Eating Nashville: Incredible fish and chips at a steakhouse, but how's the steak?

Harper's, a restaurant marketed as a globally inspired steakhouse, recently opened in the South Bank area in Nashville. A sub-neighborhood of downtown where you can also find Pinewood Social, the area feels like a hodgepodge of restaurants, residential buildings and plenty of construction. It's an area that's still gaining an identity, and how exactly that will manifest remains to be seen.

Something about Harper's feels that way too — what does "globally inspired" mean in the context of a downtown Nashville steakhouse? Is it that the wagyu tomahawk hails from Australia and the onion soup is French, as they tend to be?

We recently checked out the 9,000-square-foot restaurant, which sits a stone's throw from Ascend, to find out just where Harper's "culinary journey" intends to take you.

Mackensy: This place announced itself to local media in a showy way: a promo package with its super nice candle and leather luggage tag I worried about accepting. (For the sake of transparency I kept a candle but it takes more than scented wax to sway me.)

Our meal at Harper's also kicked off with pomp and circumstance: a fresh but underwhelming bigeye tuna crudo, inexplicably served over a dish of dry ice, which did little more than exude an attention-grabbing amount of vapor.

For all the flashy performance I couldn't help but wonder why they didn't stop to toss a bit of salt on the fish, which they could have done with a flourish a la Salt Bae (this is the second and final time I'll evoke the man, I swear).

Brad: Wait, no free candle for me — what am I, chopped liver? Don't answer that. Because I'm a 12-year-old child, I loved all the steam pouring out of the tuna dish, though I agree it did nothing to add to the flavor. At least the big-flame guns Harper's sometimes use in the dining room put a crust on the beef or the creme brulee the flames are pointed at. Then again, I've come to expect and sometimes delight in the unnecessary showmanship at some of Nashville's steakhouses.

But the real show stopper for me: cheeks and chips, or basically, halibut fish and chips, possibly the best I've had. And (here comes the travel flex) I've had fish and chips in Dublin (Ireland, not Ohio). At Harper's, they served big chunks of tender, fresh fish with a crunchy, perfectly fried and seasoned breading. The fries were excellent, too.

Mack: Perfect fries, beautifully fresh halibut, a dusting of vinegar powder and the malt vinegar tartar sauce all brought me home to the Chesapeake Bay, though Dubliners would indeed be happy to have it. A really cool take on fish and chips that I would order again and again.

Less successful were panko-breaded and deep-fried deviled eggs topped with jalapeno pimento cheese, caviar and crispy tobacco onions. Too much, too muddled, too overwrought.

Not so with my Tale of Two Cities Cocktail, a refreshingly straightforward and well-chosen mix of Patrón reposado tequila, lemon and vanilla with a cabernet float.

Brad: Mack, I loved when you picked elk tenderloin. I loves me some adventurous eating, and that order paid off. The meat was melt-in-your-mouth tender with a unique-but-not-gamey taste. The chimichurri had perfect flavor and a real punch that complemented the tenderloin. But I ate and enjoyed most of the elk dish without the sauce because the meat was so good.

I thought our ribeye, just a skosh overcooked and underrested, was very good as well. High-quality, tender beef and a perfect, simple salt-and-pepper crust.

Mack: I would have liked more seasoning, less time on the grill and a longer rest before slicing. When I spend that much on a ribeye at a steak spot, I want to be blown out of the water, but it was good! The garlic alfredo mac and cheese on the side was excellent and I loved that elk, too. The jumbo asparagus side was cold and barely cooked, but I chopped and simmered it for a while for my morning omelet, which made it better.

Brad: Ooooooo, that omelette sounds good! I also loved the mac and cheese, really loved the creamed spinach and didn't care for the weirdly earthy, salty sauteed mushrooms.

And I know you were really full, but thanks for humoring me in getting desserts, with the creme brulee hitting the spot. The carrot cake? Not so much.

Mack: The classic steakhouse desserts were fine. More interesting is Harper's fun, convivial atmosphere, its interesting cuts such as venison chops and its knowledgeable but friendly staff.

Will you feel like you've been whisked away to far-off lands? You will not. But this is a fun place to bring visitors craving an unfussy steakhouse vibe ― but be aware that entree prices are about $25-$70 per person before adding sides.

If you go

What: Harper's, a Nashville-based steakhouse inspired by a love of travel.

What to eat: Elk tenderloin ($68), halibut cheeks and chips ($21).

Where: 2 Lea Ave.

More: www.harpersnashville.com.

Have you been to Harper's? Any thoughts on where Mack and Brad should go next? Find us at brad@tennessean.com and mlunsford@tennessean.com. We love hearing from you!

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville food: Harper's steakhouse wows with fish and chips