NAME: Rolf and Daughters
LOCATION: 700 Taylor Street, Nashville, TN 37208
CUISINE: American/Italian
PRICE POINT: $$$ (out of $$$$)
OVERALL RATING: 9/10
DESCRIPTION:
Nashville - A sleepy old southern town nestled along the Cumberland River known as the home of country music? Its meat-and-three eateries? Its honky tonky scene downtown? No longer! Nashville is the new "IT" city. People are flocking to live in this beautiful, bustling city which is now the home of a lively, varied music scene, the silicon valley of healthcare, the namesake of a popular television program and restaurants galore.
Rolf and Daughters is one of the newcomers to the restaurant scene and is my favorite of the moment. named #3 in top new restaurants in America of 2013, it is located in the 100-year-old Werthan Factory building in the revitalized Germantown neighborhood. the entry is a bit hidden in a little side street and makes one feel like he is entering an old speakeasy. One inside, the atmosphere confirms this convivial impression. The long community tables and separate booths make for open, relaxed dining and viewing. this is a favorite haunt of Nashville celebs - we even saw Clare Bowen of "Nashville" fame last time we visited!
The food changes seasonally with the weather, but there are definitely a few staple items we always order.
Our favorite starter is the brussels sprout, apple, hazelnut and pecorino salad. the brussels sprouts are shaved and the tart dressing makes this sale type salad delectable. I have tried to reproduce this at home and can only come up with a poor imitation. It is so tasty that we forgot to take a picture of the dish when it arrived - here is what it looked like after a minute on the table.
Other starters we enjoyed were the beef tartare and the sourdough with seaweed butter - though a friend of mine said she couldn't believe they charged $5 for ******* bread!
Though there was a variety of dinner options, I stuck with my favorite - Garganelli verde with heritage pork ragout and sarvecchio. A perfect winter's night pasta with a rich, delicious sauce and perfect pasta al dente. Yum!! The portion sizes are not too large, not too small - just right as Goldilocks would say. And you do need some of that ******* bread to mop up the sauce. Dishes go back to the kitchen and don't need washing - they are licked clean.
Our dinner companions (teenagers) chose the lamb meatballs. Granted they were sophisticated eaters from San Francisco, they appreciated our beloved R.A.D. Those disappeared quickly, as did the Heritage chicken with preserved lemon and confit garlic.
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Usually I can resist the temptation of dessert, but RAD has the best panna cotta I've tasted. Vanilla and creamy - it is perfect! The petit gingersnaps are a delicate accouterment. don't blink or my husband will have inhaled it all. The bombolini are also fun and a crowd pleaser.
Next time you're planning a trip to nashville, make your reservations to come to Rolf and Daughters - just do it weeks in advance as it is the hardest reservation to secure in Nashville.
Until next time, Bon Appetit!
