Review: Audrey, Nashville
Food
Audio By Carbonatix
By Aimee McCullough, editor in chief
Review: Audrey, Nashville
While in Nashville, I had the privilege of dining at Audrey, a restaurant honoring Appalachia and its traditional dishes. Its open concept and kitchen gave the added bonus of watching the chefs at work preparing our delicious dinner.
To start off, we enjoyed a cocktail called the Golden Delicious Old-Fashioned. Made with bourbon, apple simple syrup, and walnut bitters, it was not too sweet, slightly bitter, and a perfect cocktail to open our palates before dinner.
Along with our cocktails, we ordered some starters for the table: Grill bread and caviar, artisanal mushrooms with potato and walden cheese, and endive with buttermilk cheddar, mustard and croutons.
The grill bread and caviar was decadent and rich—the grill bread was crispy on the outside, yet soft and pillowy inside. It was reminiscent of a crumpet, and the perfect vehicle for the gorgeous salted butter with a dusting of fine herbs and a generous dollop of the rich caviar. I would definitely order this again.
The mushroom, potato and cheddar dish was umami personified. The mushrooms alone were so flavorful and delicious, and then when paired with the potato cheese mixture underneath—similar to a French aligot— they became truly a perfect bite. The walden cheese in the aligot was buttery rich and silky, and was an exceptional compliment to the mushrooms. My husband I were both raving about the complexity of flavors garnered from seemingly simple ingredients.
Complementing our mushrooms and biscuits with caviar was the endive with buttermilk. The endive were halved lengthwise and roasted, softening their natural bitterness while bringing out some tanginess. They were crunchy and briny and I absolutely loved the buttermilk dressing with the bits of cheddar and crispy toasty croutons over the top. They were a burst of flavor and texture in my mouth.
For our mains, my husband ordered the Catfish and grits with preserved tomato and celery, and I ordered the grilled trout with preserved ramps, chicory, and bacon.
My husband, originally from the south, loved the catfish and grits. He noted that the catfish was grilled and perfectly tender, with a slightly smoky essence. The tomato consommé-like broth was extremely flavorful—more than he had expected with a perfect balance of acidity with a touch of heat. The grits were a touch of southern comfort and he was surprised with their subtle but distinct savory/salty addition to the dish.
My trout was grilled perfectly. It was buttery and mild, with delicious crispy skin. It was on a bed of sauce that was rich, creamy, and tangy—similar to a beurre blanc. The chicory added a crunch and depth of flavor with slight acidity. Also adding to the crunch, and some sweetness as well, were some heirloom corn kernels. And my favorite part of the dish, adding a bite of garlicky depth, were the preserved ramps. Ramps are a type of wild garlic that only grows in certain areas for about one week a year—making them extremely rare. I love their delicate and mild garlic flavor—they’re my favorite little allium and anytime I see a dish with them on a menu, I am definitely ordering it. This one did not disappoint.
And that brings me to the final dish we ordered—dessert. Audrey had a few offerings that looked truly delectable, but we only picked one to share a few bites—the buttermilk pie with preserved citrus. It was not quite what I was expecting, but delicious just the same. It was a soft buttermilk custard served in a shallow bowl with flaked pastry crust sprinkled on the top. When I took a bite, I got a nice combination of the custard, the preserved lemon, and flaky pastry. My husband said it reminded him of a lemon chess pie, deconstructed. It was creamy and had a nice bright lemony flavor which was nicely balanced by the pastry.
Audrey was a delightful window into southern and Appalachian cuisine that I was not overly familiar with. Eating here was a delicious discovery of new flavors, ingredients, and food preparations that I am eager to learn more about now that I’ve had the pleasure of being introduced. It was a fantastic experience I hope to repeat when I’m next in Nashville.