Nashville and Surrounding area Eats?????

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
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When I was in Nashville for the total eclipse last summer, here’s where we went:

ARNOLD’S COUNTRY KITCHEN: A James Beard “Classic” award winner. The famous Nashville “meat & 3” was tasty, inexpensive, and fun to try. Now that I’ve checked that box, I probably won’t go out of my way again, but I can see why locals like it.

THE CATBIRD SEAT: Arguably one of the best restaurants in the US. Only chef’s counter seating, for which you have to buy tickets well in advance (4 months in our case, but one of us had met the chef in Philly, so we were able to book this in advance of the online rush). Good wine pairings. This was one of our best meals of the year. Sort of like a more casual Brooklyn Fare. If fact, I might even prefer it to Brooklyn Fare (not to mention it is much less expensive).

HATTIE B’S: We waited for 2 1/2 hours on a 90-degree weekend day lol (second longest wait for food in my life, after Pizzeria Beddia in Philly). I would say the chicken and sides were pretty decent, but the mild and medium we ordered were disappointingly mild. I was too scared to order the hot because of the reviews, but that was a mistake. It was the day before the eclipse (which we spent in Hopkinsville KY, the exact perfect spot!), and I was worried about missing it because I was in the bathroom lol. Fun to try, but again I probably wouldn’t ever go again, even if I didn’t have to wait in line. It’s hard to live up to all the hype (and frankly, it was a pale comparison to Top Chef Kevin Sbraga’s scorching hot version in Philly).

HUSK: Excellent. Many say they think this location is better than the original in Charlestown (Sean Brock lives in Nashville).

JOSEPHINE: Excellent. We had a 90’s vintage Beaujolais off their list.

ROLF & DAUGHTERS: Excellent pasta, etc., and interesting wines (I think we had a Movia). But they severely over-booked and we ended up waiting a long time for them to seat us for our reservation, which I wouldn’t put up with again

MARTIN’S BBQ: Several locations; we went to the one near the Omni Nashville Downtown where we were staying (very good hotel) for several meals. Pretty good bbq (the brisket sandwich was my fav over the wings and ribs). Tip: Skip the long line (you wait in line to order and then grab a table) and head right to the bar where you can still order your food without the line

Nashville has an excellent food scene, and I would love to go back!

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Regarding hot chicken heat levels… I’m pretty into spicy foods. When I worked in Nashville, I ate the top level (“shut the cluck up”) from Hattie B’s and I was able to eat it, but my stomach definitely made me regret it shortly thereafter. Prince’s is probably hotter, but I wouldn’t underestimate Hattie B’s unless you’re really into spicy stuff. However, I don’t remember “medium” being spicy at all. It’s been a couple of years, but usually I’d go for hot or damn hot depending on my mood. And while I like it a lot, I won’t wait in long lines for it. When Iw as working there regularly, my usual hotel ways a couple of blocks from one of the locations, so I’d just go over there if it was slow.

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Dined at a few places in Nashville last week:

City Winery: Met up w/Adam Landa and other WBers for a fun night of wine, food & hockey. Adam reserved the back room, which had a huge table and large screen TV. He also took me on a quick facility tour, quite the space with an awesome concert hall (would love to see a show there). Food was simple and quite tasty, had a margarita flatbread pizza that was delicious, decent charcuterie plate as well and killer Brussels sprouts. My main was half a rotisserie half-chicken which was quickly deep fried, delicious (except for the ancho sauce underneath…which was fine but apparently I’m just not a fan of ancho, period). I would absolutely recommend City Winery as a great place for a casual-nice meal and definitely to see a concert

Little Octopus: My sister was in town and after asking the locals for a spot with a decent vegetarian menu, Little Octopus was mentioned many times over. Somewhat Spanish themed, the menu has plenty of small plates for sharing along with larger options as well. Lucky for me, my sister has started eating meat again and basically decided we should order a little bit of everything. Started with the hamachi dish, which rested on avocado-citrus puree and had a delicious pineapple relish full of goodies on top of it. Next was the chicory salad, which had the most incredible shiitaki bacon. The beet salad was very nice, although I wished the beets had been cut slightly smaller. The only miss was a hen of woods mushroom dish, which was over salted (yet still quite tasty, just hard to take more than a couple bites). For our main, we chose the whole fish option, which was a fried red snapper that was kind of like a Thai dish with Spanish flavors. It was absolutely phenomenal. Last, we had the cornbread…OMG, it was amazing. Topped with lime preserves, I’ve never had anything quite like it…each bite was a delicious combo of crunchy exterior with delicate interior all buoyed by the lime preserves. YUM. Should also add they have an amazing selection of rosés, I had a glass of Zweigelt rosé that just killed it. We chose a bottle of $60 Tempranillo from a producer I’d never heard of to go with dinner, was perfect with the meal.

Kayne Prime: After a long conference, I wanted to take our account manager out for steak as a way to end a very successful CBC. Luckily, one of my new friends from the wine night was able to get us into Kayne Prime at the vip bar, which featured 8 seats with a personal bartender who curated his own beverages. And let me just say this, even though we were drinking wine, that dude could make a killer drink. Highs: bone marrow appetizer (best I’ver ever had), Caesar salad (again, best I’ve ever had), Brussels sprouts were great, as was the cold water lobster tail I had next to my steak (perfectly cooked). Most importantly, we ordered 4 ounces of A5 Mishima beef, which was seared in front of us…OMG, best beef I’ve ever had – can still taste it! Lows: Oddly enough, my grassfed wagyu strip steak was pretty good but nothing to write home about…although perfectly cooked and flavorful, the meat was pretty tough and came out precut, which I’m never a fan of (especially because of how quickly the meat cools off). I should have trusted my gut and gone with the bone-in tenderloin…oh well, c’est la vie. They were also out of the first 2 wines I ordered off the list, which was a minor annoyance but mainly because it took a while for the staff to realize. Either way, we had a fantastic time with great company at the vip bar and the service was fantastic. I would certainly go back anytime.

Edit to add: At the airport on the way home I stopped at Tennessee Tavern, which looked pretty crappy…typically crappy, even – which provided a degree of comfort. But I needed some food and it seemed far more trustworthy than a NY Deli-themed restaurant in TN (really??). So anyway, after self seating myself, instead of getting a bland, surefire failsafe like a turkey sandwich, I went outside the well-established traveling comfort zone and ordered a pulled pork sandwich…apparently, the bbq was Neelys (Food Network??). Anyway, it was really effing tasty! The fries and coleslaw sucked, but the pulled pork and sauce were both pretty danged delicious, memorable even!! Far better than the other crap food I’ve recently dined on at airport restaurants (of recent note, Cat Cora’s ATL was just plain gross…made me sick).

Nashville is a fun town! I can’t to head back for a vacation and also to check out some guitar shops, which was the one thing I wanted to do but couldn’t find the time for :frowning:

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Quick Nashville trip report (June 2019)

Josephine: Excellent and right next to Jeni’s ice cream. Not overly loud inside either. Would return. Pork chop was excellent. Lettuce salad was excellent. Fried rice was excellent. Service was excellent. Not a fancy schmancy place, but everything was spot on. And afterwards pop over to Jeni for some ice cream.

Butcher & and the Bee: Great ingredients again. A change from most Nashville with significant spice and interesting flavors in the food. Very good, but unlikely to return to. The crispy quinoa dish is great… I would have definitely put some thicken and a sunny-side egg on top of it if it was my choice. Friendly service, a bit more casual than Josephine and 5th & Taylor.

5th & Taylor: Very loud inside, and so we ate out side on their informal patio. Was very good as well, although not as good as Josephine. The the bacon wrapped pigeon & dates was excellent, and so was the asparagus and other salads. More likely to return here than Butcher & the Bee, but not on the same level as Josephine.

Sutler: Oops… college food. Was quick on the way to Nashville Zoo… and no good.

Nashville Farmers Market: Didn’t eat here, but seems like a fun fast-dining spot if you are able to buy some produce/take it back.

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No “hot chicken”?

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I’m gluten free…

Forgot to mention I did visit Martins for lunch. Am confused why someone would wait an hour to eat there. The ribs were good. but the sides were meh. The baked beans were a bit dry and sweet/cloying. the broccoli was nice (but basically candied broccoli cole slaw). I thought it was fine, but not a place I would seek out to return to. The portions were large, so maybe that appeals. That’s just me…

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We like Martin’s a bit more than Sh@n A. But agreed, wouldn’t wait in line. Well, wouldn’t wait in line unless my wife, who loves bbq, told me I was waiting in line…

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Were you guys at downtown Martin’s? Definitely a hot spot for tourists…new location on Elliston is solid. Peg Leg another great spot for BBQ.

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Yes, downtown Martins next to a couple hotels.

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The only reason I miss my last job was that I’d go to Nashville a few times a year and always ate at the Red Pony in Franklin. Such a wonderful spot - great hospitality, great food and quite nice wine list.

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That one near The Omni is a prime location and a great environment for BBQ…you should see it this week during CMAFest!..prints $$$.

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It’s funny, I’ve been going to Nashville for 11 years, and lived there for a while, but I’ve never been to Martin’s. In fact, I’m struggling to remember any true BBQ place I’ve been to there? I think we might have done Rippy’s on our very first trip… Am I going to get banned?

Red Pony and Josephine are both great (though quite different).

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The trick at Martin’s is to skip the line and go right to the bar, where you can order food with your drink.

It’s decent enough BBQ, but I wouldn’t wait in that line.

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I really enjoyed my family style (with strangers at a large table) southern cuisine at Monell’s. By far the best fried chicken I ate in Nashville…and I visited three of the famous “hot chicken” places.