The monopoly tycoons of the 19th century traditionally did their wheeling and dealing at exclusive restaurants, cleverly concealing the fact that they still lived with their parents. For $30, you get $60 worth of fine progressive Southern cuisine and drinks at the Capitol Grille, located downtown in the elegant main dining room of the historic Hermitage Hotel. Your Groupon is valid for dinner only.
Start a smart casual dinner in the white-gloves-and-coattails dining room with Carolina-influenced appetizers. Grilled pork belly with hominy and Tennessee huckleberries is $13, and the house dish, Oysters Hermitage, shows Apalachicola influence for $12. Capitol Grille’s spring dinner menu highlights the local Black Angus beef, so play along with a backyard beef brisket ($23), 8-ounce hanger steak ($26), or 16-ounce Niman Ranch rib eye ($42). If you'd rather make your own rules, order pan-fried flounder and oysters in a crawfish étouffée broth ($27) or a seasonal-vegetable casserole with a buttermilk and herb crumble ($22) and a side of fried green tomatoes or truffle mac ‘n’ cheese (all sides $7). Sample the wine list with a glass of Louis Latour chardonnay ($10) or Erath pinot noir ($14) and enjoy the elegant setting as a dessert of chocolate entremets or crème caramels arrives (each $9). The historic hotel's 100th anniversary provides the backdrop for a romantic dinner or the perfect setting to bury the hatchet after last week's duel with Mr. Peanut.
Reviews
Eight Yelpers give Capitol Grille 3.5 stars, Citysearchers rate their 2006's best fine dining and dessert winner 4.5, and Frommer's recommends it:
- Diners rave about [chef Tyler Brown's] Carolina-influenced dishes, including Low-Country oyster stew. – Frommer's
- If you haven't had dinner at the Capitol Grille you are missing out on the best that Nashville has to offer. – tonyasean, Citysearch
Capitol Grille
Four miles from the Capitol Grille kitchen, executive chef and able farmer Tyler Brown plucks heirloom veggies from the fertile soils of 66-acre Glen Leven Farm. A member of Southern Foodways Alliance and Slow Food USA, Brown champions a commitment to cultural sustainability—a movement that cherishes a region's dish traditions and embraces the culinary artistry of today. The seasoned yeoman not only incorporates his heirloom veggies into traditional Southern dishes, but also cultivates his patch without pesticides or harmful putdowns. Brown also raises heritage breed beef on a nourishing grass-fed diet. His approach to cuisine has earned nods from myriad media outlets, which praise his menu of dry-aged beef and creative flourishes such as huckleberry jus and cranberry moutarde. Situated inside the 100-year-old Hermitage Hotel, Capitol Grille dazzles patrons with towering ceilings, marble walls, and crisp white linens.