Miel

Hamilton chose the restaurant for our date this week. Since we were away when Miel opened last fall, I confess I did not realize a new restaurant had opened on the edge of Sylvan Park. With the economy in such dire shape, it took an act of faith on the part of owners Sheema and Jimmy Phillips, front of house and chef, respectively, to renovate an old market and launch a lovely, fine dining restaurant.

If the crowd on Friday night is any indication of success, then their brave statement is being rewarded.

Despite the lack of cocktails to start our evening ( perhaps a liquor license is to come ), we four plunge right into an evening of talk and laughter. The room gets a bit noisy as the evening progresses and our table is not the best one in the house, but after a bottle of wine is opened and a good meal begun, little notice is taken.

The amuse bouche, a butternut squash wonder hints at the fine things to come, and is followed by a basket of warm baseball-sized dinner rolls. The rolls have a perfect brown, crusty exterior and a fragrant, fine-textured interior.

Grey starts with French onion soup made with a rich mushroom broth and well-caramelized onions. The flavors of onion, mushrooms and herbs are well-married. Hamilton begins with a sumptuous appetizer of classically-prepared escargot and frog legs in a tempura batter.

Ann and I have duplicate meals (when will we learn?) starting with a Bibb lettuce salad of greens that is under-dressed and under-seasoned accompanied by overly-crisp croutons. [ A note: Sallie often has salad as a pre-meal mea culpa for what is to come. She says that if she eats her greens then she can have something richer later on. Virtue on a salad plate. So a slightly disappointing salad is not a huge loss to her. ]

All is forgiven since Ann and Sallie are more than happy with what follows: apple-crusted salmon over a bed of cider-braised cabbage and port demi-glace. The salmon is perfectly cooked and the combination of cider, apple and cabbage make the dish hearty enough for a cold evening without being heavy. Though there is an odd garnish of roe on the salmon. The heavy brininess is unnecessary on an otherwise thoughtfully prepared dish.

Hamilton's bouillabaisse is a saffron-hued stew of seafood, sausage and tomato—it practically begs for more bread to dip, wasting any of the stew would have been a shame—the perfect-sized portion, perfect flavors.

Grey's duck breast confit is expertly seared, moist and ruby-fleshed, served with a classic cherry pan sauce and fall vegetables. Only one slight misstep: a garnet-hued foam as garnish. Molecular gastronomy is not as fun as it used to be.

Miel has an interesting wine list which is well-edited and can please any budget.

Service is attentive without hovering. House-filtered water is served without the song and dance about bottled water vs. sparkling water. The staff is welcoming, the room is lovely, though our table is a bit too close to the front door and not sheltered from the draft. Next time we plan to request a table at the back of the room or the cozy table nearest the kitchen. It looks perfect for conversation and is well-shielded from from draft. And there will be a next time.

A lovely gesture is made at the end of the meal: a tiny spoon with a morsel of honey (miel) and a sprinkling of fennel seed. A fitting end to the experience.

Dinner for four (exclusive of tax, tip and wine): $135.00
There is a $20.00 corkage fee for those who bring their own wine, however it is waived if you purchase a bottle from their wine list as well. That is civilized.

FourTop Rating (1-4)
Ann: 4
Sallie: 3.5
Hamilton: 3.75689
Grey: 4

FourTop clip
Miel Restaurant
343 53rd Avenue North
[off Charlotte, behind the summertime favorite, Bobby’s Dairy Dip]
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.298.3663
www.mielrestaurant.com