What's for dinner? I have the answer!
"Want to grab a cocktail after work? Where should we go? I'm so tired of the same old options in my neighborhood.
Are there any new places that I can check out? I need restaurants that are more family friendly? Don't forget I have two little ones in tow."
Nashville's culinary landscape is always changing and these are questions that I am asked at least once a week by friends and co-workers. Finally, Sylvan Park has addressed all of these questions with one answer. The newest addition to the Sylvan Park neighborhood will open its doors on Tuesday, April 4th, 2017 for service. Owned and operated by the dynamic duo of Victoria Rothberg and Chef Chris Raucci, answer has been a passion project of these restaurant veterans for quite some time. " Rothberg's strengths in the front of the house balance Raucci's talents in the kitchen, and the duo sketched out the idea for answer on a receipt nearly three years ago, falling in love with the Nashville culinary scene soon thereafter."
answer serves a variety of flavorful dishes. From Asian inspired arancini, Mediterranean roasted octopus to the amazing tartare that I experienced, diners won't be disappointed. Menu items range from $5 to $30 with many of the plates being shareable.
I had the opportunity to preview a few of these delicious bites over the weekend and here are my top pics!
We started out with the tartare which consisted of sesame, miso, pickled papaya, and crispy shallots. What a better vehicle for transporting this deliciousness than some crispy, fresh wonton chips. I could seriously turn in all tortilla chips in the future and go with the wontons. They were perfect providing just the right amount of saltiness and crispiness in each bite. The flavor of this dish blew me away, but can we talk about how gorgeous it is?The papaya provides the perfect pop both in color and taste.
Tartare: sesame, miso, pickled papaya, crispy shallots served with wonton chips
All of that deliciousness in one bite!
Counterbalancing anything healthy we had in the previous dish, we opted for the mushrooms with fontina, leeks, lemon, pickled garlic and grilled bread. This dish reminded me of a mushroom au gratin as you can see the mushrooms floating around in the sea of cheesy goodness. Staying true to my southern roots, I had to ask for extra grilled bread to soak up this amazing sauce.
For our main course, we opted for something a little more on the heartier side, an American standout, the burger. answer serves their burger with bacon, fontina, jalapeño, sauce and a side of Kennebec potatoes cooked in duck fat. I think we ate almost all of the fries before we even hit the burger. Yes, they were THAT good. Clearly, we kept with a cheesy theme as you can see the fontina dripping off the side of the burger. How gorgeous is that!! A foodie's dream! I really enjoyed the fontina cheese with the jalapeño and bacon. It provided multiple levels of flavor with overpowering any one thing. Worried that the jalapeños might be too much? Never fear, they weren't terribly spicy and are perfect for this burger.
burger: bacon, fontina, jalapeño, and sauce served with a side of Kennebec potatoes cooked in duck fat
Wrapping up this calorie-fest, we clearly made the healthy choice and went with the strawberry crumble. Served in a petite iron skillet, the crumble had much more than just strawberries. It reminded me of the cobbler my grandmother used to make when I was growing up. And what good would a crumble dish be without ice cream on top? Good work, answer.
The website is still under construction at this point, but you can always pop over to Instagram and do a little foodie reconnaissance. Below are a few pictures of the restaurant interior which was created by San-Francisco based Hannah Collins Designs. answer will serve dinner Tuesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and is located at 132 46th Avenue North.
