Tennessean's Nancy Vienneau Praises Husk Nashville; Puckett's Boat House Takes Diners on Vacation

This week the Tennessean's Nancy Vienneau reviews Husk Nashville and decides that "[a]s a fine restaurant in our city, Husk is destined for greatness." Calling it "kismet, or the alignment of the stars, for chef Sean Brock to open a Nashville outpost of his acclaimed Charleston, S.C., restaurant Husk," Vienneau extols all aspects, including the restaurant's "serene architectural presence, flourishing gardens and notable history."

As for the food, Vienneau says that the "roster of Firsts holds many great plates," including Rappahannock oysters, chicken wings and fried chicken skins. "Perfection, though, comes in the form of the Carolina Rice Griddlecakes" that "have salty-crisp edges and a pleasant hit of cayenne that lingers on the tongue." Salads are also a highlight, particularly the Roasted Beet Salad - "ruby, striped and golden discs in a pool of fermented buttermilk and grapefruit essence, garden sorrel and sweet woodruff."

When it comes to the proteins, Vienneau recommends the "bone-in chop, served with ember-grilled cabbage, buttermilk potato puree and a brilliant tangle of mustard onions." She concedes that the only disappointment was the Grouper entree, calling it "flat and underseasoned."

On pastry chef Lisa Donavan's desserts:

We thought that nothing could surpass her Buttermilk Pie - akin to chess, but with soulful tang - until we had her fresh Georgia peach tartelette: cornmeal crust, peaches at peak juicy ripeness topped with a round of frozen honey-pecan mousse. [Tennessean]

Puckett's Boat House in Franklin gets the treatment from the Nashville Scene's Carrington Foxand she gives the feel and the food high marks. On the restaurant's atmosphere:

[S]ome restaurants make you feel like you're on holiday, like you should probably drink a beer or bloody mary at lunch and order dessert, maybe buy a T-shirt. Puckett's Boat House in Franklin is one of those places.

Favorite dishes include Apalachicola oysters prepared in a variety of ways, "familiar deep-fried staples" such as catfish, cod and shrimp, and the po'boy. Fox was "less excited about the more innovative dishes," including the seafood mac-and-cheese and fish tacos. But Fox urges readers to try dessert, stating that the "showstopper of [their] meal was a wide wedge of key lime pie paved with a thick crust of crushed walnuts and almonds....what you might call a destination dessert." [Nashville Scene]
[Philip Krajeck; Photo TripAdvisor]