Step Inside: Prime + Proper Has Opened in Music City

Sometimes a front door is just a door. Other times, it’s an entrance. In the case of the newly opened Prime + Proper steakhouse on the first floor of the Grand Hyatt Nashville, it’s definitely the latter.

The marquis-like entryway, with its bold geometric design and imposing double doors, makes a statement. “I wanted an entry — a noticeable space,” says Jeremy Sasson, founder and CEO of Detroit-based Heirloom Hospitality. “And if our guests were coming from valet, they felt they could walk on our red carpet to this restaurant and not have to enter through the hotel.” 

The steakhouse leases the space previously occupied by chef Sean Brock’s The Continental. There was always a separate door to comply with codes, but guests typically entered through the hotel, Jeremy says. And while Prime + Proper and the Grand Hyatt have a complementary aesthetic, he says it’s important that the restaurant — which opened its other location in Detroit in 2017 — has its own distinct and established identity.  

As guests make their way to their tables, they pass through a hallway flanked by wine racks highlighting the restaurant’s expansive collection and cases displaying cuts of meat in different stages of the dry aging process. 

Dramatic, hexagonal light fixtures hang from a coffered ceiling in the main dining room, accentuating the Art-Deco-influenced velvet and leather booths and stone tables below. Black-and-white porcelain floors boast inlaid brass details. 

At the far end of the room, taking up much of the back wall, is a striking art piece by Dallas-based hide artist Kyle Bunting. But the real focal point is the restaurant’s large open kitchen. “It’s part of the dining experience,” says Jeremy. “We want you to feel the energy of the restaurant at all times.” 

Every aspect of the 200-seat restaurant, designed by Detroit’s Colin Tury and architected by Nashville’s Remick Moore, has been meticulously thought out. There are no restrooms inside. Guests can use the ones in the hotel lobby. Patrons will never be seated by the restrooms or near the door — that way, there’s not a bad seat in the house.  

This plays into Jeremy’s goal for Prime + Proper. He sees it as a hospitality experience — not simply a steakhouse. “That’s not what I’m resting my hat on,” he says. “My hat is resting on taking care of people. By the way, you’ll also get the best steak.”

On the Menu

Executive chef Steven Agosto is at the helm, with menu offerings including an Australian wagyu New York strip and a 28-ounce porterhouse that’s dry-aged for 45 to 90 days. 

There is also a raw bar featuring three different varieties of osetra caviar and seafood entrées, including wood-fired branzino and dover sole, served tableside. Sides, served à la carte, include wood-fired broccoli, the requisite macaroni and cheese, and lobster grits. 

In addition to the extensive wine list, the menu features craft cocktails and a half-dozen zero-proof options.

Going Private

The restaurant offers a private dining room, complete with audiovisual capabilities, that can seat 20. One wall is lined with refrigerated wine cases, while another showcases black-and-white photos of vintage cars, radios and snakeskin boots — all taken by Nashville-based photographer Tony Shepherd. 

“This kind of Detroit architectural automotive story met with vintage audio,” says Jeremy. He particularly likes the cowboy boot photograph. “I just thought it was great,” he says. “This restaurant felt like if it owned a pair of cowboy boots, it would own snakeskin ones.”

Locally Sourced

While Prime + Proper is a Detroit-born brand, its Nashville location has a distinct Tennessee accent. The cowboy ribeye is infused with Leiper’s Fork Distillery whiskey during the aging process, and the kitchen uses a custom wood-fired grill fueled by Tennessee white oak. 

“Part of the sustainability of this restaurant is trying to pull products that are as close to this source as we can, whether that’s Bear Creek [Farm] or Black Hawk Farms or Leiper’s Fork Distillery,” says Jeremy. “There’s an immense opportunity to create relationships.”