At 2nd American Restaurant, a new Chattanooga eatery from chef Daniel Lindley, guests will receive a large, shared bowl of mashed potatoes with their entrees.
In Lindley’s experience, it’s a dish many families have when they’re putting extra effort into a special meal, and it offers a framework for homing in on food that fits the mold for American cuisine.
“At an Indian restaurant, the way it typically works is everybody can get a different entree, but when the entrees arrive, what hits the middle of the table? Well, it’s essentially their mashed potatoes — it’s basmati rice,” Lindley said in an interview. “The starch hits the center of the table and then, literally, the cuisine starts revolving around that. If you switch the basmati rice out with mashed potatoes, all of a sudden the Indian cuisine doesn’t work the same.”
(READ MORE: Restaurant Scene: Plating for perfection at St. John’s Restaurant in Chattanooga)
The restaurant at 1601 Cowart St. opened Oct. 14 and is a followup to 5th & Taylor American Restaurant, which Lindley opened in Nashville in 2015. Lindley, a six-time James Beard Award nominee, was also the executive chef and owner of St. John’s Restaurant and Meeting Place in Chattanooga before selling his interest in 2014. In 2009, Lindley opened Alleia Restaurant, which specializes in Italian cuisine.
For a long time, all Lindley knew was fine dining. He cooked in New York City before returning to Chattanooga and spent 14 years at St. John’s Restaurant.
“I was eager to get away from that, and also as we get older, we start doing more of what we want to do and less of what we learn to do,” Lindley said.
Alleia Restaurant, the first establishment Lindley opened on his own, was an initial step toward a more casual atmosphere, he said.
Lindley said he has always hated hearing people call American cuisine a “melting pot,” suggesting it lacks any meaningful identity.
“American doesn’t mean that the menu has spaghetti and meatballs, nachos, ribs, hamburgers and steak and fries,” Lindley said. “It doesn’t have to be a melting pot.”
In Chattanooga, 2nd American Restaurant will share about two-thirds of the menu with the original location in Nashville. Customers will be able to order beer-can chicken with cranberry beans; beef cheek pot roast with parsnips, carrots and Brussels sprouts; or twice baked spaghetti squash with shiitake mushrooms, spinach, roasted tomato and mozzarella — all served with mashed potatoes.
The dining room at 2nd American Restaurant also features two prominent pieces of art — a massive mural by Chattanooga artist Mia Bergeron and a life-sized sculpture of Quatie Ross, wife of Cherokee chief John Ross, by George Dawnay. Next door, Lindley plans to open an event space for weddings and parties early next year.
Dawnay, whose artwork also appears in Lindley’s other restaurants, said it was Lindley’s idea to feature Quatie Ross. According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Ross is known in local folklore for giving her blanket to a sick child while traveling through Arkansas on the Trail of Tears, after which she died of pneumonia.
“That is the moment we picked,” Dawnay said in a phone call. “If you see the sculpture, you’ll see that she’s kind of taking off her robe. … Making that sacrifice.”
Dawnay, who is also based in the Chattanooga area, has known Lindley for about 15 years.
“He’s been a real patron of mine for years,” Dawnay said. “I’m very lucky to know him. I think he’s a very astute character, and I really think he’s some kind of a genius when it comes to doing those restaurants.”
2nd American Restaurant is situated in an early 20th century brick building on Chattanooga’s Southside, which was previously used for manufacturing machine fittings. This part of the city is special to Lindley — it’s where he’s lived for 23 years. His house was the third built in the neighborhood, he said. At the time, he said, there were virtually no restaurants in the area.
When customers sit down for a meal at 2nd American Restaurant, Lindley said he wants them to feel a sense of comfort and familiarity when the bowl of mashed potatoes lands on the table.
“I’m not trying to say I made anything up or invented anything, but I will say you could scour the entire internet and go to every restaurant in the world, I promise you, there’s not a single one doing this,” Lindley said. “That feels fun as well, but it’s also the simplicity of it.”
Contact David Floyd at dfloyd@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.