Review content:
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
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