Chef Carlos Davis Brings Riff’s Sunday Brunch to the Nashville Farmer’s Market

Riff’s Sunday Brunch, an extension of Riff’s Fine Street Food, is a must go to if you are anywhere near the Nashville Farmer’s Market on Sundays.

Chef Carlos Davis has done it again, cooking true to his heart with lots of flavor and surprise. When I wrote about Riff’s Fine Food Truck two years ago, I knew it was no flash in the pan. Carlos is from Barbados where he also attended culinary school, knowing as soon as he finished high school where his heart was. He would help his mother in the kitchen as early as age six. His passion for food, flavors, and  tasty combinations has been developing for decades and Nashville is lucky to have him here as part of the emerging food scene. Please check the premier of his supper club, Relish Epicurea.

I don’t eat this much for breakfast or lunch when I’m home, but make no mistake, I ate every bite and, had I not had extreme discipline, I might have ordered more. That’s the kind of food this is. You get satisfied, not full in a bad way, but the flavors wake you up so much, you want more so you can do what I call singing and dancing while eating.

All you need to do is look at the pictures and you know this is no ho hum, ordinary breakfast. I hate going out for brunch and getting something I can easily fix for myself at home. His dishes are savory even when there is a bit of sweet layered in, like the maple bacon vinaigrette that washes over the DB Tyler, a fried pork loin or the Maple Biscuit that is tucked under the Paul Deen’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken.

The ingredients are local and high quality. He uses cheese from the Bloomy Rind, and Porter Road Butcher for his meat, and when we bit into the chorizo, we could tell the the difference. If it’s bacon, it’s Benton’s Bacon. Is there any other?

Located inside the Nashville Farmer’s Market at the Grow Local Kitchen,  it’s a walk up, order and wait, just the way a food truck operates. But, unlike a food truck, it’s located inside with tables and chairs, air conditioning, and a chance to watch  Carlos cook in action. In keeping with the success of Riff’s Fine Food Truck, word has caught on because the day I was there, they sold out before 1:30.  Just be sure to get there EARLY! They open at 10 and will be there until they sell out.

They only feature 3 to 4 items each Sunday, which means there are no mediocre choices, but if you’ve eaten from Riff’s Fine Food Truck, you know their stellar reputation to always deliver high quality, flavorful food that satisfies both the tummy and the soul. The cost is $10 and includes a drink. This week they were serving a very tasty sorrel punch.

Fried eggs and flap jacks are cooked to order.

The Pope starts with flapjacks topped with chorizo sausage, gouda cheese sauce.

Next, the Pope gets a side of greens and two fried eggs. All I can say is wow, this was a dish we fought over.

The Paula Deen is buttermilk fried chicken, Benton’s Bacon, Maple Biscuit, Greens with Root Hash and Smoky Gouda Cheese Sauce. The chicken is light and so perfectly cooked deliciousness. Everything on the plate works together to make you think you are almost in a gourmet restaurant having dinner.

Riff’s Fine Street Food won best food truck two years in a row, and they won best pop up restaurant in 2012. The Sunday brunch wins my award for the best savory brunch and I can’t wait to see what happens with the Relish Epicurea Supper Club. I will be the guest food blogger chef this Friday night and will be writing about the experience next week.

Note: Spinach Tiger always pays for food that is reviewed unless noted and chooses to only write about places she recommends.