The Catbird Seat

A legend of the Nashville dining scene, The Catbird Seat has been at the cutting edge of American gastronomy since 2011, piquing global interest when Anthony Bourdain gave an appropriately glowing review in Parts Unknown.

The intimate, chef-run counter has played host to some of the most exciting names in food, from its creators Josh Habiger and Carousel alumnus Erik Anderson to supertalents like Trevor Moran. Now in its sixth iteration, the keys belong to Tiffani Ortiz and Andy Doubrava.

The duo behind Slow Burn—a wildly progressive, roving pop-up—took the helm last year, bringing a closed-loop, produce-first approach shaped by a 42-state rolling residency. Cooking in North America’s most forward-thinking kitchens (Published on Main, Emmer & Rye), they built an arsenal of ferments, misos, and shoyus along the way.

Each menu shaped by the last, their residency at Carousel pays homage to Tennessee’s farmers, serviced by a larder full of Catbird Seat treasures. Expect dishes like ‘Cured Golden Tilefish, matsutake mushrooms, buttermilk, mushroom XO’; ‘Oysters grilled over conifer branches, seasoned with forest flavours from the larder’; and ‘Cured pork loin, marigold vinegar, shagbark syrup’.