Quick Nashville Trip

[Sweet Willie]

Flew into Nashville and were hungry. Drove right out of Nashville international onto Donelson Pike a mile to the Bar-B-Cutie BBQ restaurant located at 501 Donelson Pike.

The BBQ was good, sure hit the spot.

http://www.bar-b-cutie.com/

Did the walking tour of downtown historic Nashville and for some reason we both were in the mood for oysters, great oysters in the middle of the US! So we stopped by Joe’s Crab Shack at 123 2nd Ave. I’m not a fan of places like Joe’s, but it was late afternoon before the evening rush so we had good service. I am however a fan of oysters and these were very fresh and we were very impressed. So good that we had to have another dozen.

Went to see the Parthenon (very cool), Vanderbilt U and other west end sites. We love our deli and headed to Noshville New York Delicatessen located at 1918 Broadway. Noshville bills itself an NYC deli. Obviously nothing can compare to true NYC deli, but Noshville does deli proud. My turkey reuben was good and so was my wife’s corned beef and chopped chicken liver sandwich. Both were very good sandwiches and NYC huge. Pickles on the table were delicious. Only disappointment was the Matzo ball soup. The Matzo was very mushy and did not have the good flavor we were hoping for.

http://noshville.citysearch.com/1.html

Next morning we went to the Pancake Pantry located very close to Vanderbilt U at 1796 21st Ave S. I had fresh blueberry pancakes that were very good. Syrup is homemade and was a bit runny, but tasty. Wife’s omelet was good. Supposedly there are huge waits for the Pancake Pantry, but we got there at 6:45am on a Saturday and were easily seated.

We had decided to head south to do some antique shopping and see some of the old plantation homes south of Nashville near Franklin TN. Always in the mood for BBQ, we spotted Herbert’s BBQ as we got of the expressway near Franklin, located at 111 Royal Oaks Blvd. Herbert’s was terrific. Really enjoyed the dry spice ribs and links. Chicken was just OK.

The afternoon was so full of activity that we headed for a massage at Illusions Spa, located 5115 Harding Road 615.352.4464 http://www.illusionssalon.com/ Very good masseuses here, we were not disappointed.

We then headed over to the Opryland Hotel. While huge and somewhat impressive, I did not observe many people smiling as they were there. There was a feeling of mediocrity throughout.

By now it was late (8pm) and we really were not up for the effort to go dine at some of the restaurants we had researched. Our hotel was near the airport off of Donelson Pike so we dined at Darfons Restaurant located at 2810 Elm Hill Pike (just north of Nashville Int. Airport). In no way is Darfons the type of restaurant that we would normally search out. After the GREAT oysters at Joe’s we were again in the mood for some more so we ordered a dozen at Darfons. Again, we were very pleased at the quality and freshness. Two for two with oysters in Nashville, I would have never guessed. I ordered my Cobb salad w/the mustard soy dressing which was a topper of a delicious salad. My wife’s pancetta and shrimp pasta dish was outstanding as well. What dumb luck to stumble into this place. I looked up Darfons for reviews and some people gave it a thumbs down, those that gave it a thumbs up either ate salads or pasta, which is what we had, just an FYI.

We flew out at 6:30am the next morning so that is it for our Nashville dining experiences.

Did not make any meat n 3 places, we will next time.

[pogophiles]

Glad you enjoyed your trip Sweet Willie. A place near the airport that I would recommend you try is Mr. Boo's Hot Chicken (very close to Bar-B-Cutie on Donelson Pike). Their chicken is excellent!!

[bleachboy]

I live about five minutes from all these places - next time you're in the area, drop me a line and I'll take you out to some of my local favorites!

I agree about Darfons. My wife and I used to go there occasionally, but I would always get tempted and order prime rib, then be disappointed because there's much better prime rib to be had for an extra five minutes drive. But their salads and appetizers and sandwiches are fine (but still nothing to write home about).

[chefseanbrock]

you guys should come and have dinner at the capitol grille in the hermitage hotel, we use really high quality ingredients and we are in a gorgous 5 diamond hotel, would love for some fellow egulleters to give us a try

[bleachboy]

you guys should come and have dinner at the capitol grille in the hermitage hotel, we use really high quality ingredients and we are in a gorgous 5 diamond hotel, would love for some fellow egulleters to give us a try

Hey, I ran into some pastry chef a few weeks ago at Rumba that said she knew you and that you were doing good things at the Capitol Grille. I'll give it a try sometime. My wife works at the main library like a block from there, so we'll have to make it after work one day.

[pogophiles]

Kay West (The Nashville Scene) reviewed the Capital Grille just this week and gave it excellent marks. Congratulations Sean!! See the review here

[Lan4Dawg]

you guys should come and have dinner at the capitol grille in the hermitage hotel, we use really high quality ingredients and we are in a gorgous 5 diamond hotel, would love for some fellow egulleters to give us a try

Congratulations on the review & I am glad to read that it is back up above par. We went several years ago & thoroughly enjoyed it to the point of raving to anyone who would listen that when in Nashville they had to visit. Unfortunately two other dinners yielded much less satisfactory results and I later found out that the chef had left just prior to our second visit.

Now, after reading the reviews, we are again going to have to try Capitol Grille on our next journey to Nashville.

[tanabutler]

I haven't eaten here yet, but I did just work on a website for a newish restaurant near downtown, and am eager to go there when I visit my beloved Nashville.

Germantown Café

Plum pork sounds mighty good.

[destro800]

Hot Chicken!!!!!!

[chefseanbrock]

thanx for the great compliments, i look forward to having you as our guests in the capitol grille...........has anyone had dinner or have any questions for me?

[Varmint]

Sean-

That review of Capitol Grille was fantastic. I'd love to hear how working in a hotel restaurant has affected your cooking. I'd also like to hear more about how your Southern roots influence what you cook.

I hope to hear lots more about the Capital Grille.

[tanabutler]

Wow. Sean, normally I look askance at PDAs, but that big wet smooch seems just about right for such a glowing review.

Congratulations. I'll try to get to Nashville next year and come say "howdy."

[chefseanbrock]

i appreciate all of the wonderful comments, we are very grateful for the review we recieved, i hope everyone had wonderful christmas

sean

[bleachboy]

This past Thursday, my wife and I were doing a sort of "bar crawl" in downtown Nashville and ended up at The Hermitage Hotel, where I asked if Chef Sean Brock was in. The Maitre D' responded yes, but he's leaving in about 15 minutes, so I asked if I could meet him.

My wife (Marissa) and I went to the bar and ordered a gimlet, and a few moments later a weary looking chef appeared. This was New Year's Day that we were in, and Chef Brock had been in the kitchen since dinner service the night before. Luckily, he's still a young guy .. I probably would've keeled over!

He filled us in on his history and training, and told us about his duties as Chef at the (breathtakingly handsome) Hermitage Hotel. He's responsible for all food service in the hotel, which includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as room service at any hour of the day or night. Chef Brock was friendly and charming, and a real pleasure to talk to.

Anyhow, the subject rolled around to the special menu they'd prepared the previous night for New Year's Eve and I started freaking out when he mentioned lamb sweetbreads. I had never tried them. Chef Brock kindly offered to saute up a quick order for me, and I graciously accepted.

A few minutes passed, and the Chef returned with two absolutely scrumptious plates of food. Oh yes! A plate of lamb sweetbreads in a rich and luscious sauce, served with a couple of ribs off the rack for good measure(!). For my wife, a delicious citrus-flavored turbot. Good grief!

I wish I could give a better review of the food -- unfortunately my short-term memory is nonexistent, so suffice it to say that it was spectacular. Chef Sean Brock is the real deal. The ingredients were staggeringly high-quality and the preparation perfect. Speaking to him, my impression was that he aims to combine the ingredient obsession of Charlie Trotter with the creativity of Thomas Keller or Ferran Adria ("his CD's in the player now", Chef Brock told us). I believe he'd probably get much more experimental if not for the possibly staid quality of the type of clientele frequently seen by the Hermitage Hotel (that is, the necessity for an a la carte menu with filet-and-mashed-potatoes). Chef Brock seemed genuinely excited about food.

Anyhow, I intend to return .. soon. And with my notebook. And not in the midst of a "bar crawl".

Chef Brock offered to prepare a special tasting menu for my wife and I at some point in the future, then excused himself to get some much-deserved sleep, and I do intend to take him up on his offer ASAP.

If any Nashville-area eGulleters care to join us, maybe we can do a little socializing. Email me at bboy@bboy.net - but do it fast! I can't wait to go back to The Capitol Grille and really see what this chef can do!