Dream Nashville's Stateside Kitchen
Stateside Kitchen is nothing short of phenomenal. One might even say. . .dreamy. . . Yes, Stateside Kitchen is one of the two restaurants (with one more on the way), four bars, and one club inside Nashville’s Dream hotel. What makes it so, as I say, “dreamy”? Attention to detail––in every aspect, from the atmosphere to the service, to the cooking technique, to the well balanced flavors of every dish. Our meal was so perfect, to ensure your experience is just as delectable, let me guide you through exactly what we enjoyed:
We started, as all great dinners do, with a round of cocktails. While we couldn’t try all of the signatures, we did choose the Bee’s Knees (Castle & Key Gin, lavender honey, fresh lemon) and the Blackberry Margarita (Trambo Blanco Tequila, fresh muddled blackberries, St. Germaine, agave syrup, citrus ). Both were worth going back for.
Then came the appetizers; sushi and salad. A Giant Prawn Roll, Pressed Sushi, and Miso Kale with Smoked Chicken salad set the bar pretty high for the start of the meal. (I hear the Spicy Yellowtail Roll is quite the dish as well). Sushi Chef Ken Gi flies his fish in fresh from all over the world, including the American East Coast and Japan, and it shows.
Next, the Sixty South Salmon (pan seared with herb butter, seasoned and grilled jumbo 32 asparagus, Yukon smashed potatoes) and The Chop (22oz Kurobuta bone-in pork chop, green apple chutney, black eyed peas with collard greens) took the standard even higher. (I dare you to find a more perfectly cooked pork chop.) Chef Michael Kopfman shared with me the secret behind The Chop. It starts with, as he says, "the 'kobe beef' of pork––Kurobuta." The whole loin is brined for 48 hours before being cut into the double thick chops, sous-vided, and finsihed under the broiler.
Alas, we finished out the meal with a bitter sweet finale. The House-Made Ice Cream Trio for the evening featured Lemon (over a blueberry muffin cake), Snickers (over a chocolate chip cookie), and Toffee (topped with popcorn)––every bite so satisfying! And I must say, I’m a bit obsessed with The Campfire S’mores Cake. It took approximately a minute and a half to determine how the pastry chef included the smoky flavor. At first, I believed it was in the toasted marshmallow fluff. After a couple bites, I realized this was not it. I thought it must be in the caramel. It certainly was not in the tart-like cake. After deconstructing each flavor constituent, I was surprised to discover it was the ice cream. The smoky flavor was created by the dark chocolate ice cream, which was bitter rather than sweet, in contrast with the sugary elements. Later, Chef Michael Kopfman explained to me that the dish developed from an idea Pastry Chef Tim Costner threw around for "reverse s'mores." Keeping in tune with the menu's concept of putting a new spin on comfort food and inspired by many nights spent camping as a child (his father was a fly fisherman), The Campfire S'mores Cake was born.
Are you drooling yet? What are you waiting for? Go ahead and make your reservation. Afterwards, if you’re feeling guilty for stuffing yourself, walk it off and explore Dream some more (there are still three bars, two restaurants, and a club you have yet to see).
