Midtown Cafe in Nashville
Midtown Cafe
102 19th Ave So.
Nashville, TN
615-320-7176
102 19th Ave So.
Nashville, TN
615-320-7176
Midtown is an unassuming little restaurant on a side street off the main drag of Nashville. Midtown is part of OpenTable.com so you can make a reservation online, and be assured to have your table waiting when you arrive. I am impressed that Midtown is taking advantage of this nation-wide online reservation service that other larger restaurant meccas have embraced. Midtown has a menu that changes often, depending on ingredients, and some of the recipes and combinations are a bit experimental. Midtown also has a tasting menu, 3-courses for $39, or 5-courses for $54, and I opted for the 3-course.
The first course I opted for was seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras with a sun dried tomato polenta cake, and garnished with capers and fresh herbs. I now know why Iron Chef taste testers go ga-ga over Foie Gras, as it is so decadent. My taste buds were so happy!
The 2nd course was a cool green tea soba noodle, Thai pesto with Asian slaw veggies, and topped with a shrimp tempura. This dish was light, cleansing and refreshing, which balanced well with the first course which was rich and flavorful. The shrimp might have been better on this dish if it were grilled rather than fried because the tempura batter was heavy, and missing that light airy feel of real tempura. This course was exactly what was needed before the last course.
The 3rd course was a carnivore special with antelope sirloin and a wild boar ragu and sides of beans and fennel. The antelope was lean, melted in my mouth, and surprisingly, it did not have a gamey smell or taste. The wild boar ragu packed a powerful punch of flavor to the other parts of the plate that were more subdued.
I could not imagine having any more of any of these dishes than what was plated because each one was so well made, and the ingredients were so fresh, that you only need a few bites to feel satisfied. Each dish was just enough to make my taste buds happy, and left me wanting to come back to Midtown for another try on another day.
The first course I opted for was seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras with a sun dried tomato polenta cake, and garnished with capers and fresh herbs. I now know why Iron Chef taste testers go ga-ga over Foie Gras, as it is so decadent. My taste buds were so happy!
The 2nd course was a cool green tea soba noodle, Thai pesto with Asian slaw veggies, and topped with a shrimp tempura. This dish was light, cleansing and refreshing, which balanced well with the first course which was rich and flavorful. The shrimp might have been better on this dish if it were grilled rather than fried because the tempura batter was heavy, and missing that light airy feel of real tempura. This course was exactly what was needed before the last course.
The 3rd course was a carnivore special with antelope sirloin and a wild boar ragu and sides of beans and fennel. The antelope was lean, melted in my mouth, and surprisingly, it did not have a gamey smell or taste. The wild boar ragu packed a powerful punch of flavor to the other parts of the plate that were more subdued.I could not imagine having any more of any of these dishes than what was plated because each one was so well made, and the ingredients were so fresh, that you only need a few bites to feel satisfied. Each dish was just enough to make my taste buds happy, and left me wanting to come back to Midtown for another try on another day.
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