Deacon's New South — Restaurant in Nashville-Davidson

I rarely write reviews, but felt compelled to do so after a very disappointing experience at Deacons New South on Friday, December 7th. After visiting many wonderful restaurants during our week’s stay, our group of 5 looked forward to a nice meal at Deacons and left extremely diasspointed to say the least. We were initially told the restaurant was full but then we were accommodated quickly, walked to the bar area and given a table. We were fine with that, and our server greeted us and took our drink order rather quickly. We ordered a few appetizers to share, all were satisfactory- nothing to note that was exceptionally good or bad. The dinner took a very bad turn when our food arrived. My boyfriend ordered the ribeye medium rare - something than any fine steakhouse should easily accommodate. His steak was delivered extremely over cooked, at least to medium well, possibly well done. (It’s important to note that the other two steaks at our table were not cooked appropriately either). When our server (Sierra I believe) came back to check on us my Bf said “I really really don’t want to be this guy, but this steak is extremely over cooked.” The waitress laughed and said “oh, but you’re going to be that guy” (which was fine because they had been joking back and forth a little up to that point). She took the steak (the other two kept their steaks, although they didn’t eat them). She returned a few minutes later with a new steak, and this one was extremely undercooked. Rare is being gracious. He cut into the steak and honestly was surprised. We all were. It’s important to note that my boyfriend worked at Ruth Chris’s for years, so he is fairly knowledgeable about steaks & their preparation in general. When the sever returned he had cut off a few pieces of the steak for her to see. At this point I felt she should have taken his frustration a little more seriously but instead she said “oh here we go again, princess. Is your steak not exactly right?” I know she was trying to diffuse an uncomfortable situation, but it did not translate well. At this point my boyfriend was visibly frustrated. She asked if he wanted another steak, he said no. Everyone was done eating and we honestly were done with the experience. No one had a good meal at the table, and although the service was fine it had become very uncomfortable at this point. When the server and a young man came back to clean the table, he noticed that the steak had barely been touch. My boyfriend joked that he should take it back to the chef and ask him if that steak was prepared medium rare and the waitress said “oh if you do that he will kill you. Trust me, he is ready to explode.” Wait, what? The chef is mad? Are you serious? How about the fact that we spent $193.22 on a meal for two people (I had soup by the way) and the steak wasn’t even eaten. No one had a good meal. Never was it offered to have the steak removed from the bill. A manager did not come out and speak to us. Nothing. Instead we left frustrated with the most expensive meal of our trip, and by far the worst. I would never recommend this restaurant.

It’s also noteworthy that I work for a regional lifestyle publication and was writing about our trip while there for future publication. We rarely publish bad reviews (there’s enough negativity in the world) so this restaurant will not be included. But trust me when I say we frequent many fine dining establishments and this one missed the mark on almost every front. $193.22 down the drain only for my boyfriend to spend $15 at Jack Browns Beer and Burger Joint about 2 hours later because he was hungry. Disappointing to say the least for a final meal of an overall...

This we’ll definitely be an odd review. I studied the menu on line and drove 2:47 minutes to meet my friends for a birthday celebration. When I arrived I was told by my friends, that the menu had changed but website had not been updated so the Brussel Sprout appetizer that I wanted was not available. We ordered the deviled eggs and corn bread as appetizers. The deviled eggs were sliced not the long way as most do but the short way with the fried chicken skin for garnish which was really tasty. We ordered the cornbread twice and the second batch was very salty... almost too salty to eat.

Now the entrees... and this is where the review gets quirky. It took almost two hours for our entrees and sides to get to the table. In that time our drinks were refilled but there was no explanation as to why it was taking so long. We ordered one 20oz steak and 2 pork shanks and we shared the sides- greens, Mac and cheese and Broccolichini. When asked about the wait, the response was, “we’re busy.” Not exactly the response you’d like to hear if you’ve ordered and hungry.

When the food finally arrived, the visual presentation was good, it appeared hot and the our noses were tickled- we were ready. We each tasted our enter first and were pleased, although for the sheer size of the pork shank there needed to be more grits. My dinner mate noted that the mushrooms and butter that accompanied the steak were very tasty.

Next the sides. They completely missed the Mark on the sides. The greens were HORRIBLE as they had some sweet berry flavor to them and NOT simply The potliker as stated in the menu. The mac and cheese was incredibly dry and not cheesy at all. The broccolichini was over cooked though the sauce was good.

Sooo with all that said, I would tell someone who wanted to visit Deacon’s to definitely order appetizers because the selection is varied and somewhat tasty and the entrees are definitely visually pleasing and make the palate dance. The side dishes might be a gamble so take caution and don’t set the bar too high... it is what it is. As my friend pointed out- it is the “New South”. Remember, they may certainly not be concerned with your time schedule or constraints so be prepared to wait and for a long time.

To the establishment, I would say you might want to revisit the “Old South” especially if you’re going to try to pull off greens...a staple of the South and Mac and cheese? Come on now?! Never dry! And must be cheesy or else why else attempt it... right? The sides are not good at all but the entrees were generally delightful.

Lastly, the One thing that was surprisingly ON POINT bar none... the friendliness of the staff!! From the moment I walked in and was genuinely greeted at the door with a smile and a friendly hello, all of the staff that I encountered were warm, helpful and knowledgeable. The staff was a definite plus!

So will I return? Definitely. Everyone has an off night and I’m hoping that was yesterday - an off day- but the next time, I will not wait two hours for my meal! That won’t happen again! If you go... let me know about...

NOTE: I returned to this restaurant last night and had a completely different dining experience. Please read updated review.

I had been anxious to try this restaurant so I took a prospective client on a weekday afternoon. The ham salad appetizer was so salty it was inedible, however the pimento cheese was decent. I was so excited to see Brussel sprouts in the menu, but instead of Brussel sprouts, I was served a bowl of overly sweet dates with literally two Brussel sprouts floating on top. Our server never asked how our meal was, if we wanted anything more not paid us much attention. Needless to say, they weren’t busy. This place was a huge disappointment. I should have heeded the warning when one of their distributors even told me it “wasn’t that great.” So many restaurants to choose from in Nashville, take a hard pass on Deacon’s.

UPDATED REVIEW:

I dined here about 4 months ago and was inclined to write a poor review because the food, service, and overall experience was sub-par. I decided to give Deacon’s New South another shot. I did hear that there is a new chef and that has apparently made all the difference in the world. I might even go as far as to say this was the BEST meal we’ve had in Nashville in a long time.

The pork belly appetizer was braised to perfection. I ate everything on the plate down to the compressed apple. Excellent dish.

Steaks were cooked impeccably (I had the NY strip, Jason had the filet). I eat my steak rare and the seer on that cut couldn’t have been better. I’m not easy to please when it comes to a steak...just ask my husband. Oh, and opt for the flight of side sauces for $7: Corsair barrel-aged steak sauce, horseradish cream & tallow butter — awesome sauce (literally).

Brussel sprouts...over the moon and recipe obviously changed with the new chef. Pecans, roasted grapes and brown butter vinaigrette? Such creativity! I am a firm believer in Brussel sprouts and this dish gives Maneet Chauhan’s Tànsuõ Brussel sprouts a run for their money. (Note: there should be a Brussel sprouts cook off somewhere!)

Whipped Yukon potatoes were silky and heavenly. I’m not even exaggerating here!

We ate at the lounge bar and Austin was a very good cocktail steward of the classics.

I am pleased to update my review and encouraging my friends and colleagues to definitely give Deacon's New South a try. We are more than pleased with this experience! Bon...