Best Seasonal Restaurants in West End

This was such a special date night! While we were already lovey-dovey celebrating our recent engagement, the Optimist staff and food just made it that much better. Before I talk about our food, I want to say THANK YOU to our server, Gabriel for making the night so special. He brought us champagne to celebrate, gave us all the input on what to get based on what we like, and even bought our dessert for us at the end of the night. We didn't catch her name, but one of the hostess also hand-made an engagement ring, flowers and small box and brought it to our table for us. This was way way wayyyyy beyond what we could've ever imagined, so thank you so much for making this night even more magical. The food was incredible. In total, we had two apps, four cocktails, two entrees, three sides and a dessert. Now obviously we were celebrating, but the biggest thing we noticed was while we felt full, we never felt bloated, gross, etc. like you do with some restaurants when you've probably eaten a bit too much. For appetizers I recommend the smoked fish dip! It was the perfect amount and such a nice start to the meal. I had the flounder and thought it was perfect. They even present the fish to you table side and debone it. The sides were hard to decide, but ultimately I think the broccolini was my top favorite. And for dessert we did a pineapple upside down cake and it was everything nostalgic and indulgent. Transparently, this isn't a price point that we could afford to go to on a random Wednesday for dinner. But, this is probably the best "celebration" restaurant experience we've had in Nashville. The sticker price may surprise you (or maybe it won't if you eat seafood out often!!) but it was worth every penny.

We had a great time bowling and then had lunch. The food was great! Even better was our server, Ari. He was very attentive and helpful with accommodating our children. One of the best servers we have ever had.

Outstanding food with incredible flavor and variety of dishes. One of the best restaurants we have been to with great ambience and service. We will be back!

Each year at Christmas, we gather for a special family dinner that has become a cherished tradition. This time, when we arrived, we noticed that our friend Marvelous wasn’t working. After texting her, Marvelous made the incredible gesture of driving 45 minutes just to join us and celebrate together. There are many places we could eat, but none offer the experience we share here—it’s not just about the good food, but the meaningful relationships that make it unforgettable.

All the food was impeccably fresh and the presentation superb. I was entertaining guests who had just arrived from Sweden. We got one of everything and the delivery pace was excellent. Flatware was proffered and removed for each plate. We got a beautiful set of hand carved spoons that were stunning to look at but about as useful as poker chips on skewers. (Milk?) bread was perfection. Scallop crudo was visually perfect but so subtle as to taste merely of heavy cream on sushi. The beef tartare very well done (had freeze dried capers instead of jar brined). Again subtle. (“Nashville”) hot swordfish is a cute knockoff of the chicken dish but was oily in spite of being cooked to a perfect 140°. The snapper/grouper jaw on the other hand was not quite firm yet probably because of the complex bone structure blocking some of the heat. But the outside sear flavorful. Great effort by the staff but I was left wanting a little bolder flavor profile for the expense.