Pied Piper for Lunch, Holland House for Dinner

We had a lovely time at the Pied Piper Eatery for lunch today. The veggie burger and Wisconsin burger were awesome as always. Those cheese fries are some of the best in town. We hadn't had the steakhouse mushrooms yet and they were a hearty side dish. The creamy/vinegary cole slaw was also excellent. The Pied Piper Eatery was doing brisk business for breakfast and lunch, which is heartening to

Munchy's and Corsair Triple Smoke

You can't beat a few days off. I've taken the opportunity to hit some places I have been meaning to try. It's been a good year for sandwiches in Nashville. From new grilled cheese joints to steak sandwich specialists there have been a number of bright spots on the scene.

Munchy's is a little take-out spot across the street from Fisk University. We watched with amusement as the sign went up (that

DJ’s Pub and Grub

Nashville Restaurants and Food
DJ’s Pub and Grub
3736 Annex Ave.
Nashville
615-915-0440

The West Charlotte Pike area is booming and for many of us it has become a new shopping destination thanks to Publix and Target. And nothing beats a Saturday afternoon post-shopping beer. With all the chain restaurants popping up, we’ve been hoping for some home grown bar variations. DJ’s Pub and Grub is well

Peter Chinn's is moving again

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Peter Chinn's is moving again

It's becoming a bit of a soap opera in the world of Korean tacos, and a story first reported by Lannae on Lannae's Food and Travel blog yesterday. Peter Chinn's Korean Barbecue Tacos will be closing it's latest location near the Mellow Mushroom on 21st Avenue South and moving down the street closer to Sportsman's Grille and Hillsboro

Peter Chinn’s Update

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Peter Chinn’s Korean Barbecue Taco Update

Yes, it’s taken us this long to get to the new Peter Chinn’s location near Vanderbilt on 21st Avenue South. I guess we have mixed feelings about the whole move. First off, the food continues to be quite good and that extends to the “new” burger shop menu items. The French fries appear to be hand cut and skins on. They’re

Village Pub Update, Help for Jamaicaway, Pizza on Charlotte and Crabs on Fourth

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Village Pub Update, Help for Jamaicaway, Pizza on Charlotte and Crabs on Fourth

We had to get back to the Village Pub. The Riverside Village bar has been adding items to the simple menu and quite frankly we’ve always dined outdoors on the lively, wrap-around deck. On this chilly Saturday the dark and woody bar room was warm, cozy and the perfect spot for lunch. We

Top 3 for Fall 2010

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Top 3 for Fall 2010

We love fall in the South and this one provided plenty of sunshine. That got us out in search of some new spots to eat. One of our Top 3 was an unexpected delight, another a long anticipated expansion and the third a further step in the right direction. Without any further ado we present our Top 3 picks for fall 2010.

1. Peter Chinn’s Korean

Far East Nashville Veggie Update

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Far East Nashville Veggie Update

What better antidote for the post-Thanksgiving blahs than a warm bowl of pho. We landed at Far East Nashville for lunch on Friday. You may remember that the original review was a Meat Eater only excursion. Now, the Vietnamese restaurant has an entire vegetarian section on the growing menu (still rather modest next to the other

Nuevo Alba

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Nuevo Alba
208 E. Old Hickory Blvd.
Madison
615-865-8069

Scouting the truly out of the way restaurants requires some assistance. Thankfully we get help from all sorts of good people. This latest tip comes from George, who bartends at FooBar. If he hadn’t told us about Nuevo Alba we never would have found it. The joint is wedged in the building that houses A.R.G

Lee’s Cheese Steak and Pepperfire Spiced Chicken

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Lee’s Cheese Steak and Pepperfire Spiced Chicken

East Nashville is hopping with new take out joints. Chris Chamberlain at the Scene has been doing some excellent food pioneering with help from the Bites Blog readers. I take their advice and hit the streets.

Let’s start with Lee’s Philly Cheese Steak. First impressions start with a big question mark. Lettuce and

Blu Fig

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Blu Fig
6444 Nolensville Pike
Nashville
615-941-2583
www.blufignashville.com

From the slick, electric blue interior to the little trademark signs next to every mention of Blu Fig on the menu- it’s clear that this restaurant is the blu-print for bigger things. The business recipe for the incipient chain is cooked up by Chef and owner Khaled Fattah, who takes his

Night Market and Roast, Inc.

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Shop Tonight and One Cup at a Time

The Nashville Farmers Market Night Market is being held tonight from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. They'll have many of the Saturday vendors on hand, so you can stock up on stuff for the holidays. They promise samples, tastings and perhaps best of all booze (a cash bar.) Visit the web site for details: http://nashvillefarmersmarket.org/

Jackalope Beer in Nashville

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Jackalope Brewing Company

It's about time for another craft brewer to set up shop in Nashville. We love Yazoo, but the more the merrier if the beer is really good. Bailey Spaulding and Robyn Virball have leased space in a former flooring showroom on 8th Avenue South (near the Mercy Lounge.) The ladies are preping the space to start brewing next year. Jackalope

Peter Chinn's Moves to Vandyland

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Peter Chinn's Moves to Vandyland

Wow, talk about a fast change. We had a reader report today that Peter Chinn's Korean Barbecue Taco has closed on Clarksville Highway and moved to 400 21st Avenue South in the old Cheeseburger Charley's location. We just called and they confirm it. This happened so fast that they are already serving up those kimchi and kogi beef

Ginger

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Ginger
2861 Logan Street
Nashville
615-679-9555
www.gingerthairestaurant.com

It seems that Pad Thai is becoming as ubiquitous as fried chicken in these parts. Well, maybe not to that extreme, but there are plenty of Thai restaurants in Nashville. The real question these days is the quality of that Thai food. Lately, there have been signs that new proprietors are

The Great Beer and Bourbon Rush

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Beer, Bourbon and Barbecue Festival

A couple of hundred folks lined up at 11:30am Saturday morning to hit the bottle....or in this case many bottles. We hit the line at the Beer, Bourbon and Barbecue festival and expected a big wait. This was clearly a longer line for the VIP tasting at noon than last year. We made the mistake of paying full price for tickets a few

Friday Odds and Ends

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Friday Odds and Ends

We’re keeping a close eye on the opening of the No. 308 Bar on Gallatin Avenue in East Nashville. Chris Chamberlain at The Nashville Scene reports that they will be offering cocktails and a full kitchen with table service. It’s located next to Dino’s at 407 Gallatin Avenue. You can keep track of the progress by visiting their Facebook page.

Turnip Truck Opens in the Gulch

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Turnip Truck Opens in the Gulch

The Gulch just got a lot livelier thanks to the new Turnip Truck Urban Fare grocery store on 12th Avenue South. It was a busy opening day Saturday. The store is much bigger than the tiny East Nashville original. You’ll find a meat counter, cheese counter, a salad bar and a hot bar. They have a wide selection of bulk spices, grains

Roosters Texas Style Barbecue and Steakhouse

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Roosters Texas Style Barbecue and Steakhouse
123 12th Ave North
Nashville
615-770-2880

Update 6/13: this restaurant has closed.

If there is ever breaking news inside Roosters it will be well covered by the staff of the nearby Tennessean newspaper. During a recent lunch it seemed that half the building had spilled out, replete with ID badges, and settled into the

Mas Tacos

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Mas Tacos 732 McFerrin Avenue
Nashville
Phone: none that she is releasing
E-mail: thetacolady@live.com
http://twitter.com/mastacos

Taco truck to sit down restaurant, viral marketing to storefront: Teresa Mason is making a natural transition from a hip Nashville happening to a broader audience, and she appears to be doing it on her own terms. That means never

Top 3 for Summer 2010

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Top 3 for Summer 2010

Ah, summer 2010: a scorch mark on our brains. Did we have fun this summer? We think so. It’s hard to remember when the temperature never leaves the 90s. We think we had some really good food this summer. We know we drank far too many Moscow mules.

1. Fogatas

When we hear people say that all Mexican food in Nashville tastes the same we raise

Hello to a new pho house and goodbye to some great ribs

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Dai Viet and Jimmy Carl's Lunchbox

A first look at Dai Viet restaurant brings some seriously huge bowls of pho to the table. The Antioch restaurant has been open for a couple of months. They let you choose your size of bowl. The small bowl of pho is about right, the large bowl pretty damn big and the super bowl is crazy. The good news is that the pho is worth

Ginger First Impressions

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Ginger preview

House made noodles and bold flavors make the new Ginger Thai restaurant worth noting. The modest, yet stylish joint is located just off Thompson Lane, in a new Logan Street strip mall that also houses Laolanexang Oriental Market and a Middle Eastern, African and Asian grocery named the International Food Mart.

We had our first visit this weekend.

Mas Tacos New Hours and Thai on Thompson

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Friday Odds and Ends

Love the new storefront version of Mas Tacos on McFerrin Avenue? Bummed out about the limited hours? Teresa Mason says she is cracking Saturday hours starting this weekend. It will be kind of an East Nashville brunch thing from 11 am until 3pm with breakfast tacos, cafe con leche, rancheros, churros and whatever else she is cooking up that day.

This Festival Needs More Food Vendors!

Nashville Restaurants and Food
This Festival Needs More Food Vendors!

The Celebration of Cultures is quickly turning into Nashville’s premier festival. It spreads across Centennial Park and there were thousands of people in attendance on Saturday. All those folks make for a whole lot of hungry customers. We found long lines for every type of food available. Note to restaurants: if you serve an

Empanadas, Alfajores and Jerk Chicken

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Celebration of Cultures
Centennial Park
Nashville
Saturday, October 2
10am-6pm

The Celebration of Cultures has been growing over the last couple of years. It’s a fun, free day in the park with a chance to sample food that is often hard to find in Nashville. The vendors range from church groups, and other mom and pop outfits, to area restaurants. The line-up this

Bella Napoli Pizzeria

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Bella Napoli Pizzeria
1200 Villa Place
Nashville
615-891-1387
www.bellanapolipizzeria.com

Location, location, location. And atmosphere. And surroundings. Bella Napoli has a lot going for it, including some of the best patio dining in the city. The food is the real question mark. We found ourselves somewhat satisfied and yet hoping for more.

Let’s start with that

Euro Grill

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Euro Grill
1233 Antioch Pike
Nashville
615-331-7009
www.eurogrillnashville.com

Hidden in a rather drab industrial neighborhood just north of Harding Place, you’ll find a modest tan and white bungalow house that has been converted into a restaurant. It would be tough to just happen by the Euro Grill given the location. People have been seeking it out and for one

La Esquina

Nashville Restaurants and Food
La Esquina
1326 Antioch Pike
Nashville
615-582-9029

We’re convinced that some of the best food in town is found in the most modest of surroundings. We’re talking about restaurants that have sketchy hand painted signs out front and an inhospitable façade. That’s why we’re here, dear readers, to open that door and find out what’s inside. We’re pleased to report that

Or not...

The overwhelming response by fans of Lazziz Persian restaurant, including their regular customer Ed King, have convinced the owners to keep the place open for now. As we reported last week they had planned to shut down on Sunday. Now they will keep the doors open and hopefully have a chance for all that good will to turn into more business. We congratulate them on the decision and hope they

Knead Dough and Lazziz News

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Knead Dough and Lazziz News

Update: Please note the comments for breaking Lazziz news from Ed...it seems that Ed and all of the other Lazziz fans have encouraged the owners enough to convince them to keep the place open for now. Way to go folks!

Nashville Restaurants reader and man about town Ed King reports that one of his favorite lunch spots is closing. As we

Rincon Caribeno and the International Market Opens

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Rincon Caribeno and the International Market Opens

Antioch has become a hotbed for cuisine from all sorts of countries. Rincon Caribeno seems to be trying to cover as many bases as possible. The Bell Road restaurant opened up three weeks ago. The chef is from El Salvador and yet the menu stretches across Latin America: Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico and

Korean Taco Joint Opens in Bordeaux

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Peter Chinn’s Korean Barbecue Taco

The Korean barbecue taco just makes sense. Any decent taco is built on flavorful meat and Korean barbecue joints know how to do meat right. Peter Chinn’s is the latest entrant in the Nashville Korean taco race. It’s a tiny take out shack on Clarksville Highway (just south of Rosa Parks) and even in the first weeks of life they’re

Choripan and a Medium Rare Encounter

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Argentina, El Mirador and Nica's News

Spicy, juicy and rich sausage, fresh chimichurri, a thin slice of tomato and dense, chewy bread. This Choripan has it going on at the West Nashville Farmers Market. It's a simple sandwich with every ingredient out of this world. Gitano is the sandwich craftsman for "Cuisine of Buenos Aires", basically a converted hot dog cart.

La Antigua

Nashville Restaurants and Food
La Antigua
2600 Grandview Ave.
Nashville
615-589-1029

Update 11/11: This restaurant has closed.

Central American food is a mish mash of regional specialties and shared cuisine. You might find the same dish in four different countries and have it prepared in seven different ways. That’s why restaurants like La Antigua are a good thing for the Nashville food scene:

Nashville Farmers Market Restaurants Back Open

It was a busy Saturday at the Nashville Farmers Market and for the first time in a long time you could combine shopping with lunch. Some of the market house restaurants finally reopened last week. There's still plenty of work to be done in flood recovery, but it's good to see signs of life.

Nooleys, Chicago Style Gyros, B and C Market and El Burrito Mexicano are all back in business. We stopped

Sky Blue Café

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Sky Blue Café
700 Fatherland Street
Nashville
615-770-7097
www.skybluecoffee.com

A quiet sidewalk table in the shade. A cozy dining room buzzing with diners at brunch. The Sky Blue Café has plenty of good things going for it and the second generation of the business appears to be working well. You may remember this breakfast and lunch spot from the positive review

The Secret is Our Readers

Everyone asks how we find out about so many new and interesting restaurants in the Nashville area. We have several top-secret methods, but quite frankly the best one only requires us checking the inbox. Our readers provide the best tips of all.

The latest comes from several folks who said we needed to check out La Esquina pupuseria at 1326 Antioch Pike (just south of Harding and Antioch). It

Fogatas

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Fogatas
5560 Nolensville Pike
Nashville
615-331-6281

Round up the family and head out- it’s time for Sunday lunch. Fogatas Mexican restaurant is bringing those families in with groups of eight and ten. It’s a leisurely affair, as the food comes out when it’s ready, and some people might spend time watching others eat. Why the wait? Perhaps it’s the homemade corn

Cockeyed Pig, Rooster's and Tapas

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Cockeyed Pig, Rooster's and Tapas

A first visit to Belcourt Taps and Tapas shows eclectic decorating in a cozy Hillsboro bungalow. The house has been converted into a mellow little dining room and bar. They have quite a ways to go to get the small plate restaurant up to full steam. The pleasant rustic mustard and crimson walls need some adornment. The simple menu

Kaput and Rolling Along

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Friday Notes

Es Fernandos at FooBAR is officially kaput. The Mexican/Southwestern food was appreciated by the crowd inside the East Nashville bar, but apparently not enough to work out financially. We’ll miss those quesadillas. It was a nod to the menu of the long time favorite Mexican restaurant on Gallatin Road.

Meanwhile, we passed Phil’s Bar-B-Que at 2821

A Bunch of New Joints: New Tapas,Guatemalan, Honduran and Nicaraguan

Nashville Restaurants and Food
New Tapas

Belcourt Taps and Tapas is apparently open for business. The Hillsboro Village restaurant is located at 2117 Belcourt Avenue. They have had a soft opening going for about a week. Just last night they reported on Facebook that they are now serving drinks as well as food. Has anyone seen the menu yet? Is it tapas by style only or is it actually Spanish in

Burger Up

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Burger Up
2901 12th Avenue South
Nashville
615- 279-3767
www.burger-up.com

You walk out of a burger joint and a half-hour later you’re at the farmer’s market chatting with the farmer that raised the beef you just ate. That’s pretty cool. And the quality of the beef and local sourcing is one of the things that make Burger Up a welcome, albeit expensive, addition to

New Vietnamese and Alfresco Pasta

Nashville Restaurants and Food
New Vietnamese on Charlotte

There's a new contestant in the Charlotte Pike Vietnamese restaurant competition. Ben Thanh opened two months ago at 6317 Charlotte. A first visit shows a restaurant still waiting to happen. There is virtually no decorating and a huge, nearly empty room. Everyone is quite nice. It seems like mom may be cooking in the kitchen while the

First Visit to the Blind Pig No. 55

Nashville Restaurants and Food
First Visit to the Blind Pig No. 55

Upscale barbecue? And on the same street as upscale burgers? Isn’t 12 South fancy lately. The Blind Pig No. 55 just opened in the same building that used to house Mirror. It’s a big room with a bunch of sports bar TVs and some of the most desperate exposed “brick” decorating that we have ever seen (please people, let it go- if

Fogatas Mexican and Baraka Bakery

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Fogatas Mexican and Baraka Bakery

Readers have been telling us to get our butts down to Nolensville Road and Old Hickory Blvd. Fogatas is the new restaurant inside the former El Manjar space next to the Lowes store. They blew out a wall and opened the place up quite a bit, which helps because El Manjar was usually packed. There is a new owner and yet they kept much

Hot Chicken and July 4th Weekend

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Hot Chicken and July 4th Weekend

Sunny, about 88 degrees and the smell of Hot Chicken wafting through the park: must be July 4th! Of course that was 11:45am- when we arrived at the Music City Hot Chicken Festival. We were surprised to see virtually no one in the vendor lines. They switched it up this year opting for one gigantic free Hot Chicken line, freeing up

Los Mariachis

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Los Mariachis
1019 Gallatin Road South
Madison
615-868-3114

I have no idea why I keep coming back to this place. And if that sounds like the start of a bad review, it’s not. This Mexican joint has me perplexed. So, bear with me.

Los Mariachis is a sucky name. That said, I stumbled in one day hungry, looking for something new and not willing to travel further than

Hot Chicken Festival Details!

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Music City Hot Chicken Festival

Yo, fire up your tastebuds...it's almost time to celebrate Hot Chicken! Of course every day is a good day to celebrate Hot Chicken, the Nashville original flamethrower dish. July 4 is a little hotter because the celebration brings hundreds of chicken lovers out to the park to sweat together. The Friends of Shelby Park have announced

West Nashville Farmers Market Expands

Nashville Restaurants and Food
West Nashville Farmers Market

There’s a cool vibe at the West Nashville Farmers Market this year. They moved the market farther into Richland Park, next to the library (47th and Charlotte). The number of vendors is growing and the addition of yoga, massage therapy and music brings it alive. Last Saturday a drummer did his solo thing for a while. Then folks from

Sopapilla's

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Sopapilla's
1109 Davenport Blvd.
Franklin
615-794-9989
www.sopapillas.net

Folks from New Mexico are really picky about their peppers. Hatch, New Mexico is chile central. And not just any chile; Hatch chiles are green and large, similar to an Anaheim. The meaty flesh is usually roasted and the heat runs from mild to hot. You need the right green chiles to make New

Farm House Opens and Greenlight Grits

Nashville Restaurants and Food
The Farm House Opens

The Fontanel mansion in Whites Creek has been going through a transformation of sorts. It’s been a celebrity retreat and video production location for years. Recently, the former home of Barbara Mandrell has been turned into a performance, event and tourist destination by owners Dale Morris and Marc Oswald. Part of the operation is a new

The Village Pub and Beer Garden

Nashville Restaurants and Food
The Village Pub and Beer Garden
1308 McGavock Pike
Nashville
615-942-5880
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nashville-TN/Village-Pub-Beer-Garden/180215631569

There’s nothing like an open air café to make a neighborhood come alive and the Village Pub is doing just that for Riverside Village in East Nashville. The gently whirring fans hovering above the well shaded

Top 3 for Spring 2010

Nashville Restaurants and Food

Top 3 for Spring 2010

Ah, spring: the smell of flowers; the odor of your loved one- having not showered for a week; the look of brown sludge coating the streets. It’s been a tough spring here in Nashville and many people will be in recovery mode for months to come. There were a couple of bright spots on the restaurant scene this spring. We couldn’t include a

Barbecue Changes on Clarksville Highway

The familiar bright red Real Deal barbecue wagon has been a Clarksville Highway fixture for years and now it's gone. Don't fret, it's actually good news. They've just moved across the parking lot into a building and that means air conditioning while you wait for your barbecue. A few tables and chairs make for a nice little dining room. It's the space formerly occupied by Ultimate Wings. Swing by

Hey CMA country music fans and Bonnaroonies

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Ideas for CMA Festival and Bonnaroo Visitors

Hello visitors...Glad to have you in Nashville. We hope you enjoy your stay here in Music City. If you are looking for restaurants downtown just click on the "downtown" tab on the right hand side of this screen. There are many of options in the downtown area, and some good ones that we list. Quite frankly though, the

Road Tour 2010

Nashville Restaurants and Food

Road Tour 2010

We’re back from a two-week odyssey spanning 11 states and several major American cities, all in the quest to visit 22 relatives. We are beat, but we had lots of fun and plenty of good eating. We could go on for days about Indian food in Washington, D.C., pasta in the North End of Boston or crab cakes in Baltimore. Instead we offer a couple of

Diana’s Sweet Shoppe

Nashville Restaurants and Food

Diana’s Sweet Shoppe
315 Broadway
Nashville
615-242-5397
www.dianasnashville.com

You see tourist families all up and down Broadway. They wander in the t-shirt shops. They take a picture in front of the fiberglass Elvis. Where are they all eating? One look at the lines at Hard Rock or Demos or hell, even Hooters, and you know the answer. The plain fact is that

The Local Taco

Nashville Restaurants and Food
The Local Taco
4501 Murphy Road
Nashville
615-891-3271
www.thelocaltaco.com

It’s 10:58 a.m. The Local Taco doesn’t open for another two minutes. There are already 12 people in line. This Sylvan Park restaurant is crazy popular. And while the lines may seem daunting at times, the staff hustles. You can find tacos all over this city: new taquerias spring up on

Sweet Flood Relief

Lindsay at the Love & Olive Oil blog is putting together a desserty relief effort this weekend. Check it out:

The Sweet Relief bake sale will run from 1:30pm until 4:00 on Saturday, May 29th at the Green Wagon in East Nashville (1100 Forest Ave.). All proceeds from the event will benefit Second Harvest of Middle Tennessee (http://www.secondharvestmidtn.org/) and their efforts to provide relief

The Holland House Bar and Refuge

Nashville Restaurants and Food

The Holland House Bar and Refuge
935 Eastland Avenue
Nashville
615-262-4190
www.hollandhousenashville.com

The revival of the great American cocktail is an interesting trend. Are people most enamored with the drinks and the skill of preparation, or are they in love with the concept of dressing up, and bringing back the look sharp attitude of the 40’s and 50’s? The

Get Downtown

Downtown businesses have been walloped by the recent weather. The flooding and power outages have caused major problems. Many have reopened and hopefully Nashville folks can help out by visiting soon. We were chatting with the folks at Piranhas last weekend. While the flooding didn't cause problems there the power outage did. They've had the beer taps and now the grill open for some time now. The

Wow-Everyone Eating Out!

How successful was the Eat Out for Nashville event yesterday? We found a much busier than usual Monday night at the Holland House Bar and Refuge. Lannae Long says she found big lines at Burger Up and Baja Burrito. I was puzzled this morning by the fact that our blog traffic yesterday doubled. I did a little Google Analytics breakdown and sure enough...the increase was due to organic searches and

Eat Out For Nashville Tonight - Here's the List

Tonight is the night to Eat Out For Nashville. More than 50 restaurants are participating, covering a wide variety of styles. Restaurants are donating 50 percent of proceeds to the Tennessee Emergency Response Fund of the Community Fund of Middle Tennessee. We hope to see you out there!

The Acorn Restaurant

114 28th Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 320-4399

Amerigo-West End
1922 West End

La Hacienda Taqueria

Nashville Restaurants and Food
La Hacienda Taqueria
2615 Nolensville Pike
Nashville
615-256-6142
www.lahanashville.com



It’s not easy being one of the Nashville originals, especially when hundreds of competitors come to town in the years after your opening. La Hacienda Taqueria, which first opened in 1993, has proven to be up to the challenge. Now, with a recent facelift and some new menu items

More than 40 Restaurants Lined up for Eat Out For Nashville May 17

Here's the latest from the folks at the Scene who are organizing the Eat Out for Nashville event for Monday. Please note that each restaurant may be doing it a bit differently. Some may just do lunch and others only dinner, and some will have special menus and offers that will apply, so you're advised to check-in with the restaurant first to see exactly what they will be doing that day.

More

Past Perfect is Back Open

Past Perfect restaurant downtown is back open after the flood. This is an e-mail from owner Shawn Courtney:

 I want to personally thank everyone for the overwhelming response we have received over the past week. We have had so many wonderful calls and emails wishing support, as well as so many hard working volunteers who made this recovery possible. And, thanks to the hard work of our friends,

Latest Restaurant List for Eat Out for Nashville

We're less than one week away for the Eat Out for Nashville flood relief night. It's scheduled for Monday, May 17. Participating restaurants will donate 50% of the evening’s proceeds to the Tennessee Emergency Response Fund of the Community Fund of Middle Tennessee. We need more restaurants to sign up. Here is the latest list:

Amerigo West End
Amerigo Cool Springs
Baja Burrito
Burger Up

The Crows Nest

Nashville Restaurants and Food

The Crows Nest
2221 Bandywood Drive
Nashville
615-783-0720
www.crowsnestnashville.com

A guy named Farokhmanesh steps up and takes a shot. It’s in for three. A few seconds later the University of Northern Iowa has just beat Kansas for a huge NCAA basketball upset and the bar is going nuts. Oh, and by the way the fisherman’s stew has arrived and the tomato based

Calling All Restaurants-Nashville Needs You!

The Eat Out for Nashville project scheduled for Monday, May 17 is gaining steam. So far Amerigo West End, Amerigo Cool Springs, Baja Burrito, Burger Up, Lazzaroli's and The Melting Pot have signed on. We need more restaurants to participate. Participating restaurants will donate 50% of the evening’s proceeds to the Tennessee Emergency Response Fund of the Community Fund of Middle Tennessee. “Eat

Help Clean-up Nashville Farmers Market

The Farmers Market in Nashville is looking for volunteers today, according to the Tennessean. Clean-up work will be from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Volunteers are asked to bring water to drink, sunscreen, boots and gloves if possible. Go to the north end and sign in with the guard.

There are plenty of other volunteer opportunities out there. Sign up with Hands on Nashville for a daily list.
http://

"Eat Out For Nashville" May 17

The folks at Amerigo Restaurant and the Nashville Scene are spearheading an effort for flood relief. We'll keep you up to date as restaurants join up. Here's the news release:

Nashville Restaurants and Food Media Join Together to Organize “Eat Out for Nashville” Charity Event on May 17, 2010 for Victims of Middle Tennessee Flooding

Middle Tennessee diners are invited to eat out at their

Yazoo Taproom Flood Fundraiser Tonight

Raise a glass and help flood relief in Nashville. Yazoo Brewery reports on their blog:

We will be holding a fundraiser tomorrow, Thursday May 6th, from 4-8 PM, to benefit the Community Fund of Middle Tennessee (www.cfmt.org). 100% of all sales at our taproom will be donated to their Metro Disaster Fund. Yes, 100% of ALL sales. It's a nice round number.


To conserve water, we'll be selling pints

Flooding and Restaurants

I know it sounds like a rather narrow topic considering the magnitude of this event. But we'll leave this as an open thread for anyone who wants to report damage or other flooding issues with area restaurants. The flooding will be devastating for many businesses in Tennessee. At the very least this will let patrons and others know what is occurring. For everyone with a home or business impacted,

King Market

Nashville Restaurants and Food
King Market
1801 Antioch Pike
Nashville
615-333-3103
http://www.kingmarketinc.food.officelive.com/

The kids are having shopping cart races in the aisles again and that’s fine with us. It’s just part of an enjoyable and laid back atmosphere that provides a good background for a leisurely lunch. King Market is a family place and that extends from the owners to the

El Paisa Does Rock!

Nashville Restaurants and FoodEl PaisaGallatin Pike N at One Mile ParkwayI took Citizen Taco's advice (The Austin resident recently did a Nashville taco truck tour and called this number one...scroll down a couple of stories to see) and hit El Paisa today for lunch. They are certainly a cut above the rest. Tacos are deceptively simple. A great taco has to have everything just right. At El Paisa

Say Cheese Nashville

We love cheese. Cheesemakers were part of the landscape when we lived in Wisconsin. A four-year-old cheddar was our standard sandwich cheese. While Wisconsin is primarily known for mass market producers there has been an artisanal revival in recent years. Southern states are also starting to make some inroads thanks to a few pioneers. Kenny Mattingly is one of those brave souls. His Kentucky

Citizen Taco Hits Nashville

What happens when a Texas taco lover samples the taco truck fare in Nashville? Serious Eats has the scoop this week, and kudos to John Lamb at the very cool Hispanic Nashville Notebook blog for pointing it out.Citizen Taco is from Austin and the manifesto on the website brings a tear to our eyes:As Citizen Taco, I aim to be nothing less than the ultimate enabler for every person who seeks the

The Corsair Taproom is Open

Nashville Restaurants and FoodThe Great Nashville Taproom SwapCorsair Distillery Taproom1200 Clinton St.Yazoo Taproom910 Division StreetNashvilleYou walk into the grand brick factory building and into a cloistered set of chambers. There in the back you find beer, really good beer, and in a cozy room that reminds you of a hole in the wall pub in Europe. Sounds like the Yazoo Brewery taproom. And

Groupons Examined

It you are not already a Groupon buyer you may have noticed the ads on this blog and in many other locations on the web. Groupon has been sweeping the Nashville food and restaurant fan community. But are they harmful to restaurants or a good marketing idea? Since they are such a big advertiser (we don't control the ads, Google places them) we wanted to make sure people knew exactly how it works

New Home for Cuban Food in Madison

Nashville Restaurants and FoodHavana GrillHavana Grill has been serving up Cuban food in Madison for about 7 months now. They just recently moved around the corner into a new location at 505 Gallatin Pike South. It's a much bigger room, and while they are still putting on the finishing touches it looks colorful and festive.Some menu notables: Tamales Cubanos, papa rellena, chicharrones, plantains

Generous Helpings Event - May 20

Sampling indie restaurant food for a good cause sounds like a pleasant evening to us. This message comes from the folks at Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee:The annual Generous Helpings event will be held on May 20th. It's presented by Kroger benefiting Second Harvest Food Bank and Middle Tennessee's Table - formerly Nashville’s Table. For the second year, the event will be held at the

Rae’s Gourmet

Nashville Restaurants and FoodRae’s Gourmet501 Union StreetNashville615-313-7237www.raesgourmet.comEach day workers take to the streets of Nashville in search of sustenance. They pour into restaurants like an invading army: hungry and hurried. The lunch rush is an art form. The top notch lunch joints know how to get the food out lightning fast and still make everyone feel at home. Few folks

McNamara’s Irish Pub

Nashville Restaurants and FoodMcNamara’s Irish Pub2740 Old Lebanon RoadNashville615-885-7267www.mcnamarasirishpub.comAh, some favorite Irish bar moments: A toasty feeling on a blustery day; noticing upside down Paddy’s Whiskey ready for a quick pour; watching a pint of Guinness take a little rest as it cascades on the way to a creamy head. McNamara’s does a nice job of creating these moments. The

New Hendersonville Barbecue Joint

Nashville Restaurants and FoodNew Barbecue in HendersonvilleThe kitschy Americana thing is all over the place these days. At most places it seems touristy and fake. For whatever reason that's not the vibe I get at Tom's Blue Moon Bar-B-Que in Hendersonville. Sure, you've got antique tin chewing tobacco ads and sacks of potatoes sitting in a carefully arranged pile. Combine that with a huge room,

Top 3 for Winter

Nashville Restaurants and FoodTop 3 for WinterAnd a nasty winter it has been, and not just weather wise. We continue to lose some good restaurants. Happily we picked up three new ones, and judging from early business they are doing pretty well. Here are our Top 3 new restaurants for winter 2009-2010:1. Silly Goose: This sunny East Nashville eatery is fun and inventive. Chef Roderick Bailey

Kien Giang

Nashville Restaurants and FoodKien Giang5825 Charlotte PikeNashville615-353-1250Kien Giang was one of the first Vietnamese restaurants we visited in Nashville, and we really enjoyed it. Once the blog got going we were so intent on hitting new spots we didn’t get back, until just recently. All of this is a shame, because Kien Giang serves wide range of Vietnamese specialties, and the legions of

Gabby’s Burgers and Fries

Nashville Restaurants and FoodGabby’s Burgers and Fries493 Humphreys St.Nashville615-733-3119www.gabbysburgersandfries.comWho could find a restaurant, hidden away in an industrial area, and surrounded by a construction maze? The burger army, that’s who. Gabby’s pulls the faithful in, despite all the literal roadblocks. You gotta figure the food is pretty darn good if folks are willing to put up

Dim Sum at Lucky Bamboo

Nashville Restaurants and FoodDim Sum at Lucky Bamboo5585 Charlotte PikeNashville615-457-3136Lucky Bamboo, the new Chinese restaurant on Charlotte Pike, has only been open a few weeks, so we’ll save a real review for down the road. We did want to mention that they are offering dim sum on Saturday and Sundays. Two carts were clanging around the garden-like room on our Sunday visit. For those not

Robert Head’s Bar-B-Q

Nashville Restaurants and FoodRobert Head’s Bar-B-Q1055 Dorris Winters Rd.Chapmansboro615-566-5843There’s a certain mystique to a barbecue joint that only the locals know about. Word of mouth is the only form of marketing. That’s all it takes if the food is good enough to create some country gossip. Robert Head’s Bar-B-Q is out in the middle of nowhere. It’s a day trip worth making and for one

The Smiling Elephant

Nashville Restaurants and FoodThe Smiling Elephant2213 8th Ave. SouthNashville615-891-4488www.thesmilingelephant.comThe Kopsombut family takes great care in just about every aspect of this Melrose area Thai restaurant. From the homey cedar interior to the modern stylish dinnerware, there is a delicate spirit to the place, which is an extension of the food itself. The Smiling Elephant is a bit of

Sky Blue for Sale

Nashville Restaurants and FoodSky Blue for SaleAnother report from the ever changing Nashville restaurant world. The quirky and cozy little eatery in East Nashville, Sky Blue Coffee and Bistro, is for sale. Owner Kara Christian says she loves the cooking side of the restaurant, but not the business side. Her husband Kevin apparently took care of the front of the house, and after a divorce Kara is

Valentine’s Day Ideas 2010

Nashville Restaurants and FoodValentine’s Day Ideas 2010What is it about Valentine’s Day dining? Everyone wants romantic. Really though, what does that mean? Is it the ambiance? Low lighting? Soft music? Sexy food?This rather chilly winter keeps coming back to a more utilitarian definition of romantic for us: Cozy. We don’t look for expansive restaurants with huge lofty ceilings (well, at least

Taco Mamacita

Nashville Restaurants and FoodTaco Mamacita1200 Villa PlaceNashville615-730-8552http://www.tacomamacita.com/Venturing out from the traditional is a-okay in our book. Just make sure it tastes good. Taco Mamacita mixes up the Mexican classics, with some new twists. Along the way you get a well designed and fun restaurant, with an outdoor deck that may prove to be one of the most popular in

Porta Via

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Porta Via
21 White Bridge Road
Nashville
615-356-0001www.eatatportavia.com

Sit next to the open kitchen. Watch the dough take a spin in the nimble hands of the chef. On to the next station, where toppings are applied quickly. See yet another chef slide the creation into the deep, bell shaped, wood fired oven with a long pizza paddle. That pizza is back out in a

Goodbye Russia and Hello Catfish

Nashville Restaurants and FoodMidweek odds and endsA reader pointed out last week that Taste of Russia in Cool Springs has closed. We verified that with the folks at Aleksey Market this weekend. The Taste of Russia location was a little hard to find, tucked away in an office park. We will miss the kind staff, cabbage piroshky and the chicken Kiev cutlets.Meanwhile, you can find some daily German

The Wild Cow

Nashville Restaurants and FoodThe Wild Cow1896 Eastland Ave.Nashville(615) 262-2717www.thewildcow.comPunk rock on the stereo. Cool green paint on the walls. A mellow vibe. All of these things you might expect from a vegetarian restaurant. The bold flavors and daring tastes may be something you don’t expect from a Nashville vegetarian joint. The Wild Cow is indeed a bit wild.You’d figure that mac

Taqueria el Oaxaco

Nashville Restaurants and FoodTaqueria el Oaxaco200 Central Ave.Springfield615-382-7425A bakery turned taqueria? Why not? We’ve watched this place grow over the last couple of years from a small panaderia in Springfield to a much larger operation. Recently they added a taqueria to the mix and you know what? It works.Tortas are the specialty. There are a number of varieties listed on the walls

Café Coco

Nashville Restaurants and FoodCafé Coco210 Louise Ave.Nashville(615) 321-2626www.cafecoco.comSometimes you have to lean back on the classics. We usually try and review the new spots in Nashville. But considering the many people out there who might be new to the area, we feel some responsibility to remind everyone of the legendary joints in town. Café Coco is a 24 hour a day staple for college