I have this standing folder of food photos that I've been saving for one of these "where I've been eating" posts, and now I've got so many I'll be doing one for Nashville AND one for Franklin! I feel like I don't have enough for a full blog post, so rounding them up feels right. (Click here for more posts about where to eat in Nashville, and where to eat in Franklin.)
I wrote about The Loving Pie Company back in 2014, and I still enjoy it! It's a cute little pie shop that is very Pushing Daisies, if you love Kristin Chenoweth like me and feel like it was cancelled before its time. I've been back a couple times since my first blog post, and I discovered that on Saturday mornings they play Broadway music and have brunch pies. BRUNCH PIES. You gotta visit.
They also have some special events, like The Pie Society hosted at Jackalope Brewing Company, where you dress up and enjoy beer and pie pairings. BEER AND PIE!
Bartaco
I have a group of coworkers that love hot chicken and chicken wings, so they always drag me out to these fun little spots in search of the best. One of their favorites is Wing Basket in Nolensville. It's a casual place tucked into a strip mall, very unassuming. But they have a huge selection of wing sauces and options, as well as bone-in, boneless, and tenders. In addition, their fries are well-seasoned and really tasty. I think I enjoy the fries just as much as the chicken, which is really great! You can definitely get options with some heat to them, as well as non-spicy flavors.
I went to The Flipside in 12 South with a friend, and it was definitely the kind of meal you need to sleep off afterwards! The whole place looks very retro, like a diner or soda fountain out of the 50s. The main event is their Jack's Best Chicken fried chicken patty, pounded thin, with over twenty options for fixin's. I chose the eponymous Flipside with jambalaya, eggs, and cheddar, and a side of crispy tater tots. It was a heavy, gut bomb meal, but tasty the whole way through. Tots were perfect, and I'd order them again. I haven't been back since our visit, because I haven't been craving this kind of food. The service was a little uneven while we were there, with some credit card confusion that resulted in my friend's card being charged twice, but the manager was great despite the server being a bit airheaded.
The SmoQue Signals BBQ food truck stopped by my office during our summer Food Truck Fridays. I'm a fan of BBQ, even though I don't always crave it. Their credo is "Nashville Bred, Memphis Approved" in that they offer West Tennessee-style BBQ. Memphis-style BBQ is one of the major types of BBQ, and it's really Memphis that is known for being a BBQ city over Nashville. (People always come to town wanting to eat BBQ like Nashville is known for it, but it's really not.) This BBQ pork sandwich from Smoque Signals and crispy, thing fries really hit the spot. There was an extremely long wait for this food, kind of like they didn't realize they'd have a long line. But I suppose good things come to those who wait! My only complaint was the wait, the rest was all delicious.
Hattie B's West
My love for Hattie B's is known here. Since like 2013, right? But I don't really go to the crowded, touristy Midtown original location anymore. We head straight to the west side to their larger location, complete with parking lot, (typically) shorter line, and wider drink selection. You ever have those moments where you're like, "I'm too old for -insert something here-"? For me, it's the opportunity cost of waiting in enormous lines for something. I'm just too old. It's one of the reasons I love restaurants that offer reservations! But when out-of-towners want a taste of Nashville, we usually stop by.
Where have you been eating lately?
What's your favorite Nashville spot?