Nashville Eats

The amazing bazooka guacamole at Tavern

Along with having an amazing music scene, Nashville also has a majorly sweet food scene!  I was on a quest for the hottest spots in town so I did a bit of investigating before I went.  I had a nice list going, and once I got there, the locals were more than happy to point me in the right direction.
The first place I want to talk about is Tavern.  More than a few people told me I had to go, and after checking out their menu, I knew it was my type of place.  We went on a Saturday afternoon and the place was packed.  I really liked the atmosphere, it was current and hip, yet still maintained a really relaxed vibe.
Our waiter informed us that things were a bit hectic due to being short staffed on the floor.  This wasn't a problem at all, these things happen in restaurants, and she was super friendly for having a rough day!  I immediately ordered the "bazooka" guacamole to start.  It's guacamole with goat cheese and pistachios.  First of all I loved the presentation, and it was seriously all that and a bag of chips!  We all really enjoyed it, and by enjoyed I mean could have licked the jar.  We also tried the Eggrolls which were ridiculous!  Think Philly cheesesteak fried with sambal ketchup, and yup they were as good as you're thinking right now!

Eggrolls with Sambal Ketchup

The one main dish that really stood out to me was the Bier Garden Meatballs.  Once again it was a really simple presentation, but it totally worked.  We literally got a little basket of spicy pork meatballs with soft garlic pretzels.  The meatballs were well seasoned and had just the right amount of kick to them.  The pretzels were perfectly buttery and had a beautiful golden color.

Bier Garden Meatballs

We enjoyed everything so much that we decided to go back Sunday for brunch.  After seeing pretzel pancakes with white chocolate mousse and dulce de leche on the menu, there was no way I was going to miss it!  We were advised to get there early to avoid a long wait, and we actually made it there by 10:30.  Now for me to make it anywhere by 10:30 on a Sunday morning is astounding, never mind after getting in at I don't even want to tell you what time.   Put it this way, I really wanted those pancakes!  To start we ordered a round of blood orange mimosas which were good, and tasted even better when we found out they were 2 for 1.  We decided to share the red velvet waffle as a starter and go from there.  It was good, definitely had that red velvet flavor, and the texture was nice and light.

Red Velvet Waffle 

While it pains me to say this, I didn't like the pretzel pancakes at all.  First of all the presentation was just a hot mess.  It was just a bunch of food dumped on a plate swimming in sauce.  I also didn't expect to get a pile of chopped up pretzels on top of the pancakes, not appealing at all.  While I think the concept was really good, it just wasn't executed well.  There was no balance of salty and sweet at all, it was beyond overly sweet. By the way, it takes a lot for me to say that.  The white chocolate mousse didn't taste like white chocolate at all, it just tasted like cream.  The dulce de leche was really the part that was way too much.  I took a few  bites and opted to stick with my mimosa.  

Pretzel Pancakes missed the mark

Due to the fact that I really liked this place I'm going to end this little segment on a good note.  Their Turkey B.L.T was fabulous, I wish I would've ordered it.  Smoked turkey, bacon, heirloom tomato, and avocado mayo worked really well on pretzel bread.  The sweet potato fries were done perfectly, and so cute presented in their own little fry basket.  Whatever the pancake situation may be, I'll definitely give this place another shot during my next Nashville trip for that "bazooka" guacamole.

Turkey B.L.T on pretzel bread

The next spot worthy of talking about is Suzy Wong's House of Yum.  Doesn't it just sound like fun?Come on, say it out loud, it'll make you smile :)  The atmosphere was playful and flirty, yet sophisticated.  They offer a wonderful selection of small plates which was perfect for us.   We ordered the Asian Wonton Nachos which were unbelievable!  All the different flavors going on complemented each other so well.  Huge wonton crisps covered in pulled pork, cherry tomatoes, queso, edamame, and a spicy crema.  Sorry there are no photos of this one, but trust me they were divine.

We also checked out Jeni's Ice Cream in East Nashville which seriously surpassed my expectations.  They had such a unique variety of flavors, and I really got a kick out of the fact that they offer a sundae named one night in Bangkok.  We tried the goat cheese with red cherries, I know you're shocked!  We also tried the sweet corn and black raspberry which was definitely my favorite.

Signature Flavors at Jeni's Ice Cream

The last place we went to was Whiskey Kitchen, and I'm still thinking about it!  It was the best meal of the trip, and I cannot wait to go back.  Same restaurant group as Tavern, so it has that same really cool atmosphere. We wanted to order everything on the menu, but finally opted for the jalapeno marinated fried pickles! OMG I have not stopped raving about these since I got home.  For dinner we ordered the "Kayne Prime" Burger and the Seared Ahi Tuna.  I didn't try the burger, but apparently it was the best burger ever!  My source happens to loves burgers, so this was a huge statement.  The tuna was fabulous.  It was seared perfectly and served with the most delicious sesame roasted green beans and salad.  It really was the perfect meal to end a great trip.  If you go to Nashville I highly recommend checking all these places out!

Jalapeno Marinated Fried Pickles

Tavern

Whiskey Kitchen

Jenis Splendid Ice Creams

Suzy Wong's House of Yum