bear Creek Farm Beef and again, it was lacking something that I couldn’t pinpoint exactly. The food can be best summed up and described as “Primal”, simple yet complex, Keto and Paleo dining. We ordered several dishes to share and the best dish was the Nashville Hot Catfish sliders. As I talk to many industry people who have worked at Husk and/or have dined there in the past have all chimed the same sentiment, since Sean Brock (2018) left, the food hasn’t been the same, still delicious but somehow lacking and at the end couldn’t help feeling if the food and experience was worth the amount we paid. We were glad we got to experience Husk and catch up with family gossiping about our crazy relatives and friends, but have come to the personal conclusion that Husk, in its hay days with Sean Brock may have been a top 5 dining destination but presently, in our opinion, is still an awesome restaurant to visit, but no longer deserves the top 5 Dinner Spots designation.

Pro tip: The best perfectly cooked succulent duck I have had in Nashville to date was at Yolan located in The Joseph hotel. Duck is a finicky dish as it needs to be prepared perfectly since undercooking and over cooking duck will essentially ruin everything that makes this poultry so amazingly delicious.

They had two unisexual restrooms and both were clean, organized, had a clean fresh scent. One oddity and I realize that this used to be a home once, but as spectacular as the meat drying and aging room is, the location was not ideal as it was located next to the hallway leading to the restrooms between the restrooms and the back of the bar area, near the bar service station. The outdoor herb garden was a nice touch visually, but no doubt the size of the garden would lead you to conclude that the garden is not sustainable and the kitchen purchases a good amount from vendors rather than use what they have in their garden. The entire staff were courteous and friendly. The food was good, the ambience breathtaking, the restrooms clean.

Keywords: Neighborhood, Southern, SoBro, Colonial Home, Eclectic Decor

Price Range: $$$

Overall Grade: Boozy: thumbs up Woozie: thumbs up

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Boozy Woozie Cocktail inspired by Husk:

Southern Charm