A Southern Debut

Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Drusie & Darr is the centerpiece of a property-wide revitalization at The Hermitage Hotel

Staff Reports
Photography by Daniel Miegs

Nashville landmark The Hermitage Hotel opened Drusie & Darr by Jean-Georges Vongerichten earlier this year, marking the first Southern property for the Michelin-star chef.

With more than 40 acclaimed restaurants around the globe, Vongerichten envisioned a convivial and contemporary restaurant and bar in Nashville to showcase the abundance of Tennessee’s regional produce — some of which is sourced from The Hermitage Hotel’s garden at The Land Trust for Tennessee’s Glen Leven Farm.

“It’s an honor to be a part of the growth of Nashville’s prominent food scene,” Vongerichten says. “With Drusie & Darr, I wanted to bring a taste of Jean-Georges to Nashville with influences from the community, city and history of The Hermitage Hotel to offer something fresh and exciting.”

The restaurant is named after brother and sister Drusie and Darr Hall, who lived at The Hermitage Hotel with their father, Dick Hall — the hotel’s former general manager. From the name of the restaurant to the interior design, Vongerichten and The Hermitage Hotel team felt passionately about preserving the history and legacy of the hotel.

The rejuvenated space from award-winning interior designer Thomas Juul-Hansen comes on the cusp of a property-wide revitalization of The Hermitage Hotel, which first opened its doors nearly 112 years ago.

The interiors feature restored 1902 Beaux-Arts details, such as vaulted ceilings and original oak walls, complemented by a state-of-the-art open kitchen with a larger square footage than before, glamorous modern décor and dramatic lighting from L’Observatoire International.

All furnishings, from the mother-of-pearl pendant lamps to the seating, tables and curved banquettes in blue velvet, are entirely custom to Drusie & Darr. Also new: a stunning pink marble ladies’ room, the 21st-century answer to The Hermitage Hotel’s famous 1930s-era Art Deco men’s room.

Taking its cue from the men’s room, which has horizontal tilework in stripes of lime green and black, the new ladies’ room has over-the-top striped walls of variegated pink marble, pink sinks and toilets, inlaid marble flooring, arched doorways, rose gold–framed mirrors and glamorous lighting throughout.

“As Nashville’s social epicenter for over a century, The Hermitage Hotel is excited to introduce a new gathering place in step with the times and where everyone feels welcome,” says Dee Patel, managing director of The Hermitage Hotel. “Our wish is for guests and neighbors alike to return for years to come.”

Drusie & Darr is at 231 Sixth Ave. N., Nashville, inside The Hermitage Hotel. Reservations can be made on Resy.com or by calling the restaurant directly at 615-345-7116.