Husk: Southern food done right
I must admit, I have been spoiled with good food my whole life. Growing up, my mom always made an effort to buy our fruits and vegetables from farmers’ markets. Through her and my grandmother’s cooking and baking, I became used to traditional Russian foods which could scare less adventurous eaters. As I traveled the world with parents eager to explore new cultures, I tasted and enjoyed many new cuisines. In short, I grew up in a family of foodies and have become one myself.
This passion for food is what made a spectacular brunch two weeks ago a highlight of my summer, if not my year. The city was Nashville and the restaurant was Husk, created by James Beard Award-winning chef Sean Brock. The award, like the Oscar of the American food world, is bestowed annually on a select few. It’s every foodie’s dream to eat food made by a recipient of the award, and my chance had finally come. I was, in a word, thrilled.
The Southern-inspired, locally sourced food proved to be worthy of the acclaim. Our bread rolls, salty and hot, were served with sweet and silky smooth pork lard in lieu of butter. The biscuits and gravy appetizer came with gravy unlike anything I’ve ever had. Thick and chunky with sausage, I eagerly spooned it onto my biscuit halves. My main course, quail with a fried egg and corn succotash, was just as wonderful. The quail was, of course, cooked perfectly, but the succotash was the best part. Bright and acidic and delicious, it showed how good simple food can be. I was worried that my high expectations would set me up for disappointment, but those fears had been put to rest. Homemade buttermilk soft serve topped with cake crumbs and stewed blueberries served as a fitting end to such a simple but stunning meal.
No doubt the freshness of the ingredients, coming from farms around the Tennessee area, plays a major role in Brock’s success. By letting quality ingredients, rather than a complicated menu, do the talking, he’s created simply delicious Southern food. While some eager chefs try to impress with complex, “innovative” dishes, I appreciate Brock’s attempt to distill Southern food and flavors into a simpler, tastier form. While the menu features many familiar dishes, like shrimp grits and biscuits and gravy, you’ll also find more adventurous fare, like roasted bone marrow. But even these seemingly non-traditional foods hark back to the basics of a good Southern meal. Everything down here comes fried or with butter, so the fatty bone marrow really isn’t too far of a stretch from the norm.
The seeming simplicity of Husk’s food was what really made it special. No pretentious, French-inspired menu items or 20 ingredient dishes. The food was, mercifully, left to speak for itself and was all the better for it. I just hope some of Brock’s genius can rub off on a few more chefs so this wonderful style of cooking can venture north of the Mason-Dixon.
— Vera Kirillov