Reviewing Stationairy: Cocktails and New American bites in the historic Union Station in Nashville.

Stationairy opened earlier this year inside The Union Station Nashville Yards. Located in the historic Union Station building, both the interior and exterior of the building are visually stunning. The restaurant entrance is through the hotel, allowing you to see the gorgeous lobby. Consistent with its name, Stationairy has an airy, light-filled ambiance with high ceilings and giant arched windows. In contrast with comparable upscale restaurants, breakfast, lunch, and dinner are offered seven days a week, making it a convenient option no matter what time of day you’re looking to sit down for a nice meal.

My boyfriend and I were lucky enough to dine during golden hour when warm light poured through the entire place. While Stationairy has magnificent views of downtown, it is just removed enough from lower Broadway to be pleasantly quiet and serene. Seating options are varied, including high-top tables, low-top tables, couch and lounge seating, and a bar.

Stationairy currently offers three signature cocktails, and they get extra credit from me for making two of them sparkling wine cocktails. I ordered the Lost In Paris, a vodka-based drink with sparkling wine and aromatics, which was expertly mixed and served in an attractive, tall champagne flute. As a starter, we began with the whipped sheep’s milk cheese. The portion was absolutely huge, and the cheese was incredibly sharp and tangy, yet creamy. It was topped with crushed pistachio, drizzled lightly with honey, and served with grilled toast points. I would come back just for this delicious cheese.

For our main, we shared the Allen Brothers Prime NY Strip. The presentation of the steak was extremely well-executed, with duck fat potatoes and cippolini onions on top and strewn on the plate, as well as a light bordelaise sauce. The cut was large, and the seasoning and char were both great. We also opted to share a side of fried Brussels sprouts, which were presented beautifully as well. They were tossed in spicy honey mustard and topped with cotija cheese. Although the prices at Stationairy seem relatively high, the portions of the food are so large that they definitely lend themselves to sharing.

Our server was extremely friendly and conversational, frequently offering us suggestions from the menu and speaking highly of the chef. However, our service was rather slow — we did not receive service for an hour after our main dish was brought out — and we weren’t sure whether it was our waiter’s fault or not. Although there were only four tables including us, two were large parties and there was only one waiter working that evening. This left him to bus tables, pour water, deliver drinks, and run food from the kitchen across the hotel lobby back to the restaurant. Given that the restaurant is somewhat new, and many places are having staffing shortages, I hope that they will be able to hire more waiters and bussers soon.

If you’re looking for a place to bring guests from out of town, or a place to celebrate date night or a special occasion, I recommend Stationairy for a leisurely meal. The views and ambiance are unmatched by almost any other restaurant in Nashville, and the dishes and cocktails on the menu are consistently good.