The burger is America’s iconic beloved choice all day every day. We know not all burgers are created equally and I’m always on the search for the best of the best combination of bun, meat and cheese.

Doug and I both agree that meat needs to be good enough to stand alone (I often put mine on top of a salad), and the bun to meat ratio has to be just right. Too much bun and the burger is a fail. It needs to smash down on the burger and the ingredients need to be stacked in such a way that the bun doesn’t get soggy.

Nashville’s Best Burgers from Casual to Fancy

Grass Fed Burger at True Food Kitchen. What a surprise! This burger blew me away with quality, quantity and might be the best burger you can eat without a bun!  The kale side is my personal choice. Upscale casual. Extensive AIP menu. Coffee and Cocktails.

Fido’s Lamb Burger – The lamb beef combination never disappoints me. Follow up with their famous coffee. This burger has been popular for years! Casual. Nashville’s First Ever Coffee House. Iconic.

Germantown Pub – The Gerst Burger, beer braised with onions and muenster served on a pretzel bun. It’s sloppy, messy, drippy, and phenomenal. I also like the GTP Burger with a fried egg.

Jack Brown’s Beer and Burger Joint– I can’t get the pepper jelly, cream cheese burger out of my mind ever since I discovered how amazing this combination is. Wagyu burgers are grilled on flat top, not too thin, not to thick, with the perfect soft bun to burger ratio. You might be able to eat two of these, and you’ll probably want to. Choose from over 100 beers. Funky Bar Casual.

The Tavern – Not only would I go back for the burger, but those fries are everything. Crispy, thin, salty. Gastropub, Cocktails, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch. Eat on patio when you can.

Bobbie’s Dairy Dip – I’ve been eating burgers at this legendary walk up ice cream stand since I lived in Sylvan Park 18 years ago. Save room for the dipped cone! Get the Onion Rings! The sesame bun makes you forget this is fast food (made to order).

Husk – Fancy Southern Restaurant features a knock out burger. Try this with a Red Eye Manhattan or Old Fashioned. (Upscale with full menu). Lunch, Dinner.

Hop Doddy  in Hillsborough Village- Burger or burger salad, you cannot go wrong. The meat by itself is very tasty. Very unique choices, including a breakfast burger, a Kobe Beef Burger, a Bison Burger and a spicy Llano Poblano Burger. Casual. Serves cocktails and milkshakes. Family friendly.

O’ Be Joyful(Franklin) Burgers with Whiskey

Nothing better than a great pimento burger and a rye old fashioned.  Located on Main Street in Franklin. Very small and noisy, but great place to grab a burger and a drink.

Favorite Burgers in Nashville off the Beaten Path in Strip Malls

Ground (Franklin) – I love this burger place, nestled in a little strip mall off Carothers with modest hours 11-2 and 4-8 Monday through Saturday.  You can get a burger salad which is so good, and if you love french fries, they have the best! I usually get the caesar salad with burger and avocado. They also have a burger stuffed sweet potato that comfort food perfection. (Casual). Delivery available.

Jumbo and Delicious (Hendersonville) If you happen to be in Hendersonville and you’re starving, this giant burger will do the trick. They aren’t kidding when they say jumbo. You can get a 3/4 pound burger for $9.99 You’ve been warned. (casual)

Sub Culture Cafe- A  tiny joint in a strip mall that cares about their food. Won Best burger in 2017 and came in at number 2 in 2018. That’s all you need to know folks. (casual)

Mill Creek Taproom at 12 South- This is my number one favorite burger at the moment, although there’s not a burger on this page I wouldn’t enjoy eating.

I took one bite during burger week and said “you win.”  I was right! They won out of thirty burgers.

Try this with a dark beer. Get the rosemary potato chips.  I ate this burger on their first day in their new second location on 12th Avenue South. They didn’t need any practice at all to get it right. It’s all in their sauce which they’re keeping under wraps.

Most Impressive Burger is a bit out in the country.

We recently tried the burger at 1892 in Leiper’s Fork. The quality of meat is amazing and it’s big, so bring an appetite. 1892 get busy quickly on Saturdays so go early or make a reservation as it’s a small place serving excellent gourmet farm to table food.

Nashville Burgers I’ve yet to try, but hear good things.

Hugh Baby’s – Fast food burger place that people rave about. Have you been. Tell me. Fast food, cooked to order. Burgers, Shakes, Fries, Dogs.

Tennessee Brew Works – Five Beer Burger for $18.  The person that told me about this burger was gushing over it. Everything I hear says go try it along with one of their craft beers.

Please let me know your favorite burger in town, and I’ll make sure I get out and try it.

Here is my NashvilleFoodBuzz Instagram Account. I also have a recipe Instagram for Spinach Tiger.

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I’m excited to tell you a year later, we still LOVE the East Nashville restaurant, Folk, that serves quite possibly the best pizza in Nashville.

It’s been a few weeks since I wrote about Nashville food. To be quite honest, while I’ve been out and about, there have only been a few places that have inspire  me consistently.  Folk is one of them.

European trained, Chef Philip Krajek recently opened, Folk in East Nashville, an upscale pizza-centric restaurant in true Italian style. There was much anticipation and high expectation for the opening Folk due to the success of Philip Krajek’s Rolf and Daughters, which can be worrisome unless you can get it more than right, and Folk does.

The flour is milled and the dough naturally fermented before pizza and loaves of sour dough bread are baked in a wood burning oven.

Folk Restaurant in East Nashville inspires me to cook more Italian

How do I know I’m inspired? I either want to go home and start replicating a dish or I want to make reservations as soon as I leave to try more dishes. Since Folk opened, we’ve been there at least seven times and that’s a lot considering we like to try new places. There is no other restaurant we frequent as much.

In fact, Doug and I have discussed making Folk our Sunday night tradition at least every two weeks. If you know us and how picky we are about Italian food, you know something is very right.

I plan on eating every pizza on the menu, every small bite, every large plate, every seasonal toast (bruschetta)  on their absolutely amazing sour dough bread, even better than Zuni Cafe in San Francisco, and that’s saying a lot!

If you don’t want the seasonal toast, just order some of their sourdough bread. We’ve done that knowing we’re having pizza and because of the in house sour dough process we don’t leave bloated. That’s amazing in itself.

If you follow me, you know I don’t usually eat bread, wheat or many carbs.

Let me say this about that; I have had no problems eating their sour dough bread or sour dough pizza crust. It’s like eating in Italy where you feel good eating the food.  I don’t even want to say this pizza is my guilty pleasure, because I don’t have any guilt and it’s not food that weighs you down.

The Good Vibe at Folk with Modern Comfortable Ambiance

,We love the good vie, the tall ceilings, brick walls and the most importantly, good acoustics. They had the good sense to treat the tall ceilings for sound and use fabric covered booths so not only is the place quite handsome, it’s comfortable to sit and have conversation.

The dining area adorned with large white globes,  seats 72, yet  feels roomy with tall ceilings and a cleanly designed decor and an open kitchen.

I was pleasantly surprised that the place is more handsome in person than on-line and just has such a pleasant ambiance,  something I’ve experienced more in California than here in Nashville, where restaurants are sometimes overdone barnyard or so loud, we never return.

We ordered our usual cocktail, the Old Fashioned with Bulleit Rye and it was spot on.

Folk makes their own sour dough pizza and bread (make their own starter too). They always have a toast option on the menu. This was made with chanterelles mushrooms and was stellar. The bread rivals any sour dough anywhere.

On one occasion we shared a bottle of this  cotes-du-rhône red, which I highly recommend if you’re ordering a bottle.

The small plates are creative, seasonal, elegant, and straight forward. We had a fresh raw fennel, peach and ricotta salad, a nice starter before pizza. Even though there is a uniqueness to each plate, they are pleasantly balanced and “Alice Waters” sensible.

Blue crab is often featured in one of the small plates. We have had two versions, both so good. One was made with a shredded red cabbage, garlic scapes, and wood sorrel. My favorite was made with an Italian succulent with bread crumbs. Every week you will see changes in the menu depending on available fresh ingredients, which are put together in harmonious fashion compelling you to try dishes you’ve never had, yet still feel somewhat familiar.

Please note that the pizza choices change frequently, and while you can always get a tomato cheese pizza or their signature clam pizza, the pizza shown here may not be available.

We have ordered the kale pizza twice,  and no one does kale better. The crust is crisp and chewy, just as good as any pizza in Italy. The kale is sultry, with parmesan cheese and enough char to the kale to bring an added texture.

Saving one of the best for last, the Clam Pizza with bonito, lemon, chili, parsley seems to be the most talked about and possibly their signature pizza.  It’s scrumptious, and everyone at the table loved it! When we went with another couple we started with this as an appetizer, and then ordered more pizza later after some side dishes.

Folk’s Pizza may be the best pizza in Nashville.

While Folk’s pizza has moved to the number one spot (in my opinion) in Nashville, they excel at dessert, so save room.

The tiramisu cream puff is mounds of mascarpone stuffed into a giant cream puff shell which tempts you back to have more bites than you planned.  (excuse it’s blurriness) and the coffee is good!

Recently Andrea treated us to Folk for Doug’s birthday. Follow her instagram account, Nashville Made,  for the latest in Nashville food. She also has a blog Saving Everyday.

Folk Restaurant excels at Dessert.

Folk takes the classic Neopolitan ice cream and changes the flavors to Rye, Parmesan, and Beet. I was skeptical until the first bite. This is so creative, yet not an assault on the tastebuds, as some weird combinations can be. It’s completely delicious and you will fight for the last bite.

We’ll be back to try that chicken milanese, a breaded half chicken, flattened in true Italian style.

Nashville needs more comfortable, cozy Italian places that make an intentional decision to put serious effort into each dish and craft what they do well. As Nashville has become a food destination, I truly hope to see more Italian neighborhood restaurants that are so good, I leave my neighborhood and drive all the way across town.

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Open 7 days a weeks, reservations accepted, with room for walk-ins.  The bar area seats 36 is modern and cozy and there is room to sip and sup. Patio seating is coming in 2019, but my hope is that Chef Philip Krajec clones himself and more casual upscale approachable Italian restaurants come to town.

If you’re looking for them online or on instagram, look for goodasfolk.

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In the last week, I’ve been able to eat there on three different occasions, twice invited in to try the food (as a food blogger/influencer) and once on my own.

I’m already planning a fourth time because True Food Kitchen is a cozy, energetic place with the kind of food I do my best to bring you.  Big Fat Healthy Food. They go a step further.

The menu was created under the direction of Dr. Andrew Weil to be in line with the AIP diet (the anti-inflammatory diet), but they clearly didn’t stop at nutritional AIP guidelines. They enlisted the best chefs, designers and management teams to orchestrate a restaurant also pleasing to the palate and the eye.

Too often “health and healthy” mean ingredients and flavor stripped from our favorite dishes, but that’s not the case at True Food Kitchen.

What should you eat at True Food Kitchen?

You must try the skinny margarita. Be prepared for a serious wow experience, made with fresh lemon, oranges and cilantro and not like any artificial skinny margarita of the past.

The most interesting thing that people are buzzing about is how the good, creative and colorful the food is. We are buzzing because True Food Kitchen passes the “man food” test. Yes, this is a food you can take your boyfriends and husbands to, ladies, and they won’t feel shortchanged.

Doug ordered the bolognese lasagna and was quite happy, and remember I make a great bolognese.

I ordered the Grass-Fed Burger, which comes with mushrooms, caramelized onion, arugula, parmesan and mayonnaise, and I couldn’t finish it, even though I decided not to eat the flax seed bun.

This vegan butternut squash soup was so delicious with a depth of flavor, from allspice, cinnamon and maple syrup. The texture was creamy, yet made with coconut milk, not cream. I have a great recipe for butternut squash soup here. 

When I dine out, I look for a few things if I’m going to return. I not only need to feel good after I eat, I want to feel good walking in the door, experiencing a warm welcome and a beautiful setting.

The green banquettes remind me so much of Spinach Tiger colors, as does the herb garden stands that greet you at the door. Plants are peppered throughout the restaurant, and there is an overall feeling of well-being.

The flourless chocolate cake similar to a gooey brownie cake, adorned with coconut ice cream, was a nice way to end a girlfriend joint birthday lunch and was served with a very good latté made with organic beans. Yes, they have a coffee bar!

A few of the other dishes I’ve tried include amazing grilled fish tacos, spicy beef tacos, brussels sprouts as a share item, the butternut squash flat bread and the squash pie (think pumpkin pie).  There are vegan, vegetarian and gluten free choices along with high quality grass-fed meat and seafood.

While I’m not usually excited about chain restaurants, I make an exception here. The concept for well-thought out, real food with our body in mind, is long overdue. It’s very difficult for locally owned restaurants to execute this concept in such a comprehensive way, offering as many dishes and having had them tested, calorie counted with true nutrition values.

Located across from Trader Joe’s on Hillsboro Road, valet parking is available.

Here is my NashvilleFoodBuzz Instagram Account. I also have a recipe Instagram for Spinach Tiger.

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This week, my crushing on Nashville post is a few days early, nudging you to try any of these favorites over the weekend.

Let’s start with the premier Mexican Cultural Center, Plaza Mariachi.

Plaza Mariachi is a latino cultural center on Nolensville road. There are several eateries from casual to more fancy. This is a must visit center. There’s food, coffee, entertainment, and grocery. You can check out the directory to see the places to try. You will find palatas, tacos, street corn, gryos, lattes, aqua frescos and so much more!

Here’s what I’ve had at Las Tapas. They offer a menu of rotating tapas and tuna tartare was a special that day.

Here’s the steak and potatoes I’ve had at Tres Gauchos. You can see how good this hangar steak was.

There are a few Nashville Mexican restaurants that really have my heart and their very different from each other.

Bar Taco is trendy, but friendly and casual and a little upscale, with an awesome patio. You can eat healthy here, by getting lettuce wrapped tacos. See the article I wrote about them here.

Mas Taco,  is super casual order at the counter, but legendary, located East Nasvhille. Read Why We Nashville Loves Mas Tacos Por Favor.

We love Mas Tacos, especially for their signature Tortilla Soup, which I did a copy cat of here. 

St. Anejo in the gulch has the best brunch, sangria and chorizo queso. They have premium tequila and a mezcal menu with over  120 labels. Large-group friendly and you can rent out the tequila bar upstairs for a private party.

Look at their cornbread with chorizo queso. Amazing.

Rosepepper Cantina  an all around East Nashville favorite and known for their margaritas.

Taco Mamacita in Edgehill Village- Funky fusion tacos and skinny margaritas, but go for the sweet potato fries. I especially like the taco choices and the sweet potato fries. If you are low-carbing it, they have a chicken with green sauce.

Local Taco in Sylvan Park, East Nashville and Brentwood.  I admit I like the southern fried buttermilk chicken taco.

Fried mac n cheese. How crazy is that?

They do have a gluten free menu.

Baja Burrito in the Berry Hill Neighborhood. We’ve eaten there a zillion times. Casual, grass fed beef.

San Antonio Taco Company – Doug’s all time favorite. Very casual, make southwestern tacos your way.

La Hacienda Taqueria in Nashville. Nice owners. I did a lot of residential faux finishing for them They also have a tortilla factory next store. Authentic, tried and true. I love the barbacoa.

Solario at the Opryland Hotel is off the hook.

Chago’s Cantina I just sampled the food at food events. Fresh Mexican and Latin American.

Williamson County Mexican Restaurants

Los Primos Grocery and Bakery in Franklin – This is the most authentic place in Franklin. It’s a Mexican bakery, grocery store and out the door line for tacos. They have all kinds of prepared meat, including goat. This is the place I buy Mexican Crema and all kinds of Mexican groceries.

Pueblo Real (in Franklin) – This is a hidden gem that everyone in Franklin knows about, because it’s always busy. I love the chips and the service and pretty much anything on the menu. It’s the type of Mexican restaurant that’s not modern nor cool and everything comes with rice and beans. I especially like their Tacos Pastor. There is an awesome paletas store on the side of the building.

Pueblo Real, my little secret cheap and wonderful place. Don’t go this weekend unless you go at 4:00. They are just as crowded on Monday nights. I can’t believe I’m sharing this. It’s hard enough to get a seat.

Sopapilla Fan favorite, clean, fresh take on Mexican and nice outdoor patio.I love their fish tacos.

El Segundo in my neighborhood in Franklin. Once a week night we get a chicken tortilla soup to go. It’s all chicken, with a little rice and they provide tortilla strips, avocado slices and pico de gallo on the side. My next favorite thing is their shrimp cocktail. I’ll get the large as an entree. Get it and see why!

Uncle Julio’s – has a great happy hour and ask them to make you their version of a skinny margarita, not the mix.

This is just a sampling of places. There are lots of great cheap taco places in the Nolensville  road area.

Do you have a favorite I didn’t mention? I’d love to include them.

Get Authentic Mexican Pops at Las Paletas

Las Paletas  Cool off with wildly inventive Las Paletas Gourmet Popsicles dipped in Olive & Sinclair, or any number of fruited popsicles.

Here are few of my Favorite Mexican recipes that I make for Cinco De Maya.

Carnitas is one of my most popular posts here at Spinach Tiger. I’ve made this so many times and it’s a party favorite. We love it with  Roasted Salsa Verde.

Pico de Gallo

Famous Table Side Guacamole

Fresh Citrus Margarita

Avocado Margarita

Mexican chicken and pasta.

How do celebrate cinco de maya and do you have a favorite Mexican recipe that I need to have?

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This is written from very good first impressions at an influencer’s dinner on the rooftop of the Nashville Underground. I was already a big fan of the original National Underground and wrote about it years ago.

The word “underground” is kind of funny because Nashville Underground is built way above ground, with two mind blowing roof top bars, boasting the tallest roof-top in the city, and I had the pleasure of sampling a lot of the food and the good vibe.

Owners Joey and Gavin DeGraw, closed down the original National Underground’s 1600 square foot venue to give birth to a 13 million dollar renovation, adding floors, roof tops and even a separate roof top kitchen.

Sitting on historic broadway at 40,000 square feet, the Nashville Underground is the place to go for live music, special events, food, libations, dancing, and gazing down Broadway from two different rooftops.

The Rooftop at the Nashville Underground

This was the beautiful setting for the influencer dinner. I got to tag alone with Nashville Made. You’ll want to follow her instagram account to see more.

The drinks are spot on, but the food is something to talk about, something to sing about and if you like, something to dance about.

All too often, roof top bars don’t put much effort into the food, because the view and the cocktails can easily satisfy. Executive Chef, Steve Petrie and Sous Chef Zach Sass have taken their roof top food seriously with no compromise. The rooftop bar has its own kitchen, so there is no waiting, and the food is approached as if this is the only thing happening in this massive venue.

Everyone was enjoying this take on a moscow mule.  They also serve the coldest beer in the city at 29 degrees.

Bar Food is Tops at the Nashville Underground

We started with carpaccio, which I’m very picky about.  If they keep delivering carpaccio like this, it will be deemed best in the city.

Not only was the tuna poke beautifully presented, it was so fresh, well-balanced and full of healthy fats, I was fighting for that last bite.

The crab is jumbo lump blue served with a spicy harissa cocktail sauce, and if you know anything about crab, this is as good as crab gets!

If these aren’t enough to satisfy your appetite, you can sink into their delicious steak tartare, a hand chopped filet mixed with smoked pepper aoili and capers served with a raw duck egg, local greens and grilled bread.

The Black Pepper shrimp with Fired Green Tomatoes not just tickled my fancy with a mix of Southern charm, the spices were spot on.

We also had gorgonzola lamb chops with an almond mint pesto drizzle. There was not one chop left on the table.

Two flatbreads were served, Nashville Hot Chicken, and Margherita. You can also order hot chicken sliders. By this time, however, I was full and I don’t generally eat too many grains.

You can get Healthy, Low Carb Dishes on the Nashville Underground Roof  Top Bar

Where in the world do you ever see decadent, healthy culinary choices in a bar? While you can get all the “fried” you want, there are some exceptional healthy choices.

The good news for someone like me is that I was able to fill up on very healthy, grain free, high protein, low-carb dishes with the crab, carpaccio and poke.

I used to feel awkward pointing out the healthier dishes in restaurants, but I know there are folks looking for those and  I think chefs in today’s world serve the restaurants and customers well when they  make some intention to include some “lighter” items that fit these life style food trends. At any given time people are following a keto diet, a paleo diet, or a diabetic friendly diet and several of  dishes on the bar food menu fit these.

If you splurge though, there is an LED Video Dance Floor to burn it off!

In case you don’t make it up to the roof top, the first floor is smoking hot handsome, with a separate menus for the first two floors (a little fancier, a lot more Southern,) featuring a variety of live music seven days a week.

When you do your “honky tonk” night stomping, this is one of your stops!

Check out the Nashville Underground Menu and Hours at their Site. They are available for private events, (20 to 1500) or drop in for a good time to (in their words) drink, taste, see Nashville.

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This week we are crushing on Dinner Time Stories in Nashville, the most unique dinner party event you will ever attend!

Created in Europe, as of this writing, Nashville is the only city in North America to host Dinner Time Stories, a global dinner party event, where technology, and culinary deliciousness come together, not to clash, but to entertain all the senses, and redefine dining out in 2018.

Hosted at the The Standard at The Smith House, we were greeted by a maître’d and escorted into a private cocktail area. In some cities there is a cocktail “add on” and in Nashville cocktails are not included. You might want to order a bottle of wine to take with you into the dining room. Take a moment to read the history of the The Smith House. It’s fascinating. 

After cocktails,  we were seated with about 30 other people at a long table, according to our place card. Looking up, you can see an overhead projector over each place setting, which controls the show. Part of the fun is meeting new people and enjoying the experience together, and social media participation is encouraged.

Overhead Projectors bring the Magic to the Dinner Time Stories  

The Dinner Time Stories begin with a Story Book and meeting Le Petit Chef

Expectations are high for the food because this is not an inexpensive event, and Chef Joe Shaw does not disappoint, as he puts his own personal spin on six global courses with the help of Le Petit Chef.

As each course is placed in front of each, a mood is created with music and visual patterns that cover the table.

Le Petit Chef, a 3-D animated hologram, comes to life to face danger, dive into spices, and take you on a journey following the route of Marco Polo, as you travel through France, Arabia, India, and China.

The courses are served on trays placed precisely under each projector.

Dinner Time Stories Encourages Participatory Journal Writing

As the music, visuals, aromas and tastes tickled our creative juices, we were encouraged to write or draw in journals they provided. Sharing entries from previous dinners sparked some juicy conversations, adding to the fun.  At our end of the table, there were several entries from a woman stating not only that her husband is hot, but he’s the hottest. Thinking back, I should have written Le Petit Chef is the hottest!

The music starts, and the story telling begins. After we meet Le Petit chef, a tray with a box is placed in front of us.

Course 1.   Amuse Bouche. We start in France.

Ratatouille Terrine with Tomato Jam. Roasted Green Slip Mussel with Garlic & Lemon.

Course 2.  We traveled Arabia: Lamb Tagine with Tabbouleh Salad of  Bulgar, Parsley. We absolutely loved this dish and it was our favorite as far as balance of flavors, although it competes with the dessert.

Course 3. We traveled to India. This is the only dish that includes a cocktail, a curry whiskey a reinspired mule.

Chana Masala with Chickpeas,Tomato & Onion, Tandor White Fish with Cucumber Garnish.

I’m not a fan of chick peas, but I loved these.

Prior to the main course, we were swept away to the Himalayan Mountains for sorbet with one of the coolest (seriously) coolest presentations I have ever experienced. The fragrance of lemongrass permeated the room, and we were all transformed and tickled.

The Palate Cleanser: Lemon Sorbet

The main course landed us in China and two different entrees were served. Doug had the shrimp, and I had the duck. How did they know that’s exactly how we would have ordered it. I could eat that duck every single day. This course was served with chop sticks and a few too many people complained about not having a fork. A little more real travel will help with that.

Sweetness at the Final Act of Dinner Time Stories

The grand finale of the night was the dessert, because by this time I was actually believing Le Petit Chef was real and making that dessert in front of me. He was using such aromatic spices like saffron and cardamom and grand marnier.  I knew we were in for something very special.

This crème brülee had a balance of the best flavors ever, and I’m now inspired to gather these ingredients in my own kitchen to extend that joy and create a new memory.

Final Thoughts on the Dinner Time Stories 

It’s a wonderful techno-culinary experience that is a visionary dining out experience.  Phones are out and encouraged,  and there’s something magical about being able to share this with friends.

The service and staff are impeccable. Each time the waiters placed a board in front of a guest, they did so in sync like a well tuned symphony.   It takes a lot of staff and coordination to make this run smoothly and they didn’t miss a beat!

During cocktail time, it might be nice to suggest a wine bottle or carafe be purchased to take to the table, as it was difficult to order a glass of wine, once the service begins. I completely understand this, as everything is timed and has to run like a show.

Chef  Shaw was very successful in creating a balance of flavors and unique global courses. The spices, aromas, flavors and preparation were on point. The dessert was exquisite and in harmony with all the preceding courses.

The Standard is a beautiful venue and probably the perfect place to create this most unique dining experience.

Cities that Have Hosted Dinner Time Stories

I find it fascinating to have experienced this knowing others in these international cities have experienced the same thing. Food connects us and bonds us to others we may never meet.

Berlin * London *  Stockholm * Cairo *  (Jeddah) Saudi Arabia * Dubai *  (Kodsijde) Belgium

Tickets for Dinner Time Stories 

Nashville has extended its dates through April and you can get your tickets here.

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Hi Friends. We’re taking a week away from Nashville because we’re crushing on San Francisco in 48 hours, and we know you will too, once you read this.

San Francisco does the best job of any city I’ve been to in America of offering elegant, farm to table food that fits my big, fat, healthy viewpoint. We hope you take the time to read this, because it is ribboned with wonderful American stories of entrepreneurs and visionaries who have formed the culinary culture of San Francisco and, consequently, America.

Many of the places we visited or ate at were started with one person and an idea to bring something wonderful to eat or drink.

Staying in San Francisco: Union Square

We like to stay around Union Square. In the past we have stayed at the Westin St. Franics,  and Marriott Marquis, Grand Hyatt, and Sir Frances Drake, all in this general area.

The Union Square area is perfect if you want to get in some shopping, and you can still walk to China Town, North Beach or the Ferry Building. It’s a 30 minute walk to Coit Tower and a 36 minute walk to Fisherman’s Wharf. You will want to do some walking off of all the food you’re going to eat.

On this trip we stayed at the Hotel Adagio using Marriott points.

It’s comfortable, and has a nice little bar to sit at that makes a great old fashioned or Manhattan. On my our last visit, we stayed at the Sir Francis and the bartender made the best Bloody Mary I ever drank. I went home with that recipe.

Crushing on San Francisco in 48 Hours: Breakfast

You can check out any of the bakeries and coffee shops below and go that route, or you might want to visit Mama’s.

Mama’s on Washington Square – Go early, wait in line. They do NOT take credit cards, but check out this instagram hashtag and you’ll see, it’s worth it.

During Dungeness Crab season, they have crab benedict and crab omelettes, but you can also find prosciutto, smoked salmon, and pancetta for savory combinations.  If you’re looking for old fashioned sweetness, order pancakes made from scratch or french toast. The funny story for me is Spinach Tiger got its name confirmed waiting in a long line at Mama’s 9 years ago!

Crushing on San Francisco 48 Hours:  Dim Sum and Chinatown

If you’re looking for a different kind of brunch experience, Dim Sum at City View is just as popular as Mama’s, but the line moves a lot faster. Write your name on a tablet and expect about a twenty minute wait. Feast upon dumplings, buns, shrimp rolls, fried rice, and so much more. This is a great place for larger parties.

Ask for broccoli greens if they don’t come around with them. The greens are so delicious and round out the heavier carbs. Don’t worry, though, the food still has a light touch and you’ll have room for dinner, because you’ll take a long walk into Chinatown from here or head over to the Ferry Building for coffee.

Take a walk through China Town before or after.  It’s fun; it’s interesting. It’s delicious. (and what’s with my hair. It’s all streaky, not my norm for sure.

The Ferry Building is open every day, but if you can get to the Ferry building on a Saturday, you’re in for a real treat as this is one of the best farmer’s market I’ve been to. You’ll be able to grab a bite from the vendors, or go inside to eat; all of the choices are good choices.  I never ever go to San Francisco without stopping here at least once here.

Make sure you look at the directory, as we can’t cover everything here.

If you love oysters, The Hog Island Oyster Company in the Ferry Building is your heaven. There will probably be a line but it’s worth it, and you might be able to sit outside on the water.

You have to get something at Cowgirl Creamery  if you love artisan cheese (and who doesn’t) and pair it with bread from next door  at Acme Bakery. Doug and I once ate an entire Pierce Pt (soft, creamy, herb wrapped) and loaf of bread for lunch. Only do this if you plan on walking for the next two hours! They have the largest selection of cheese I’ve ever seen in one place (their own and other carefully selected brands).

More on Lunch

If indoors is not your thing, walk down to Fisherman’s wharf and eat clam chowder and sour dough bread. It’s touristy, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good!

The Tartine Manufactory – This is a fairly new concept, open from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Looking at their instagram feed, the sandwiches look insanely good. Inside the building is a bakery, a soda fountain, coffee, beer, wine and food served all day.

Crushing on Coffee in San Francisco 

We have two favorites we equally love.

Blue Bottle founded in 2001 in Oakland . Beans are round within 4 to 7 days of roasting, depending on the bean.

If you’re an espresso coffee buff like we are, read what they have to say about degassing espresso beans. 

It’s hard to find a real cappuccino even in the best places. Blue Bottle gets it right and we did a taste comparison of latte verses cappuccino. The cappuccino wins, as you can really taste the coffee, whereas the latte drowns it out.

Peets Coffee

We love the Peets story, because shockingly, the first Peets opened in 1996 on Vine Street in Berkley. Alfred Peet moved here from Holland and was appalled at what America called coffee. A true visionary, catapulting the artisan coffee movement, which we now take for granted. My favorite specialty latte is the golden cappuccino, with natural turmeric, ginger and honey.

Crushing on San Francisco: Dinner

If you can’t get great pizza in your hometown because you don’t live in Italy, we suggest at least one stop at Pizzeria Delfina. If you want a very delicious authentic Italian dinner, try their James Beard Award winning restaurant.

Pizzeria Delfina– It’s all about the crust and they have it. If there is just two of you, you can share a pizza and a salad, saving room the butterscotch budino.

Nopa – a neighborhood restaurant, specializing in wood-fired organic cuisine.

We went to  Nopa with friends who live in San Franciso, as it’s their favorite restuarant. I ordered the special of the day, wood-fired Whole Snapper. It was beautiful and perhaps the best fish of my life. It was enough for two people, but let me confess, I ate it all. My only solace is that I do know how to roast a whole snapper, so I can experience this again, but it won’t be exactly the same.

The portions are large, the craft cocktails are good, the atmosphere is nice casual, and you can eat at the bar. This is the kind of place that has something for everyone, including a burger on the menu.

I got to sample the brined pork chop that will blow your mind as you can cut it with a butter knife.

Doug ordered the homemade paparadelle with bolognese. We know what authentic is supposed to taste like, and they nailed it!

I have recipes for Roasted Whole Snapper, Authentic Bolognese, and Homemade Paparadelle.

Zuni Cafe –  I have a few pleasant memories of eating at Zuni Cafe. If this restaurant were in Nashville, I’d probably eat here every week. Originally started in 1979, it evolved to James Beard Status. It encompasses a rich history of European influence, some Chez Panisse DNA, as a toaster oven and small slice of real estate expanded into a full service restaurant with a wood-fired brick oven roasting quail, whole fish, and their legendary roast chicken for two, served with an equally famous bread salad.

The chicken is dry brined for three days. I was so smitten with it years ago, I came home and made it a million times. Once we had it for Thanksgiving.  Recipe here. 

There’s also a Zuni Cafe Cookbook, which I have and love!

I never leave the Zuni without ordering the chocolate flourless cake for dessert. It’s light in texture and dark in flavor. I’ve made this chocolate cake numerous times and everyone loves it. It’s not a typical dense brownie like flourless cake. Its more like a creamy mix between mousse and ganache. I have the recipe here.

Crushing on Sweets in San Francisco

There is no end to sweet choices in the bay area. Choose from wonderful artisan bakeries, chocolatiers, or organic ice cream.

Smitten Ice Cream

Walking from dinner one evening, we stumbled onto Smitten Ice Cream, an organic ice cream shop. As so many things that come out of the Bay area, there’s a cool entrepreneurial story.

They actually churn the ice cream fresh while you wait, using a Brrr®, Smitten’s proprietary contraption that freezes ice cream in about 90 seconds (it’s super cool, literally) and churns perfectly. It’s the coolest thing, literally, figuratively.

It’s okay if you have high expectations. They’ll meet them. They only have six or so flavors, so they can get it right, and it’s the creamiest freshest ice cream. I tried cookies and cream and lemon and both were so good.

Miette Cakes (in the Ferry Building) has cupcakes and confections in small portions, carefully crafted with the finest local ingredients. Originally started at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market in the fall of 2001 with a passion for cakes & pastry, it’s another story of culinary food success.

Go to Tartine Bakery and forget calories. This is a splurge and a heavenly treat to the eyes, the soul, the sweet tooth.

Sift Dessert Bar is a bakery started in 2008 when the owner was looking for desserts for her wedding. A rise to fame followed a in in Cupcake Wars. They have cupcakes, macarons and cruffles. Cruffles are a mix between cookies and truffles.They also makes gluten free products a few days a week.

Ghiradelli is another wonderful entrepreneurial story, when Domino Ghiradelli sailed from Italy and opened a store in 1849 in Stockton and then in San Francisco. Remember to pronounce it “Geer a dely.”  Visit the original Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop, where you can view chocolate manufacturing equipment, indulge in Hot Fudge Sundaes.



Ghiradelli Square was named a San Francisco landmark in 1965.

Crushing on San Francisco – Walk, Bike over to Sausalito on the Golden Gate Bridge

You could also take a morning to bike ride over to Sausalito, get a coffee and a bite at our favorite, Cibo, for breakfast or light lunch. Or go to Fish, completely dedicated to sustainable seafood and organic produce. Take the Ferry Back.

The Things Still on Our List for the Next Trip to San Francisco

This is not a complete list, but a few standouts, we would still like to do.

• Swans Oyster Depot –  take the cable car from Market/California to Polk/California and have a late lunch at around 2:30. There will be a line (only 8 seats) but worth the wait. Great oysters, chowder, etc.
• Smugglers Cove – Tiki Bar in San Francisco. You think you are in a Pirate Ship. Voted one of top bars in the US. Great!
• A Boat Ride Tour and maybe a Tour of Alcatraz – Doug did this years ago and loved it.
• Go up in Coit Tower
• See an opera at the Opera House

This was our 9th trip to San Francisco in 18 years. We love this city for it’s beauty, breathtaking views, and food. Tell us YOUR favorite places in San Francisco. We’re going back in April, so we’d love to get new recommendations.

After our 48 hours, we headed to wine country, which will we will put in a new post. 

We have a new name for our Nashville Instagram Account, Nashville Food Buzz. Please follow us over there.

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Valentine’s Day presents such a dilemma. We don’t really want to go out. We don’t really want to stay in. I know many of you feel the same way, so let me suggest getting a sweet treat from one of Nashville’s local shops. This is not a complete list, just the places I tend to favor. If you have a favorite please let me know.

Goo Goo Clusters – Take a road trip downtown and visit the Goo Goo Store. Get one of the candy bars they make on premises. The Goo Goo cluster was the very first candy bar with multiple ingredients made in the USA. The store is gorgeously merchandised, and although, I’m not a tourist, when I’m downtown I have to stop in and get the house-made candy bard of the day.

You can also take a chocolate class there like I did. It’s a fun event and there’s a little wine pairing.

Triple Crown Bakery – located in Franklin, Tn

You can pop in and sit and have a pastry with coffee, or  special order a custom fancy cake for birthdays and weddings. The pastries are delicious and there is usually one gluten free sweet available.

Cupcake Collection – Girlfriend has it so going on, and now features gluten free cupcakes including the smashing, legendary, sweet potato cupcake! Aside from of  the most popular cupcake store in Nashville (and soon New Orleans), read the story about founder, Mignon Francoise. They are also partnered with Sweeten the Day, a service that delivers custom-prepared sweets as gifts.

Five Daughters Donuts – At first I was apprehensive. These donuts are pricey and would they live up to my expectations. I rarely treat myself to this kind of splurge, but if you’re craving donuts, this is the place to go. I like the cream filled, which blows my mind.

Bobbie’s Dairy Dip the first place I felt at home when I moved to Nashville. We used to live in Sylvan Park and go over and have burgers, and frozen custard dipped in chocolate. I wrote about them here. 

Just mention this to Doug and he lights up and says “let’s go.”

The Pink Radio Days Cake at Fido 

Fido is a coffee house that recently saved my birthday night. After a disastrous dinner at a fancy hotel where we did not eat, we headed to Fido for lattes and pink radio cake. The night was made all better.

This just might be my all time favorite cake and if anyone has the recipe, please give it to me. It’s made with beets, but you can’ taste them, but that’s where the beautiful pink color comes from. We’ve tried with all our might to taste and taste with our eyes closes and taste again to pick out the ingredients. Three people said molasses. Doug tastes graham crackers or the vanilla cookies in banana pudding. I taste milk, flour and vanilla with a texture of honey.

Sweet 16 Bakery

These people are the sweetest people we ever did meet.  We stopped in one Saturday morning and left as friends.  She started making cakes for people on the side and now they are an East Nashville neighborhood iconic bakery. They are known for their breakfast sandwich, but the don’t leave without a heavenly scone. I wrote about them in depth here.

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream – I think you can learn a lot about a person when you take them out for ice cream by observing what flavor they pick when there are so many exotic choices. Will they pick vanilla or something out of the box  like sweet potato with torched marshmallow?

Jeni’s is made Philly style meaning cream cheese, no eggs, which gives it a super creamy taste, but the biggest claim to fame are the very unique and intense flavors like dark chocolate that will appease any and all chocolate cravings! My favorite remains the lavender wildberry and the goat cheese cherry. Doug always gets salty caramel . I got to meet Jeni at a blogger brunch last year.

There are five locations, 3 Nashville, 1 Brentwood, 1 Franklin at the Factory)

Sweeten the Day

Do you want to send something local? Consider Sweeten the Day. They partner with local bakeries like the Cupcake Collection to hand deliver a customized box of sweetness. They delivered a complimentary box to me so I could see how it works. There is nothing like getting a box of goodies, wrapped up beautifully and custom selected. Tell them Spinach Tiger sent you.

Legato Gelato

Nashville is blessed to have people move to here and pursue their dreams. Terri-Ann Nichols fell in love with gelato while traveling in Spain. After much practice making home batches, she decided to throw herself into the business of gelato, taking classes, even studying in Italy with master gelato makers. She was addicted from her first bite and I understand, as when we were in Italy, we couldn’t go a day (or a few hours) without stopping in a gelato shop.

The Grilled Cheesery Milk Shake Bar

The Grilled Cheesery started as a food truck. Lines were so long, they had to open a brick and mortar (second location coming to downtown Nashville).

Make the day casual, but memorable with a throwback to happy childhood times with a grilled cheese (gluten free available) and then head to the milkshake bar. Go retro with vanilla, chocolate,  strawberry or cookies and cream. Step it up with a frozen Mexican hot chocolate. They have other flavors including a milkshake of the day!

Buttermilk Sky Pie – Franklin. It’s the south and perfectly acceptable to give pie to your sweetheart. Made fresh daily. You must try the I-40 (named after our major highway),  I-40, consists of pecans, chocolate chips, a sprinkle of toasted coconut, and a smooth pecan pie filling combined in a sweet shortbread crust.

Sprinkles Cupcake Bakery –  Cupcakes, Ice Cream, and such great flavors to pick from.  Sprinkles has an outside Cupcake ATM machine, which means anytime you need a cupcake…..just go.

Crushing on Nashville Sweets & Treats: Candy

Here are some More Local Ideas from Eater.

So tell me. Do you have a favorite place to sweeten your day?

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I live in Franklin, just south of Nashville in Williamson County, and I’m always looking for a quick place to have lunch that’s not too expensive or too fancy. This is the third Crushing on Nashville Restaurants Sunday post and this time I’m sharing the simple fast places in my own neighborhood.

Brown Bag in Cool Springs is the healthy version of a Meat and Three.

I am always looking for big fat healthy food, especially after a weight training workout. The brown bag is a counter service pick your own entree and side restaurant, and gives me just what I need.

They have several healthy entrees, grilled fish tacos, sandwiches, and several sides. I often get two salads as my side and they don’t laugh.

Quick Bites in Cool Springs: My Favorite Burger

Quick Bites at the Factory

Five Daughters in Franklin Factory also Has Amazing Salads

The 100 layer Donuts (especially that cream donut) are expensive, but worth the splurge and the experience. You have to have one in your lifetime (or a dozen). But, wait, they have salads!

If you want to visit and have a healthier option, Five Daughters serve salads on baking sheets.

The Apple Salad with Brussels Sprouts is recommended and I always add bacon.

Funk Seoul Brothers

Get your Korean cravings satisfied. I don’t have a good picture of the food, and will add one when I get it. If you love 

Whole Foods, Franklin

Aside from their general hot bar/salad bar, each weekday, they have a pop-up lunch cart offering a very affordable lunch.

Monday: Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, Sandwich Wednesday, Grilled Cheese Thursday, Seafood Friday.

As for me, I always get the salad and I rarely spend more than $7.

The House of India  Lunch Buffet  and Dinner Service

9100 A Carothers Pkwy, Suite 105

Lunch Buffet: Mon-Friday 11:00 -2:30 Sat-Sun 11:30 – 2:30

Dinner: 5-10 Monday through Sunday

You can breeze through the buffet or sit and take your time over long conversation. You will be warmly welcomed and seated in a comfortable booth. I’ve eaten both at the buffet and ordered for dinner and it’s great both ways. The food is fresh, and service is friendly.

They also deliver through bite squad and delivery dudes.

And Right Next Door…

Siam Pad Thai

9100 Carothers Pkwy, Suite 108

This can be a quick lunch, or longer dinner. We really like the food here, and often get take-out. It’s fresh, semi-casual and consistent.

I always order the Hung Ray Curry.

Hung Ray Curry* Curry dish with a choice of meat simmered in coconut milk with cashew nuts and ginger. Served over a steamed vegetable bed

Bishop’s Meat & Three  (Good Old Fashioned Southern Comfort Food)

Every day at 11:00 a.m. people start to line up to get their made from scratch meat southern comfort food at this well known meat and three. In case you’re not from the south, a meat and three is just.

You choose a meat and either two or three vegetables. Each day the entrees change, as well as the veggies and there are always desserts like banana pudding and apple cobbler to add if your sweet tooth grabs hold. Bishops is related to Hattie B’s, which is a well known hot chicken restaurant. This means their fried chicken is off the hook good, and you can get it hot if you desire.

To my surprise, I was able to order a healthier fare of grilled chicken, cabbage and baked spinach. My mom had the fried chicken which was a huge breast and wing and she ate every last bite. Portions are quite ample. Take out is available and they have a “to go” family pack for $35, a very affordable home-cooked meal.

Los Primos Taqueria & Bakery  (next to Kroger)

1203 Murfreesboro Rd, Ste 411, Franklin

Here’s another gem that many people don’t know about. Los Primos is the Mexican restaurant/grocery store next to Kroger’s on 96. I’ve never been there without having to stand in a line.

The tacos are amazing, authentic and in the $2 range. The menu is in English and Spanish and don’t be intimidated if you are not hispanic. There are all the usual meats and there’s also often goat. You can also order meat by the pound and they have incredible baked chicken that falls off the bone.

There’s a bakery, a meat market and more. This is also the place to buy certain cheeses you may not find elsewhere.

White Bison – Quick Coffee (Mini Coffee House at the Twice Daily Shell Gas Station)

I do have one more piece of good news. Good coffee is now available at White Bison on Carothers in the Twice Daily Gas station (they will be expanding into more Twice Daily stations soon). They use state of the art technology, carefully procured beans, a mod bar pour-over. White Bison means rare, special and that’s their goal in delivering the best cup of coffee they can. They also have some quick bites to go.

So tell me, where is your favorite quick bite in Cool Springs or Franklin?

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More Nashville Restaurants from Spinach Tiger

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The Nashville food scene is on fire and we’re getting around as fast as we can. This is the Volume 2 of our Crushing on Nashville, the place I get to go beyond Instagram. Every week I try to include various types of places to eat, brunch, date night, burger, cocktails, new finds.

Nashville Brunch 

Cafe Roze is a cozy, noisy gem that serves breakfast all day. We couldn’t wait to add  them to our Nashville brunch post.

The dish that sets them apart from other eateries is the Country Ham Scrambled Eggs on Sour Dough Toast. It’s exquisite and probably their signature dish. I took the hit on carbs with the sour dough toast, and it was worth it. The parmesan cheese has to be of the best quality because it was subtle and creamy tasting. The country ham was very thinly sliced and not at all too salty. The soft scrambled eggs are perfectly cooked. Get this dish!

Doug got the breakfast egg sandwich and while good, it was too much bun. We recommend getting bacon and eggs with a side of that scrumptious sour dough toast.

The waffles with berries and marscarpone speak for themselves. I promised on instagram to make a grain free version of this dish!

They have a specialty cardamom rose latte and while in theory sounds wonderful, I thought the rose was too much. (Doug liked it as many do, but you have to like rose flavor).  I ordered the golden tumeric ginger drink and absolutely slurped it down, although I still think it could have more ginger.

Cafe Roze is a real gem, and we will be back to try dinner!

Nashville Restaurants: Date Night

Nashville Restaurants: Barcelona (with gluten free menu)

Barcelona Wine Bar is a chain restaurant that feels big city cool, but Nashville friendly. It’s hip without being hipster! My favorite thing to do is sit at the bar, order a glass of wine, watch people, and order small plates one at a time.

They have an extensive tapas menu and several types of paella.

When they asked me if I was interested in gluten free, they went to the kitchen and came back with the menu marked from the chef. Wow! Who does that? There were what seemed like hundreds of dishes to choose from.

We especially loved the sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts,  but we didn’t leave a single bite on any plate. I first went for the tortilla (the potato/egg dish) which was perfectly prepared. We swooned over the brussels, and Doug got an apple tart ala mode for dessert.

We are dying to try brunch so stay tuned for that one.

Nashville Restaurants: Tansuo

Tansuo (Midtown), an upscale Chinese restaurant, perfect for groups or intimate date night, especially when you’re looking to share and you want great table service.

Tansuo,  excels, not just in food but in service. When I contrast our waiter to a recent very bad experience in an even fancier place in Nashville (not to be named), it’s shameful to see the difference.

When I mentioned that Doug didn’t like his cocktail, our server just whisked it away happily and brought him something else.

My favorite cocktail: Hong Kong Fooey: vodka, dry vermouth, pomegranate, benedictine, shishito pepp

We were taken through the menu in a helpful manner. We ordered two appetizers and two entrees. We could have gotten away with one entree, but as a blogger, I want to try more and the leftovers ended up being Sunday dinner. We loved the dumpling appetizer, lobster lo mein and the lychee tart was one of the best desserts I’ve had lately.

The decor is beautiful, the lighting is just right. Surprisingly the noise level is comfortable (most Nashville restaurants need sound panels). We sat on the mezzanine, which is intimate and perfect for a date night.

Nashville Restaurants: Casual Dining

Smiling Elephant  – This is my favorite thai restaurant for two dishes, curry and Pad Kra Pao, (with blue crab). I’ve never been there when it’s not busy. People return again and again, because the food is consistent and fresh.

The one dish I return for again and again is the Pad Kra Pao.

Pad Kra Pao is spicy dish with Holy Basil, Garlic, Chili Peppers and a Fried Egg, served over Jasmine Rice. You can order it with a spicy minced pork or chicken stir fry, but I suggest you order it my way with Jumbo Lump Crab for an extra $5.

Doug always order the same thing: Shrimp Pad Thai, another stellar dish that we are all most familiar with.

Nashville Restaurants: Burgers

Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint –  Serving 100% wagyu beef, you will love their burgers. My absolutely favorite guilty pleasure is the burger thrown on the flat top, topped with cream cheese and pepper jelly. It’s called the Danny Laruso.

Don’t knock it, till you try it. Trust me.

Jack Brown’s is a chain that feels like a local joint, serve high quality food in a super casual bar atmosphere and fits well into the Germantown neighborhood.

Nashville Restaurants: Italian Casual

Pastaria  headed to Nashville from St. Louis. Sometime I get snooty about restaurants that aren’t locally based, but I am learning to keep an open mind.

Why should St. Louis have all the fun, and Nashville is very short-changed on Italian restaurants.

This pizza blew me away. It’s one of the best in Nashville. I recommend sitting at the pizza bar and watching them make pizza is the 1000 degree oven, sip some wine and eat rice balls, while deciding.

You HAVE to get the broccoli too! It’s olive oil/lemony just like my grandmother used to make.

They have decent house wine in carafes, and delicious gelato in several flavors.

I recommend any pizza, rice balls, broccoli, and gelato. I haven’t had the housemade pasta, but it looks great.

I would not recommend the gluten free pasta; it’s a corn rotini (and that’s never very good).

This is a family friendly place with a bar in the back, and has something for everyone.

Greko Street Food 

We have eaten at Greko Street Food several times and only wish it was in our own neighborhood. Their signature dish is the chicken over french fries which are sprinkled with oregano. So good, but it’s a lot so do share. I usually get the chicken over salad and a bowl of kale that is braised and served as a cold salad.

The octopus is divine and the same octopus that used to be served at Prima. Other great bites are the block of feta, and any salad. The only dish I wasn’t crazy for was the lamb which was a little fatty. Everything else is five stars for me.

It’s super casual with outdoor patio, and order at the counter dining.

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