If you’re a family with kids, you’re trying to hide that smile as they board the big yellow bus of joy.

If you’re in college, you’re back on campus with old friends and new as you navigate life away from your parents.

In other words, it’s time to celebrate with a great meal.

If you’ve been away or were just sleeping all summer, you’ll find a lot of new dining options. And guess what? There are more on the way.

So let’s dig in. There’s a whisper of cooler temperatures and football’s around the corner.

— Jim Myers, Food & Drink columnist

Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera

The godmother of Nashville’s chef scene, Deb Paquette, has opened up her latest venture, calling it Etc. as a play on the name of her downtown spot, Etch. Get it? Etc. gives you a new excuse, besides shopping of course, and our love of traffic, to head to Green Hills. Read more about it here.

Sisters with a twist

Alexis and Britt, the fabulous Soler sisters who brought us No. 308 in East Nashville and then Old Glory near Vanderbilt just got on an impressive list. Great. Now everyone’s going to want to come here. Check it out.

Barbershop bar

It’s a bar. It’s a barbershop. It’s a bar in a barbershop. Okay, it’s not a turducken, so don’t act like it’s that crazy. And before you even ask, yes it’s in Wedgewood Houston. Find your shot and shave here.

Hut one, hut two, hike

We love it when they call restaurants “huts,” like the old China Hut in Brentwood. Now we have an Indian version serving dosas, the wonderful thin, rolled pancakes stuffed with all kinds of spicy goodness. And you’ll never guess what they’re calling it.

What’s the word? Not Thunderbird.

Ms. Cheap got her moniker because Ms. Booze was already taken, but that doesn’t stop her from sussing out some good wine bargains. Bask in the fermented fruit of her labors and you might find a tasty deal or three. Get the scoop here.

Mellow Mushroom

It’s almost patio weather again, at least the kind where you’re clothes don’t stick. One restaurant is adding a rooftop dining area downtown, where you can mellow out and enjoy the view. Find out where it’s going here.

Farm to burger

Charlotte Pike’s getting another gourmet beef patty place to join Flip Burger along the rapidly evolving corridor. It’s called Farm Burger because the name Feed Lot Burger just doesn’t sit well with a lot of folks. Look for it to open next month.

 

Full Article Here

After a variety of real estate issues, Etc., the new restaurant from veteran chef Deb Paquette and 4-Top Hospitality (which also owns Amerigo and Etch) officially opened today in Green Hills. Originally intended to be Truss on 46th Avenue in Sylvan Park, the renamed restaurant is located in a newish development in Green Hills, just west of The Mall at Green Hills, on Bedford Avenue.

Though Green Hills traffic may discourage folks from the east side, the launch of Etc. is welcome news to residents of the western and southern parts of Nashville. Green Hills has numerous places to eat, but most are chain restaurants, and none has quite the flair that Chef Paquette puts in a menu.

During soft-opening training shifts late last week, I was able to check out the menus, which are similar in style to Etch only in that the dishes bring together a lot of different and unexpected flavors. The lunch menu offers starters, salads, sandwiches and larger main dishes, giving diners the option for a light lunch or something more substantial. My friend and I started the meal with sourdough (made special for the restaurant by Bella Nashville) with two flavored butters (celery truffle and malt vinegar). For my main dish, I ordered the “Faux Pas Crab Cakes.” A vegetarian dish inspired by crab cakes, it offers vegetable patties deep-fried in panko and served with fermented black bean mayo and wasabi aioli. A bed of greens with a sesame dressing accompanies the cakes, so it’s both decadent and healthy (also quite filling).

At dinner, I started with a chilled tomato soup flavored with ginger and coconut, which was a special. The bread and butter starter is the only holdover from the lunch menu that is also available on the evening menu (and which I suspect will become a staple, like the butter tasting at Etch). For my main course, I had the “Big Night Pie,” which is a four-cheese-filled phyllo roll with zucchini and some roasted vegetables. It’s got a black olive quinoa “caviar” tucked inside and is served with both an eggplant raisin sauce and a smoked red bell pepper and tomato sauce, which actually work well side by side. It’s also accompanied by an arugula salad topped with a garlic caper vinaigrette. There are a lot of elements going on with this plate, but it works together really well.

Desserts at Etc. are made by pastry chef Megan Williams, who also oversees dessert duty at Etch. We sampled two desserts: an orange-and-chocolate panna cotta with orange meringue (topped with a beautiful and delicate edible orchid) and an upside-down plum cake with goat cheese ice cream. Both desserts were delicious, but the chocolate orange panna cotta is something I would want to eat over and over again. It was perfectly chocolatey and satisfying.

My husband ordered the tuna, which was grilled to perfection (diners are asked to specify how they’d like the tuna to be prepared; my husband prefers rare) and served with a Caribbean-flavored sweet potato and salad. My daughter had the brie and berry napoleon salad, which was a perfect meal for a proper young diner. The restaurant features a brief cocktail menu, a small selection of beers, and a very good wine list.

Inside, the restaurant’s decor has elements of wood, metal and tile, and is clean and modern, though a bit dark (the lighting, however is very good, and a wall of windows helps lighten it up during the day as well). The decor suits the vibe as an upscale-casual neighborhood eatery.

Unlike Etch, the kitchen isn’t wide open to view, but there is still a long area of bar seating at the actual bar. Table seating is at a handful of booths, four-tops, and two-tops. Larger parties will definitely want to arrange seating at adjacent tables ahead of time. The restaurant is open for lunch and during the week; on Saturdays it’s dinner only. Etc. is currently closed on Sunday, but plans for Sunday brunch are in the works.

Check out the Etc. website for the full (current) menus, reservations and more information.

Full article here