Marsh House at Thompson Hotel – Nashville Dining Experience Review

Photography by Madi Henderson
DRESS || MOTO JACKET || BOOTS C/O EUGENIA KIM || RINGS || EARRINGS 
Since 2012, the year that we moved to Nashville, I’ve been on a personal mission to experience some of Nashville’s top restaurants.  So much positive change has taken place over the last several years and there are more and more amazing restaurants popping up all over town.  As you can imagine my list of restaurants continues to grow and I haven’t even scratched the surface yet.
On my list of top restaurants to try was Marsh House, which is located inside the Thompson Nashville hotel in the ever so popular Gulch area.  The first time I visited Marsh House was for a breakfast meeting so I only got a very tiny taste of their menu (I’ve got to say their biscuits and jam are HEAVENLY).

My second visit was for lunch and we got to taste test their weekly lunch specials in addition to a few other dishes and it was quite the culinary experience!

Marsh House is located in a prime location of Nashville as I mentioned, called the Gulch.  This is a very popular area for locals and visitors alike.  You can certainly dine and shop your way through the Gulch…this area has so much to offer.  Thompson Nashville is a chic modern hotel situated in the Gulch and Marsh House is situated in the lobby of the hotel.  Not only do I highly recommend that you consider staying at Thompson Nashville when visiting Nashville but I also highly recommend that you eat at Marsh House and that you enjoy the popular rooftop bar, LA Jackson.  The views from LA Jackson are something to see (more on that coming soon)!

Let’s dive into our experience at Marsh House…

You first should know a bit about Executive Chef, Nathan Duensing.  We spent some time chatting with Nathan, as he presented each dish to us, and I’ve got to say we were so impressed with his background and his culinary knowledge/experience.  Nathan grew up on a farm so he knows first hand what it takes to grow and preserve food.  Learning much from his Grandfather & Father, Nathan took that knowledge and has applied it throughout his successful career as a Chef.  He understands the importance of high quality food and he also works with local Nashville farmers as often as possible to bring fresh locally sourced produce/meats to the tables at Marsh House.  Much of what is offered at Marsh House is influenced by traditional southern cuisine with a hint of Louisiana flare.

The atmosphere of Marsh House is chic and modern with a touch of urban charm.  There are different textures, colors, and elements to the restaurant that easily make you feel like you are dining in style.  It is a comfortable, not stuffy at all, atmosphere.  Marsh House is one of those restaurants that you will go to for a business lunch, date night, girls night out, and everything in between and leave there feeling like you had the best experience from start to finish.  It will be a memorable experience and Marsh House will be a place that you will want to recommend to others and return to as well!

We went for lunch during the workweek and were pleasantly surprised to learn that Thompson Nashville offers complimentary valet from 11am-3pm during the week.  Being able to take advantage of this complimentary service made it so easy to drop in for lunch and it also added to our overall positive experience!

Okay…whose ready to talk about food?!  If the pictures didn’t make your mouth water, I’m not sure what will.

We started off with their rolls…I mean rolls are rolls but these rolls are not just rolls.  Could I possibly say ROLLS anymore in a sentence.  With every bite we could taste how fresh they were.  So light and so delicious.  It would be easy to eat an entire skillet of these but we had to pace ourselves because we had a lot more to try!

Here comes Monday’s lunch special…

Red Beans & Rice – this dish wasn’t just your average red beans & rice…it was the most flavorful red beans & rice I have ever had!  The pork chop was mouth watering and so tender.  The combination of the dishes flavors served with a side tomato cucumber salad was…sigh, what good southern cooking dreams are made of!  A bite of this and a bite of that…YUM!

Wednesday’s lunch special took us down to the deep south of Louisiana…

Shrimp Creole – if you like shrimp and grits, you will LOVE this dish as it is very similar.  It’s spicy but not too spicy…the perfect combination of creole flavors.  This dish is served with a grilled squash and beet salad which is truly the perfect compliment to offset the mild spiciness of this dish.

Thursday’s special…what a southern girls dreams are made of…

Fried Chicken – It’s not often that I eat fried chicken but this is hands down some of the best fried chicken I have EVER had.  I don’t say that lightly because I’ve had some of the best.  The method that Chef Nathan uses to flash fry the chicken creates a moist (yes, I don’t like that word either) and super flavorful dish.  This was probably my favorite dish of the 4 that we tried and one that I will order time and time again!  Everything about this dish was perfection, truly!

Friday’s special…finishing it off light and healthy…

Blackened Catfish – Opt in for a lighter lunch option with this dish…the fish was tender and cooked perfectly and the wild rice salad, roasted tomatoes, and sautéed spinach were the perfect compliments to this stand out fish.  I LOVED this dish as well…it fought hard for the top spot!  I truly felt that I was eating a very healthy lunch while still feeling very satisfied!  You’ve got to try this one as well.

The only special that we did not try was Tuesday’s lunch special but I am certain that it would be just as divine as the other four.  We also ate a side of their brussel sprouts and let me just tell you…I could have eaten bowl after bowl of just brussel sprouts.  They were so dang good!!!

What I love most about the lunch specials at Marsh House, besides the fact that they are all freaking fantastic, is that they all only cost $15!  You get a delicious hand crafted meal that will leave you feeling satisfied at such a great price!  There aren’t many places that you can go for lunch, spend $15 dollars, and receive a high quality meal.

So for all of you who work in or near the Gulch area, you need to make it a point to lunch at Marsh House!

For those coming to Nashville to visit…stay at Thompson Nashville and dine in at Marsh House for breakfast, lunch, or dinner…I assure you that you will have a wonderful experience and be delighted with their culinary prowess!

As always, thank you for stopping by!  Special thanks to the Marsh House team and Chef Nathan for such a wonderful, memorably delicious, culinary experience.  We will be back soon!

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