i never do this…
talk about nashville restaurants out there in cyberworld
really ever
but
this was truly outstanding
here, in my nashville
finally…
enter: laura wilson and kim totkze from ‘ombi restaurant‘ on elliston place.
are you kneeling? because if you’re a foodie in this town - you sure as hell should be
now when it comes to restaurants i am a little difficult to please. i think i know good food. so i never blog about the dining establishments in this town. because it’s a small town and i don’t wanna be that person. but still we venture out on occasion, hopeful. and usually if not always we pay our bill and leave, shaking our heads in disbelief as to how the doors stay open to whatever place we’ve gone, wondering all the while - can nashville really be that undiscerning? and then i go home and cook for a few weeks until i’m able to get past the restaurant ennui that permeates my life here.
last night my friend and i went to ombi for a few reasons. there was the mismatched set of dining experiences from another nashville food blogger that got me curious - and a post/comment over on ‘nashville bites‘ which led me to email laura directly. her response, an excerpt of it below, was just the kind of thing i both was interested in and loved hearing. i am currently reading ‘the united states of arugula‘ by david kamp which talks specifically about the american food revolution.
Is Nashville changing? I think so. But I also think that the country is changing. We have really started selling things like sweetbreads, sardines, marrow bones and veal cheeks at a faster clip than before. I think that a great deal of that is brought about by the level of discourse on the internet, and just the fact that everyone is talking about food, where it’s grown, how it’s made. From a chef’s perspective, the amount of dialogue is a bit staggering. I’ve been cooking for 17 years; most of them peppered with one review every 3 or 4 years, and the occasional praise or castigation. I am trying to listen to both positive and negative criticism with a fair and even mind, and give to each the credence it deserves, without it changing my long view, my personal perspective.
so on a quiet monday night at 7 pm we sat down at ombi and i asked laura if she would just feed us. i wanted to make not one decision. and over 2 hours later my friend and i were stunned. we were looking at each other like ’surely we’re not in kansas anymore…’.
we began with a wonderful burgundy on laura’s recommendation - joseph drouhin’s chorey-les-beaune, obscure to me in my limited knowledge of wines but it worked perfectly with our dinner. all 7 courses.
but first a little bowl of popcorn appeared on my table. and hey, get this. this wasn’t just any popcorn. this popcorn had white truffle oil on it. and so i wonder, why hadn’t i ever thought of that? in all its richness and simplicity - this was quite the idea…
and then there was the perfect scallop accompanied by polenta and pancetta, a crab cake with a perfect fennel salad, 3 perfectly roasted oysters with a bloody mary cocktail sauce, an intermezzo of citrus sorbet before heading on to the meat courses like sweetbreads with preserved lemon - to blow your mind, shredded pork shoulder with butternut squash dumplings and finally, a perfect duck breast prepared with perfectly crackled cracklings with a sleek corn pudding next to mushrooms cooked in what was i am guessing was a duck demi-glace. perfect? i’d say so…
it was the attention to detail. it was how the flavors worked together. it was world class. near flawless and sublime. it was, finally, a great dinner right here where i live. hallelujah.
so for those of us that call nashville home and love to eat, you know the list, the nashville ‘top spots’ and i’m sure you have your favorites. now i urge you to take yourselves to ombi and eat laura’s food within the confines of a well executed architecturally designed space. and make sure she is in the kitchen that night.
please - by all means, report back…
18 responses so far ↓
1 Linda // Oct 3, 2007 at 12:20 am
I’ve only been there for lunch, but I love OMBI!
2 Rob Cox // Oct 3, 2007 at 8:43 am
Thanks for the nod. I am Laura’s sous chef, and I was curious to see your report. Please come again. If you would like to know what we are doing soon, please do not hesitate to send an email.
3 Julie // Oct 3, 2007 at 8:59 am
I’m intrigued by the idea of asking the chef to choose your meal for you. I wonder if most meals would be better if the chef chose what they thought was their best that night and chose courses that complemented each other. I think most people — ok, I base this on me — don’t order the parts of a meal based on things that will play off each other but rather on what they like.
Anyway, sounds like a fabulous meal.
4 J // Oct 3, 2007 at 10:44 am
Thanks, Claudia. I’ll go back to OMB now. I think Julie may be on point — the chef’s opinion, or that of the waitstaff, should be sought. At my favorite East Nashville restaurant I always ask the waitstaff’s advice, and they’ve guided me to choices I wouldn’ve have made on my own because they want to make sure it all works together. They haven’t been wrong yet — and that’s one sign of a great restaurant. Interesting that OMB served popcorn; creative cooks are doing fun things with this traditional South American food (maiz tostado) — I like it with a little Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, black pepper, and a drizzle of EVOO.
5 Music City Bloggers » Blog Archive » Attention To The Details // Oct 3, 2007 at 11:31 am
[...] what the author of Cook, Eat, Fret has to say about ombi. Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and [...]
6 nm // Oct 3, 2007 at 12:17 pm
I agree with you, both about what lousy food Nashvillians will put up with and call good, and about the general goodness of Ombi. My own “I would eat in this restaurant in any city in the world” place in town is Zola, probably because of the north African and Spanish touches Deb Paquette brings to her cooking. If you haven’t eaten there yet, you ought to. But yeah, Ombi makes eating worthwhile. Not that I can afford either Ombi or Zola more than once a year, but it does make me feel better to know that that one time they’ll be there.
7 Ned Williams // Oct 3, 2007 at 1:23 pm
I’m curious about the “just feed me” tactic, too. How does that work? Will they do it for you because you’re a food critic? Are servers accustomed to such requests or did you actually speak to the chef? Do you just bite your knuckle and commit to spending whatever the bill comes to? or do you give them a limit?
8 Klinde // Oct 3, 2007 at 4:17 pm
I am definitely going to take the German out there soon. I am glad you were impressed. I’ve never been so I will give it a whirl…
As for asking the chef to “just feed me”… My brother in law has been a chef for over 20 years (culinary trained in Hamburg, Germany) and I always just trust him to do what he pleases or order for me when we are out. He is never shy to walk into a kitchen and speak to other chefs and I am never disappointed with choices.
As for all else, if you would email me at ike7306-at-gmail-dot-com I will get you on the mailing list for Nashville blogger meet ups, etc.
Klinde
9 claudia // Oct 3, 2007 at 5:08 pm
linda - dinner is a whole other ballgame… you gotta go!
rob - thanks so much for a wonderful evening. i look forward to coming back - soon.
nm - i’m just not a zola fan. here’s why. first off - i do respect her as a chef on one hand but i have often found her plates too busy - too much going on. so much so that it just didn’t work for me on any level… i’ve been there probably 10 times but not in years - so i dunno if there’s been a shift in her vision. i say ombi. next time you splurge - ombi! much nicer room too…
and then to adress the ‘feed me’ tactic:
i had a hunch about laura. i could have been wrong - but i wasn’t. and i think she knew what i was looking for. a real chef, a true chef just gets it. i think it was fun for her too. i could go on and on about this but most importantly i would not recommend trying this just anywhere - or on a busy night. i usually engage the servers if i don’t know the chef - but it also depends on their exposure. there is a big diff between someone who can read off the specials and be polite and someone who understands food to the core - or thereabouts. i am very doubtful that laura saw me as a media critic - but more of a disgruntled foodie with a big opinion that might be based on a high level of experience.
and as for the cost, although we didn’t discuss it before hand, i think laura was more than fair for what we got. i don’t want to mention prices because this was off the menu and could perhaps be subject to change depending on various factors.
i will say that it was the first time in as long as i can remember that i slapped down my cc at a restaurant in nashville and felt really good about it…
but i do believe that if you are open to eat anything - it is a great way to dine. we lucked into a stellar meal. right place - right time, though i’m quite sure that laura is more than capable of doing it again and again. and again…
10 Ned Williams // Oct 3, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Thanks Claudia–that makes sense, as Klinde affirmed. You are an dining inspiration.
11 nm // Oct 4, 2007 at 10:17 am
Claudia, I know what you mean about the busy plates at Zola. The first time I was there I thought I would have brain overload thinking about what I was ordering, but when the food arrived I realized that everything on the plate just fit together and worked for me. Conceptually, it should have been too fussy, but my mouth found it gloriously straightforward. And it is my favorite restaurant in Nashville, hands down.
I’ve eaten at Ombi and had a wonderful time every time. And, once a year, I’ll continue to eat there. But it doesn’t quite do it for me the way Zola does, so long as I don’t overthink it.
12 claudia // Oct 4, 2007 at 3:09 pm
nm - many people share your opinion of zola… and i’ve not been in so long that i would need to go back to give a really fair assesment. for me ombi was so excellent because it was pure flavors - not crapped up with too much stuff. any garnish or whatever was on the plate was very straightforward and served a great purpose - and had a great flavor. i don’t want my plate being too busy… that to me is a mistake… BUT i can do multi plates! anyway - i like the way you talk about food - i hope you get to dine out more often… you sound deserving of the experience!
13 nm // Oct 4, 2007 at 6:31 pm
Well, if everyone liked just the same thing there would only be one restaurant. I can hardly criticize anyone who chooses Ombi as their favorite, and is so clear about why that is. Your blog is an inspiration, BTW. I’m a good cook and all, but I wish I had half the creativity you do.
14 Lannae // Oct 6, 2007 at 12:51 pm
I am surprised you made a post about Ombi. I am glad you thought Laura was good. I was thinking you were insane when you said you hated the 1st trip, but apparently Laura did not cook for you. THEN when I went back and Laura was not cooking, I HATED it! So, is Laura going to make sure that when she is not cooking, the sous chef (I thought his name was treavor not rob) is more consistent and tastes the food before serving? Seriously, my 2nd experience was terrible. Good thing I don’t primarily blog about bad food in Nashville.
15 claudia // Oct 6, 2007 at 2:13 pm
lannae - the food was too good to not give a shout out. she impressed me and i’m not easy. it’s the first time i’ve ever mentioned a specific restaurant as ‘lazzaroli pasta’ is just a shop. but - i never said i hated my lunch. look back on my comment. just said it was ok and worth a try for dinner! and boy was it ever…
i agree - to blog about bad nashville food wouldn’t be a good thing… but it sure would keep us busy…
i still think we should meet up for a meal. you pick it. dare i say… ombi?
16 Rob Cox // Oct 10, 2007 at 4:37 pm
I have been watching the responses to your initial post and there is a few things that I would like to address…
As far as “having the chef feed you”, there are few ways to go about that. We do offer a Chef’s table (which is located at the copper bar directly in front of the kitchen) on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It is eight courses with wine for $75 per person. During this, we choose for you, but we adhere to any dietary restrictions one has. Not only are we cooking and interacting with you, but we are servicing an entire restaurant with its own menu as well. However, with more regular customers, we will try more daring items. Often these dishes do not make the restaurant much, if any, money, but it allows us to become more personal through our food. Kidney? Heart? Testicles? Got it all in my cooler now. Put it on the menu? Probably not. Why? Because I, like many chefs, would probably not succeed by cooking to my own tastes solely. I need to recognize my customer base, blend in my knowledge, and balance a checkbook each time I have an idea. The main thing to sum this up is that we are excited to see so many people talking about food, and I wish that any of our customers would share their ideas and/or opinions with us. We learn from you as well, not just from books and the Internet. We will be happy to cook for all of you… just a little advance notice is really all we need. And by we, I hope that adheres to most chefs in town.
17 claudia // Oct 17, 2007 at 10:46 am
i think i’m getting you and trent mixed up… if you, rob are the sous chef… who made us dinner this past monday night??? trent? i’m confused…
18 Rob Cox // Oct 17, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Trent wears the Yankee hat. We keep missing each other. For that I apologize.
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