Five Points in East Nashville is a great location where lots of unique shops and restaurants are popping up. There is a Mexican restaurant called Cilantro that I highly recommend.
They have a great bar area toward the back on the restaurant. It is decorated beautifully.
They serve ice cold beers, in giant mugs.
They have a selection of margarita flavors to choose from. And they can be ordered in pitchers. So, this is perfect for sharing. We ordered a strawberry margarita pitcher. It was sweet and tart, and very refreshing because it was so cold.
The chips and salsa were constantly flowing. The salsa was freshly made, and you could tell as soon as you tasted it. It was not too spicy but had a nice kick.
The loaded chicken nachos were amazing. It was a huge portion and was perfect for sharing. They used a ton of cheese and the chicken had an amazing grilled flavor.
Cilantro is great, authentic Mexican restaurant to check out when you are in Nashville.
Downtown Nashville seems to be growing every day. There are so many restaurants and bars to select from. City Tap is a great place to check out. They have a great bar area to watch you favorite team and a dining room area that is perfect for Sunday brunch.
My visit was for brunch. The table started with mimosas. They do mimosas a little different here. For a set price they bring you a whole bottle of champagne and a selection of juices so that you can make your own. It is great for the table. We go orange and pineapple juice.
We ordered a pepperonipizza for the table. It is big enough for sharing. The crust was fluffy and they put on a ton of pepperoni.
The grilled cheese and tomato soup was a classic dish that was so comforting. They used grilled sour dough bread with 3 cheeses: American, cheddar, and pepperjack. The homemade tomato soup was extremely creamy.
The French toast was a beautiful dish, especially if you want breakfast. They used big slices of bread which helped make this dish large. They topped the bread with fresh fruit and whipped cream. It almost made it a dessert. The French toast had a nice, sweet taste.
City Tap is a great place. They get really busy on the weekends so I would recommend making a reservation.
I absolutely love Nashville Hot Chicken. So naturally when I was visiting Nashville, I had to get their namesake dish. There are many places I have been to plus more I haven’t even tried yet. However, since this visit was a short one, I just focused in on Hattie B’s. I have been there many times and knew they would not disappoint.
I ordered the chicken breast meal with a medium heat. Don’t let the word medium fool you, this is still pretty spicy. I can’t do much hotter than this for right now. The chicken is fried up so that the skin and breading is extra crispy. This allows the juices to stay locked in. The heat is contained in the breading and the extra seasoning they sprinkle on top once the chicken has completed cooking. The heat hits you as soon as you take a bite. But it does cool down after that, at least until you take another bite.
During this visit I ordered a couple of extra sides to try. Normally I get the mac and cheese and this visit was no exception. It is wonderfully creamy. The cheese can help tame down the burning sensation caused by the heat of the chicken.
Another side I tried was the cheesy grits. This is a true Southern dish. Normally I get these for breakfast. They were a salty treat for lunch too. The creaminess also helped tame the heat.
The baked beans were sweet. Normally served with BBQ, it was a nice complement to the chicken. It almost acted like a dessert because of the sweetness.
The last side was the black-eyed peas. I customarily have these on New Years Day for good luck. To have them here was a surprise. They were cooked flawlessly. There was ab immensely savory flavor that was perfect with the spicy chicken.
All of these sides really helped make the hot chicken a complete meal.
If you have never tried hot chicken, Hattie B’s is the perfect place to try it. However, if hot, spicy food is not your thing it is ok., they do offer their fried chicken with no heat. The chicken is just as good that way too.
They have a couple of location and starting to open outside of Tennessee so check them out at www.hattieb.com
I went to a unique place in Nashville called The Listening Room Café. This was a restaurant where you get to enjoy a meal while listening to musicians / songwriters from the industry tell their stories. It was an interesting concept that made perfect sense in the Music City.
The day I visited I was going to see the Warren Brothers.
They are singer / songwriter siblings, Brett and Brad Warren. They have written
songs for the most famous of famous country singers.
While I waited to go into the theater area, I got myself a glass of Merlot. They have a nice bar area to sit and relax before the main attraction. I got to walk around and look at different pictures on the wall.
Inside the main area was a stage and tables all lined up facing the stage. The crowd got situated at the tables and the wait staff came over to get our drinks orders.
I started with the Dolly Sangria. I can only assume this was named after country music legend, Dolly Parton. This sangria used white wine, cocchi torino (a Vermouth), and cocchi Americano (an aromatized sweet wine). With all the ingredients this was a sweet sangria. They did not put any fruit in this, but it was refreshing on its own.
They started bringing out the food. They served it all family style. We had no problem passing everything around the table. I started off with the Caesar salad. It was a classic salad. They chopped up their lettuce well, which made it easier to eat.
The other starter was a homemade buffalo chicken dip. The chicken was shredded and tossed completely in the sauce. It had an awesome tang to it and had a creamy texture. They served it with tortilla chips which added a nice crunch. However, I enjoyed eating the chicken by itself.
Before the main dishes came out I orders a different cocktail to try. I went for the Carly’s “Hide the Wine Sangria”. This was red wine with a blended with lime, lemon, orange, and peach juices. Despite all the juices, this sangria was not as sweet as I expected.
The main dishes started coming out. I got to enjoy pulled pork along with roasted potatoes and brussels sprouts.
The pork did not have BBQ sauce on it. A few people asked
for some on the side. I decided to enjoy it plain. The pork was moist and had a
great smoky flavor. There were also some nice pieces of bark mixed throughout
the meat.
The roasted potatoes were tender red potatoes. The
seasoning they cooked them in was savory, while the potatoes themselves were
sweet. The brussels sprouts were charred well to create a smoky taste as well.
While we were eating the Warren Brothers came out. They stared telling stories about where they were from and how they got started in the business.
Between the stories they played some of the songs that they helped create. One of the last songs they sang was “Red Solo Cup”. I was surprised to learn that they were the ones that wrote that song. It was fun hearing everyone in the audience start singing.
While we were listening to their stories, the desserts came out. It was a plate of assorted cheesecakes. The cheesecake was creamy and had a great taste. The plain was my favorite because all I could taste was the cake. The other ones that had toppings were good too, just overpowered by the toppings.
At the end of the show the Warren Brothers took pictures with every person in the audience. They were the nicest people.
The Listening Room Café was a fun experience that I would
go back to. Every show would be a different experience. I have never seen a
venue like this before in any of my travels.
The final stop on my food tour in Nashville was a dessert
stop. After all the savory and salty foods, I got to enjoy it was time for
something sweet.
Tempered is a local café that serves up chocolate, sandwiches, and freshly made coffee. They had lots of homemade chocolate to choose from.
I got to sample their chocolate covered pretzels. The salty pretzel rods were dipped in creamy milk chocolate. The chocolate was smooth and melted instantly in my mouth.
They had so many truffles to choose from. It was a tough choice. There was milk, dark, and white chocolates. I focused on the filling flavors rather than the outside chocolate.
I went for the following:
Lemon Lavender: This is a trendy flavor. I tasted the lavender right away. The lemon was more of a subtle accent.
VanillaCream: This was my favorite because it was a simple, classic flavor of vanilla.
BourbonPraline: I could taste just a slight
hint of bourbon flavor. The praline was more on the top of the truffle in the
form of the sugar accent.
I made sure to get a cappuccino while I was there too. It helped add to the enjoyment of the chocolate.
This was the perfect end to a wonderful food tour.
Germantown is such a great area. I only hit a few spots but there are so many
more places to try.
Continuing my Germantown food tour brought me to Saint Stephen. This restaurant had an outside courtyard all set up with picnic tables. Since it was a pretty afternoon that is where the group sat.
They started us off with one of their cocktails – CumberlandBlues. This was their version of a Moscow Mule. They used a mint and cucumber vodka as the base. It was sweet and refreshing.
The first thing they brought out was a salad. This was a fresh salad loaded with celery, kidney beans, and avocado. It was a unique blend of ingredients tossed with a Balsamic vinaigrette. The celery added crunch and the beans and avocado added two different types of creaminess.
The next food item that got passed around the table was the mac and cheese. This was a true southern, homemade treat. It was extremely creamy, blended with several different cheeses. This was the ultimate comfort food. I could have eaten the whole pan, but I did have to share it with the table.
The last dish out is something unique to Saint Stephen. It is their fried chicken skins. They basically have taken the best part of fried chicken and made a dish out of it. The seasoning on the breading had a slight peppery taste. There was an awesome crispiness to each piece. These are totally unhealthy but definitely something worth indulging on.
We got one last cocktail before leaving. They brought out their Big Bad Chef. This is their version of an Old Fashioned. The taste was just a little smokier because of the ingredients. They used a smoked simple syrup, a burnt orange, and Corsiar bourbon. This is from a local distillery in Nashville.
This was another fun stop on the tour. I want to go back and try a few more items off their menu. Check them out at www.saintstephennash.com
While hanging out at Bearded Iris Brewing, there was a special delivery from 312 Pizza in Germantown. They serve up local Chicago pizza because the owners are originally from there.
Today they brought over their Hot Chicken pizza. The hot chicken topping is a nod to the chicken dish made famous in Nashville. The chicken had a great heat that was calmed down from the creamy cheese that was melted on top. The crust was crispy with a slight sweetness.
It was a great atmosphere to get to enjoy this pizza. The next time I am in Nashville I would want to stop by the actual restaurant to see what all they have to offer.
The second stop on my food tour of Germantown, In Nashville, was Bearded Iris Brewing. This is a local cult brewery that is known for their IPA’s.
They have a very artsy feel on the inside. There are several interesting pieces of art hanging on the walls made by local artist. Many of them were for sale.
I got my hand stamped after I got carded, so I was ready to go.
I ordered a glass of the Mood Ring. This was a double IPA. It had a light hoppy taste that was supposed to have essences of pineapple. However, I did not taste any pineapple. The beer was still refreshing and went well with the pizza they were serving from a local pizza restaurant.
Bearded Iris had a fun atmosphere. It was a perfect place to hang out with friends. Check them out at www.beardedirisbrewing.com
I had a fun trip to Nashville, Tennessee recently. I got to
experience a couple of new places in the Germantown area on a walking food
tour. Germantown is one of the many areas in Nashville that has seen a resurgence
over the last several years.
The first stop that I made on my food tour was to Butchertown Hall. This is a BBQ joint that has an upscale, rustic vibe.
It’s beautifully decorated inside and you can smell the smokers as soon as you walk in. Because I was with this food tour, we had special tables set up on their outside patio. It was a fantastic private experience.
Before we started eating, we were greeted by their sous chef, David; he explained to us what we would be tasting and drinking, plus how the meat was prepared. This little talk, while it seems simple, really helped enhance the entire experience.
We started off with some house made cocktails. The first was a Margarita. This did not taste like your run of the mill margarita. They used fresh lime juice and combier along with tequila. It tasted extremely fresh and did not have that overly sweet, sugary flavor.
The second cocktail that they provided us was a Foxglove. This was vodka, fresh grapefruit juice, lemon juice, pineapple juice, and a touch of sage. This drink had a sweet, tart taste because of all the acidic juices. It also was refreshing. It really paired well with the smoky BBQ.
The brisket was fantastic. It was the best brisket I have ever had. It was so tender it fell apart as soon as I picked it up with a fork. It was also extremely juicy. I did not use any BBQ sauce on the meat because of how juicy it was and because of the intense smoky flavor. It also had a great outer layer of bark.
The other BBQ they served was their pulled pork. They drizzled a mustard on top. It was a sweet mustard that complemented the tangy BBQ sauce and smoky taste. The pork was not as juicy as the brisket, but it was still moist, and had plenty of bark throughout. They also served soft tortilla shells on the side. I thought this was really interesting. I was able to make a pulled pork taco.
The side dishes they served with the BBQ were their roasted brussels sprouts. They were roasted in a mini cast iron pan, so it allowed them to get crispier. The slight bitterness was calmed down because of the smokiness that came from the roasting. It was the perfect side for the BBQ.
The food tour made a great decision to have us stop at the
Butchertown Hall first. There is a lot more to try on the regular menu. I would
definitely want to go back to enjoy some additional dishes.
Nashville is synonymous for Country Music and Hot Chicken. Over the last several years Hot Chicken has been popping up all over the country. However, it is my opinion, if you want the best you have to go where is all started. And where it all started is at Prince’s Hot Chicken.
This place got its name from Thorton Prince – the father of hot chicken. According to the history on their website, this wonderful delicacy was created in the Great Depression as a punishment to Thorton because he was not being faithful to the special woman in his life.
Princes has two locations now in Nashville, plus a food truck that will pop up at different events around town. I visited their newest location.
They are always busy with a constant flow of people coming in and out. The one trick I learned was to call ahead with you order. This way you will not have to wait too long when you arrive.
I was so excited to get my hands on my chicken. I ordered the quarter white with a wing. From a heat level, I ordered the medium. Do not be misled, Prince’s medium is still very hot. I still started sweating and got sniffles in my nose.
The heat does not hit you right away. It takes a few seconds and then it creeps up. The breading has awesome crunch. It really seals in the moisture of the chicken. The white meat was so juicy as soon as I bit in.
The hot chicken is served on top of two slices of white bread. This white bread acts as a sponge and soaks up all the drippings from the chicken. If you are really brave you can eat the bread. I only could have a little because it was so spicy.
Everything is a-la-cart at Prince’s. They have several sides to choose from. The French fries are a nice filler. They help calm the heat in my mouth between bites.
The special treat are the baked beans. These are not typical BBQ beans. These beans are super sweet and the sauce is extremely thick. These beans are more like a dessert because of all the brown sugar. These also helped cut down on some of the heat in my mouth.
There are many places around Nashville for hot chicken. It is extremely necessary that everyone check out Princes to experience the original. Check out their website for their location and the days they are open. http://princeshotchicken.com/
