TLF's Profile
Blackberry Farm in Walland TN - Anyone Know What Happened to Chef John Fleer?
He is at Canyon Kitchen at Lonesome Valley in Cashiers, N.C.:
http://www.nashvillescene.com/bites/archives/2012/05/21/chef-fleer-and-friends-cooking-dinner-to-benefit-nashville-food-project#more
not to miss in nashville
That wasn't snark. That was pointing out that such a broad, unfocused question is difficult to answer (see StrandedYankee's post below), and that a lot of information could be had simply by reading previous threads that were both as unfocused and more specific. Once they've gotten the lay of the land, or if they could be moved to provide more guidance as to what they are looking for, then we can provide more helpful answers. The goal, after all, is to provide information that will be useful to the poster. Yes?
I noticed that you didn't spend any time answering the question yourself, did you? Please feel free.
Sunday lunch in Nashville
Assuming you've already looked at menus and determined that your list meets your type-of-food-and-drink criteria:
Chappy's - OK, nothing special
Tavern - good, upscale but VERY casual, lots of TVs with sports, small outdoor spaces
ChaChah - excellent, excellent, but food isn't going to have that overt Southern slant you seem to be looking for
Garden Brunch Cafe - no idea
Marche & Margot are two of the top restaurants in Nashville
Other suggestions:
Germantown Cafe
Holland House
Table 3
Bricktops
Southern Steak & Oyster (aka The Southern) is brand new, so no scuttlebutt yet, but run by experienced restauanteurs
The Catbird Seat - Nashville
I can't answer ... I have my first visit planned for next month! If you don't get an answer here, you might post on the "open thread" that will be posted tomorrow on the Bites blog for the Nashville Scene web site. There will be a post about a topic, but it will be labeled Open Thread and comments/questions of any type are OK. I know at least a few of the regulars have been, so you might get an answer there.
Also, I've gotten answers to questions I had by emailing the general contact email address on their site, they are very friendly and happy to answer questions.
First time to Nashville coming (June 10-14)
I don't have time to write a detailed, point by point response right now. But just glancing through, my biggest suggestion is that you check the web sites of the spots you mentioned -- some you list for a given meal -- B'fast, lunch, dinner -- aren't open at that time. Martha's at the Plantation has been closed for years.
New BBQ spot in town is Edley's, had my first visit yesterday pretty good and in interesting neighborhood. Across the street from three other notable small food joints -- Burger Up, Sloco, Las Paletas. But yeah, Martin's.
I don't think of any of the places you mentioned for burgers as having notable burgers. Good, sure, but there are more notable in town -- Gabby's, Burger Up, PM (which is mostly Asian but has a killer burger), Pharmacy.
Perfect Pizza in Antioch is good, and between M'boro & the center of town. I'd skip Mafiozza's. Better pizza at City House, Bound'ry, Porta Via. New pizza joint in the Farmer's Market is getting good buzz. BUT Mafiozza's/Perfect is going to have the stereotypical red-sauce, Italian-American pizza if that's what you are looking for, whereas the others have authentic or more "gourmet" style pizzas.
No place that has notable food/drink is going to have "entertainment." If you are looking for the honky-tonk scene or even less touristy listening rooms or clubs, they all serve drink and food of some sort, but nothing to go out of your way for. Eat somewhere good, then go to hear music.
One place to read up on Nashville food culture is www.nashvillescene.com. The dining guide is waaay out of date, but the reviews and the blog "Bites" are worth reading.
seeking Nashville recs.
Catbird and 308: Yes.
As for your general recs question ... have you read any of the previous threads on Nashville on this forum? There's a wealth of information already posted here, right along the lines you are asking about. It might be more useful to cobble together a proposed list based on that then come back with more specific questions/musings.
Recommendations for Knoxville, Nashville and Memphis
Nashville has a heck of a lot more than "music and traffic." It includes some great outdoor spaces, world-class restaurants, energetic watering holes, as well as terrific mom-and-pop joints (most of which already discussed on this forum many times over), art, fun quirky neighborhoods, sports, and lots more. Please don't disdain it because it's not small town and your neck of the woods.
I don't have time to write more right now ... and to be honest I find these types of broad, "We're coming to your town tell us what to do!" questions off-putting. You give us no information -- what do you mean by "must"? What are your tastes, interests, budget? Have you cracked a guide book, looked at hotel listings AT ALL, have any idea of the type of area you'd like to stay in, visited more general travel websites like Trip Advisor? You're asking us to basically write a multi-city guide book for you, with absolutely no indication of what you want/need.
not to miss in nashville
Have you read any of the previous threads on Nashville? Everyone's best recs have been listed many times before. Not to be difficult, but there's a wealth of information already here. If you have questions or criteria that these recs don't hit, then enlighten us.
Sunday lunch in Nashville
Having NO idea what you mean by "nice place" or what sort of food/budget you have in mind:
ChaChah
Margot
Marche
Capitol Grille
Nashville/Memphis/Chattanooga trip report/Vegetarian options
Glad you enjoyed the trip and the food/drink for the most part. Pepperfire doesn't get the hype the other hot chicken places do, but I have heard good things about it.
Good eats and drinks needed for Music City
Glad you had such a great time, and that you found our advice useful. Sorry about Pharmacy -- my one visit, I loved the phosphates, thought the food was OK but not rave-worthy.
WILD SALMON
Harris Teeter has it -- in fact it's on sale through tomorrow http://www.harristeeter.com/promotions/email.aspx. I would bet Whole Foods does as well.
For items like that, a lot can depend on what neighborhood you shop in. I wouldn't be surprised if the Green Hills Kroger or the Belle Meade Publix also carried it.
Nashville Sunday BUFFET brunches please.
Ditto. I would add Puckett's (5th and Church) and Copper Kettle (2 locations).
Nashville in June
I agree, Germantown Cafe, Cocoa Tree, City House are all terrific and an economical cab ride from the tourist zone. Also in that area is Monell's (another good choice for "southern food," served family style) and Mad Platter. There's also a nice tea house and Lazzaroli's (an Italian food shop, not a restaurant). This area's not too far from the Farmer's Market, either, which has some good choices during the day and on selected Friday evenings.
The truth is that Germantown has been slowly, slowly, oh-so-slowly coming back over the years (decades). There is a LOT more there than there was even 3 or 4 years ago. It's close to neighborhoods that are still dicey, and the gentrification process has been slow. But, it's progressing.
Nashville in June
oh sure, I realize the areas I mentioned largely don't have live music. I was just pointing out other areas with good dining and nightlife.
Nashville in June
The truth is that the downtown dining scene in that central tourist zone is largely mediocre. Also, anywhere in Nashville, great food and music just don't meet. Decent food & music, sure. But the places known for the food don't have music as a general rule. Merchants is OK, nice space, but overpriced. (Be aware the downstairs is a casual cafe, upstairs fine dining.) Jack's is pretty good but Trinity Lane is better. The best choice in that immediate area is Capitol Grille in The Hermitage Hotel. If dinner is too pricey, check it out for lunch or go to the Oak Bar for drinks and snacks.
I agree 5points is fun and almost completely devoid of tourists. Other good E Nash spots not in 5points are Eastland Cafe and Holland House. You can also check out Pharmacy Burger next door.
Other areas that are fun and not too far from downtown are Hillsboro Village / West End (the Vanderbilt area), Belmont (I particularly recommend ChaChah, ESPECIALLY for Happy Hour wine & tapas), 12South, and The Gulch.
Grand Ole Opry Post Show Dinner
It doesn't look like Watermark does reservations later than 9:30. You might look at Kayne Prime or Holland House, they both take reservations later than 10:00. Or, if you want to try for 10:00, I'd go with ChaChah or Bound'ry. Or there's also Cabana & Sunset Grill -- not quite the same caliber, but fine.
Chattanooga Restaurant Recommendations
I haven't been to any of these restaurants, but I thought I'd toss this factoid out for you. A Nashville chef that I like and respect tweeted recently that he ate at St. John's and liked it a lot. No details, but there ya go.
Another factoid: St. John's was launched by Nathan Lindley. His brother now runs it, and Nathan also has another restaurant with a good rep, Public House. I know Lindley's work due to his fairly brief sojourn in Nashville as the start-up manager for Watermark. I went to Watermark under Nathan's tenure and it was truly excellent.
So ... scuttlebutt and reputation and opinion-based-on-other-experience, but maybe it'll help you out.
This Weekend in Nashville...
All excellent suggestions.
Another place that does interesting cocktails, and is an outstanding restaurant which has won national accolades, is City House. They don't have the interesting eyedropper bottles of eye of newt, etc. that HH does, but they use some unusual liquors and house-made mixers. The craft cocktail thing has gotten big here so you'll find lots of upscale restaurants dabbling. HH and PH are the top ones that come to mind with the whole dedicated speakeasy vibe, though.
Another restaurant to look at for regional cuisine and adult beverages is Capitol Grille, the restaurant in the historic Hermitage Hotel. If you don't want to spring for dinner, they do lunch, and the adjacent Oak Bar also has a bar food menu.
Another fun thing to do might be to cruise the Farmer's Market -- some good spots for lunch. If you like the food truck thing, there is a gathering at the FM on the first Friday of the month, I believe, in the evening. They also have music, etc. There are also food trucks gathers Sat & Sun at Elmington Park, and at places like Yazoo (local beer producer) next to their tap room.
http://nashfoodtrucks.com/
http://wanderlandfoodpark.com/
Looking for Nashville BBQ and down home Southern cooking-local flavor
If ChaChah is of interest, friend/follow them on Facebook/Twitter. They have really good happy hour deals and other specials that you don't necessarily learn about elsewhere. Sometimes you have to give a secret code when you make your reservation to get the deal. For example, they have one going during Fashion Week next week.
Authentic Mexican in Nashville
That's a topic where you're going to get some differing opinions. There's a lot of Mexican food in town, and most are in restaurants run by Mexicans. However a lot of it is that generic Mexican you can get anywhere.
I can't give you specific recommendations because I haven't done a thorough exploration myself. There are a lot of mobile food trucks in town, but none that I know of that are "authentic Mexican," although Mas Tacos Por Favor is very popular. Along the Nolensville Rd corridor, from Thompson Lane down to Old Hickory, are a TON of little hole-in-the-wall joints, mercados, permanently-parked trucks, and the like. Take a detour east on Harding and you'll see a few, too, including a carcineria that usually has a couple of big grills going outside. La Hacienda on the north end of this corridor used to be the go-to spot, but it's gotten more mixed reviews the last few years. Las Americas is actually Salvadoran but is usually mentioned by local foodies. I've also heard good things about El Tapatio and Tacos Y Mariscos Lopez.
Happy hunting, report back.
Arnold Myint Restaurants
I've been to all three, and they are all good. Which one to pick really depends most on which menu appeals to you the most. The atmospheres are different, too -- ChaChah, while casual, is the most sleek. PM is a little shabby around the edges. Suzy Wong's is more whimsical.
Of the three I'd usually pick ChaChah, but really it would depend on my mood at the time. ChaChah runs some great specials, esp for happy hour. It would be worth your while to Like them on FaceBook or follow them on Twitter as they post frequently about specials that day.
Good eats and drinks needed for Music City
The rolling 30 days is a newer policy I believe. In the past it was possible to enquire about dates further out, but no longer.
Downtown your best options are Capitol Grille and City House. I've always had good experiences at Germantown Cafe, but they do a very good lunch if you don't want to use up a dinner there.
My best recommendations are upthread, don't really have anything else to add.
Nashville steakhouse
Yes I forgot about Sperry's ... it is definitely old school and multi-generation local. There's also Jimmy Kelly's but honestly I don't really care for JK, even though it's an institution.
Pork blood in TN.
You might check w/ pork producers ... Pick TN Products at http://www.agriculture.state.tn.us/Marketing.asp?qstring=FFP lists several. Note that this link defaults to East TN but the buttons at the top will take you to Mid TN if you want to travel that far.
Nashville steakhouse
The StockYard is primarily a tourist trap these days. Back in the day -- 30 years ago -- it was one of few "nice" restaurants in town. It has long been surpassed by dozens of other restaurants. Merchants, listed by someone below, is OK, but on the Broadway strip and also caters to the tourist crowd. There's nothing wrong with the food but I think they're overpriced.
Kayne Prime is the newest steakhouse in town, owned by a restaurant group that has several other good, successful places. It is not "rustic" however -- it is fine dining. I can't think of a local place that is rustic. All of the other GOOD steak places in town are chains. The best of the lot would be the small family-owned chain The Palm, located in the Hilton Hotel downtown. Again, it's fine dining.
There is one steakhouse on the outskirts of the metro area that might fit your bill, Cherokee Steakhouse in Wilson County. I haven't been but it's popular. Keep in mind it's a BYOB establishment.
Good eats and drinks needed for Music City
If you want to keep your ear to the ground in the meantime, FYI the best place to keep up with the Nashville food scene (IMHO) is the Bites blog on the Nashville Scene web site -- not only the posts but the comments. The Scene is the local alternative weekly. Restaurant review every week as well.
http://www.nashvillescene.com
Good eats and drinks needed for Music City
Our only price is that you post a follow-up after your trip!
Coming to Nashville/Smyrna For a Few Days For Work
Is CG better than CH? It totally depends on your preferences, appeal of the menu choices to you, and the type of experience you want. It's really that subjective, both are that good.
As for my other recommendations, check out the other thread I mentioned above.
