Common Ground - Berry Hill — Restaurant in Berry Hill

My dining experience at Common Ground in Nashville's Berry Hill area was a culinary adventure filled with many highlights and a crucial point of awareness. The restaurant's romantic ambiance and exceptional service set a perfect stage for our evening.

The Focaccia Plate was a standout, showcasing the kitchen's prowess in baking. The house sourdough, paired with sorghum butter, whipped boursin, and berry jam, was top-tier, offering a delightful blend of textures and flavors that was both comforting and gourmet.

For the appetizers, the Wam Bam Rock Shrimp, served with salsa matcha and a rich avocado crema, was a unique and tasty offering. However, the shrimp itself could have had a bit more flavor to match its vibrant accompaniments.

The beverages were a definite highlight. The Impulse Shopper, a blend of reposado tequila, aperitivo, vanilla, lemon, and salted orange foam, was exquisitely balanced, with each flavor note shining through. Similarly, This Side Up was a refreshing concoction, combining orange-honey shrub, spicy walnut bitters, pineapple, cinnamon, and fresh lemon in a delightful harmony.

Moving to the entrees, the Smashburger, featuring Black Hawk wagyu patties, local bun, American cheese, melted onion, house pickle, and CG sauce, was a solid dish. A few more onions, additional pickles, and the sauce directly on the burger would have made it even more enjoyable.

The scallops were beautifully prepared, served with a lemon pepper beurre blanc, and accompanied by sweet corn succotash and poblano pepper. However, a significant oversight was the inclusion of pork in the succotash. My spouse, who abstains from pork and experiences adverse effects when it is accidentally consumed, would have preferred different sides had we been aware of this.

The meal concluded with a Carrot Cake that was nothing short of exceptional. The ginger cardamom cake, paired with maple cream cheese, candied carrot, and walnut, was the perfect end to our dining experience.

In conclusion, Common Ground offers a fantastic dining experience focusing on homemade, high-quality dishes. Despite the need for more transparent communication regarding ingredients, particularly for those with dietary restrictions, the restaurant delivers a delightful ambiance, excellent service, and enjoyable dishes. We would recommend it and look forward to returning, with the hope of greater transparency in menu descriptions...

The name implies this is just a coffee shop that serves food. However, It is not even possible to describe the perfection of this meal. We had a steak, asparagus, potatoes, and that absolutely incredible focaccia plate. This was a meal clearly created by a chef who absolutely loves to cook. The steak was tender and flavorful and came on a plate arranged with incredible accoutrements; a touch of gremolata, grated garlic, and coarse salt. The asparagus was steamed to exactly the right texture, bathed in very light butter and lemon and then dressed With a sprinkle of lemon zest. The potatoes were little browned wedges of delight:crispy on the outside, tender on the inside and arrived with a light mustard sauce for dipping. I'm not even sure how to describe the amazing little loaves of grilled focaccia . Taking a piece of that thick, crusty bread and smearing it with sorghum butter, and then light, airy boursin cheese was amazing on its own, however, add to that a dollop of house made jam and it is heaven on a plate. The jam was flawless, surprisingly light and savory. This jam is so incredible that my sister talked of it in her sleep. That's just the food. The service was delightful. Taylor was attentive and helpful. We never waited for anything. Our food was served quickly and hot. He packed our leftover bag with a few little extra surprises. I don't know how to say it any better than to say that we had a 10% off coupon from our hotel, and we chose not to use it, because it would have been a shame to discount a moment...

Checked in for burger week here! The staff was great and attentive, pretty casual spot. I got the smash burger with a side of the crispy squished potatoes. I couldn’t bring myself to order asparagus, carrots, or cauliflower to accompany my smash; maybe they all seemed too healthy, seemed unnatural. The fingerlings were good, and worked as a French Fry sub. The burger came out looking delicious-

Bun was the right texture, airy, but not dying under the gravity of the juicy meats, pickles, etc.

Mouth feel was great on the burger itself making me think they got the grind right, meat/cheese ratio worked in that beautiful melty way that heat, grease, and cheese do- without shame I did add a little mayo.

The pickles were serving that tang that really is part of what the Platonic Form of a burger’s flavor profile should be.

My only judgement is if you’re slinging smash burgers- get in there and actually smash them, like lock the elbow and drop the weight- keep them loose and crispy and super smashed— as you can see from the picture, not enough smash to really get the crisping effect, which, at least I think is the point of the smash

Regardless-overall respectable showing and super pleasant to eat it’s so easy to get in the weeds and confuse yourself when making the humble cheeseburger- these guys are getting it...