New York City Buzzing Over Nashville's Henley Chef Visit To James Beard House
Just about 20 years ago, Nashville's restaurant scene wasn't much more than a few hidden gems, some quality ma-and-pa restaurants, and chains galore. But a lot has changed in Music City and the tides are shifting. Nashville has staked a claim for itself as a food destination, proven by the boom of quality chef-driven dining options throughout the city. One of the city's foremost farm-to-table restaurants, Henley, sources many ingredients from the local Blackberry and Wedge Oak farms.
Now New York City is set to get a taste of this Nashville buzz on Saturday, November 11. Chef RJ Cooper of Nashville's Henley will head to the James Beard House with his head bartender and industry veteran Jon Howard. Afterward, the special Nashville Buzz dinner menu will be offered for one week to Nashville diners at Henley from Thursday, November 16 through Wednesday, November 22.
The evening will begin with canapés and opening cocktails, followed by a seated five-course dinner of reinvented Southern-inspired dishes with wine and drink pairings. Created to be bright and fresh, Henley's cocktails incorporate the same ingredients used in the kitchen to merge the line between food and beverage. Think a pumpkin seed risotto paired with the restaurant's weekend prize cocktail, which has bourbon and butternut squash puree. The dinner will conclude with dessert and small bites.
This will be the chef's third dinner at the famed Beard House, which invites chef from around the country to cook multi-course dinners to highlight what regional American cooking means today.
Henley is a modern American brasserie located on 21st Avenue South and Broadway in Nashville. Henley is in fact named after the shirt, and that casual but cool aesthetic is translated throughout the restaurant. From the first cocktail through the dinner through pastry chef Matt Clement's desserts, there is impeccable attention to detail in every execution. Comparable to nothing else in Nashville, enjoy craft cocktails in a communal setting, dine while tucked away in a cozy spot by the bookshelves, or score a reservation for the single table restaurant hiding behind a secret door.
Tickets are available for Henley's buzzzz dinner at the James Beard House online or to experience it in Nashville, make your reservation in advance.