Cafe Fundamental

Really going to miss this place. The love and care that went into every dish was apparent and I don’t recall a single item that made it to the table that wasn’t perfectly prepared. Best wishes to Chef Jamie Watson in his future endeavors.

We were seated right away and then promptly waited 15 minutes…3 tables signed out, 2 more were seated and served when we left… how do you let this happen?

Enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the Fundamental Café on April 10 of 2014. We made reservations around 5 PM for a 7 PM seating but it was not necessary since there was only one other couple there when we arrived. This caused us some concern but that went by the wayside as we enjoyed our dinner. Our waiter was welcoming, friendly, outgoing and attentive. He also doubled as the bartender and he did a wonderful job making our martinis (one of their house specials and a Vodka Gibson which is a traditional vodka martini with a cocktail onion in place of an olive). We each had a crock of French Onion Soup which was good but not outstanding. It was hot (temperature) enough for my wife but I could have had it hotter.
For entrees, I enjoyed trout over rice and my wife had the duck over grits and collard greens. Both meals were excellent and plentiful. There have been other times where I’ve walked away from a French restaurant unsatisfied but that was not the case here. We were too full for dessert and I heard that their crème brûlée is to die for, but so it goes. I also understand that their brunch is out of this world… next time. We are from Connecticut but would definitely return to the Café Fundamental if we are ever in Nashville again.

The food: Great. The service: Poor. I brought my parents from Charlotte, NC to meet my new boyfriend there. We weren’t in a hurry, but the service was so slow that we were just starting our main course when they began preparing the restaurant for close. The bartender blew out the candles and there were no other patrons left but us. For the amount of money, I recommend Margot.

Maiden voyage on Valentines night. Tables for two were super close together but it worked. The décor is simple bistro with a cozy bar. We only do a full meal on special occasions as it is usually too much food.
Duck pâté — Rich and smooth — better on bread than the crostini that came with it
Farmhouse Platter– cheese and sausage with bread — huge portion
Truite Almandine — A large piece of fish on rice with enough almonds for a family of 5,
Duck — breast with a southern twist of greens and grits, potentially a great dish but the duck was over cooked. Why oh why can people in this town rarely cook duck correctly. Mad Platter still reigns as duck cookers.
Dessert, brownie thing with a salty caramel ice-​cream, nice but not sophisticated.
Drinks — cocktail wine and beer — all good
Service — very good
In summary not sure this food feels French, more like Notting Hill Bistro food. All the dishes were simple and lacked the complexity I associate with french food in France. The portions were very large so not nouvelle cuisine either.
All in all $ 140 — a positive experience but if we go back we would probably just sit at the bar with the farmhouse platter and a couple of glasses of vino or try brunch

I had been excited about this place for a while and finally went today. Nothing on the menu jumped out at me so I settled for the $ 10 omelet… that for $ 1 each you can add toppings to. I added two.
My $ 12 omelet arrived and it looked like a kids plate. The were a lot of greens, a lot of fries and a tiny omelet in the center.
I guess they give you more of the cheap sides as filler. Pretty bummed, wish I could re eat somewhere else for $ 14.
Won’t be back.

We have been in Nashville for four nights. One dinner was good. One was bi-​polar. And one pretty awful. The food had generally been terribly salty. We were beginning to get a bit desperate.
And then we found Café Fundamental. The food was beyond amazing — ALL of the food. The stacked cobb salad has kept me up at night thinking about how good it was. And my steak might have been the best I’ve ever eaten. My friend ordered the duck, and it was perfect.
Everything was prepared and plated flawlessly, the service was stellar, and we sat at a cute little table by the window. From the soup to the wine and cocktails to dessert (mmmm.. . dessert — we tried an assortment,) this place would rate a sixth star if I could. Take your pretend Sharpie and draw another star up there — Café Fundamental deserves it.

It is sometimes refreshing to see someone doing such old school french food, and done well. I don’t know if this is a begging of a trend, or if it is just an oasis in a sea of modern styles (which I like too). I really enjoyed everything I ate here, and would love to comeback if I get to Nashville soon.

Based on the experience I had there I’ve got to give this place a 5. Go for breakfast/​brunch. They have some unique options here with great flavors. Started out with duck fat biscuits, which were good, my friend got the beignets which were outstanding. The real winner was the duck confit hash, it’s just a blend of great flavors and textures done well.

Who knew the East Side would become so bougie that we’d have a little French café nestled in between The Family Wash and the railroad tracks? Blink and you’ll miss this small and unassuming restaurant and bar. It’s true that it’s not in the typical spot where you go to dine in East Nashville, but don’t overlook this divine and delicious little gem.
The service is superb and the ambiance relaxing, but what I love most about this place is that nowhere else in Nashville have I had food like this. We started going here for dinner, where my fave is the pan seared trout (can’t remember the French name that’s actually on the menu). Dinner is amazing, but being the brunch folks we are, have been here more often on weekend mornings recently. I usually get their house omelet, which simply has gruyère cheese in it (addl. ingredients optional for $ 1 more). I’m not sure where they get their eggs, but they’re some of the best I’ve had. Start off with an order of the duck fat biscuits (listed in their specials) and you will thank me. In The South where the biscuits are plentiful and delicious, I don’t think I’ve experienced any quite this fabulous. I actually get sad once they’re eaten. Today I swayed from the usual and got the frittata from their specials, which had kale, tomato confit, and ham. It was excellent. Their coffee is great as well.
Because of the location, they are not impossible to get into without reservations on a Friday or Saturday night, so a great option if you’re not a planner and didn’t make reservations a month out like you have to for some area restaurants.

This has quickly become my favorite restaurant. I’ve been three times and each time this place fires on all cylinders.
Let’s start with service. I’ve yet to have a different server. The gentleman that serves us each time means business. Perfectly professional, fast, and incredibly helpful in explaining and recommending dishes. Most important for me, he picks the perfect time to keep the liquor flowing with an empty drink being a rarity. They make a mean Manhattan. Also I’ve yet to have a meal here where the chef has not visited my table. Who does that!
The food has been stunning. I wish I was great at reciting my meals but I can tell you the menu has varied greatly each time and been very exciting yet not scary for the tame. Portions are perfect for multiple courses and presentation is beautiful.

Once again a 3.5 but they don’t let me do it.
Service was a 2. We did not have to wait for our reservation. But it took over 15 min to get a glass of wine and place our order. BTW Fix the air conditioner, it was cooler out side when we left than it was in the restaurant.
Scallops where wonderfully cooked, the corn was a nice pairing, just wish we had more corn. We ordered the Halibut and the pasta. The Halibut was a very nice piece of fish and very fresh. It was cooked a minute too long and lost to much moisture, but the dish overall did not have the WoW factor to give it the most die for rating. The Pasta was just not the best dish, it also lacked the flavor. Since it was so warm, we decided to go else where for desert.
I do want to try there Tuesday Menu.

Had brunch here recently. Found it odd that it wasn’t jamming with people. Actually rather quiet.
Friend and I sat in the window, which is a lovely seat. almost like dining in private.
She had the cheese and bacon omelette, and I had the duck hash.
We shared a chocolate croissant before our meal.
I had a Riesling, friend had water.
The duck was rather bland. Not really anything that wowed me. But I tasted friends omelette with a bite of bacon and was really wowed! That dish had flavor. Mine…
I wouldn’t order it again.
I would order the cheese & bacon omelette, though. For Sure!
Yum.
The croissant was nice. Everyone is spot on with this pastry.
Service was good, but then again, it wasn’t crowded.
Everyone was pleasant, didn’t rush us.
Food was prepared evenly.
Both came out of the kitchen at the same time, both warm, both freshly made.
I don’t know.
I think maybe they need some more WOW dishes on their menu.
Don’t miss it.

East Nashville and I are slowly becoming friends. I know they have great food and cool hangouts but it’s still, even after years in Nashville, not an area I am as familiar with, and so any opportunity to try someplace over there is an opportunity I go for. I had never even heard of this place before. I had to check it out here in Unilocal to see what it was, and from the menu I was intrigued. And so it was onwards to dinner with bubbling excitement over experiencing a new place.
Small, off the beaten East Nash path, and very cozy, Fundamental had their shiz together. Its a small restaurant, maybe 15 tables with a nice bar (I recommend a reservation on weekends) and very attentive and friendly staff. And the food was amazing. According to their website this café strives to be like a small French bistro with southern influence, and that was obvious and charming, and it worked. I have to say, I loved their stacked salad. Very flavorful and fun. Their dishes are beautiful and simple without sacrificing flavor. I also highly recommend their custard or chocolate brulee for dessert.
I will absolutely be back here to try their brunch and their «bonne nuit» Tuesdays.

I’m going to start with three stars. Our maiden voyage was this past Sunday and the trip was filled with ups and downs. We didn’t realize you needed a reservation but totally lucked out and was seated immediately. A party had just left and a table was open.
Café Fundamental has ups!
1. The house made sausage was delicious, I mean, great!
2. The chocolate croissant was on point, although I wish it was heated.
3. The house-​cured bacon was ah-​maz-​ing!
4. Mimosas and bloodies are $ 5 each. BOOM!
5. The place has a nice open feel, I was into it.
Café Fundamental flops.
1. The waitress forgot the coffee order.
2. The house-​cured bacon was a super small portion, pricey for what you get. :(
3. The pain perdu needed a little more flavoring.
So the pluses outweigh the minuses and I really have high hopes for the place. I will definitely come back, I need to try the duck confit hash and the Bonne Nuit Tuesdays.

If you’ve read any of my reviews, you will know that I am a big lover of brunch! I wanted to try out some new places that have popped up in the area. I will have to say that I am SO glad that I went to Café Fundamental.
The service was great. I really liked my waiter. I was having a catch up date with a girl friend so we both started off with mimosas. We went for brunch at 12pm on a Saturday. We were very happy that we had made a reservation because it was pretty packed. I would recommend for you all to call ahead as well.
By the time 12pm rolled around, they were already out of a few pastries we wanted to try. :(The waiter tried to fix the problem by offering to bring us all the fixings of blueberry and raspberry jams and cream with our plain croissant. The plain croissant was delicious! If there PLAIN croissant was killer, I can only imagine how FAB the other pastries would be. I just want to order a box of pastries and taste them all. I think it’d be fun if they have a pastry sampler! I think it’d be a HIT and many people would order.
For our main entries, my friend order the quiche lorraine and I had the duck confit hash. My friend liked her quiche. She just thought it was a bit small. I think they should have a quiche lorraine on the main part of the menu and make it a double portion of the regular. My duck confit hash was pretty tasty. I think I would have liked just a dash of salt to make it perfect. The duck was SO tasty!!! That really made the dish. I liked how it was very light on the hollandaise sauce. I would definitely go back and order many many pastries!
They are located right across from the Family Wash and I will have to say that it makes me so happy to see new businesses in the area. Family Wash has been holding down the fort for a long time so it’s nice to see fresh faces!

A friend and I checked out the Saturday Brunch here a few weeks ago and we were not disappointed. We split an omelette with gruyère cheese (that cheese…), which made it delicious but not out of this world amazing. But not their fault; an omelette’s an omelette.
However, I will be coming back for their pastries. Come here just for the PASTRIES alone. Holy moly. Croissants, jam… and while the name escapes me, I had one of their daily specials which was a dressed up version of bread pudding — and I don’t even like bread pudding! But I loved it.

We checked out this gem for a weeknight date night. The ambience is very metropolitan and relaxing. Perfect music selection playing at the perfect volume (sounded like the soundtrack to La Vie en Rose). Our server, Caroline, was incredibly knowledgable about the menu, prompt, and attentive. Also cute and friendly, which is just icing on the cake (or in our case, apricot jame on the delectable cheese plate). I had the pan seared halibut and it was fantastic. Hubby had the chicken in the way of grandma (except it’s in french) and he LITERALLY licked his plate. Which was kind of embarassing. But needless to say, he liked it. I do prefer the French 75 that 308 whips up, but it was still a tasty cocktail. We finished with the aforementioned cheese plate and it was great.
Definitely give this place a try. The chef is bringing tasty French classics to a neck of the East Nasty neighborhood that was desperate for options.

I have been eagerly awaiting the opening of Café Fundamental. Today I got ready for work a tad early, and decided to pop in and check it out for the first time. I uploaded a couple of photos, so you can see the interior. It’s a cozy space, with a modern feel and clearly a French theme. There is a bar (I’ll be back for that, 7:15 was just a bit early for libations) and tables.
The owners blend their own coffee, and Roast, Inc. roasts it for them. Delicious. I had the Quiche Lorraine (Bacon, Gruyère, Parsley) and it was possibly the best quiche I have ever had! They drizzled a little olive oil on the plate, and the serving was generous. I asked the server what was in the silver trio of dishes sitting on the bar, and she brought it over for me to taste. There were house-​made peach and cherry preserves. The peach was like tasting the inside of pie!
Apparently, they are opening this restaurant in phases. Right now, breakfast is on weekdays, with extended hours and menu on Saturdays. In a few weeks, they will open up for lunch, then dinner! I can’t wait to try dinner and also some drinks at the bar. I am SO pleased that East Nashville is the beneficiary of this gem!
Oh, and did I mention it was SUPER CHEAP!!! I couldn’t believe my eyes. I feel like I“m in a dream!

My husband and I walked down the street this AM to check out this new place and we were impressed! I enjoyed the Pain Perdu (french toast) and he had an omelette. Food arrived in a timely manner and it was delicious. We had attentive service and on the way out, the chef came out to ask how our meal was. The restaurant had a good flow of people coming and going. we will definitely go back and we’re excited to have this café in the neighborhood.
Can’t wait to try out their lunch menu as well.