Eating around a bit in TN and KY

[Holly Moore]

Heading South for a convention in Nashville. Eatting some on the way.

Dinner tonight - 5 Way Chili at Camp Washington in Cincinnati. My second Beard Award winning establishment this year - the first being Trio.

2 Way - Chili and Spaghetti

3 Way - Chili, cheese and spaghetti

4 Way - Chili, cheese, beans or onion and spaghetti

5 Way - Chili, beans, onion, spaghetti and cheese

Had a chili dog with cheese too.

For research sake headed to Dixie Chili in Covington. They have 6 way chili. Will let folks guess what makes it 6 way. I'll post the ingredient tomorrow unless someone beats me to it.

Liked Camp Washington's chili a lot more. Much deeper flavor. This is greek chili, meaning sweet rather than hot. But thats ok. It's Cincinatti.

Cincinnati is probably the only place where the Yellow Pages have a section for "Chili Parlors."

Stopped in Washington PA at Shorty's Lunch for a couple of chili dogs and a side of gravy fries.

Tomorrow, barbecued bologna sandwich and the best country ham in the world.

Gonna be a good trip.

[Varmint]

Tomorrow . . . the best country ham in the world.

That could create a bit of a discussion, eh?

[pogophiles]

Holly,

Give me a shout if you need any directions after you get here...and good eating! (Rather looking forward to that country ham report myself)...

[Holly Moore]

Just to bring things up to date.

6 way chili has chopped garlic added to the mix. Didn't seem to compliment the chili. If I wanted to come up with a 6 way version, I'd probably top it off with a couple of fried eggs.

Best Country Ham - the two year aged country ham at the Beaumont Inn in Harrodsburg KY. They buy it aged one year from local growers and then hang it for a second year. The chef says cutting into one is like opening a bottle of vintage wine. You're never quite sure what you're going to find. The hams have been running good this summer. Mine was a deep leathery red. Salt was still the predominant flavor, but a lot more was going on that mellowed the hit of salt. Very deep, complex flavors. Very tender. It is so much better than any other country ham I've experienced that I stand by my claim that it is the best there is.

Ran into Pogophiles and Mrs. Pogophiles at the Loveless Cafe, Saturday morning. Pleasant surprise. Guy knows his southern food including hams. He provided me with a list of places to hit while in Nashville and everyone so far has been a winner. I'll be giving more detail shortly, but want to get the info posted on the site first so I can upload some pics.

[mayapple]

I don't know how long you will be in Nashville, but I had an incredible meal at Acorn a few weeks ago. Will you be in any other parts of TN, or are you sticking to "Music City"?

[Holly Moore]

Leaving Wed AM and working my way back to Philadelphia.

Was going to spend last weekend in Memphis but realized there was enough good eating to keep me in Nashville and that Memphis needed more than a couple of days.

Have ventured out to Shelbyville and Lyles but other than that sticking to Nashville.

[k4records]

Leaving Wed AM and working my way back to Philadelphia.

I'm a newbie on this site. I was googling for some food info and found this.

If your headed back up north from Tenn., you might cut through Louisville......we have some great little spots that are a must.

[k4records]

[Leaving Wed AM and working my way back to Philadelphia.]

I'm a newbie on this site. I was googling for some food info and found this.

If your headed back up north from Tenn., you might cut through Louisville......we have some great little spots that are a must.

[pogophiles]

Ran into Pogophiles and Mrs. Pogophiles at the Loveless Cafe, Saturday morning.  Pleasant surprise.

It was indeed a pleasant surprise to wander into the Loveless and recognize Holly. This was made easier by his occupying the small table at the front window (the first table you see upon entering) and our entering just as he was in the act of photographing his plate with a digital camera. We had an enjoyable but far too brief conversation. Nice guy!!

[pogophiles]

I don't know how long you will be in Nashville, but I had an incredible meal at Acorn a few weeks ago.

That's good to hear. Acorn is on my short list to try, next opportunity we get...

[Holly Moore]

Back home now. Ate well all along the way.

Day 1 was described earlier, but a couple of pics.

First the grill at Shorty's Lunch in Washington PA. Shorty's has been frying up hot dogs for the past fifty some years. Willing to bet this is the grill they opened with.

Spent the night in Cincinnati. Had chili at a couple of places, Camp Washington Chili and Dixie Chili. Camp Washington's Five Way is the best Cincinnati Style I've had.

Went back to Camp Washington for breakfast, specifically to try another unique Cincinatti staple, Goetta. It's pronounced "Getta" - the "o" is silent and is made from oatmeal and pork. It's like scrapple or livermush, but the oatmeal gives it more structure - not mushy at all.

My first lunch was at Backyard Bar-B-Que in Buckner KY. They do good cue, but are locally known for their smoked bologna sandwich. The whole bologna goes into the smoker. Then thick slabs are cut off and dropped in the fryer to finish/brown the bologna.

Dinner the aforementioned Beaumont Inn. The Beaumont Inn, in Harrodsburg KY, used to be a girls preparatory academy. Now it's a bed and breakfast, and a has an old south style dining room. Unfortunately they let some designers loose in the dining room a while back and lost much of the starched white ambience. Famous for their fried chicken and especially for their two year aged country ham. Fortunately the menu includes the "Beaumont Dinner", a combination fried chicken and country ham platter. The pic below shows the rich red color of their country ham and the coffee tint to the fat trim. I remember the red to have been somewhat deeper than shown.

Had lunch at Grumpy's. in Burkesville, on my way to Nashville. The specialty at Grumpy's is the Grumpy Q - barbecued pork sandwiched between two corn hoe cakes and topped with pinto or baked beans. Grumpy's is a fairly new restaurant, but the equivelent of the Grumpy-Q was invented by a lady who owned a restaurant in town but had closed it. The owner of Grumpy's called the lady, asking for permission. She was delighted and gave Grumpy's her recipe. Folk cooking, like folk music. It's half eatten in the pic to show the layers of the sandwich.

Made it to Nashville in time for a light dinner - at Rotier's - an old time bar and grille and Meat & 3 hangout. Went with Pogophiles' suggestion (as I did pretty much the whole time I was in Nashville - thanks again) and ordered the french bread cheeseburger. A good sized cheeseburger, with lettuce, tomato, pickle and mustard. One thing I like about the South is that Cheeseburgers almost always come properly dressed, with mustard. Also ordered a chocolate shake. It's not on the menu, but Pogophile clued me in. A perfect milkshake.

Breakfast next day was at the famous Loveless Cafe. Almost drove right past the place. With all their fame, I expected a big parking lot, big building and a bunch of signs. Nothing like that. Same sign as they've always had, same small dining room in, their motel running along side. Loveless's reputation is for their country ham. And their red eye gravy. And their biscuits. And their preserves. All are sooo good. They started me off with a dozen biscuits and offered to keep them coming.

Getting kinda long, so going to skip a couple of meals - lunch at Smokin' Ed's BBQ and dinner at Bobbie's Dairy Dip, both good meals, but nothing exceptional.

Next, a rural Sunday Dinner at the Beacon Light Tea Room about 60 miles west of Nashville in Lyles TN. This is way out in the country, and couldn't have been a more perfect setting. Christian music on the sound system, three generations of families around tables for eight and ten. Gracious hospitality - when I arrived the only table available was an eight top. Without pausing, and ignoring my protests at taking such a large table, the owner/host sat me there. Later a waitress moved me when a large group arrived and a smaller table had become available, but that eight top was mine if nothing else had opened up.

The fried chicken is pan fried to order and worth the wait and then some. Another basket of biscuits, exchanged, when I got the chicken, for a batch fresh out of the oven. Gravy, green beans and buttered corn. Homemade blackberry and peach preserves. For desert a refrigerator pie, sweetened cream cheese, condensed milk and layers of toasted coconot and pecans.

Sunday dinner was at Swett's, famous for it's meat and three. Meat and two actually, but I had to try the squash casserole so ordered a third vegetable. They were out of fried chicked by the time I got there, so I had the country fried steak. Alas, they were also out of gravy for the steak. Steak was ok, the vegetables - cabbage, mac and cheese and squash casserole) and the peach cobbler afterwards were outstanding.

Went to Pope's Cafe in Shelbyville for Monday lunch. They close at four and I got there around 2:30. They were out of a lot of the veggies and the fried chicken had been sitting around some. Nice chocolate pie for dessert, topped with six inches of light meringue.

Dinner was a drive-thru at Fat Mo's. No dining room, just drive-thru. Not your traditional fast food drive-thru though. At Fat Mo's you wait in line, order at the drive-thru window, and then sit there in your car while they cook your hamburger to order. Everyone in line behind you waits while your food is cooked. Not fast food efficient, but my kind of system. Fat Mo's wins all Nashville's awards for best hamburger. Black angus beef. I went for a mid sized half pound cheeseburger. Loose packed, cooked a perfect medium rare, topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and mustard. Had I been hungrier I could have ordered either the Fat Mo Deluxe burger at 16 ozs or the Fat Mo Super Deluxe, weighing in at over 27 ozs.

My last meal in Nashville was at Mr. Boo's Hot Chicken. The Mr. Boo's website tells the story of the special Louisiana pepper they use. As recommended I ordered mine, medium, which was plenty hot to my taste. Hotter levels include: Hot, Extra Hot and K-Bang. The chicken is free range, slaughtered at 3 AM and delivered to Mr. Boo's at 8:30 AM the same day. Fresh and full of flavor.

Observations along the way

Biscuits: I'm wondering if biscuits are regional within the south. In KY there were two sizes, very small - about the size of an Oreo, and Cat Head biscuits, the size of a cat's head. Around Nashville, they came by the basket or plate full and seemed lighter than elsewhere and so easy to wolf down. Elsewhere in the south they have been larger and heavier.

Hours: All the homestyle restaurants close way too early. Some don't even make it through till dinner time. Those that do mostlty close between six and 8 pm. I adapted and have learned to call ahead to confirm dinner hours.

Vegetables: Southern vegetables are the polar opposite of what we normally consider to be a properly cooked vegetable. Overcooked to the point of mushyness. They'd be sent back in any northern city. But they are so good. Full of flavor. If it's ever in my future to go vegetarian, I'm heading south.

[Lan4Dawg]

thx Holly, appreciate the info. We will be in Nashville in about a month & are looking forward to the trip, esp. w/ the info supplied.

I have always heard about Prince's hot chicken. Is Mr. Boo's better? we were hoping to hit one or the other while there.

The Loveless is a sight to behold. I am glad they are still keeping their quality after the sale. In the words of the late Lewis Grizzard, "these ain't no 'whomp' biscuits."

[Holly Moore]

Pogophiles can give you a comparison with Princes as I only got to Mr. Boo's. As I recall he felt both were very good. I can attest to Mr. Boo's. Perfectly cooked, and a complex heat coating/rub.

[pogophiles]

I like both Prince's and Mr. Boo's. Given a choice of only one, I would say go for Prince's (it is a more traditional style and has a much longer history in Nashville). People who have tried both seem to be pretty evenly split as to which they prefer.

[Varmint]

Excellent report, Holly. In addition to the texture and flavor of the vegetables, were there any specific veggies that stood out for you?

[Holly Moore]

Excellent report, Holly.  In addition to the texture and flavor of the vegetables, were there any specific veggies that stood out for you?

Swett's both times. Probably (1) the squash caserole because it tasted so good and I had never had a squash caserole before and (2) the reawakening to cabbage as a viable vegetable.

Most consistently the green beans - they always look like the horrid green beans served at the Barf Bar (Cornell's freshman cafeteria), but the broth is so full of flavor, that I could make a meal out of them.

[Varmint]

Most consistantly the green beans - they always look like the horid green beans served at the Barf Bar (Cornell's freshman cafeteria), but the broth is so full of flavor, that I could make a meal out of them.

It's amazing what a little pig fat will do for veggies!!

[chefseanbrock]

have you ever been to the capitol grille in the hermitage hotel?????

[Lan4Dawg]

have you ever been to the capitol grille in the hermitage hotel?????

We have been twice. The first time we enjoyed it immensely. The second time things were way down hill & I hesitate to recommend it to anyone. I understand that they had lost their chef or something just prior to our second visit so that might be the explanation (& both visits were a few years back now)

It is a lovely place (Dinah Shore got her singing start at the bar there---& the men's restroom must be seen to be believed) & I hope they got "their act together" and are not just relying on reputation. I would seriously like to try them again & would love a report fr/ some one.

We have enjoyed Cafe One, Two, Three the last couple of times visiting Nashville and look forward to dining there again.

[pogophiles]

How long have you been executive chef there, Sean?

[TrishCT]

Greetings from Nashville!!! I am so glad to see this thread!!!

HELLLLP ME I AM TRAPPED IN THE OPRYLAND HOTEL AND I CAN"T GET OUT!!!

(Just kidding! But those of you who know this place know EXACTLY what I mean...)

Based on some great suggestions we have dined at Rotier's (good burgers and down home atmosphere which I enjoyed.) The Bound'ry and Zola...Will write reports when I get back, no time now cuz they charge 40 cents a minute to use the in house computers here...

Would like to know what the rec's are for BBQ--I am thinking Whitt's??? Please advise...We would like pork sandwiches and ribs...

The hot chicken sounds good...gonna try it for lunch today...

I have a rental car...It was well worth the investment to escape...

Going to Loveless Cafe Thursday morning for Breakfast... any other food rec's appreciated... also spots to drink...)

THANK Y'ALL!!!

-Trish

[pogophiles]

Whitt's makes excellent chopped (shredded, really) roasted pork without any smoke flavor whatsoever...

Barbecue places you might want to consider instead of Whitt's:

Jack's -- Good chopped pork barbecue (shoulder only). Not too far from Opryland at 334 West Trinity Lane (also has a much more touristy downtown location). In my opinion, the food is much better at the Trinity Lane location.

Mary's -- Rib joint. Long-time Nashville institution at 1108 Jefferson St. Take-out only. Open 24 hours...

Pop's -- At Clifton and 28th, very near Swett's. Pulled pork and ribs are both good here. Has goat on occasion...

Hog Heaven -- Alongside Centennial Park. I'm a big fan of their barbecued chicken with white sauce. Good pulled pork, too.

I also like the ribs at Corky's (in Brentwood) and at Neeley's (4023 Nolensville Rd.). You might also consider driving out to Hendersonville to Center Point Barbecue for pulled pork...

Hope this helps!

[Lan4Dawg]

Hog Heaven -- Alongside Centennial Park.  I'm a big fan of their barbecued chicken with white sauce.  Good pulled pork, too.

love that white sauce & the barbecued dill pickles. The counter folks can be a little surly when you are standing at the window as the place opens w/ an order for 20 however ":^)

[Beto]

The Kleerview restaurant in Murfreesboro is a really good meat-n-three that has hot water cornbread that is the best I've ever had.

A nice touch are the cafeteria trays from Decherd elementary school. It is the real thing, not some calculated wanna-be.

[pogophiles]

The Kleerview restaurant in Murfreesboro is a really good meat-n-three that has hot water cornbread that is the best I've ever had.

A nice touch are the cafeteria trays from Decherd elementary school.  It is the real thing, not some calculated wanna-be.

I completely agree. The Kleer-Vu Lunchroom is what I enjoy most about Murfreesboro (along with the hickory smoked chicken wings at the Slick Pig and the burgers at Busters). The Kleer-Vu was on the list I provided Holly, he just didn't make it there. I love their hot-water cornbread and any of their meat dishes that involve gravy (especially their smothered pork steak). Those folks know how to make gravy...

Are you referring to anything in particular with the "calculated wanna-be" comment?