Inside the newly opened Joe Muer Seafood in Capitol View, there are no nautical blue anchors painted on the walls, no fishermen’s nets hanging from the ceiling and not a single piece of art proclaiming: “Life’s a Beach.” Instead, Joe Muer Seafood offers nearly a century’s worth of chic ambience, refined service and the freshest of fine cuisine — transposed from Detroit to Nashville. The staff take great pride in the restaurant’s classic style, striving for each guest to experience Joe Muer’s iconic legacy.
The decor is elegant as well. Contemporary brass chandeliers hang from soaring ceilings exposing painted ductwork. The floors are the Detroit restaurant brand’s signature black and white tile. Luxe red velvet banquettes and drapes add a pop of color, and the latter are used to partition off sections of the 12,000-square-foot space. Alternating accent walls of whitewashed brick and red lacquer add interest. A polished baby grand piano acts as a focal point from its perch on a centrally located raised platform. There is live music daily, and — when there’s not — the ebony Yamaha can double as a player piano.
Rosalie Vicari, chief operating officer and co-owner, with her husband, of the Joe Vicari Restaurant Group, worked with Chicago-based interior designer Anne Faherty and architect Robert Hoida, a principal at OX Studio out of Ann Arbor, Michigan, to create Joe Muer Nashville.
Rosalie has fond memories of the legendary Detroit brand that opened in 1929. “As a young girl, I grew up going to the original Joe Muer with my family. That was our Friday night out to dinner. We got dressed up, and we went there … So when [the Vicari Restaurant Group] acquired the brand in 2011, we really made a conscious effort that we wanted to elevate it. It was a lovely brand as it was, but it was an older brand; we just wanted to take it and elevate it.”
Joe and Rosalie visited Nashville nine years ago when they attended the Country Music Awards with friends. A music lover, Joe saw the growth potential here and thought it would be the perfect place for Joe Muer — the first outside of Michigan. After he visited the Capitol View location, the timing seemed right.
Fresh Focus
Nowadays, when fish can be flown in daily, there’s no reason it can’t be fresh — even in landlocked Nashville. Thanks to longstanding partnerships with many seafood houses, fish is flown in from places such as Boston, the Gulf Coast of Florida and Hawaii, depending on what’s in season. “And we will never buy fish out of season,” adds Rosalie, “because that means that it’s frozen.”
Menu highlights include crab-stuffed Atlantic flounder and lobster pot pie with Irish spoon bread. The Dover sole — noted as a Muer tradition on the menu — is deboned tableside, complemented with a sauce of grapes, pine nuts, capers, parsley, artichokes and tomatoes, and served with braised leeks.
Other Options
There’s more than just fish and seafood on the menu. There is Maple Leaf Farms roast duck and an 8-ounce and 10-ounce Chairman’s Reserve filet mignon. For those who’d rather not have to choose, there’s Joe Muer Surf & Turf. The kitchen is overseen by Master Chef Daniel Scannell and Chef Jim Oppat. Right now, the restaurant is open only for dinner but may — in the future — offer brunch. Complimentary parking is offered at two nearby garages, and valet parking is available.
Living Large
"The smallest restaurant in the Joe Vicari Restaurant Group seats 180 guests," says Rosalie, continuing: “It’s kind of the equation that we use — to just take this bigger space, create this beautiful bar and lounge area in the center of it, and then create these pockets of intimate dining throughout the restaurant.” The Nashville location seats about 325, including 40 to 50 guests in each of the two private rooms, 20 at the bar and 80 on the patio. Despite its size, the space feels warm and inviting.
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