Chateau West

Not bad! I randomly found it once and I went back again many times.

We had a fantastic evening at Château West. Our service was truly outstanding and the food was divine.
Don’t let the location distract you! Once inside, you forget that you’re nestled between a gas station and strip mall. Another convenience is fine dining with super easy parking — no weird parking or valet!
We got the brie, honey, truffle oil fondue, and it was absolutely incredible. Both of our entrees were perfect, and we had delicious drinks. Can’t wait to come back to try dessert sometime.
The only thing that wasn’t quite perfect is that in the reservation we mentioned we were celebrating a birthday. It was not brought up, which was a shame; it would’ve been a perfect cherry on the evening.
Definitely recommend!

What a wonderful place for a date night! The restaurant is so pretty with its high ceilings and French décor. From start to finish, our food was fantastic !!! We love to share & try new things so we shared escargot, french onion soup, beef tartare & the catch of the day which was a buttery, white fish from the amazon. Everything was prepared perfect! Finished our night with the dessert trio & port wine. Had a great wine selection. One of the best parts of the meal was our server, Cheryl! She was informative, sweet and paced our dinner perfectly. To everyone who says there service is slow. You obviously do not like to thoroughly enjoy your food or the people you are dining with. Best two hours we have spent in awhile! We will be back!

+
Great service: kind, enthusiastic staff
Great atmosphere/​décor: cozy yet sophisticated
Great entrees/​onion soup: americanized a bit but they still all tasted great!
Reasonable pricing
-
Dessert: berry tart was meh, crème brûlée was okay

This is not my favorite restaurant. T service is slow. The seafood tasted old, at best. The prices are high and the quality poor.

My date had been for a brunch and thought it was great, so when I asked where she’d like to go this was her first choice. I made reservations though they weren’t needed as the place was not at all full at 6:30 on a Friday night and the crowd thinned as the evening went on. The interior looks good and the tables were set nicely. The lighting was good, too, so it felt miles from its former lives as a pancake place and an Indian restaurant.
We did not have wine, but opted for mixed drinks which were certainly adequate for the occasion. One of my favorite foods is escargot and I have eaten them in many places. I ordered them and was disappointed as they just didn’t taste right. My gut said stop and send ‘em back, but my head said charge on so I did. I think the little guys may have been hanging out in the fridge a bit too long, but I think I avoided a gastropod attack on my gastric system!
On to the entrée which in my case was Beef Bourguignon and, for my companion, the Coq au Vin. They were OK and we each got a large serving which was more than we could eat. Our waitress seemed a little grumpy when we asked her to box them up, but she did and they were returned in bagged containers. Interestingly, I have had both of these dishes at Table 3 (see my review of it) and I liked them better there.
Dessert was a tarte — sort of a cheesecake with berries and it was good. We weren’t rushed and finished our drinks at leisure. The check came and was $ 111 for the food described above with two drinks each before tip –about what I expected, but on the top edge of value for what we got. I do think the departure of the French chef mentioned in other reviews has hurt this place. I will probably not go back as French food, though good, is not a necessity of life for me.

When I go out for lunch with five or six friends I delight in sitting at a round table and savoring shared conversation and delicious food. That is exactly what we encountered today at Château West. The quiche was rich and creamy and served with a small salad. The French onion soup deep in flavor and topped with melted cheese. The service was watchful. We had a lovely luncheon and will come again.

Starters:
The French Pinot Noir was very tasty and blended well with the traditional cheese plate.
They had a new cheese: a marbled cheddar with port! Yummy.
Salads:
The spinach and bacon salad was — okay.
My husbands beet and goat cheese salad was — great!
Entrees:
I had the Château Filet — cooked perfectly with scalloped potatoes & Asparagus.
My husband had the Bouillabaisse Marseillaise — he said it was the best he has had!
Growth Areas:
1) Took a long time to get the food.
2) The service was okay. Server could not answer a few questions about the menu.
3) Employees outside smoking near the parking lot — yuk.

My husband and I went for our anniversary in February to relive our Paris vacation. Prior to entering the restaurant I checked my phone and saw an e-​mail sent 2 hours earlier that the restaurant had canceled our reservation. We made our reservation 3 weeks prior on the website. Before I got angry, I thought I’d see if we still had the reservation upon entering. We did, but who needs that aggravation prior to dining. The ambiance was meh. It is in need of an interior designer. It looks like a Western Sizzlin Steakhouse. The lights were too bright for a romantic dinner. We ordered drinks. My husband ordered a Manhattan. It had a regular ol’ maraschino cherry instead of a Luxardo maraschino cherry. It may sound petty, but this is an expensive restaurant. We asked the server about specials. She knew nothing. She could read from her script and that’s it. All she would say is, «I heard it was good» and «excellent». We received our food, which was really good. I had the filet medium rare with the scalloped potatoes. My husband had the pork chop, which he declared to be in the top five he’s ever had. We ordered dessert, but they were out of what we ordered. We selected another which was good. When we received the check, they had charged us for two desserts and a Pellegrino we did not order. They altered the check. The ambiance is terrible, the service is terrible, the food is great, but for the whole experience way overpriced. If they are going to charge high end restaurant prices and serve really good food, make the ambiance and wait staff comparable.

Classic French dining, staff was excellent. Will be back very soon.
Each course from soup exceeded the next.
A great night on the town, thank you !

5 stars is a minimum! The brunch was perfection!!! I truly tasted Europe in every bite! The smoked salmon was so fresh and the pears in the salad was heavenly! This is one of the highlights of my birthday! I can’t wait to come back for dinner! The dessert trio was just enough and ‘bowl lickable’! :-) The waiter was so attentive and knew the menu very well and even concocted a pineapple bellini for me! One of Nashville’s best restaurants!!!

Have been going here every 3 weeks with girlfriends and have loved it.
Last time we were there and ordered what we normally order and it was nothing like it has been in the past. They informed us they had a new chef.
I could not finish my meal.
Will not be going back!
Soooo disappointed!!!

I visited Château West on my most recent trip to Nashville.
Eh… It was okay.
The menu isn’t authentic French but I felt it was Americanized in a way that would allow more options to a wider variety of people. I thought French fries on the menu was bit of a stretch though. I absolutely loved the interior which really complemented the theme. It was pretty empty when I visited but there was a really loud patron (or worker??) that really took away from the whole experience. They didn’t seem to be eating but was casually (and loudly) chatting with the staff. The whole thing seemed a bit off putting and took away from the ambiance.
All the food that I tried (beef Bourguignon, French onion soup, forget the name of the dessert) were just okay and not really memorable. I actually found the beef to be a bit tough. My friend isn’t a wine drinker and asked the waitress for assistance and she didn’t seem to know much either which I thought was a bit strange too.
I think the price point doesn’t correlate with the quality of food. This restaurant absolutely wants to be upscale but fails at doing so. I do see a lot of potential but they’re not quite there yet. The server was not all that attentive and seemed more interested in chatting it up with the loud person than doing her job. Absolutely nothing was worth the amount I spent for sure. I’m glad I gave Château West a try, but I wouldn’t return.

If you’re in search of truly authentic French food, keep looking. However, for a small restaurant in Nashville, this place is a good starting point.
I took a group of students here for lunch on a Saturday and we had a wonderful time. Great food, everything we ordered was delicious and reasonably priced. The chef even came out to speak with us and treated us to a desert. Had that been my only time here, it would have been 4.5−5 stars.
A few months later I came back during dinner looking forward to the same service and quality. Unfortunately my second trip has left me doubtful I will return. I ordered the duck Chambord and was saddened to find it rough and overcooked with little flavor, but lots of price for the poor quality. Our server was inattentive at best.
Still worth a try, especially if you’re new to French cuisine, but don’t have your expectations too high! Better yet, bring along a sense of humor so you can laugh off that $ 80 substandard meal for two in the name of cultural exploration.

I wanted to like this place a lot better than I did. It was circumstances that dragged it down. I made an opentable reservation, but when we arrived, the place was pretty much empty. Unfortunately despite that, we got seated toward the back of the restaurant near the bar. Within a few minutes of our arrival, Chatty Cathy arrived and strolled back to the bar and started Chatting up the bartender. This shattered the ambiance of the experience.
Having gotten the complaint out of the way, the rest of the experience was positive. The waiter was knowledgeable, the food was good and we even had a nice dessert to top it off.
As long as Chatty Cathy doesn’t show up during your visit, I suspect you’ll have an excellent meal.

Okay… I lived in France before and I’ll be the first to tell you that this isn’t super authentic French food. I mean its more like Frenchesque with French portions. I mean they do pretty well with the sauces and the wine collection okay… Ultimately, the ingredients lean more towards that of New American (lets be honest Salmon isn’t on the French menu).
HOWEVER… this place is still splendid:
1. amazing service…
2. super wonderful décor — got a clean oaky look with a small feel o old worldness
3. roomy feel…
4. Parking availability
okay on the downsides though.
1. the location is a bit awkward, between a gas station and interstate off ramp…
2. this generally attracts an older crowd — like 40 and over.

Château West is located between a gas station and a strip mall, but don’t let that distract you from its charm. There was a valet ready to take our car, and the charming little building reminded felt like a little house or cottage of sorts. (I later learned it used to be a pancake house, which makes sense looking at the architecture.) One thing we noticed was that everyone was pretty dressed up for a Nashville dinner. You could probably get away with jeans, but hardly anyone else will be wearing them, so dress up a little. Most men were in jackets. The majority of the diners seemed to be Baby Boomers and older, so that worried me a little at first. The bathroom was a little odd location-​wise, located almost in the kitchen it felt like, and the water pressure was in need of a (noted on a sign) fix. Very clean and no other concerns there. The space is small, so I highly recommend reservations.
Our waiter was attentive, albeit a little bit more country than we expected for a French resto. He was a great salesman with great charm. We ordered a plate of cheeses to start. I liked half of the cheeses, which is on par for my relationship with cheese; it was all tasty, I just can’t handle the strongest ones. This is how you know I’m not French. I also had a French Cabernet Sauvignon to drink, very nice.
There was a little bit of time between courses, not *too* much time, but enough to notice. It made me laugh at first, how we’re so used to being served in a snap, when in France it would be wayyyy slower. For my main course, I ordered the Duck Chambord. I love duck, so much so that I eat it pretty much whenever it’s on a menu. I got hooked as a result of my time in France. This duck breast was perfect, served on pommes miettes (potatoes) with beautiful berries and sauce. It had a sweet taste, which is how I like my duck. I cleaned my plate.
For dessert, because dessert, we had the sampler that included crème brûlée, a cream-​filled crêpe, and a profiterole. All were tasty, but the crème brûlée was the star; I’d order just that for dessert next time!
I have to give it to Château West, it is very reasonably priced for as nice of a dining experience as it is. I felt I received great food and value for my money!
I left Château West initially a little underwhelmed by my experience, because I’ve gotten used to the bombastic foodie fare and flare of other places… «Farm to table» and reclaimed wood and trendy plating and all that. Château West felt so traditional. As I drove home, though, I kept thinking about that delicious duck; I really loved the meal. I realized that older crowd in the restaurant came there for exactly what Château West offers: traditional French cuisine, served traditionally and well. I know now that if I want a meal that reminds me of my dinners in Paris, Château West will deliver. And isn’t it kind of hip to be old school?

While the interior is indeed beautiful and a huge improvement to the previous Tenno, the food fell short on ALL levels.
Our female server was weird and way too talkative. I am always leary when a server tells me something is so good on the menu. It usually is a recipe for something incredibly bad. She went on and on about each thing she loved starting with the fondue.
I was very much looking forward to some ooey gooey cheesy goodness. The brie and honey fondue we chose was more like the base of a broccoli cheese soup, although not as cheesy and thick. The fondue was so thin, it was virtually transparent. There were a few tiny cubes of brie in the bottom, but absolutely no gooey meltiness we were anticipating. The «bread» they serve is the equivalent to those Costco-​sized cream puff balls. They were cold and did not go with the dish. There was no grit to absorb the liquid– and yes, it was pure liquid. The complimentary bread and butter on the table was more suited for dipping than the profiterole-​like ball that came with it. My friend ended up eating the fondue with a spoon like soup. Disappointing.
Ordered the croque madame. I love a good croque madame or monsieur when I have a chance. This was an abomination. It was crappy bread with thick, tough ham with some weird tasting cheese melted on top. The overcooked fried egg was on top of that. It nearly fell apart, and was not stuck together like this sandwich should be. I couldn’t even finish half of it. The side salad that came with it was blah and bare with little dressing.
We split an order of the French onion soup. Again, the server went on and on how the chef came from Paris and the soup is so good because of the collagen from the bones he cooks for hours yada yada. Yuck– don’t talk to me about collagen when I’m eating. It was good, but nothing earth shattering. I could duplicate this at home with a box of beef broth from whole foods. It, again, had that weird, almost rancid smelly and tasting cheese that was on the sandwich.
The place was dead at lunch and service was painfully slow and forgetful. I really would like that hour and a half back. Château is a no go.

Hey, remember that mediocre/​kind of awful sushi place randomly sitting on West End at 440? Yeah, it’s a castle now.
This is a tough location. Besides being a little random, the insanely bright lights from the gas station next door stream directly into the restaurant and ruin the mood lighting since there are no tinted windows/​shades/​anything to stop the blinding intrusion. The only windows line the gas station side of the building, too. We sat on the non-​window side and were still a bit distracted. Since they’re still pretty new, hopefully there’s still something in the works to block the light/​view?
Parking appeared to be valet only, which seemed a little weird since they literally drove the car about 3 feet to pull into a parking space. But it’s free, so just remember your singles to tip! We were there on a slow Sunday, so I’m sure valet is more useful when they’re busier.
The staff was friendly, but I think they were still working out some of the kinks. There was no hostess to be found when we walked in (on time for our reservation), and when she finally appeared from the back she told us she had been in the kitchen tasting food. Then she volunteered the dollar amount of the renovations on the newly vaulted ceilings (which are beautiful!). Our waiter was also friendly, but very laid back. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind a laid back staff at all, I usually prefer it, but it didn’t match the atmosphere they seemed to be going for. Neon lights streaming in, overly casual staff, and a TV showing Olympic coverage right behind us at the bar contradicted the fancy French décor/​vibe. Maybe I’m being picky, but it seemed like they didn’t quite have an identity yet. Are you a casual dinner spot or fine dining?
The menu is largely in French (French dish names with English descriptions), so being a native French speaker I had no problem pronouncing my order… but the waiter stared at me like I had 3 heads… «The WHAT?! (I point) OH, you want the CHI-​CKEN.» Don’t list your «CHI-​CKEN» as Poulet Rouge on the menu unless you maybe train your staff to know what Poulet Rouge is? I’m not asking for fluency by any means, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask for the waiter to know the names of the dishes as they’re listed on the menu. I was a good sport about it when he asked for some pronunciation advice, but come on.
On to the food: We had a fondue appetizer — Amazing. The fluffy little bread served with it was great by itself, let alone dipped in fancy cheese (we had the brie, miel [honey] & truffle). I could have eaten a whole meal of those. Entrees were pretty good, but not mind blowing. I had the Poulet Rouge and he had the Boeuf Bourguignon. We had the croquembouche for dessert, which we were pretty disappointed with. It was basically just a couple of plain profiteroles sitting on plate, which is not really what croquembouche is supposed to be. Those are just called profiteroles.
Long, rambling story short — it does have potential, but was just ok overall. The staff bragged about their brunch a lot, so that might be my next move if I go back.

So once I heard there was a new French restaurant in town, I was dying to go. Plus it is owned by the folks that own Anatolia and I absolutely love that place. So my friend and I took off in our Über and showed up to eat.
Well, the first thing you need to know is that you need reservations. I didn’t really plan ahead so we didn’t have them. We ask at the hostess stand and she was less than helpful… she told us the bar was full and reservations were booked up until 8:30p and then just ignored us. We went outside and then thought… hrrm…let’s ask how long the wait is at the bar. When we asked, the hostess said «The best person to ask that would be the bartender.» REALLY? Is that how you act at a fairly nice restaurant, especially when the bar is in the BACK of the restaurant and we have to prance through all the diners to get there. Some basic training of the hostesses would help here… it made us feel like she did NOT want us there and didn’t give a shit if we ever came back. Naughty!
So we did march back there after giving each other the WTF look and talked to the bartender. This guy was a gem. The bar area is really small, like maybe 6 – 8 barstools across a small bar. He said he had a couple of people paying out and it shouldn’t be long. So when they left we sat down. In the meantime he got us some beverages. Not only that, when I asked about the wines he poured a tasting of two different ones since I had never tried. (French whites are not my specialty.) And once we sat down he was exceptionally helpful with the menu and further drink choices. He was awesome! Sitting at the bar also allowed excellent eavesdropping on the people waiting for tables — music industry people and such. Fun. Plus they have a tv and it was tuned to the Olympics. What more do you want?!
First up we had appetizers. They have a fondue menu and my friend got the brie, miel, and truffle fondue. I got the beef tartare. The tartare was good. But the fondue. OMG the fondue. It was so rich, slightly sweet with the honey, with truffle adding flavor. Dip your bread in there and you die. That is a perfect appetizer to order and share. And get this — it is $ 5. Not too shabby.
For dinner I had the Entrecôte au Poivre — it was ribeye with marrow in a bone to the side and pepper sauce. It was good, but not the greatest thing ever. I was disappointed at the lack of foie gras as that is definitely what I would have gotten. As a matter of fact, there wasn’t a duck entrée on there at all. Sure ducks are cute, but I like to eat them too. Next time I shall try the grilled whole sea bass (I had already had a whole fish at Los Arcos that very day, so couldn’t do it twice, plus it grossed my friend out the first time… C’est la vie!). So I was a little underwhelmed with the entrée options but didn’t find the actual food I got bad. Sides include pomme frites which were good and tasted even better dipped in that fondue. Mmmm!
So then there’s dessert menu. OH the choices. They have tartes and crepes but no soufflé. We got the Mille feuille which is puff pastry with cream. Yum!
Overall a solid experience. I will definitely go back and this time I’ll make a reservation.