Restaurants in Clarksville

A ring of rice encircles the Caviar roll's morsels of yellowtail tuna, smoked salmon, avocado, and cream cheese. The roll's exterior is just as complex, with its delicate crust of masago, tempura flakes, and eel sauce. Sushi chefs assemble hearty sushi rolls such as this at the spacious wooden sushi bar, which curves and twists its way from the front to the back of the dining room. Sushi is the focal point of both the dining room and the menu itself—chefs slice 80 different rolls, ranging from traditional crab and avocado to exotic flourishes such as squid and kiwi. To enhance their sushi selections, diners can consult the sake menu, or fold it into a paper plane and drink whatever beverage it lands on.

Atop the restaurant, four spotlights illuminate the Highland Morning sign like a painting in a museum. Inside, black-and-white photographs speckle the walls like the dollops of whipped cream that festoon the shop’s waffles. Diners wander in, lured by the front windows, where etched glass spells out “breakfast done right,” even when lightly fogged by the steam from biscuits and gravy and pepper jack–stuffed omelets. Stacked pancakes and waffles lounge in toppings such as Nutella, cinnamon, and maple syrup. After two-handing a half-pound burger, diners retreat to an outdoor table for organic coffee, ready to take on hectic days at the office or chaperone bulls touring fire-truck factories.

The owners of North End Café don't just purchase local produce: they also grow vegetables and herbs in their own garden in Simpsonville. Since April, 2003, their chefs have championed this focus on local, seasonal ingredients with a healthy approach to cooking. North End Café's menu features traditional meals from around the world, ranging from grass-fed beef burgers and flatiron steaks to grilled fish and scallops to vegetarian lasagnas, stir-fry, and cakes. For sharing, chefs build eclectic small plates such as crab cakes, fried goat-cheese ravioli, and almond-crusted brie. They also prepare a range of vegan and gluten-free dishes, taking care to avoid the pyrotechnics that result when steak and tofu touch.

To accompany these meals, bartenders pour American and international wines, and blend cocktails from fruit and old-fashioned ingredients. A recently refurbished tap system spouts 21 craft beers, including imperial IPAs and peppery black porters. In warmer months, the aromas of cooking and laughter of clientele also fill the outdoor patio, an expansive wooden deck surrounded by leafy plants and tall, wispy trees.

Named one of the Top 100 Places to Drink in the South by Imbibe, Bourbon’s Bistro fills glasses with more than 130 varieties of rare bourbons including Heaven Hill, Ancient Age, and Old Rip Van Winkle. In the restaurant, located within a 1877 building, diners feast upon bourbon-inspired meals seated at one of many cozy tables lining a brick wall decorated with pictures of the past and midnight blue curtains. The bone-in pork chop exudes the sweetness of bourbon with a topping trio of caramelized apples, country ham, and bourbon glaze, while the Maple-leaf Farms duck breast is paired with roasted fingerlings, caramelized brussels sprouts, bacon lardons, and aged balsamic.

A finalist for Best Sushi according to a 2012 City Voter poll, Osaka Sushi & Japanese Cuisine fills their menu with one-of-a-kind combinations. Their chefs roll out more than 50 types of maki, from basic unagi rolls to elaborate specialty rolls, such as the eponymous Osaka roll filled with spicy crab, fried shrimp, and avocado then topped with steamed shrimp and mozzarella, all served on a flaming dish. Nigiri and sashimi present fresh flavors without a protective wall of rice. The aloha roll trades savory flavors for sweets with a core of deep-fried ice cream hidden beneath strawberries and mangoes.

The menu at Funmi’s Café swims with the names of West African dishes, tangles of unfamiliar syllables. Kachumbari, asaro, and kelewele may sound intimidating initially, but they conceal a cuisine characterized by warmth and gentle spice. Kachumbari is an African spin on coleslaw, asaro is a goldenrod-hued yam porridge, and kelewele is a snack of fried plantains.

In the kitchen, chefs stir pots of stew and sauce, often eschewing meat and dairy to fill Funmi’s menu with vegan options. Beneath murals of circular huts on a colorful savannah, fair-trade organic coffee imported from Africa pours forth steam like a robot trying to understand the end of Of Mice and Men.