05/18/09

One of my favorites in the world

by kabblaw

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
• Cons: none

04/27/09

Good for those who know

by nashchattcat

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

12/10/08

You have to try Tayst.

by law931

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.

10/05/08

Insects should be listed in Tayst

by ugreekmegreek

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.

• Pros: none
• Cons: too expensive, unprofessional

09/16/08

Don't hesitate to go!!

by malisu252

I went there with family from out of town which included my father who is a sommelier and he agreed with me that Tayst has an excellent wine list and the food is absolutley amazing!! The quality is great and you can't beat eating food that is grown locally!! Our waiter was the best and knew everything about the ever changing menus items.

• Pros: Quality of food and service is superb! The chef is very creative with his dishes. Great art throughout!
• Cons: Kind of small but that makes it quaint.

07/30/08

Very disappointed

by dw94

We ordered 2 appetizers - the hawaiian fish with cantelope and the short ribs with apples. The first appetizer was salty and the sauce overpowered the dish. The short ribs were o.k. but tasted like roast. The salads were $7.50 each and sounded very appetizing. My salad with the fried capers and watermelon was very salty and the watermelon could barely be found as they were in very small diced pieces. I ordered the salmon - it was tasteless. The ribeye was fair but the vegetables served with the steak were undercooked and lacked flavor. For $110 it was the most disappointing meal we have ever had. We actually went to sonic after spending $110 to satisfy our hunger. F. Scott's or even Outback is much more pleasing than this restaurant.

I sent my first Salmon dish back because the mushrooms were rubbery and the salmon and palenta lacked flavor. After doing this, our waiter became indifferent and did not ask if we needed anything else or how the rest of the meal was.

Guarantee we will never be back.

06/27/08

Excellent Service, Delicious Food

by camel731

I went to Tayst for the first time a few nights ago, and as many others have express, can't believe I haven't been before! Unfortunately we only had appetizers and wine, which is why I have only given 4 stars (since I can't be sure of the full experience!) Our waitress recommended a white wine when we explained what we were looking for--she described it as "the perfect wine for a patio drink." We were sold. And it was delicious.

We opted to try the crawfish begneits with avocado icecream for an appetizer, even though we were completely reserved about our decision. Going into it totally skeptical, all four people were more than surprised at the combination of flavors and tastefulness of the dish. It completely changed our perception of food.

I will be trying Tayst again very soon, this time for a full-scale meal. I'm sure I will be back to change that 4 star to 5.

• Pros: Service, quality of food

06/19/08

Hidden Gem in Hillsboro Village

by Kathleen8448

Maybe it was the strange location (former insurance office) or the dark black and wine exterior, but there was nothing about Tayst's nondescript building that enticed me to visit. I'm sorry that it has taken me four years.

Tayst was a very pleasant surprise featuring excellent service, intriguing tasty menu choices featuring local produce and an outstanding wine menu. As we all know there are a lot of little things that can make or break a restaurant experience and Tayst was no exception. After being seat next to the air conditioner vent, we requested a new table. The waiter pleasantly moved us to our table of choice with a smile and an apology. Our water Mateo was knowledgeable and attentive but not to the point of annoying. Staff seemed willing and able to do whatever they could to make your dining experience pleasant.

Food was expertly paced. I never felt rushed or was waiting. We started with the beignets and crawfish. Excellent! We then followed with salads followed by two main dishes: seared scallops and pork that were pared with some recommended wine. When we expressed our disappointment that there was no simple chocolate dessert the chef sent a dish of chocolate to our table. Coffee was great. How many restaurants can't get that right? The food was innovative and full of taste and color.

Dinner came to $170 (including tip). We will soon be back.

• Pros: Great food. Great service. Great wine list.

03/01/08

Suspend disbelief

by G2jiboo

Since its' opening, tayst has become my most favorite and recommended restaurant. It truly offers something different. I love the Chef Barlow's playful use of words and constant re-invention of things that have become boring and the norm. Value meals? Awesome idea. Don't forget to supersize it. Great wine list, great room (although every time I go there I forget that I hate the chairs, they're somewhat odd for dining) You really have to forget all that you have pre-conceived about what food is and should be. Let the kitchen do the work for you on that one. The idea that you should have a giant appetizer or a 'free' salad with your entree, and a main course draped in sauce with the unnecessary 'starch and vegetable' is ludicrous, but that's what we've come to expect thanks to the unoriginality of your every day chain restaurants. The restaurant is called tayst, and that is what you should do. You'll have to drop some change while dining here, but it's not nearly as expensive as some of the other hot nashville dining spots. As far as value, keep in mind it is quality NOT quantity when it comes to the bill. An entree may cost over $20 and the portion small compared to TGI Friday's (remember one of the reasons we are the fattest country in the world is because we have no concept of proper portion size), but if you are truly taysting, you'll leave satisfied. Quality food costs the suppliers big money. Use this rationale, you can spend $25 at Wal-Mart and buy a TON of garbage quality groceries, or you could spend $25 at Fresh Market or Whole Foods and have the most amazing quality ingredients available to the public. I shop at Wal-Mart for groceries regularly, but once in a while, i have to splurge for something great. Do yourself a favor and do the same. Enjoy tayst!

• Pros: variety, originality, fresh ingredients
• Cons: weird chairs, parking

02/22/08

A must For Wine Lovers!

by oldsongster

My wife and I had a belated Valentine's dinner at Tayst on Saturday night, and we loved it! We arrived a couple of minutes early for our 6:30 reservation, and though the parking lot was already full, our table was ready and we had no wait. Our server answered all our questions and was attentive, but not over the top (or under foot.) She recommended 2 oz wine servings with our appetizers and salads, and a larger serving with the main course, which was perfect. The wine selections were all spot on for the dishes we ordered, and the food was delicious. I especially enjoyed my appetizer of grilled scallops paired with the Pierre Boniface Apremont. Our meal (which also included 1 dessert and 2 coffees) came to around $160.00 with tip, but the menu also offers a couple of 'value meals' that are substantially less expensive. If you're into wine at all, I'd say you should definitely give tayst a try!