I had written in a previous post about how much Franklin, Tennessee is growing. New hotels are going up everywhere. Hotels bring new restaurants. Now Franklin has their fair share of chain restaurants but they also have several locally owned establishments. The Honeysuckle is one of those local places.
The interior of this restaurant is beautiful. There was reclaimed wood and shiplap all over the walls. If Chip and Joanna Gaines walked through the door they would be in heaven.
The bar was breathtaking. They had what looked like old in ceiling tiles as a backsplash. My assumption is they were not really antique tin tiles but they still looked great. The center piece of the bar was the wall of whiskey and bourbons. They even had a rolling library style ladder for the bartenders to get up and down.
Since I was there during happy hour I was able to get a glass of wine, a pinto grigio.
I also had tome to order something off of their happy hour food menu. Since I was in Nashville I had to try their Nashville Hot Chicken Bites. The chicken also came with duck fat fries. It was surprisingly a lot of food for a happy hour dish.
The Hot Chicken was stupendous. The breading on the chicken was extra crispy and it sealed in all the juices. The heat came after I bit into the chicken. Just when I thought the chicken was not going to be that spicy BAM, it hit me. It was a nice kick of heat but it did not linger.
The French fries were a great add on. They were fresh cut that still had the skin on them. Frying them in duck fat added a little extra flavor to me. And I thought they were extra crispy.
I was really enjoying the atmosphere at the bar. The bartenders were extremely personable. While I was talking with them I ordered a Moscow Mule. It was refreshing, especially with the fresh lime juice they used.
While I was hanging out I took a glance at their regular menu. I had the munchies and wanted to try something else. I was drawn to the Deviled Eggs 5 Ways on the starters portion of the menu.
They served up five different eggs with five different toppings. I had never seen deviled eggs prepared this way before.
Way 1: Orange Tobiko
First, tobiko is Japanese for flying fish roe. You would normally see this on sushi. I like tobiko on sushi but I did not care for it on top of the egg. It added a little too much of a fishy taste.
Way 2: Pimento Cheese
Pimento cheese had a slight tart taste to it. I felt it complemented the sweet, creaminess of the egg.
Way 3: Bacon Jam
This was my favorite topping. The jam was sweet and it had a tremendous smoky bacon flavor. This jam added texture to the smooth egg filling. When I took a bite it was the perfect blend of sweet and salty.
Way 4: Pickles
These chopped up slices of very tangy pickles added so much crunch to the bite. Even through the tanginess I could still taste a hint of sweetness.
Way 5: Chow-Chow
What exactly is chow-chow? It is a pickled relish made up of cabbage, peppers, onions, and a bunch of brining spices. It is common to find this all over Tennessee. The chow-chow added a sour component to the egg, plus some crunch. It was the kind of sour that made me pucker my lips.
This was a fun plate to eat. It was creative and full of flavor combinations that I would not have expected. You could share this but I would recommend you order one per person so that everyone can experience it.
The Honeysuckle offers a wide variety of food. They have fresh steaks that smelled wonderful when they passed me. Plus there was an array of poultry, pork, and fish. They also have fresh oysters that they shuck at their special oyster bar.
They got really busy when I was there so I would recommend having a reservation. Check out their menu at www.thehoneysuckle.com
Enjoy!
T
