Husk Nashville

You want to go to Husk in Nashville. You really do. Yes, relative to the Waffle House, it is expensive. But is $12-$14 for lunch or brunch too much for a meal you’ll remember the rest of your life? Just pack your lunch for the next few days and suck it up.

So when you go to Husk for brunch you’d be lucky to break bread with my friends, Tom and Marida Sterns. They are adventurous eaters, sparkling conversationalists and, most importantly, they share. This is not a common trait among diners, but it is mandatory in the Mayhew household. Why just order one thing when you can share and try four things? As Tom says, “We’ve all had our shots.”

So here goes with our brunch at Husk:

Let’s just start with the shrimp and grits. Anson Mills heritage grits, impeccably sourced shrimp, a ham broth and a beautiful perfectly runny egg yolk in the middle. Noah practically fainted when he took the first bite.

Then how about Eggs Benedict with fried bologna, cornmeal English muffins and red-eye Hollandaise? Why, yes, thank you. I think I will. Actually this was Marida’s but she shared. Genius Southern move to substitute fried bologna for Canadian bacon.

Next up – Tom’s French Toast with grilled apples, peanut butter, maple and Chantilly cream.  Who thinks of these things? Chef Sean Brock, that’s who. If you don’t know who he is, look him up. We are beyond lucky that he wanted to open a restaurant here.

And last:

The famous Husk cheeseburger. I was beyond excited about this as a burger connoisseur. Homemade perfectly squishy bun, two heritage beef patties with a perfect crust on the outside and medium inside, special sauce, shaved white onions cooked into one of the patties and Brock’s own special sauce. And Brock insists that the only cheese for a cheeseburger is American cheese because of its superior melting qualities. That is right on the money. This burger has become so famous that Eater actually dissected it. I just devoured it.

Oh, I almost forgot the deviled ham deviled eggs. We ate them before I could get the camera out.

Husk is just one of many examples that Nashville had put on its big boy pants and holds its own with any food town in the country. We couldn’t always say that. But now we can.