Tayst Restaurant

The experience was amazing. The staff was excellent, the location was perfect. I highly recommended this restaurant to everyone. more

My partner and I went last night for a small celebration. We did the couples tasting which is two apps, entree, and dessert with wine pairings. The food was amazing...stunning to be honest. I would have given them 5 stars but the wine pairings were a bit off. Everything was incredibly sweet and didn't quite fit with the meal. more

My husband and I have lived here since 2006 and have always been curious to try Tayst. We aren't ""green"" or ""organic,"" so maybe we aren't this place's target audience. The ambiance is pretty bland - it didn't feel lively or energetic, though it's in a good part of town and parking is a breeze. I ordered the crab cake appetizer and my husband had the special veal app. My crab cake was pretty fishy-tasting and not very creative - it was laid on some normal hollandaise and had a few slices of apple on top. My husband really liked his app but I'm not a veal fan so I don't know. Note, the portion sizes are pretty small, but we are used to that so that isn't really a problem. If you want huge portions for cheap you go to Outback or something. :) We want quality and creativity more than gorging ourselves. The entrees were pretty terrible. I ordered the lamb which was chewy, though cooked to the appropriate temp by appearance, and accompanied by uncreative rice, sliced carrots, and two big chunks of goat cheese that looked like they came right out of a package. My husband ordered the pork shoulder, which when I tried it was like eating a salt lick, but he said it was ok, though he liked mine better. The server was perfectly nice, but not very knowledgeable and seemed to be sort of out of it the whole time (P.S. we still tipped 20%, as we normally do). We both commented that he was a little ""off."" Overall, we were just really disappointed. I spent ten years waiting tables at many restaurants and my husband is a chef so we are both extremely tolerant and view things in the most favorable light (everyone has a bad night, for sure). This place just really missed the mark. We will not return nor recommend it. We ordered a $42 bottle of wine, two apps, two entrees, and a dessert to share and the total was $131.00 plus the $26 tip. Maybe there is something I am missing about the difference in ""green"" or ""organic"" but if that is the case, I'm not sorry to miss it. more

Went to Tayst for the first time last night. What and outstanding experience! The food was excellent and the staff could not have been more attentive. It was our anniversary and we were both made to feel very special. The dishes were original and the flavors well balanced. I had escargot for my starter which you don't see very often in Nashville and these were prepared to an exceptionally high standard. I also had the lamb which was cooked to perfection. The portion sizes were pleasant. However, I would not recommend trying to fit in more than three courses, despite the encouragement to have more. Can't say enough good things about the service. If you want to take someone out and know that they will feel well treated, this is your place. Our server seemed earnest and to genuinely care that we had an excellent evening. In this regard, it was one of the best experiences I have ever had in Nashville. In the interests of balance, let me also mention something I thought could be improved. Compared to other restaurants in Nashville that aspire to the same level of cuisine as this one, I think it lets itself down with the decor. The entrance is uninviting. As you approach, the front doors from outside, you see a line of dusty old books through the window, some of which the spines are facing the window and some not. This makes you wonder if you are entering a restaurant or a second-hand bookshop. Inside, everything changes for the better with interesting pieces of modern art and paintings adorning the walls. Having said that, other restaurants in Nashville at the same price point have put more work into the decor and feel warmer and more inviting when you look around. Bottom line: if you're going to spend the evening enjoying beautiful food and your company, who cares about what's on the walls, right! more

Dreadful meal...inedible 'food'...pretentious service...A total wayst of 2 hours and $80. more

I've written two wordy reviews elsewhere so I will make this one short and to the point. My husband and I eat out every single day, have our Nashville faves and I feel qualified to rate this restaurant 1 star.\r \r * Zilch atomosphere\r * Server- Zilch personality - offensive in his \r pretentiousness\r * Appetizers arrived quickly - Entree slow - arrived 20 \r min after 2nd appetizer\r * Cold Bread - No Butter - Pureed ""something"" \r unrecognizable by taste\r * Decent cheese plate - drop the Melba toast - too \r crunchy and loud to eat in an intimate atmosphere\r * Embarrassing salad due to size and appearance -\r good dressing\r * Entrees - Steak was just a bad piece of meat - for the \r same price, I could've had Ruth's Chris or Stoney \r River - Vegetarian entree was slop and I almost spit \r out first bite - neither arrived hot\r Very disappointing - overpriced - small portions - this \r was a small crowd, middle of the week night - I cannot believe this was a $100 meal with NO alcohol. more

Unusual, delightful flavors one dish after another. We thought the next course could not possibly be better. We were wrong. Herb-crusted ahi tuna. I'm amazed at the skill of the kitchen in preparing a dish with few ingredients to perfection. Portions were a perfect size, leaving room for the next course. And wow, am I glad I left room for dessert. The chocolate flourless cake was presented beautifully and beyond delicious. I've never asked for a take-home on dessert, but I brought my four remaining forkfuls home. more

Not impressed with Tayst. I sit there from 5:30 to 7:30. I never received a refill on my drink or was even asked if I would like another. Luckily I did have some water. The appetizer Liver Pate' and Pears and caraway crackers consisted of 4 crackers, a teaspoon of pears and a Tablespoon of pate'. It was tasty but small and it did take over an hour to receive the rest of my order. The waiter chatted over at the other table multiple times but passed our table many times without even checking to see if anything was needed. We always had to try to ""Catch him or get his attention"". I do not recommend this restaurant if you are looking for a nice evening on the town. You will leave frustrated. more

Our Supper Club selected Tayst for its interesting menu. The ambiance is nice - easy parking considering the area, muted colors and local ingredients. That's about where the fun ended. We arrived at 5:30. Apps took about 30 minutes to arrive and were small in size. The liver pate had a sharp flavor though wasn't unappealing. Other appetizers were not very interesting. One was tomatoes with goat cheese drowning in balsamic. Entrees, which we'd ordered at the same time as apps finally arrived at 7:30. The amount of time it took for our food was inexcusable, but the excuse was that ""several people in the group ordered different courses"". Well yeah, they ordered an app and then a salad or another app as their main course. They were out of the 1 soup offered the menu (at 5:30 in the evening??) I ordered the ""meaty pasta"" for $26.00. It turned out to be a lukewarm plate of 3 meatballs with a ton of sage in them and some overcooked pieces of pasta. The sauce was more like some kind of gravy and there were almost raw pieces of carrot in it. It was very strange and I found it hard to believe I waited 2 hours to eat that! One of the people in our group complained about the slow service and the waiter argued with her. I wanted dessert but the meal had taken so long to arrive I didn't have time to order it. I saw no good excuse for the slow pace of the meal and disappointed food. There didn't appear to be any entrees under $25 on the menu. I don't mind paying for a meal, but I do have expectations that it will be accompanied by good service and food. Tayst didn't provide either and I doubt anyone in my group will be returning. more

So disappointing. My husband and I have been talking about trying Tayst since owner/chefJeremy Barlow's 2009 Iron Fork win. Service was ok, nothing special. The food was pretty bland, not memorable and the portions were super small. Everyone in our party looked at one another after 3 courses and stated we were all still hungry! more

Thought it was a little over rated and over priced. I love their philosophy, local organic foods. Put honestly, I felt like they try too hard to be fancy. Maybe I just can't appreciate the menu, but I felt like the options were a bit limited. The last time we were there was valentines day and our waiter was rude (granted, I'm sure she was tired). But there were just a handful of options on the menu, and the wine wasn't just double retail but a good bit more than that. more

Was very interested in trying Tayst as I fully support any service provider attempting to operate in an environmentally conscientious manner. Unfortunately, we encountered yet another over-rated over-priced mediocre Nashville area restaurant.\r \r I wasn't impressed with the menu offering typical upscale restaurant items and had a hard time finding ""local"" produce items. Our server, while friendly, had an air of pretentiousness to him that I found offensive. He seemed bothered when I asked him specifics on some of the ingredients in the dishes and spoke down to me as if i wasn't hip enough to be at the restaurant. \r \r The portions were small, the food was mediocre. I was surprised by their use of processed foods on the menu (Coke glazes and Krispy Kreme desserts - wtf?) and felt like they were just using the green concept to get hipsters to frequent the restaurant. \r \r Will not recommend to others or waste my money visiting again.\r Pros: Green, interesting menu, local foods Cons: Overpriced, pretentious more

This little gem is nestled in the Hillsboro Village area near Belmont and Vandy right off of 21st Avenue. I took my sweetie there for a birthday dinner and we had the most delightful time! Don't let negative reviews discourage you from enjoying this incredible organic cuisine! It may be the best restaurant in all of Nashville.\r \r We started out with a fish appetizer which was the special for the night. I believe it was three different kinds of fish. While we waited for it to arrive, a basket of little cornbread muffins and rolls appeared and they were *so* good the size made no difference. We also received a plate with homemade hummus and pita. The fish appetizer was fresh and very tasty.\r \r As far as entrees were concerned, we ordered the bison ribeye steak medium and the tobacco smoked chicken. It was more than worth the wait and the wine kept coming! While the appetizers were more like a ""taste,"" the entrees were filling and then some! I received a very large portion of bison that was mouthwateringly tender with ramps and a mini macaroni and cheese. The chicken was cooked to perfection and arrived in a delicious broth. Desserts were creme' brulee and a homemade strawberry crepe that was unimaginably good. The vanilla bean creme' brulee was definitely the best in Nashville and was so good not one morsel remained.\r \r Definitely our choice for a last meal if it ever came to that! It was expensive but definitely worth every penny. Don't miss this place!\r \r The seating was a little cramped and we weren't thrilled to be seated in the middle of the dining room but the food more than made for it. Supposedly they are undergoing a complete remodeling so I would expect that to change in the near future. Pros: organic, local food, delicious wine, delectable entrees Cons: seating, which may change with remodel more

As a huge fan of organic food, I couldn't WAIT to try Nashville's first certified-green restaurant. Things were hopeful when my husband I entered and saw a chalkboard with the list of local farms they buy and cook from. So far so good. We came on a busy night, and the service was still SO accomodating and wonderful. Our table, and the whole place, was cozy and swanky. I ordered a cosmo to start, which was good- not too strong- but I'm pretty sure it was made with cranberry cocktail and didn't taste as fresh as I expected from a green restaurant. The bread offerings were de-lish. When the waiter read us the specials, I almost cried ""foul"" when she told us of a meat dish braised in Root Beer and Coca Cola. I don't know what it takes to be green certified, but having given up the evils of soda LONG before becoming organic-conscious, I find it difficult to believe there's any way to justify cooking farm-raised animals in high fructose corn syrup and xantham gum. The food followed, and was decent, but nothing like my husband and I expected. Everything was super small portions, which would have been fine if they were priced accordingly. I find it difficult to justify spending $8 on an appetizer that I know I could make several (much larger) portions of for under $2. We decided to pass on the dessert when we heard that again, one of the ""criminals"" of the fast food world were their specialties: Krispy Kreme bread pudding. It sounded delicious, and I'm sure it would be, but going for the idea of staying as close to all-natural as possible, this just let us down a bit. I'm sure Tayst will realize that a lot of upscale restaurants are following their green-suit (Prime 108, Brio, etc) and their ""buzz"" for being earth friendly won't be able to propel food that's just ""alright"" forever. If you're looking for something interesting that you can feel semi-good about, this is a good place (if you have $30-$40 per person to spend). But if you're just looking for really delicious, fascinating food, this is NOT your place. Pros: Local, mostly natural, organic produce Cons: expensive (for what it is), small portions more

My wife and I went for our Valentine's dinner. It was better than expected. The beef, which came from a Robertson Co. farm, was outstanding! The restaurant is Nashville's first Green Restaurant. One of the best things we liked is the pairing up of a certain wine with the particular meal we had. The waiter really knew what he was talking about and there were plenty of waiters around. It didn't take long for them to serve us. The Creme Brulee was the best I have ever had around Nashville. My mouth waters now thinking about it. A very good experience for the both of us. more

Tayst is one of my all time favorite restaurants. My fiance and I go anytime we are celebrating something and whenever our families are in town. Their menu changes seasonally and some things are better than others. (I always ask the server what they recommend.) My all time favorites were the bacon ice cream with shrimp beniegets, and the braised short ribs. They also have the best creme brulee ever. I always get the recommended wine pairing and it's always fabulous. (I also love that they do half glasses - I can't usually drink a whole one.) Pros: creative menu, wine Cons: price more

Tayst is one of my favorite restaurants. The food is outstanding. I am from Cleveland, Ohio but always make sure I head to Tayst when I am in town. I had the chef's tasting (Value menu #3) on Thursday and then a la carte on Friday. I loved that short rib...mmmm. The food is so fresh and innovative. I can't wait until I can get south again. Pros: great food and service more

What a great place. We just moved to Nashville and are trying to find the top restaurants in the city. I consider myself to be a good critic of what good food means - i've been to several restaurants for tastings by Emeril, worked as a student under Food Network chef's and traveled around Europe to sample the top restaurants (as a vacation) . After reading reviews of several places in Nashville - I've come to believe that a lot of people who write reviews consider places like Chili's and The Olive Garden to be ""good"". Tayst was wonderful - my husband and I have eaten dinner there several times. The wine and beer selection is great. Short and to the point - you pay for quality. If you want to feel ""full"" - go to a buffet. Or McDonalds? The idea is to live healthy, eat healthy and feel healthy. This is a place you go to for an evening of fine dining: good food, good drinks and good conversation. If you want a 45 minute meal go somewhere else. If you understand what higher class dinning is all about, you will have no bones to pick with this place. Good timing when bringing out the meal, intelligent staff, perfect proportions and excellent flavors. The chef does wonders with what is available to him. Kudos to Tayst! Pros: certified green, good food, drinks and staff more

I had been planning to try Tayst for a long time; foodie friends recommended it, and I had heard the buzz about it being Nashville's green restaurant, etc. Last night, I finally had the pleasure of dining there. The decor is warm as are the servers. Every dish that we had at the table, from the Mero appetizer to the Krispy Kreme bread pudding, was seasoned and cooked beautifully. Of course they have a great wine list. Tayst is definitely the best meal I've had in Nashville in as long as I can remember. \r more

Tayst is proud of their ""organic"" insects crawling around in their kitchen and in the food they serve. While eating a salad I discovered a ladybug crawling around in it. At first I was like, oh cute, but having to wait on my waiter for 15 minutes gave me too much time to think of else was crawling around on my plate, crawling around in the kitchen and if I had already eaten some that were uncovered. \r \r I showed the waiter the 6 legged insect and quietly asked him to take away my salad and off my check. My guest and I were absolutely surprised the waiter's response and rude attitude. What floored us was his condescending remark. He told us, ""Ladybugs are organic"". (For the squimish don't read this) I wanted to tell him, so is my sh...but I don't eat it. \r \r We didn't receive an apology from the manager or chef. So, we canceled our dinners and left. Cons: too expensive, unprofessional more