I had a feeling we were going to like Nashville. When we started planning this journey, we knew it was for sure one of the first places we wanted to go, and it did not disappoint. We are already missing it!
This week's blog has a major food and drink theme going on. Don't judge, we spend a lot of time thinking and talking about exercising so that counts for something, right?
Drinks
Diskin Cider
Much like The Bearded Iris, we found Diskin Cider by accident. Though I'm not a beer drinker, I'm a big fan of ciders. So one day when Eric couldn't make up his mind on where to go, I started looking into the cider I had drunk the day before, and lo and behold, it was made in Nashville! AND, they had a cidery we could go to! I was impressed from the moment I walked in with the feel of a fun factory that you could hang out in forever. There were some couches, some low tables, some high tables and a whole lot of cider. I mean, how can you go wrong with a MEGA FLIGHT!!! (The middle picture above). They had a great mix of dry and sweeter ciders, some made with tea - which I had never even heard of before, and some hard seltzers which were delicious and light on the calories. Our favorites were the "Lil' Blondie" which was a standard semi-sweet cider, the "Babe Magnet" which was a strawberry cider and tasted like a million fresh-pressed strawberries in my glass, and the "Major Berry" a blueberry lavender cider. Eric also really liked the "BTC" or the Bourbon Tarte Cherry which was more on the sour spectrum with a hint of bourbon. We also really liked the savory popcorn. There are so many seasonal flavors that we couldn't even try!
Belle Meade Private Bourbon Tasting
We traveled to the city of Belle Meade for a private bourbon tasting. Belle Meade Whiskey has an interesting history and was originally created on a popular horse breeding farm. Their distillery burned down right before prohibition and rather than rebuild, they decided to sell what remaining barrels they had to Green Brier Distillery. Fast forward a hundred years and two brothers stopped at a gas station on their way to pick up a cow and saw their family name on a historical marker. Thinking it was too much of a coincidence and knowing there was some history with their family and whiskey making, they started asking around and found out the true story of their family's history and success with bourbon. There was even a bottle or two of the bourbon at the historical society. If that isn't fate, I don't know what is! From there, the brothers decided to rebuild the distillery. It took a lot of hard work, a lot of testing to find the right recipe, and a lot of no's to bring back their family's legacy. With the help of Green Brier Distillery, Belle Meade Bourbon is back on the market winning awards and gaining new fans.
We did a one-hour private tasting where we learned the history of Belle Meade Bourbon and Belle Meade itself. Any horse racing fans out there? Bonnie Scotland, the horse featured on the right in their poster above, was actually added to the poster before becoming "famous". Almost every Kentucky Derby winner from 1972 to 1996, and most of the Triple Crown winners, can be traced back to Bonnie Scotland. Notable winners such as: Sea Biscuit, Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, California Chrome and American Pharaoh are all descendants of Bonnie Scotland.
We tasted both their regular and reserve bourbons straight, made our own old fashioned (with orange!), and also had a Vieux Carré, made with their regular bourbon. Even at a high proof, the bourbon was smooth and flavorful. The Vieux Carré was by far my favorite. It's the perfect sweeter wife to a Manhattan, and we will definitely be making them at home.
One more quick plug for them. They also have a winery with a Blackberry dessert wine. Like most dessert wines, it's on the sweet side but put a little in some champagne and it's magical!
The Fox
THE FOX TAKE OUT DRINKS ARE TOO CUTE NOT TO SHOW YOU!!!! See previous Nashville blog posts for more details on my obsession with The Fox.
Food
The people of Nashville are VERY loyal to their fooderies, sitting outside in the rain and hail in 40-degree weather. Those of us that came from LA are big babies that can't even be outside for five minutes in 50-degree sunny weather.
The Catbird Seat
If you eat at one place in Nashville, make it The Catbird Seat. This is definitely in the top five restaurants I have ever eaten at in my life. Apparently, the term "the catbird seat" means being in an enviable position. Well, let me tell you, I envy the Karen from that night and wish I could be her right now. The experience is a 12-course tasting menu with wine or juice pairings, all served in a u-shaped open kitchen. I highly recommend doing one wine pairing and one juice pairing. Both options were paired perfectly with the dishes and you will be surprised with how well thought out the juices are. They change the menu each season and can accommodate non-meat eaters as well as vegans and vegetarians. Every dish was so complex and yet so light and flavorful. I don't think there was one course where we didn't say "wow, that's amazing". It's on the more expensive side but worth every penny. The creativeness of these chefs and their ability to pair fresh, in-season ingredients together is unlike anything I have seen. Honestly, we liked everything but if you forced me to pick I'd say our favorite from the winter menu was the "Sweet Potato Barbeque Tofu Bonito" (pictured in the top left above). Drooling over here.
Joyland
Huge shoutout to Amber and Kristin here for telling us about Joyland! What's so special about a burger joint, you ask? When it comes to Joyland, pretty much everything! Born from Chef Sean Brock, this burger and biscuit joint serves all-day breakfast and lunch and even has Impossible Burger! From their squishy potato roles to their perfectly cooked meat, these burgers are a must-try. Also, do not forget the boozy shake! Chocolate with Blanton's Bourbon, top-notch. I may or may not have had multiple last week.
We didn't make it to Sean Brock's dine-in restaurant Husk but will definitely be going next time!
Hattie B's
Hattie B's is a staple in Nashville and one of those things you just have to do while you are there. They pretty much only do hot chicken. I appreciate those that are so damn good at one thing, they stick with it and kill it. I do think they should partner up with Impossible Burger, Beyond Meat, or any of the companies that make plant-based meat to offer some additional options, but that's a discussion for another day. Since I'm not a meat-eater this was an Eric thing. In his words, "Hattie B's was delicious. The chicken was cooked perfectly, super tender and not overly fried. The sauce had the most unbelievable spices."
We called ahead to do take out, and this was definitely the way to go. There was a very long line waiting to order in the restaurant and people were standing pretty close together. Those that order pick up go into a different door of the restaurant and avoid the crowd.
We Will Be Back!
We didn't get to do everything we wanted to in Nashville. One of those things being a tour of the Grand Ole Opry. Groups of 10 seemed like too many for us. We did get a sweet picture of the guitars out front though!
I also would have LOVED to see a show at The Bluebird Cafe. Any fans of the Nashville tv show out there?
Really, there are soo many others. We will for sure see Nashville again.
Looking for a great place to stay during your Nashville trip? We can't say enough good things about the vacation rental we stayed in. A 5-10 minute walk to bars and restaurants in East Nashville and a 5-minute drive to downtown Nashville and Broadway. It would be the perfect place for a bachelorette party! #instagramhouse
Thanks to the vaccine, we are off to Rock Hill, South Carolina to spend some time with family. It's been more than a year now and we couldn't be more excited.
Until next time!
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