Watermark

Nashville is a great city to live in, especially if you have a connection to downtown. As with so many cities, much of the downtown lifestyle deteriorated in the 70’s and 80’s with the growth of the suburbs. Thankfully due to the music industry and its accompanying tourism, our downtown never completely died. Throughout the 90’s and especially over the past 10 years, Nashville has made great progress in revitalizing its urban core. Whether directly downtown or on the outskirts (East Nashville, SoBro, Midtown), a return to urban life is the new trend in Nashville. A great example of this is an area just west of downtown called “the Gulch.” I remember the Gulch of the 90’s, at the intersection of 12th Ave and 11th Industrial (as it was called at the time). It was a scary wasteland of warehouses and industrial supply stores. Now it is home to some of the best new restaurants in Nashville. Among these, perhaps the most praised are Radius 10 and Watermark. I tried Radius 10 for lunch a couple of weeks ago and was very impressed. Unfortunately, wine was not an option that day, because the wine list looked interesting. Last night, however, I finally tried Watermark, and was blown away. It is a great restaurant, with expertly crafted food and an impressive wine list. The staff is very knowledgeable, and offered excellent wine pairing recommendations. Here is what we sampled:

Appetizers:

stone ground grit soufflé with bonnie blue farm goat cheese and apple smoked bacon butter sauce -- Wow! This was great. The soufflé was wonderfully creamy inside with a crisp top, giving a nice textural contrast, but the bacon butter sauce really made this dish.

fried green tomatoes with charred corn, sherried corn cream, and butter poached lobster -- This was also very good. The richness of the lobster contrasted beautifully with the tart greenness of the tomatoes. There was a delicate background of fennel, which really tied everything together.

The appetizers were paired with a 2004 Zind-Humbrecht "Zind". This is a white blend of Auxerrois Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Blanc from Alsace. It was amazing. Alsace often gives you the best of France and Germany combined, and this wine was no exception. There was a bit of an earthy nuttiness on the nose, but the main aroma was apricots. The taste was crisp and floral, with a bit more sweetness than I had anticipated. This was cut nicely by the acidity. It reminded me of a cross between a Vouvray and a Beaumes de Venise, although not as sweet and more acidic. It paired wonderfully with the grit soufflé and fried green tomatoes.

Main Course 1:

sautéed hawaiian walu with lemon risotto, asparagus and ginger fumet--This was a wonderful combination of flavors. I did not like the sound of lemon risotto, but I decided to trust the chef. I am glad I did. The firm texture of the walu, the acidity and creaminess of the lemon risotto, and the slight bitterness of the ginger fumet (broth) blended well. I could have done without the asparagus, but it did add a nice crunchy texture.

Where this dish really shined was with the wine pairing, a 2006 Bridlewood Viognier. I love Viognier. I cannot believe it has not achieved the exposure of Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay. Thankfully that is changing, and more people are learning about this grape. The aroma of Viognier is often described as peaches. With this wine, I immediately detected peaches--specifically canned peaches. Imagine going to the grocery store and buying a can of “peach halves in heavy syrup” That is the smell of this wine--it was beautiful. It had a smooth, not overly acidic taste, and went perfectly with the walu.

Main Course 2:

roasted rack of lamb with ratatouille and basil-mint pesto -- I am very picky about lamb. I love it and try to eat it often, but I am very leery of ordering it in restaurants. It almost never seems to be prepared “right”. It is often overdone and either horribly over- or under seasoned. I was pleasantly surprised with Watermark’s lamb. It was incredible juicy. I mean unbelievably juicy. The basil-mint pesto was a nice touch--just enough herbal “bite” to cut the flavor of the lamb.

With the lamb we had a Burgundy, a 2004 Domaine Vincent Girardin "Cuvee Saint-Vincent". I was really impressed with this wine. It smell was full of cherries--ripe cherries and a little bit of cooked cherries. Behind this was a background of earthiness--a hint of that “barnyard” smell associated with Burgundy. (If you haven’t heard wine described as smelling “barnyardy” before, I know it sounds disgusting, but trust me, it’s a good thing!) It was light bodied without being watery and soft without being weak. It was just enough to go with the lamb without overpowering it.

Desert:

rocky road terrine with homemade marshmallows,toasted pecans and bitter chocolate ganache

valrhona chocolate fondue cake with caramel and cocoa nibs

Okay, the deserts were both great and unbelievably rich, but I have to talk about the desert wines:

First we had a Pedro Ximinez Sherry, the Alvear PX Solera 1927. This was the epitome of rich. It smelled like fresh baked oatmeal cookies--an overwhelming smell of cooked raisins with a hint of cinnamon. Behind this was the unmistakable green apple aroma of flor--the wonderful cousin of yeast that makes wine become sherry.

Second we had what was probably the most amazing wine of the evening, a 1985 Smith-Woodhouse Vintage Port. -- Wow. Wow. Wow. I can’t say “wow” enough. This wine was outstanding. There was a lot going on on the nose. It had the rich, creamy aroma of a tawny, without loosing the fruit of a ruby port. The taste was delicious. Sometimes the aging process can overpower a wine’s fruit with rich vanillas and nuttiness, This was not a problem with this wine. Age had made it luscious, without destroying the delicacy of the wine itself. It was a perfect merger of fruit and time. I want another glass!

The verdict? Watermark is a great restaurant -- The food is great. The wine is great. The atmosphere is great. The staff is great. What more can I say? If you are ever in Nashville, give it a try. I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Rojo, The Fretted Zither
...a wine blog from East Nashville