IvyWild Sewanee

My regular visits to Sewanee are never complete without a visit to Ivy Wild, where everyone is treated as an old friend, the locally sourced food is extraordinary, and the presentation is superb. BYOB.

What a gem! The most wonderful food. Found IvyWild through Yelp and it did not disappoint. Friday evening, no reservation and we were seated immediately. It's BYOB and based on the number of tables with wine knew we'd happened onto a treat, for only regulars would know, right?
After ordering, the brought us a small skewer of marinated feta and vegetables. Divine! Their emphasis is local organic and it was heaven! My husband ordered a filet. I'm an Iowa girl so tend to be snobby about my beef, well the chef -a Texan (and they can be equally snobby, 'Hook 'em Horns'), told us the beef is grass fed up to the last 20 days, so, healthy and totally yummy! Cooked to perfection! His mashed potatoes were topped with carmelized onions he raved about. We posted the photo.
I ordered a grilled salmon, served medium and it was just perfect...on the outside...a slight crunch...and melted in your mouth on the inside. The smoked Gouda grits were creamy and not overpowering and all topped with cherry tomatoes, chayote squash and poblano pepper, served in a corn husk 'boat.' Perfection! We declined dessert and the cheeses as we were very satisfied with the entree.
This food is amazing to find in little Sewanee but would be an equal find anywhere. We're from Nashville..a great food town and IvyWild would hold its own nicely. I think a night at the Adams Edgeworth (BnB in Monteagle Assembly) with dinner at IvyWild would be a delight! We'll be back. Open Th-Sat.

We visit IvyWild every time we come to SAS. I feel for the owner... Opening such a creative, inventive restaurant in an area whose only other choice for high-end dining is the rather predictable and boring High Point was a risk. Luckily, it's a risk that gourmands benefit from. Every item on every plate is designed to compliment other items, both visually and taste-wise. The presentations are outstanding and the quality of the food is top-notch. Enough platitudes, here are the specifics.

My wife and I had 8pm reservations on the Saturday night before SAS graduation. We knew several students would be there celebrating and that the staff might be overwhelmed (they were). Kudos to everybody working last night for keeping it together during a mad rush. For appetizers, T had the blue crab tartlet with cucumber salad, ginger aïoli, and soy reduction. Perfectly sweet crab meat countered by the ginger and soy. I went for the more adventurous IvyWild Egg Benedict, which started with a base of ground pumpernickel "dirt", topped with housemade Canadian bacon, a beautifully poached egg, and a dab of Hollandaise. VERY creative, VERY tasty.

For dinner, T had the filet, which was cooked perfectly  and teamed with black garlic risotto and arugula pesto. She said it was one of the most tender steaks she'd eaten and cooked to perfection (this after we lived in Chicago for 12 years!). I went for the porcini-crusted trout on top of cheese grits with a side of green beans and walnuts.

New to IvyWild is a collection of Tennessee cheeses, which we sampled for our dessert. Let me just say that the Bonnie Blue Farm goat cheese is amazing. This was excellent food, very friendly service, and prices that are comparable to high-end restaurants that you'd visit in Atlanta or Chicago. THANK YOU for opening in Sewanee!