The Mad Platter Restaurant & Catering

My birthday dinner was at the mad platter last night, and was amazing. The place is small, but they were very accomadating for our party of 20 people. I met the owner and she was super sweet. The wait staff was incredible and on top of thier game. The food was very goodl. The mad platter helped make my birthday dinner one of the best! I will definetly be returning.

Pros: great food, excellent service

Cons: non

Posted 11/15/09

Service was good, love the decor and atmosphere, but my fish was cold and tough? Isn't fish flacky? I believe it had been microwaved since in was almost rubbery and the crust was soft. Other entrees at table were hot, etc.. My meal must have been cooked and set aside and then rewarmed and "set aside again". I do plan on returning and hope this was a rare occurance, but I simply could not eat the meal but chose not to send it back. The polenta cake was even worse, but the garnish was hot. Go figure, just a bad meal.

Pros: love the atmosphere

Cons: Food took forever and arrived only slightly warm

Posted 11/07/09

The Mad Platter restaurant can be best described as "shabby chic". The food is tremendous and the service is great !!!
It's located in the heart of historic Germantown. I've eaten there several times and never been disappointed.

Pros: Food and Service !!!

Cons: None

Posted 11/02/09

My husband and I went for our 10th Wedding Anniversary. The service, food and ambiance were all excellent. Our server gave us great food suggestions and once we both chose our entrees, he gave us a superb wine suggestion that went well with both dishes. The five-course option has been mentioned in previous reviews, but happily they now have a three-course option as well. That worked great for me. The Ravioli appetizer was fantastic, as were the Duck and Lamb entrees. We will definitely go back.

Posted 02/18/09

I consider myself lucky - my job involves travel and I get to eat in great restaurants in many different cities. Whenever I get to entertain in Nashville, the Mad Platter is my hands down first choice. It offers a wonderful atmosphere, cozy and low key, yet sophisticated. The menu is superb - always offering creative dining choices and has a range that appeals to everyone. They offer an incredible value in their five course dinner, providing soup, salad, appetizer, entree, and dessert for a reasonable up-charge from the cost of just an entree. Portions are perfect and the timing of service allows you to savor each course without rushing on to the next one. Last night I chose the gumbo for my soup. It could have been straight from the bayou - filled with andouille and bits of seafood, with a rich smoky taste. It was followed by the shrimp appetizer - very fresh. The caesar salad was perfect. If you are a fan of duck, theirs is delicious and served with gnocci. I ended my meal with the best dessert in the house - bananas Foster. Don't plan to finish in an hour - this restaurant understands that a great meal is meant to be savored and allows you to enjoy it at a wonderful pace. And if you get the pleasure of having Brenda as your server, just sit back and enjoy - she makes sure your meal is everything you want it to be!

Pros: Creative, upscale cuisine with great atmosphere

Posted 01/10/09

We went for our 25th wedding anniversary tonight. Daniel our waiter was friendly, but not too invasive. The crab cakes were amazing. The fillet was off the charts. The banana fosters was THE BEST. The ambiance was 'just right' for our special night. Each dish was unique in taste and presentation. We eat at a different fine dining restaurant every year (for 25 years) and the Mad Platter ranks up there with the best. A steak is usually a steak (Ruth Chris, Morton?s, etc.), but cooked over mash potatoes with veggies on top made it unique in taste and it looked great as well. The crab cakes were different from any other we've had (and we've eaten them is Seattle, Washington and throughout Maryland and Florida). I could go on and on but I think you get my drift ... The portions, the prices, the taste -- all was GREAT! I highly recommend and we hope your experience will be as good as ours.

Pros: Everything was great

Cons: The bathrooms need to be upgraded

Posted 08/13/08

Craig and Marcia catered my husband's 40th Birthday party and the food was excellent. The party guests loved the menu. The food was presented in a beautiful layout. I couldn't have asked for anything more.
They arrived on time and had everything ready and waiting for our guests to arrive. They worked with us on the menu and made suggestions and we came up with the best overall menu for our guests. I would reccommend the Catering for any event.

Pros: Excellent knowledge of Catering; very helpful with choosing a menu for our party

Posted 05/19/08

My husband and I have been to the Mad Platter for dinner many times, usually to celebrate special occasions. Never have I had a bad experience, but I feel compelled to write a review after the most excellent Valentine's Day Dinner we've ever had. First, the dining room was softly lit, with beautiful artwork on the walls. On the table were fresh roses and white linen tablecloths. We both opted for the five courses, a must if you dine for dinner. For less than fifty dollars each, we had soup, salad, appetizers, our entrees, and dessert. We both had the filet, cooked to perfection. Our evening was finished with tiramasu and bananas fosters, the best I've ever had. Our waiter Dan was one of the best I've seen in Nashville in a long time. He was friendly, knowledgable, and helped make this a night we'll never forget. We will be back soon. Cheers!

Pros: Service, value, wine list

Posted 02/21/08

My wife and I have been coming to the Mad Platter for six years and have always had a wonderful experience. With its warm Victorian atmosphere, if their was one word to desribe it, it would be cozy. We like it much better than the new wave of trendy, stark, and cold restaurants that are popping up all over the city. Its also located in one of Nashville's coolest neighborhoods, Germantown, perfect for a romantic stroll after a fantastic meal.
The food is top notch, and with their ever changing menu, its always a unique experience. I usually order their Rackof Lamb, which is their house specialty, but my wife always orders something different. We also always get the 5 course chef's tasting dinner which is only $38-$48 i think, depending on which
entree you order, and is certainly enough food to split if you were looking for a lighter meal. For dessert, get the bananas foster which is to die for, or the Chocolate elvis, which is heavenly rich.
The service is also great, and particularly friendly compared to other fine dining establishments. Liz and Brenda have always taken great care of us, and we've always appreciated Todd's wine selections. The wine list is well put together with interesting selections you don't find everywhere else and great tasting descriptions if you are intimidated by wines you've never heard of. We discovered our new favorite wine there, the Lily Pinot Noir, which we can't seem to find in the wine shops, so I can't sure that they will still have this wine the next time we go to the Mad Platter.
All in all, the Mad Platter is the perfect dining experience!!

Pros: Food, Service, ambiance

Cons: none

Posted 02/05/08

Food is good by Nashville standards, not by Houston standards. Atmosphere is cross between coffee-house and Romper Room, decoration is uninspired and uninteresting. Try to figure out which restroom is the Ladies' and then hold the handle. Witness a grizzled, stained, homeless-looking guy wandering in and out of the kitchen. Service is untrained and incongruent to the prices on the menu. Reservations are recommended everywhere but the staff was not able to find our reservation after two phone calls to the restaurant.

Pros: Food, recommend take-out

Cons: Service, parking, restrooms

Posted 12/31/07

Mad Platter did such a wonderful job for my wedding. I am SO pleased that I called them from other friends of mine that rcomended them. Every dish I ordered was perfect and plenty. Everything was so beautiful presented and perfectly delivered on time. I highly recommend The Mad Platter for your wedding.

Pros: the best freshest food, great variety and presentation

Posted 07/23/07

My husband and I decided to head to Nashville on a whim and read about this restaurant and made a reservation. We had never been to Nashville and were a little nervous as we drove toward the restaurant but once you get past 6th street the neighborhood turns quite cute. The facade of the building isn't much but the interior is wonderful. Only about twenty tables were set up. The walls are exposed brick and covered with wonderful artwork. The lighting is dim and the dark wood and bookshelves add to the warmth. The place was very romantic although we were only one of two couples there. It appears that the Mad Platter is great for good friends and even mid-sized groups. My husband and I went with wine by the glass and both the reisling and the cabernet served by the glass were wonderful. We weren't super hungry so we decided not to go with the very tempting five course meal. We even skipped appetizers even though they looked quite tastey. I had a bowl of the chilled strawberry cream soup. Although the server did warn me that it was dessert-y I still enjoyed it as a starter but I do have a sweet tooth. My husband got the bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin topped with brie and served with cauliflower and horseradish mashed potatoes. He thoroughly enjoyed it. I got the pork tenderloin with rosemary sauce served with polenta, asparagus, and topped with a dollop of lemon almond butter. It was unbelievable. The pork was juicy and the polenta was an unexpected but perfect accompaniment. We were perfectly satiated so didn't get dessert. What was almost the best part of the evening was the price. The atmosphere, service, and quality and presentation of the food really could have warrented a higher price, especially when compared with the other restaurants in town. Both of our entrees were right around twenty dollars. All in all I highly recommend this restaurant. It was an altogether delightful experience.

Pros: Amience, Service, Food - All Wonderful

Cons: I wish I had gone hungrier!

Posted 06/25/07

Having never been here before, but always wanting to go, I made reservation for this past Saturday. It was my boyfriend's birthday and every bit of the expectations made were kept. We had our menus specially printed with birthday wishes for him, our table was private as much as could be in the open seating area, the server wished birthday greetings and his dessert was topped innocently enough with one simple candle. We each had the 5 course meal making sure that we each made different choices to allow for our own table taste tests. The chicken and lemon artichoke soup was wonderful and paired nicely with the baby arugula salad. He loved the crab cakes as I did the veal and sage ravioli. For dinner I had the juicy and wonderfully matched pork tenderloin while my boyfriend chose the house specaility of Roast Leg of Lamb. For dessert, I the non chocolate fan, must give my compliments on the Elvis dessert and of course I loved the Bananas Foster. We had a fantastic time and we look forward to our next visit.

Pros: Great food

Cons: Can't hear the music playing

Posted 04/16/07

This used to be my favorite restaurant in Nashville. I have celebrated several birthdays and special events here and it was always very nice. This year I made a reservation for dinner on my birthday. Imagine my unpleasant surprise when I got a phone message 5 days before my dinner informing me that "they" had decided to close the restaurant on the night I already made a reservation for! I called to confirm this and the hostess acted as though spontaneously closing a restaurant on a Tuesday night is normal. I don't know if I will ever go back. Too bad.

Cons: They might decide to close the restaurant after you have made a reservation

Posted 10/26/06

Wife and I went for a special dinner. Food was very good. Both she and I got the five course meal. Soups were good. The chicken soup with leaks and shitaki mushrooms was the best version I have ever had, wonderful dark meat based broth. Next appetizers, escargot was o.k. and crab cake was unremarkable (I've had so many wonderful versions up and down the atlantic coast its hard to measure up). Salads were quite good, caesar and heart of palm. For entrees I had the "signature dish" of lamb which was absolutely wonderful! HIGHLY RECOMMEND if you are at all a lamb fan or want to become one. Wife had beef tenderloin which was very good. Dessert, creme brule, which had a overwhelmingly strong citrus flavor to it along with a wonderful bananas foster (Again, too many wonderful versions in New Orleans, USVI and around the country to to measure up to). Overall, a very good dining experience especially for the money. High points were the entrees and chicken soup (I swear it was somehow the best I have ever had and the wife agreed) with nothing disappointing. Location and decore are bohemian "cool" (which I am not always a fan of, as here) but tolerable.

Pros: Entrees, five course meal, value

Cons: location (just not me) and decor

Posted 07/28/06

we dropped in for lunch. Had asparagus w/truffle oil appetizer (excellent), chicken salad (good - sweet, served with fruit), and chicken caesar salad (very good - unusual with artichokes, pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes). For lunch, the cost versus quality of food was good. We love "one-of-a-kind" atmosphere, which they have: well worn wooden floors, eclectic table furniture, open brickwork. Waitress was excellent - prompt service and enthusiastic about the restaurant. We plan to return for an evening meal.

Pros: one-of-a-kind atmosphere

Cons: short, but interesting menu selections

Posted 07/18/06

My wife and I dine here regularly and find the food to be great and unique at each visit. The service is always wonderful and the wine list offers many exciting options not found in other restaurants. I would suggest trying the lamb entree, which is delicious and always generously portioned. The price is actually very resonable despite a reputation otherwise. Also, the banana's foster is an absolute must.

Pros: great waiter, food, wine

Cons: none

Posted 07/04/06

Husband & I have wanted to eat here for many anniversaries and finally did. Ambience & service were wonderful but we were underwhelmed with the food. The mushroom soup was excellent, however crab cake tasted fishy. Salads were of no big splash. Only two rolls. Husband's choice of the pork with mashed sweet potatoes were way too sweet. My veal was excellent but the dish was not hot enough and I dared not return it for fear the shrimp and pasta would be overcooked. The five course meal is the best purchase, however we've been there; won't return.

Pros: atmosphere, service, dessert

Cons: crab cake, food temperature

Posted 03/27/06

The lunch service was so slow and non-attentive. The presentation was weak. The salad plate and dressing all over it, including the bottom of the plate. The food was not worth the one-hour wait. Lunch hour is when you are supposed to eat your food, not sit there and wait for it. No apology from the waitress or manager. "We got busy" is not an excuse. It is lunch time... We also got no responses to requests for basics, like water or bread. This used to be a favorite, but I can no longer recommend this place due to such poor service.

Cons: poor service

Posted 02/04/06

The ambience is awesome. The food, well, so so. My wife and I tried several different menu items, but found all to be just okay. For the $60 meal, there are several better options around town (and a lot safer places to park your car). If you are looking for a great place to take a date and have some conversation this is your place. If you are looking for great food, try another on the citysearch list.

Pros: Ambience, Staff

Posted 03/01/04

I have been a patron on five separate occasions, each time always getting the 5-course meal. After 25 courses, I can honestly say that I have never had a single COURSE that was anything less than tremendous. It's creative top-notch cuisine in a very cool, funky, and laid-back atmosphere....no stuffiness here. A few suggestions: a) going here IS your evening - don't go here for a quick bite before a show or a movie. b) get the five course meal...the kitchen and service timing are really geared around this. My courses have always been very nicely spaced, which is a must in a five course meal. c) get different courses and share tastes. I said above that I have had 25 courses - all of which were great - but in reality, it's more like 50 if you include the tastes of courses ordered by others at my table.

Posted 06/09/03

My Lady and I absolutely adore this place. In my opinion, there is no restaurant in Nashville with better food or atmosphere. I had the Rack of Lamb last time. It was outstanding. Also, don't miss the chocolate Elvis for dessert.

The service is always great and I appreciate the selection of great hard-to-find wines. This restaurant will always be "our" restaurant.

Pros: great food, service, wine selection

Posted 03/30/03

The reviews for this restaurant on Citysearch seemed kind of hit or miss but I have to say it's hard to imagine anyone not loving this place. My wife and I go there with friends every chance we get and have always considered it to be the best food and service in town. They also have a great wine list, though sometimes not everything on it is in stock. My wife loves the desserts and seafood but I always get the rack of lamb or the filet, both are tremendous without being too adventurous. The worst thing I could say about the Mad Platter is that we sometimes spend most of the evening there but if the conversation is good and the food keeps coming then who's complaining? The five course dinner is always worth the time and money.

Pros: five course dinner, free parking, quiet on weeknights

Cons: crowded on weekends

Posted 12/29/02

I had always heard that The Mad Platter was expensive but was a great place for special occasions. Having been there finally for our anniversary recently I would have to agree that the food, service and atmosphere were perfect for the occasion. . . but I won't wait a year to go back. The five course dinner was a bargain at $36 for soup, appetizer, salad, entree and dessert. We spend that much at almost any nice restaurant in town and I don't remember having a more delicious and satisfying meal anywhere. Kudos, Mad Platter! Keep up the good work.

Pros: Warm and Inviting, Free Parking, Great Wine List

Cons: No Valet Parking, Need reservations

Posted 09/21/02

Hubby and I call this place our "Special Occasion" restaurant. Whenever we have something to celebrate, we make reservations (highly recommended), and they've never failed to treat us right. The first time we were there was our wedding anniversary. Hubby surprised me, and they were so nice as to place a little note on the table wishing us well, etc. The Mad Platter is well worth a visit.

Pros: Food, Service, Knowledgable Staff

Cons: Crowded Tables

Posted 07/25/02

I would highly recommend trying this restrraunt. Their menu changes often but all the selections are always creative and enjoyable. Try the full five course meal to sample their culinary talents in each course. My wife and I always try to choose different items at each course just so we can sample more of the wonderful flavors the chefs create. Excellent.

Pros: fresh ideas, excellent menu

Cons: small dining area

Posted 07/16/02

Went here to lunch a few weeks ago for the first and last time. I understand the idea of a specialty, but contrary to popular belief you can make a ruben without sauerkraut (it took them 15-20 minutes to tell me they couldn't and I needed to take it or change my order). So I changed my order. Cheeseburger. It was so thick that the middle was uncooked. It took another 10 minutes to get the server's attention to come take it back for a second go on the grill. Came back still not done to my liking. No one cared or asked about my meal or my service. It's best they didn't. Won't be back.

Pros: Nice area, Good Atmosphere, Not Crowded

Cons: Service, Food, Attitude

Posted 07/15/02

Went to dinner on Mother's Day with wife and teenage son. I had lamb, wife salmon, son filet mignon. Each had salads. Split 2 desserts. 2 glasses of wine. $177 w/tip. Service was excellent. Salads were very good. Entrees were OK to good. For the price of the lamb ($33) I was expecting the best I'd ever had. It was just OK, especially for their signature dish. Desserts were OK. Frankly a bit disappointed given other recommendations and the cost. Had much better dinner at Bound'ry a week earlier.

Pros: Pricey, Good service, Varied menu

Posted 06/21/02