“Classic Nashville. Modern Cuisine.”

That is the tagline of Bound’ry, one of the many restaurants in the area surrounding Vanderbilt. A short walk away from many hotels on the west side of Highway 40, it’s far enough away from traffic to be an easy suggestion from the front desk. The interior is an eclectic set of rooms. The left is the bar area, which swoops around in a long arc. The right has a blazing wood fired oven prominent in the corner, where their hand tossed pizzas are made. The deck has mini fire pits at each table, the flames exuding from a basin filled with stones. The back room is a more tradition dining room, the kitchen visible from most tables. The lighting is dark and the art is vibrant and the dinner was about to start.

We begin with two shared appetizers. The pork belly came in four thick cubes. Unlike other belly I’ve had, the layers of meat and fat did not separate easily, and eat bite was better eaten as a whole. The sea salt aioli and hot pepper jam added a nice kick, while the slaw of pea shoots and shaved cabbage cleansed the palate. The other shared dish was the tuna two ways. The seared half was flavored with Chinese five spice and sliced thin, the meat slightly more purple than red. The other half was chopped up and flavored with ginger and sake, the pieces of tuna falling in between sweet potato chips and avocado. All of this sat atop basil painted cucumber.

My salad was the Belgian caesar. Brussel sprouts were shaved mixed with creamy avocado dressing cherry heirloom tomatoes. Asiago cheese, finely shredded and adorned with top along with focaccia crumbs to add crunch. The sprouts were uncooked, so the salad had a slaw-like crunch to it, though it was a tad bitter from the raw vegetation.

The entrée was the highlight of the meal. Always a sucker for novelty, I ordered the antelope. The loin came medium rare, just how I like it seared black on the outside, the interior a purplish red. As often happens, the game was very lean, and tasted meaty and clean, with only a slightly metallic presence. Paired was an ice cream scoop dollop of white truffle scented mash potato. Though delicious, the portion was a little small considering the $30 cost.

If you have to travel to work, and I often do, Nashville is not a bad place to go. Restaurant options are numerous and on most occasions, you can’t go wrong. Bound’ry is no exception.