He told me all about his friend Jay and Jay's wife Dollie. They are total foodies and because they were about to move out of Nashville for Jay's job they wanted to visit some of the best foodie finds before the big move.
I know when you think Nashville you probably think about what most people know music city for... cowboy boots, honky tonk bars, the Opry, and maybe even the show on ABC. Well all of those things are no joke NashVEGAS is the home of a lot of country music... and on any given night you might see 10 bachelorette parties full of girls in matching outfits that include cowboy boots. But I had no idea that Nashville is also home to some AMAZING food.
Walker and Jay got serious while planning this food crawl... brainstorming about where to go what time etc. They came up with an itinerary and made a couple reservations at the places that required them. Meanwhile my planning consisted of working out and trying to get mentally and physically prepared to eat at 8 restaurants in one day which turned out to be equally as crucial.
That morning we did a little air-dyne sit up workout. I complained about having to wake up and do that crap but 26 plates of food later I was glad I started the day with a sweat.
I would love to go on and on about every little detail at each place but with 8 places on the list... it would be the longest blog ever so I am going to give you some highlights no worries though I plan on showcasing some if not all of these eateries later on in my blog life.
1. Husk
We ordered-
Bone Marrow
The Deviled Eggs
The Husk Cheeseburger
Shrimp and Grits
Steak and Eggs
The Pork Belly Monte Cristo
and some cocktails
You should try-
The Husk Cheeseburger. I had one bite and it was heavenly. Walker describes it as "the best bowling alley cheese burger he has ever had" which sounds gross right? I think this eater.com article does it a little better... sorry Walker.
Other than the food-
Husk has many interesting little quirks... I mean honestly I want to take a class on the place and then tell you guys all about it. Until I take my Husk course I will mention, the pear trees, the private dining room, and the ham. The pear trees they have are grown and pruned so the limbs stretch out like arms and when they bloom form a fence apparently they are like 3k. There is an unattached little barn building behind Husk that is used for private events and even has its own kitchen (my goal in life is to have a party there). And the HAM! The people of Husk go H.A.M on their ham. They have a case where you can see it hanging and it hangs there for 24 months making it the melt in your mouth amazingness.
Condition of the Crawlers-
I consulted the smartest woman I know before going on this adventure... my mom. Her advice was to pace myself and I took it seriously. Apparently none of the other crawlers consulted their mothers because everyone went heavy at 10:30 am. We all left feeling satiated to say the least and when you have 7 more stops thats not ideal. It would catch up to us later.
We ordered-
Horchata
Plantains
Tacos (pork and I think Jay and Dollie got fish)
Roasted Corn
You should try-
The roasted corn. It seems so simple but they put seasonings and cheese on it that makes it worth looking like a sloppy mess and having corn in your teeth after eating it.
Other than the food-
This place is a little shack across from our next stop (The Pharmacy) which worked out because we got on the list there while waiting in line for tacos. Food crawlers have to multitask. If you don't already know East Nashville is hipster central. This is a great place to see those hipsters in action. They love the idea of artisan tacos out of a shack... guess what Tampa has you beat because they do tacos out of a bus at the Taco Bus.... Boom.
Condition of the Crawlers-
The little wait was probably good for us after a pretty heavy morning meal. Mas Tacos does not serve alcohol so we all came down a little from our brunch buzz. Do not worry though stop three brought the buzz back strong!
3. The Pharmacy
We ordered -
Kielbasa with kraut and tots
and like 3 rounds of beers
You should try-
A burger... and tell me how it is!
We were pretty full around this time but Jay insisted on ordering some food and apparently he has a love for all things sausage. But this place is all about the burgers.
Other than the food-
They have a great beer selection and glassware! I think it is a nice touch when places that pride themselves on beer also serve the beers in their appropriate glass. They claim to be Nashville's original biergarten (aka beer garden.. fancy right?) and who knows if they are or not because lets face it a beer garden is just a little place outside where you drink different types of beer. I will say this... theirs is pretty awesome it is lined with picnic tables so there are plenty of seats and its has a nice outside feel in a normally congested part of the city.
Condition of the Crawlers-
It is official at this point we are getting a little day drunk. And obviously judging by the small amount of food we ate at this stop we are all feeling pretty damn full. Although we kept our energy up by sharing some great stories. Jay and Dollies proposal story was my fave... this dude sent her on a scavenger hunt... cute right? While she was on it he was hiding in her trunk... WTF? One of the best stories ever!
4. {PUB}licity
We ordered-
The Bacon Sampler
The Pretzel Sticks
and yet another round of beers
You should try-
The Bacon. Now I have been there and done that when it comes to candied bacon. I have made it and I have eaten a lot of it. I will say that was not my favorite of the bacons. I personally loved the chocolate covered bacon. But I mean regardless or which was best lets face it if there is a fuckin bacon sampler on the menu... order it.
Other than the food-
This place is outside of the city in Bellevue. It is in a plaza with Kroger so it really does not seem all that appealing to the foodie looking for a once in a lifetime experience... But I would suggest it to anyone going that way because the menu has a lot of interesting options and the bar itself is really cool inside. They have that table shuffle board shit.. I love bars that have games.
Condition of the Crawlers-
We went over this way because Jay and Dollie needed to take their dog on a little walk. The drive gave us enough time to realize we weren't even half way through the day and we decided to stop for a pick me up. I chugged a sugar free red bull and Walker got some copenhagen (gross right?)... Do not judge us... everyone has their vice.
5. The Southern
We ordered-
Oysters
BBQ Shrimp
Dominican Pork
You should try-
The BBQ shrimp. It is a must have everytime! Make sure you ask for extra bread you will need it to soak up the sauce in the bowl. This is another dish that is worth the mess.
Other than the food-
The cocktails at The Southern are sooo great. The Zydeco is a must try. All together it is an awesome place to try and I have a friend Raven who works there... ask for her! She knows food and will make sure your "southern experience" is the best.
Condition of the Crawlers-
Walker, Jay, and Dollie were all looking forward to having oysters at The Southern all day. So despite the semi-full bellies they were on an oyster high. I personally am traumatized after a bad oyster shooter experience. I tried an oyster at Southern but I swear it tasted like the bottom of the fuckin ocean... not my thing right now. We were feeling a solid buzz at this point and it put an extra pep in out step.
We ordered-
The fried quail and waffles
The pork belly and sweet potato gnocchi
and more cocktails
You should try-
This one is tough but I have to go with the quail. I am such a huge fan of pork belly so let's just make it a rule that it is ordered everywhere. But in this case the quail really was amazing. The breading is so sweet and crispy. Everything in the world should be fried like that quail.
Other than the food-
We ate at the bar so we did not experience a lot of the place. It is right next door to Etch which is awesome. The bar tender was really cool... he made us a bunch of great drinks and even made one with some kind of weird tomato ice cream... I swear. Weird.
Condition of the Crawlers-
Well you can tell me photos I was falling apart. I forgot to take pictures so I had to take them after we had already torn into the food. Also we all stood the entire time... just could not stand to sit at that point. All of a sudden we realized Walker hadn't spoken in a while and we looked over at him... he was leaned against the wall and it was a bad situation. Dollie and Jay called and changed our dinner reservation to give us some time. Walker managed to mumble "we need to take a walk". We obliged and took a walk on the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge.
7. Mason's
We ordered-
Bone Marrow (boys choice)
Deviled eggs
Crab corn dogs
some kind of Elvis themed desert
You should try-
The crab corn dogs... They are a little heavy but so worth it. They really remind me of an elevated version of the devil crabs at Brocato's in Tampa. So much crab in every bite.
Other than the food-
This place is located inside the Loews Hotel and we sat in the bar which gave us a great view of people coming and going. Remember earlier when I mentioned the bachelorette parties with matching outfits and cowboy boots... even better I think I saw one in a princess type dress. I mean if this girl was wearing a princess dress for her bachelorette just picture what she will look like on her wedding day! It was great. Mason's also had some wine glasses Dollie and I were obsessed with and a huge projection screen in the bar area that sports enthusiast may appreciate.
Condition of the Crawlers-
By this point Jay was getting that look in his eyes... "I am over the fact that I ate all day and I want to drink all night". Walker was still mumbling shit from time to time while doing everything he could to get all the marrow out of the bone. And Dollie was over it. She was full and focused only on getting back home to her bed and her dog. Which is what makes Dollie an awesome wife and dog mom she knows when to call it quits and when her fur baby needs her. They agreed that if there was no wait at the next spot they would join... there was a wait so they skipped out on stop 8.
We ordered-
Fried Goat Cheese
Cocktails
You should try-
A cocktail. I was not that impressed with the goat cheese... mind you I was far from hungry. They are known for their cocktails here so order one, two, as many as you can.
Other than the food-
So I have some opinions about this place. I wanted to rally and make sure we hit 8 places like we had planned... so I am definitely glad we made it but the place is too cool for school. It is a "speakeasy"themed place so there is no sign indicating where it is and there are a lot of drapes so that just by walking in you would not know it is a bar... I guess it could be a book store? or maybe a place to buy bad velvet drapes. The speakeasy thing is cool but I think the Vandy kids that go to this bar think those things are just because it is so elite... I think to them prohibition was 6 months ago before they turned 21 and only Chili's would accept their fake ID, so they definitely do not know what a speakeasy is. The drinks are super good and they put herbs and fresh zest and drops of oils or something out of small viles, but it is just too hip for my liking to be honest.
Condition of the Crawlers-
Jay and Dollie were out on this one and honestly I do not even think there were more than 5 words said between Walker and myself. We were over it and ready to pass out. Jay text us when we got home and said he weighed himself in the morning and evening and had gained TEN POUNDS... whaaaaat... worth it.
The food crawl was honestly one of the best experiences ever. We have already discussed doing another one. Or possibly doing it annually. I love good food and drinks. In this case I can easily say the company was as a good if not better than the food...
#foodcrawl2014
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