Jump to content

Nashville, TN


liam

Recommended Posts

I was in Nashville for a business meeting earlier this month--staying at Opryland, a sprawling, artificial environment to the city's northeast. However, I managed to find my way downtown one evening.

Jack's Bar-B-Que at 416 Broadway in Nashville absolutely hit the spot. I feasted on the pork shoulder platter with cornbread and sides of mac 'n' cheese and cole slaw. Jack's is very laid back. You go up to the counter, order what you want, get your sauces, and find a seat. I'm certainly no barbeque expert, but it was delicious food, a very generous portion of pork, and stellar cole slaw--more of a vinegar base than a traditional milk base. This is food I can't get in Wisconsin--and all y'all probably can't find in DC either.

Broadway in Nashville is lined with various music clubs--some famous, some not--featuring country, bluegrass, hillbilly, honky-tonk and other musical varieties. It's a little bit touristy, but there are plenty of locals about as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was in Nashville for a business meeting earlier this month--staying at Opryland, a sprawling, artificial environment to the city's northeast. However, I managed to find my way downtown one evening.

Jack's Bar-B-Que at 416 Broadway in Nashville absolutely hit the spot. I feasted on the pork shoulder platter with cornbread and sides of mac 'n' cheese and cole slaw. Jack's is very laid back. You go up to the counter, order what you want, get your sauces, and find a seat. I'm certainly no barbeque expert, but it was delicious food, a very generous portion of pork, and stellar cole slaw--more of a vinegar base than a traditional milk base. This is food I can't get in Wisconsin--and all y'all probably can't find in DC either.

Broadway in Nashville is lined with various music clubs--some famous, some not--featuring country, bluegrass, hillbilly, honky-tonk and other musical varieties. It's a little bit touristy, but there are plenty of locals about as well.

Anybody have anything else to say about Nashville? Headed there this weekend. BBQ and maybe some biscuits and gravy would hit the spot. Also, anyone ever heard of a place called the Pancake Pantry? It was recommended to me.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anybody have anything else to say about Nashville? Headed there this weekend. BBQ and maybe some biscuits and gravy would hit the spot. Also, anyone ever heard of a place called the Pancake Pantry? It was recommended to me.

Pancake Pantry is good - plan to get there early, as the wait gets long pretty quickly. If you've been to any of the Original Pancake Houses here you won't be surprised by the menu, as it's similar, but in my experience Pancake Pantry has better pancakes and way better bacon/sausage. I'm partial to the silver dollar or buckwheat pancakes, my mom swears by the peach delight, and my dad always orders the blintzes.

As far as biscuits and gravy, Loveless Cafe does breakfast as well as meat-and-three dinners (including biscuits).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anybody have anything else to say about Nashville? Headed there this weekend. BBQ and maybe some biscuits and gravy would hit the spot. Also, anyone ever heard of a place called the Pancake Pantry? It was recommended to me.
South Street isn't anything different or exciting, but if the weather's nice, it's not a bad place to have a burger or pulled pork and a beer, while relaxing at one of their outside "treehouse" tables. The strip where Pancake Pantry is located has several restaurants and coffee shops that might be worth a try if the line at Pancake Pantry is too long. I second the Loveless Cafe recommendation! We used to go there when I was a kid (we lived in Nashville um, say about 20 years ago :) ) so it's been around for a while. My dad always liked the redeye gravy...

This link talks about some of the meat and 3's in Nashville - I was sorry to read that the Satsuma Tea Room had closed.

Make sure you hit Tootsie's Orchid Lounge for some great live music. Jack's Bar-b-que is right next door and isn't bad, as I recall from a trip 5-6 years back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Try the "Dine after 9" deal at F. Scott's. The entire menu is half-price after 9pm. The food isn't going to blow you away or anything, but it's quite good, and at half-price it's downright great.

(That's right, the entire menu: apps, entrees, desserts.... all half-price)

:) (is this the jaw-dropping emoticon?) I didn't see anything about the deal on the website -- is this every day of the week? If my group were to do it, it would be on a Friday night.

Thanks for the input so far!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:) (is this the jaw-dropping emoticon?) I didn't see anything about the deal on the website -- is this every day of the week? If my group were to do it, it would be on a Friday night.

Thanks for the input so far!

There wasn't any indication on the website when we went either. We called to confirm-- I'd recommend doing the same. I believe it was a Saturday that we took advantage of it, so it's probably every day of the week. I thought it was too good to be true, but it's for real.

I have to admit that we found out about this on Rachel Ray's annoying $40/day show.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just wanted to say thanks once again for everyone's advice and report on my trip for the record.

Our busy schedule prohibited us from heading out to the Loveless Cafe, and the line at the Pancake Pantry made us forgo that as well. But the line was totally understandable, seeing as how every other place in town was closed. :)

I did some research and came across this site: www.mand3.com. Ran down the best Meat and 3s in town, and one of his 10/10s was right across from our hotel.

It was called Rotiers (http://www.rotiers.com/), and I couldn't have been happier with my meal or experience. Fried pork chops, hash brown casserole, sweet tea... Just perfect. The ambience was great. The place hasn't been updated in ages, but they keep it clean. We were waited on by the owner, and he had two waitresses helping out -- one in camoflage pants and the other a pregnant girl in a t-shirt with cut off sleeves. I knew I was getting the real deal.

Saturday we stopped for breakfast at the Hermitage Cafe. No website, but highly recommended for breakfast. They open at 10 pm and close at 1 pm. I guess you have to go in the middle of the night for the true experience. But we got an authentic platter of biscuits and gravy, sausage, eggs, and hasbrowns for a little over $5.

Sunday nothing was open except for chains and this place called The Noshville New York Delicatessen (http://noshville.com/). I was actually pleasantly surprised with the food, especially with what turned out to be the best corned beef hash I've ever had.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Prince's Hot Chicken Shack may not be a literal shack, but somehow they've perfectly captured the shack experience and brought it indoors to a nondescript strip mall in a weary neighborhood on the north side of Nashville. It looks a bit like a defunct used record store on the inside, and you actually walk around what would be the front counter to place your order (and this is where the shack experience begins) at what would be the window of the manager's office. The whole family seems to be back there watching TV. But you're not there to gawk, you're there for the chicken.

Even the air inside carries an unmistakably peppery tingle. You'll eventually be handed a paper bag. If there's a slightly sticky bench available, sit down and tear into the bag. Inside, you'll find your order carefully wrapped in deli paper in an attempt to confine the oily goodness. Pull out the pin.

post-710-1244478010_thumb.jpgpost-710-1244478018_thumb.jpg

This is a white meat quarter, medium heat, extra pickles. Medium should be acceptable to the majority of the dining public. It's nowhere near fire-eater hot, but it's definitely kickier than your run-of-the-mill Popeye's spicy. Enough to break a little sweat, maybe. The bread is for later; right now it's just soaking up any of the really buttery drippings that escape the chicken. It ends up becoming what you probably wished Texas toast was, but isn't.

post-710-1244478027_thumb.jpg

The pan-fried bird itself is delicious but nothing particularly amazing. The skin and crust are another story, however. Something magical happens when the heavily seasoned coating melds with the skin, forming a heavy crunchy layer. It's not merely crispy, it's actually crunchy. When you crack pieces of it off the bird, only a few tell-tale specks of cayenne cling to the meat, which is hardly peppery at all...most of the delicious evil is concentrated into the coating. I'd buy bags of the crumbles if they sold it, to be honest. Better than spicy pork cracklings by far. It has a predominantly cayenne bite, not overwhelmed by vinegar, and with plenty of flavor. You couldn't do this just by reaching for the habañero. It's also only moderately greasy, slightly more a good piece of fried chicken ought to be.

The crunchy bits deserve a close-up look.

post-710-1244478034_thumb.jpg

In the video, she mentions that "it's a cleansing", and there's some truth in that. Because a lot of the pepper is locked into the flour and doesn't get released until it's securely in your digestive tract, this is that rare dish that, uh, comes out significantly hotter than it went in. It's nothing like the up-front hotness of Buffalo wings. Be forewarned.

Forget burgers, Nashville hot chicken is the real hot ticket. Once again, Landrum the iconoclast has found his weapon of choice. Mark my words.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Prince's Hot Chicken Shack may not be a literal shack, but somehow they've perfectly captured the shack experience and brought it indoors to a nondescript strip mall in a weary neighborhood on the north side of Nashville.

I'm glad to see the "shack" is still around, I remember a ggod friend and I eating (a hotter version) with tears streaming down our face and prespiration beading on our brows some @#$@! years ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I spent most of my time in Nashville eating home cooked meals in the homes of relatives, so I didn't get a chance to dine out much. The only place I did eat at was Greek Islands. It was solid, but nothing spectacular. However, I'd like to point out that that area of Nashville looked promising. That west end area around Vanderbilt and Baptist Hospital seemed to be loaded with options. I saw several Sushi and Indian places and even a place called Jerusalem. I think it would be worth exploring.

Near our hotel in Brentwood, there was a drive thru bbq place called Corky's. Yes, drive thru bbq. My wife was extremely excited to get fried okra at a drive thru. Sometimes, the South is very awesome.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bump- any updates? I like Southern Food, but I eat it all the time, so I am up for anything. And anyone know any bars with good cocktails? Will have friend with a car.

You really should consider Prince's hot fried chicken. Also expect a wait. A long wait.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Reports from the road:

Jack's BBQ- although there may be better barbecue the appeal of Jack's is it is right downtown, has long hours and is pretty darn good, and one benefit of Nashville BBQ is that it doesn't have one style. In terms of meat, here the brisket and pork ribs were the way to go. The brisket was smokey with great juice, smoke ring and crunchy outside texture. The ribs again had a nice crisp outside layer while they were bursting with juicy flavor once you bit in. I found the pulled pork a little dry and lacking in flavor.

As a person who didn't grow up in BBQ country I like mixing flavors. I really liked the brisket with the Carolina mustard sauce at Jack's (it was so good I might buy a bottle to take home and I generally don't love a lot of mustard, but this had wonderfully balanced flavor. On the pulled pork the Carolina Vinegar sauce was great and really kicked it up a notch as Emerald would say. The other sauces were ok, but those were my two favorite here. Also they had good potato salad that was a nice cool tangy balance in flavor to the smokey richness of the BBQ. The only downfall is it has been so hot and sticky the smoke smell let on you after eating it all haunts you as you walk around stuffed and hot as hell.

City House- It was very composed and good, but it didn't have anything you couldn't get in DC, EXCEPT the most amazing desserts. They had a compact but nice wine list with very moderate price points. We started with wonderful housemade salami that had the texture of lox it was so soft and supple. It was served with a Parmigiana cheese from Wisconsin that I might have to get the name of the company because it was excellent. I ordered Margherita pizza because it was so hot. Perhaps had I ordered for instance the house made sausage dinner would have been more of a revelation because if it was prepared as well as that salami.... mmm. But it was so freaking hot and humid I just couldn't eat like that. The pizza was perfect neaopolitan pizza with light pillowy thin crust. I added arugula on suggestion of the server and that was the right choice. For dessert we had a cornbread, peanut butter panini with buttermilk ice cream and rhubarb preserves. The sandwich was sweet, warm, crisp and gooey, while the tangy cool ice cream and tangy rhubarb cut a lot of the sweetness. I am going to thoroughly miss this dessert.... to the point I am already craving it. It was a southerners dream dessert. Composed, but down to earth with excellent ingredients that all most Southerners love. The service here was excellent, we pretty much closed the upstairs, but out waiter never pressured us in fact he talked to us about where to go out this weekend and was just lovely. He made our night a lot of fun.

Pancake Pantry- I hesitated about going here to be honest. I could eat pancakes once a year and be happy (unless Talulla brought back their sour cherry ricotta pancakes that is). I like buckwheat pancakes, I like blueberry pancakes if the berries are fresh and there are a lot of them, and that is about it. And it was lunch time when we got there. But my friend said you had to do it in Nashville and there was no line for lunch today so it was a sign. I ordered cornmeal cakes with bacon, cheese, green chilles. They came with salsa, sour cream and butter on the side. These have now made the list of pancakes I will eat. They had a great outside texture and crispness, while light and fluffy. They were savory and just a bit spicy. I ate most of them with just a little butter and the salsa and sour cream, but I did try a few bites with maple syrup and that was actually good in a really strange but way. I wouldn't want the whole plate that way, but perhaps 1/3 with syrup the rest with salsa and sour cream. They were different, and well made, which I really appreciate. We had a side of hash browns which were some of the crunchiest hashy version of hash browns I have had. Although not as good as Matt's Big breakfast in Phoenix, may be my second favorite hashbrown in the country.

Oh and the bar at the Hutton Hotel has really nice bartenders and is really comfortable. Although I love this hotel in general now. Will post more notes from the road as I explore more. Am hoping for a hot chicken experience, although may have to settle for Bolton instead of Prince's due to time constraints and location (the hotel has complimentary car service for guests for anything within 3 miles).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So missed out on hot chicken due to limitations of the group I was traveling with, but a bit more to report. As a note all the following places were not picked by me, but the person arranging the bachelorette party that was going on that weekend.

Neely's BBQ- as we pulled up to this place I thought to myself, oh no, after joining FN and this really being a spot you should visit in Memphis I did not have great expectations. But everyone else was very excited. But the pulled pork had a mild smoke flavor and was still very juicy (although topped with so much sauce it could really hide a lot of imperfections unlike Jack's where you got just meat and added sauce if you wanted). But all in all the pulled pork was actually pretty good. I wouldn't say to seek out this place, but if you happen to be there get pulled pork. Service was awful. But baked beans had good flavor in the sauce and the mac and cheese was good. The portions are huge, a small platter could serve two and a large serves three, unless you are really hungry. They serve it with slices of plain toast, which didn't do anything for me.

1808 Grill- If you stay in the Hutton Hotel, and unless you have an aversion to modern boutique hotels with amenities that go way beyond the expected and have extremely wonderful customer service, you should stay there. Or even if you don't stay there, 1808 Grill isn't a bad place to catch a bite. I was there for a quick lunch before hitting up museums and had the romaine salad with roasted yellow tomatoes, bacon and blue cheese. The dressing was really good and all the ingredients freshly prepared. Not a huge portion, which was good, it made a nice starter or was nice mixed with one of the other smaller plates. The flatbread was really good. Goat cheese, pine nuts, roasted sweet tomato, mushrooms and leeks. It had a nice dough and the ingredients made it very balanced with crunch, sweetness and savory. Made for a very nice lighter lunch after all the bbq and etc. Was talking to the bartender that says they get their fish flown in fresh daily and that they get it within 2-3 days of being caught. That is probably not the norm for Nashville.

Taco Mamacita- This place was fun and the tacos were good (except you didn't get a choice between soft or hard taco or between flour or corn, which would have made it so much better). I got the Gyro taco, which really was just a gyro (with not great meat) in a flour tortilla instead of pita, but tasty. The fish taco was excellent though with nice slaw, fish that was nicely pan fried with a thin thin layer of breading for crunch, tender inside and freshly cooked. And the drinks were well made and prices cheap. Also got a side of corn and black bean salad which was fresh and the dressing had a nice tangyness to it.

Pancake Pantry (Again...) this time had the Grill Cooks medley. Their awesome hash browns with ham, tomato, onion, green pepper, swiss cheese and egg over easy with salsa. This really hit the post out on the town spot. Also had a plain buttermilk pancake with cinnamon syrup that was light and fluffy with a nice subtle buttermilk flavor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They're really good and have a rotating selection of flavors. The Dairy Godmother in Del Ray has something similar now too.

Went twice this past weekend. had hot chocolate with peppers, watermelon, rose and creamy mint. All very good and very similar to what's being offered at the Dairy Godmother.

Had a great breakfast at the Pancake Pantry. I've never had buckwheat pancakes like that. I don't think there was any wheat in them. They were very dark and served with honey instead of syrup.

Went to a great meat and 3 called southern bred in east nashville. amazingly tender chicken fried steak, great mashed potatoes, new orleans corn pudding and fried green tomatoes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Beneath the veneer of southern charm and hospitality, Opryland Hotel is nothing more than a giant tourist trap designed to suck every last pound of flesh. Seriously, staying there was miserable.

Now granted we were staying during one of their peak times (ooo, all those festive holiday decorations) after they had just re-opened after 6 months of flood renovation, but the resort just seemed to be woefully understaffed to handle the holiday crowds...imagine visiting Tysons Corner during the worst of the holiday crush and that was Opryland.

Only three restaurants were open for Sunday brunch (at a resort with 2,881 rooms), each facing a 45-60 minute wait. Once we were seated half the tables were empty and not even set up for service, yet at least 20 people were still waiting outside to be seated. The sunday brunch buffet (think chaffing dishes with sterno) of eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, homefries, waffles cost $25 per person.

A Chicken Grilled Naan sandwich was nothing more than some chicken salad wrapped up in pita, all for a whopping $16.

At 4pm all the restaurants closed for 30 minutes to transition from lunch to dinner, again at a 2,881 room hotel with thousands of visitors.

The wedding catering was pathetically bad, the food was horrible, the staff rude and not very professional.

At the open bar they were serving a "Special Wedding Cocktail" that was being heavily promoted by the bartender as chosen by the bride and groom. So naturally many guests decided to get one. Unbeknownst to the bride, groom, and mother-of-the-bride (neither of them had even seen or heard of the cocktail) it was being billed out at $14 dollars per drink.

Traffic flow was so bad that it took us 45 minutes to get from the entrance to the complex to the parking lot. It took 90 minutes for the valet to retrieve a car.

I would suggest that if you have any reason to be doing any business in Nashville or at Opryland you stay downtown and commute out to Opryland, your Nashville experience will be much better!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One bright spot during my visit to Nashville was the Bluebird Cafe. If you are into relaxed, intimate music venues, this is the place for you. The food is above average pub grub...get the Big Blitz Pie, think Snicker bar in pie form...but really you are there for the music.

The joint is pretty much a dive bar in a strip mall. Their gig is being a "listening room" featuing singer/song writers performing original material (no covers). The Bluebird claims to be the place where Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, and Taylor Swift were all "discovered", and it is common for famous country stars to appear. The night we were there featured Jason Scheff, the current lead singer of Chicago.

http://www.bluebirdcafe.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Was in Nashville for one night for work - stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on Broadway (across from the Frist Center), so I was going to head over to Flying Saucer for some beers and snackies. HOLY COW, was that place smoky - I couldn't even wait for a seat at the bar, let alone try to eat while breathing in that nastiness. And I used to BE a smoker, if that tells you anything about the level of ick.

Instead, I headed over to Whiskey Kitchen (in the Gulch area). It's a swank-lookin' place that seems to have a bit of a meat market feel to it, but it was Wednesday night so it was a bit tamer than usual, I imagine. Drinks were strong, but the beer list was horrible - no draught, and very little interesting in bottle (there was a local pale ale, but they were out of it). White bean hummus was yummy, but the portion was HUGE and I wish it came with something besides chips, like maybe some veggies? The burger was the best I've had in recent memory - cooked perfectly, and with a really delicious brioche bun that stood up to the meat without overpowering it. I got sauteed green beans on the side, and they were nice and crisp and flavorful.

My biggest complaint? The service was nice, when the bartender was paying attention...but he STOPPED paying attention, even if we were in the middle of a conversation, whenever a hot girl came in. I know I'm married and not a 10, but nobody likes to feel like they are "filler" until someone better comes along.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Back from a quick trip to Nashville. I was staying near Opryland but didn't get to much in that area. (Just a Bob Evans for breakfast one morning, which, although not recommended, per se, totally hit the spot. The strange thing about that location was the lack of salt and pepper on the tables.) But I can report on the following:

Bosco's (http://boscosbeer.com)

Microbrewery near Vandy, which according to their website has locations elsewhere in TN and one in AR. Had a steak sandwich, which I thought would be more like a fancy cheesesteak-style sandwich, but was actually a small steak on good bread with some caramelized onions, and the Pollo Diablo pizza, which was not as spicy as one would imagine with a name like that, but was good enough. I had one of the specialty beers, the Biere de Garde, which is a Belgian farmhouse style beer, and was less carbonated than most beers of that style that I've had, but good nonetheless. Not the greatest meal/beer I've ever had, but a good option if you're in the area.

Loveless Cafe (http://www.lovelesscafe.com)

A bit of a drive and the hype should not stop you from making the trip if you have the time. We chose Loveless when we did mainly because a lot of other places I wanted to try weren't open on Mondays. Going in around 7:30, we were told there would be a 10-15 minute wait. We went back outside to walk around (the restaurant is part of an old motel complex that has now been converted to shops, etc. to support the Loveless and its visitors) and no sooner than we were out the door, our pager went off. Our waitress didn't mention specials (although I do remember seeing a chalkboard at the host stand) but was quick to bring water and biscuits. Between the two of us we had: a quarter fried chicken (white meat), pit cooked pork barbecue on hoe cakes with greens, fried okra, macaroni and cheese, fried green tomatoes and caramel sweet potatoes. The fried chicken was delicious and the white meat stayed moist and spices were enough to be noticed but subtle enough to let the chicken flavor stand out. I was nervous about the barbecue (as I am in places that aren't dedicated to that food), but it was good. I am not an BBQ expert, by any means, but the meat was good and not drowning in sauce, though the sauce had a good flavor, not too sweet, not too tangy. The greens were as good as I've had; the mac' and cheese may have been made with some sort of cheese product because I'm not sure how the cheese sauce gets that consistency otherwise; the fried okra was good enough, but a little soggy inside, the product of being battered (not dredged) and the fried green tomatoes were disappointingly over salted. The aforementioned biscuits are the best. Try all the jams. I liked the peach, but the +1 liked the blackberry. We took home a healthy serving of BBQ and a bit of chicken after having eaten enough food for three people.

Southern Bred (http://southernbred.squarespace.com/)

In the area I think they refer to as East Nashville (although I'm not sure why, it seems more like North Nashville to me). An excellent deal with my meat & three and iced tea (they even gave me one to go) for around $14. I had the country fried steak (highly recommended) with greens (not as good as Loveless) fried green tomatoes (better than Loveless, but not by much) and the New Orleans corn pudding. I'm not sure what makes it New Orleans, but it was baked it mini pie crusts and was sprinkled with cinnamon. It was new for me and I liked it.

Margot (http://www.margotcafe.com)

Had a fantastic dinner here late on a Tuesday. Started with carrot soup garnished with yogurt and Benton's bacon with roasted tomatoes and onions. The soup could have been hotter (but maybe only because I like my food almost mouth-burningly hot) but had a subtle curry flavor and the yogurt was a nice change from the usual creme fraiche or crema. I like bacon as much as the next person, but was hesitant about a $12 bacon appetizer. I was wrong, so wrong... The super-thick sliced bacon was served with with tomatoes and onions that had been roasted with Worcestershire sauce and it was perfect. For entrees we had the whole loup de mer and a spring pea risotto. Both were delicious, but I enjoyed the fish (and accompanying green beans) more than the risotto. This place came highly recommended by several people who had recently lived in Nashville and I can't recommend it enough.

Sightseeing included the Belle Meade mansion, which was nice, but they're charging double what the wine is worth in their tasting room, the Ryman Auditorium (and Hatch Show Print) and the Jack Daniel's distillery.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've spent a lot of time in Nashville over the past couple of years. If you go, don't miss a meal at City House in Germantown. Unfortunately, their prices have been going up as they've been gaining popularity. I was consistently amazed at how they cranked out such deliciously good food at such scandalously low prices. It couldn't have been sustainable. But you can still eat well there very affordably. Pasta is wonderful. Creative cocktails. Frankly, I'm partial to the Jack Daniels, root beer, and cream for dessert. Reservations are pretty important. Not critical, but make one if your time in Nashville is short. This place is a real treat. Low key, tasty, and fun.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Heading to Nashville this week (Wednesday thru Friday) - staying at the Hotel Indigo on Union Street, and would prefer to walk or cab everywhere. Any gems in that part of town? So far, Puckett's has been the only recommendation.

You are a short cab ride away from City House (see above) and Germantown Cafe, two gems in Nashville. You could easily walk it if you wanted to, but it's not the prettiest of walks. Downhill on the way there, big uphill on the way back. Slightly longer cab ride (but not killer) puts you in the 12 South neighborhood where there's good food, bars, coffee, galleries. I'm a fan of Fish and Company for seafood. And Burger Up is there, too. If you're a fan of Hellburger you might like to see what Nashville has done with the burger concept.

For music just start walking. You'll find dozens of places to pop in for a drink and hear some live tunes. If you want a recommended venue, hop in a cab to the Station Inn.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Didn't stray too far from the hotel during my trip - work was busier than I anticipated.

First dinner was at The Southern Steak & Oyster, in the SoBro area. I am not sure how long this place has been around (from what I read, it is relatively new), but it seems like they still have some kinks to work out. We sat at the bar - service was great when we first got there, but then we had trouble flagging down help, even though there was plenty of it (two girls were stacking glasses when we were trying to get the check, and it was like they were deliberately avoiding eye contact). The oysters were delicious and perfectly presented, but the deviled eggs were disappointing - they had very heavy smoke flavor and were quite rubbery, and they didn't have a lot of yolk at all. The Dominican pork was tasty, but nothing special. My Bee's Knees cocktail was really good, and my friend ordered a Kendall's Cup that was fantastic. However, when I ordered a Kendall's Cup later in the evening, it was made completely differently and didn't taste anywhere near as good as the first one. I like the space and the concept, but the consistency and polish was a little lacking.

Stopped by Puckett's the next evening for an early dinner. Bartender was friendly and attentive, and she recommended the smoked 1/2 chicken as one of their specialties. I am not normally into that super smoky flavor (I find it overpowering), but this chicken was perfectly seasoned and tasted great and was really moist and tender. The sides (mashed sweet potatoes and squash casserole) were also quite good. They said that their pies were blue ribbon winners, so I took two pieces to go - the pecan was AMAZING for dessert that night, and the chocolate chess was pretty darn good for breakfast the next morning. They're not doing anything mindblowing, but it has a good vibe and some tasty grub.

Maybe next time I'll get to try some of the recommendations above, and finally get some hot chicken...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anything new to report here? We'll be staying downtown for 3 nights - will have a car and want to sightsee outside of downtown anyhow. Want to try Loveless Cafe and Pancake Pantry sounds like a winner despite its popularity too. :-). Walking to something downtown is nice and convenient too.

We do have our 18 month old with us, but she's great in restaurants as we take her out all the time (not "kiddie" restaurants) at home and we dine at 6:30, so she's in and out before 8. ;-) Probably just don't want to plan on any "fine dining". :-)

also, are many of the music spots family friendly - early evening or afternoons?

Thanks guys! :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We'll be in Nashville the end of August.  Any recommendations for good places to eat. 

Well, we hit Husk shortly after they opened the 2nd location in Nashville, and it was great. Some Nashville friends went recently and also raved about it. You need to make reservations--it's a tough table to get right now.

Watermark (in the Gulch, I think?) was also a nice meal. Good location, nice outdoor balcony (at least in June; I would hope that it isn't too horribly hot in August). Good cocktails there, nice food.

Brunch at Puckett's Grocery was all southern-ed up, a meat and two sides treat with plenty of food, a decent southern/local beer list, and good opportunities to people-watch.

Two night-time activities: The Listening Room Cafe was highly recommended as a place to see 'real' Nashville singers/songwriters, but we quickly grew bored of the introspection and songwriters' in-jokes, so we moved on to Robert's Western World, which was an amazingly good time, with a rockabilly band playing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We spent one night in Nashville this weekend, and stayed close to the airport because I had an early flight back home the next day. The area close to the airport is dismal, with scads of mid-range chain hotels and low end fast food chains. However, with some internet sleuthing I found Ellendale's, mere minutes from BNA. It's in an old house in an area where few old houses remain, a pleasant setting for above-average southern and Italian inspired food with a decent wine list and a full bar. There are small dining rooms in the front, a larger space for dining in the bar area, patio dining and a room of sofas and club chairs. Add in a piano player and an eager-to-please bartender (we ate at the bar), and this is a haven in a wasteland.

I had gazpacho, which was blended to a fairly smooth consistency, and even though I like it more chunky, this had a great flavor...garlic, herbs, something smoky and topped with chunks of roasted carrot, peppers and other vegetables. My main was "blackened" mahi mahi with crawfish etouffee. The fish wasn't really blackened, but it was perfectly seared and moist, and the etouffee was great. Served with greens and a large wedge of crisp polenta, this was enough food for two meals. My partner had lasagna. The bar tender said the pasta is made in house. The taste I had made me glad I got the fish. it was fine...decent pasta, lots of cheese and meat, but the sauce was bland. However, she realy wanted comfort food and this barge of lasagna hit the spot for her.

If you have to eat near the airport, Ellendale's would be good for a business meeting or something more leisurely. I sense that single diners would be well-treatd here, especially at the bar. The people working were all very friendly.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We didn't eat out as much as I thought, but on our last night in Nashville, we went to Jackson's - the space is really cute, and it seemed like a place I would really enjoy hanging out and being a regular.  The draft list was small, but it was really well-chosen (and they had a bunch of other options by the bottle).  We tried a couple of appetizers, which were tasty - spinach dip was more the consistency of hummus, but nice and flavorful and garlicky, and the stuffed jalapenos were good as well.  I think Jackson's is in the Hillsboro (?) area of the city, near Vandy, so I suspect it is a popular place, especially when the weather is warmer and they can utilize their patio space.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will try to do a more complete report here soon, but here is a quick rundown from our trip there from Thursday to Sunday....

  • Hattie B's for hot chicken - very good!
  • Husk for dinner (post Gil Shaham appearance at the symphony) - a great overall experience, unusual tartare, tremendous pork
  • Loveless Cafe for breakfast - biscuits FTW (though some duds) and HAM
  • Arnold's for lunch - a cafeteria style but with two standouts
  • Patterson House for cocktails (pretty close to Hattie B's, BTW.) - Go here. NOW. Great cocktails. And a civilized experience.
  • Sinema for dinner - fine, but nothing to go crazy about
  • Pancake Pantry for breakfast - very good (but no potato pancakes?!?!?!
  • Mas Tacos por favor - 4 out of 6 tacos were......fine, 1 was really good, one was a knockout!
  • Jeni's for ice cream - come on, please find an excuse to go to a Jeni's somehow. SOMEhow.
  • Josephine for dinner - meal of the trip
  • Biscuit Love for breakfast - BONUTS (and honestly the best shrimp and grits I have ever had)

What a great food and drinks town. No time for all of the music. Plenty of cool stuff at Cheekwood, Patterson Books, Mount Olivet cemetery and more. But really, come on, we all travel on our stomachs here, don't we?

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On May 10, 2016 at 8:52 PM, Pool Boy said:

I will try to do a more complete report here soon, but here is a quick rundown from our trip there from Thursday to Sunday....

  • Hattie B's for hot chicken - very good!
  • Husk for dinner (post Gil Shaham appearance at the symphony) - a great overall experience, unusual tartare, tremendous pork
  • Loveless Cafe for breakfast - biscuits FTW (though some duds) and HAM
  • Arnold's for lunch - a cafeteria style but with two standouts
  • Patterson House for cocktails (pretty close to Hattie B's, BTW.) - Go here. NOW. Great cocktails. And a civilized experience.
  • Sinema for dinner - fine, but nothing to go crazy about
  • Pancake Pantry for breakfast - very good (but no potato pancakes?!?!?!
  • Mas Tacos por favor - 4 out of 6 tacos were......fine, 1 was really good, one was a knockout!
  • Jeni's for ice cream - come on, please find an excuse to go to a Jeni's somehow. SOMEhow.
  • Josephine for dinner - meal of the trip
  • Biscuit Love for breakfast - BONUTS (and honestly the best shrimp and grits I have ever had)

What a great food and drinks town. No time for all of the music. Plenty of cool stuff at Cheekwood, Patterson Books, Mount Olivet cemetery and more. But really, come on, we all travel on our stomachs here, don't we?

I have a little time, so let me elaborate just a bit on the above.
 

  • Hattie B's- hot chicken is this kind of weird thing that is fried chicken but with hot sauce or hot pepper (or both) dusting/drenching the exterior. They come in different levels of heat. We came for a late-ish lunch and there was a line. I think from entering the line to sitting down and eating took about 20 to 30 minutes all in. You order at the counter and they bring the stuff to you once you find an empty seat. This was good! I went for the third level of heat, which I think was borderline too hot (and I like heat!), but I was happy. See picture below.
  • Husk - Everything was really delicious. Good service. Most of the dining room is down a large staircase. Not too loud, but we were there late after a concert and were one of the last tables to leave. The johnnycake was excellent, but the pork stole the show. Good cocktails, too. I would totally go back here. No pictures as it was a fairly dark dining room
  • Loveless Cafe - We headed out here specifically, and then spent a good chuck of time at Cheekwood to explore their outdoor gardens and sculpture. I got a biscuit sampler which was kind of overload. They were very good, but I'd wished I had gotten something else and just indulged in their regular biscuits to accompany it all. Not complaining at all! I'd go back. We were there fairly early on a Friday and there was no wait. It is fairly big. The ham here is amazing, and I got a taste of the chicken & waffles, too. Mmmm. Picture below.
  • Arnold's - This place is so odd. It is a cafeteria essentially, and makes heavy use of the concept of 'meat and three' although you can order meat and one or other options. And it is dirt cheap. They are in the middle of expanding the size of their building, which, considering how busy this place was for a late lunch, is necessary! Everything was quite good, but I must admit the two standout were their version of meatloaf (wow) and especially their so simple, yet perfectly executed chicken and dumplings. The latter was what my PA-dutchy wife would say was more akin to 'chicken pot pie', which if you know PA Dutchies, is not a pie at all. his was almost as thick as a veloute of chickeny goodness with the starch from the dumplings assisting in this. It was stellar. No pictures.
  • Patterson House - What a great experience. While I know that the Age of the Cocktail is here, and everyone is doing their thing, this was a great experience. It is pretty old school looking inside, with a dark atmosphere, bookcases, a stamped tin ceiling, sturdy bar with some seats at it and comfortable booths. They only allow in enough people to fill out the bar seats and the booths they have available. Once full, nobody comes in until someone leaves. No standing at the bar and thus no crowding! Yay! RThey have a list of cocktails of their own concoction which we stuck to and enjoyed quite a bit. But I am sure they could make any drink you want. I so wish we had a place like this here (the reborn Columbia Room comes close, in their Spirits Library).
  • Sinema - This was fine. Interesting environment, but parking was a pain. That said, an overall acceptable to good experience. I was not wowed by the food, but not disappointed either. I see no need to go back.
  • Pancake Pantry - this place is an institution. We got there pretty early and still had to wait about 30 minutes. Once inside though, the food was quite tasty though they had run out of potato pancakes! GAH! The cornmeal cakes I got with bacon, cheese and chiles inside was pretty tasty though. My wife's sugar and spice pancakes were better though! I'd go back!
  • Mas Tacos - This was something of a disappointment. Pretty busy with a line in the hot sun we waited. But once we got inside and close to the counter it went more quickly. Sat in their shaded outdoor space because it seemed fairly warm and full inside. We had tacos that involved tilapia, pork, quinoa sweet potato, fried avocado and carne molina. The latter two were the ones that were really good, particularly the carne monila. The fried plantains were good, as were the Mexican Cokes. Not sure I would go back.
  • Jeni's Ice Cream - If you have never had Jeni's ice cream, you really do have to try it at least once,. Lots of interesting flavors and just full of that flavor and so creamy. We've had an ice cream recipe book from Jeni's for several years and it is our go to book for making ice cream at home. The molasses ice cream is off the charts so good.
  • Josephine - We could not get in to a few of the places we wanted to try in Nashville for dinner (Rolf and Daughters was a place I wanted to try very much), but we managed to get in to Josephine and it was just a great meal, end to end. Nice cocktails, good wine list and great food and service. Nashville hot scrapple salad, lamb tartare with pickled carrots and smoked bread crumbs and watercress, rabbit with peals, morels and gnocchi, and more. Nice space, easy to get to and park near. I would definitely go back again and again.
  • Biscuit Love - This breakfast hot spot gets busy early and stays that way. We went early on a Sunday (Mother's Day actually) and, while there was a line, our niece (who works there) said that there is no wait for sitting at the bar. There are about 12 seats at the bar and only two were taken so WAHOO! I had their shrimp and grits (exceptionally good) and my wife had a Southern Benny - biscuit, shaved ham covered by sausage gravy topped with over easy eggs. Good coffee drinks as well. I would go back here probably every weekend if I could.

     

Arnold's Chicken and Dumplings.jpg

Arnold's Meatloaf.jpg

Hattie B's Hot Chicken.jpg

Loveless Cafe biscuits.jpg

Mas Tacos Nashville.jpg

Pancake PAntry Sugar and Spice Pancakes.jpg

Pork Two Ways with popped sorghum crusted cabbage.jpg

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm headed to Nashville this weekend with my father for hockey (Let's Go Caps!) and country music. I've scanned the recommendations above but wanted to check in to see if anyone has any recent recommendations for barbecue. The places I've seen come up in my research are Martin's, Peg Leg Porker and Edley's.

Our hotel is around the corner from a Hattie B's so very much looking forward to that too.

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Last week I was in downtown Nashville for the first time for 2 days - loved the music scene and had a chance to sample some good eats too:

1. Husk  - high end farm to table foodie mecca with James Beard winning/nominated? chef.  It was a big group meal with mostly hits and few dishes that fell flat. Overall very good quality ingredients and creative dishes. The menu changes regularly but highlights - the plate of southern vegetables which is actually 5 mid-size vegetarian dishes that were excellent, good fish dishes, great cocktails. Dessert was weaker and skip the hot water cornbread which was meh.  Worth a trip and only a short walk from the downtown area.

2. Martin's BBQ - downtown location, really good meats in a bright airy newly opened spot. Line was out the door for dinner on weeknights but it moves fast and it is counter service. Tasty chicken wings and good but a bit too fatty brisket. Slaw and hush puppies were good too. My companions thought the pulled pork was the best. They have a variety of BBQ sauces and all were pretty good but none outstanding. The meats only needed a bit so still good.

3. Pucket's Grocery  - I went for breakfast and had a good brisket filled small biscuit. Brisket was so so but the biscuit and regular BBQ were great. I bought a bottle to take home. The spicy BBQ sauce was also good. A friend and I each bought a bottle to bring home (it was the best sauce of the 3 BBQ places' sauces I tried). Also very good were the sweet potato pancakes that look like normal pancakes but are stuffed with small chunks of sweet potato. Less interesting were the scrambled eggs and turkey sausage I also had. My friend liked her bacon and gouda grits. Depending on your perspective it is good/bad that when you leave you smell like BBQ since the smoker is right in the main dining area (it wasn't noticeable while in the place but when I left I realized the smell clung to my clothes).  This place is also dirt cheap but still a sit down restaurant with waiters.

4. Jack's BBQ - this is on South Broadway, the strip with all of the honky tonk bars. I ordered poorly and got a smoked turkey sandwich. I should have gotten a different meat but I was distracted while ordering. It was fine but smoked turkey BBQ is pretty bland. Better were the sauces - mustard and white sauces were good on the sandwich. Super friendly service. No frills place too.

5. Goo Goo candy/dessert shop  - off South Broadway across from the Johnny Cash museum, a store dedicated to this Nashville candy - the goo goo cluster candy bar. You can also get various decadent pies and other desserts here. I sampled all 3 standard varieties of the candy bar - I really liked the original (marshmallow nougat, caramel, peanuts covered in milk chocolate) and the peanut butter (same but peanut butter instead of marshmallow) but didn't care for the supreme (original but pecans instead of peanuts).  Worth a stop for your sugar fix.  But if you don't want the dessert specials, you can buy these candy bars all over the city and in the airport. I should have bought a big pack at the shop to bring home.

6. Savannah candy shop - also on South Broadway, huge store with many varieties of good looking gelato, homemade chocolates and all kinds of candies. However the free sample of their signature praline was meh. I think gelato may have been a better choice.

I didn't get a chance to go, but I heard lots of good things from locals about breakfast at Biscuit Love in the Gulch area next to downtown.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I visited Nashville last week and enjoyed a delicious Southern-style lunch at Husk. My lunch companion and I sat at the bar, where we shared an order of Smoked Trout Deviled Eggs ($8). These might be the best deviled eggs I have ever tasted. For my main course, I had the Shrimp and Grits ($16) which featured perfectly seasoned shrimp atop creamy grits. My friend opted for the Husk Fried Chicken, with secret spices ($14). It wasn't Nashville Hot Chicken hot, but it was spicy, with a vinegary, Tabasco flavor. It was a little too hot for me, but the chicken was juicy and well fried. His dish came with two sides: very flavorful Southern-style green beans and steel-cut oats. Both were delicious. 

I was less impressed with Josephine, where we dined that evening. I ordered a drink called The French Lick, with vodka, gin, St. Germain and sparkling wine {$11). While I am a big fan of French 75s, I didn't care for this drink. Fortunately, my friend ordered the wonderfully refreshing Lowslider, with gin, aloe lime and mint ($12), and he chivalrously offered to swap beverages with me. We started with the Beef Tongue, with grilled bread, caramelized onion and horseradish cream ($11). This dish was my favorite of the evening. My only complaint is that is was a little light on the horseradish cream. We also shared an order of Nashville Hot Scrapple, with frisee and chive ($12). Since this was my first time trying scrapple, I have nothing to compare it to, but it was tasty and not at all too hot. My main course, Rabbit, with dumpling, mushroom, apple cider, country ham and sage ($24) was a disappointment. The ingredients in this dish are among my favorites, but somehow they didn't come together on the plate. The rabbit was bland and the dumplings were forgettable. 


Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, DIShGo said:

I visited Nashville last week and enjoyed a delicious Southern-style lunch at Husk. My lunch companion and I sat at the bar, where we shared an order of Smoked Trout Deviled Eggs ($8). These might be the best deviled eggs I have ever tasted. For my main course, I had the Shrimp and Grits ($16) which featured perfectly seasoned shrimp atop creamy grits. My friend opted for the Husk Fried Chicken, with secret spices ($14). It wasn't Nashville Hot Chicken hot, but it was spicy, with a vinegary, Tabasco flavor. It was a little too hot for me, but the chicken was juicy and well fried. His dish came with two sides: very flavorful Southern-style green beans and steel-cut oats. Both were delicious. 

I was less impressed with Josephine, where we dined that evening. I ordered a drink called The French Lick, with vodka, gin, St. Germain and sparkling wine {$11). While I am a big fan of French 75s, I didn't care for this drink. Fortunately, my friend ordered the wonderfully refreshing Lowslider, with gin, aloe lime and mint ($12), and he chivalrously offered to swap beverages with me. We started with the Beef Tongue, with grilled bread, caramelized onion and horseradish cream ($11). This dish was my favorite of the evening. My only complaint is that is was a little light on the horseradish cream. We also shared an order of Nashville Hot Scrapple, with frisee and chive ($12). Since this was my first time trying scrapple, I have nothing to compare it to, but it was tasty and not at all too hot. My main course, Rabbit, with dumpling, mushroom, apple cider, country ham and sage ($24) was a disappointment. The ingredients in this dish are among my favorites, but somehow they didn't come together on the plate. The rabbit was bland and the dumplings were forgettable. 

Hey sorry Josephine was a disappointment. That sucks. I have fond memories of my meal there. Husk is great! mmmm.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Pool Boy said:

Hey sorry Josephine was a disappointment. That sucks. I have fond memories of my meal there. Husk is great! mmmm.

It wasn't a bad meal at Josephine, but I had high expectations that weren't met. I forgot to mention one thing I liked there. On our way out, the hostess handed us a small bag containing four or five Grandma Hartman's Molasses Cookies. They were crispy and delicious, and there was a little tag attached to the bag with the recipe for making them. I am looking forward to baking some.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/7/2012 at 11:06 AM, CrescentFresh said:

I've spent a lot of time in Nashville over the past couple of years. If you go, don't miss a meal at City House in Germantown. Unfortunately, their prices have been going up as they've been gaining popularity. I was consistently amazed at how they cranked out such deliciously good food at such scandalously low prices.

Our dinner at City House back in September was enjoyable.  Unfortunately, because our reservation was for 9:30 pm -- and we had just come from a show at the Bluebird Cafe where ordering food was necessary to meet the spending minimum -- we weren't super-hungry and only ordered a few items.  That said, their pizza crust was one of the best I've had in a long time and the servers were super-knowledgeable.  We had also eaten a ton at Prince's earlier in the day.  Hot chicken is one of those things I'm glad to have experienced once but don't have a burning desire (ha!) to try again.

P.S.  I had no idea how crazy the bachelorette party scene was around town.  Wow!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good Lord: RJ Cooper has left Henley (in the Kimpton Aertson Hotel - a really nice play to stay). I had dinner there in October, and meant to write it up, but just couldn't find the time. I thought Henley was terrific - the food, the bar, pretty much everything. I can recommend the hotel as well, but alas, can no longer recommend the restaurant per se.

If nothing else, Cooper manages to produce good things from the kitchen - but at what cost?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/4/2018 at 10:43 AM, JDawgBBall9 said:

I had lunch at the Nashville Husk last October, and the bar downstairs was fantastic (I remember the deviled eggs as being particularly good).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...