Tayst Restaurant

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lookingforloulou

Joined 3 years ago

ehh. 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.

Doesn't Recommend

FoodGrrrrrlll

Joined 3 years ago

The opposite of taste..... 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.

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.

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.

Will not recommend to others or waste my money visiting again.

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dianadarkness

Joined 5 years ago

Absolutely Delicious and Worth Every Penny!. 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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Doesn't Recommend

songbird1298

Joined 3 years ago

LOVE the "Green Theme", but the rest, is just "OK". 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.

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Will Jones

Joined 3 years ago

My First Visit. 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.

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lstover37235

Joined 4 years ago

Great for Foodies. 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.)

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kabblaw

Joined 4 years ago

One of my favorites in the world. 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.

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nashchattcat

Joined 4 years ago

Good for those who know. 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!

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law931

Joined 5 years ago

You have to try Tayst.. 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.

Doesn't Recommend

ugreekmegreek

Joined 6 years ago

Insects should be listed in Tayst. 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.

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.

We didn't receive an apology from the manager or chef. So, we canceled our dinners and left.