BBQ Miss, Live Music Hit!

Rippy's

429 Broadway

Nashville, TN 37203

www.rippysbarandgrill.com/ 

While we were in Nashville, I was really looking forward to trying some awesome BBQ. Unfortunately, our adventures didn’t take us to the places in the area that we might find such offerings. One place we did try that my fiancé's father suggested we eat at because he loved it was a place in the Honky-Tonk area called Rippy's. We had been there the night before to watch some live music and the Heat game, but this time around we were going to try the barbeque for lunch. 

I looked over the menu, but they didn’t have all of the options I was looking for in a good barbeque place. They did offer pulled pork and smoked ribs, so I ordered the pulled pork with fries and my fiancé ordered the ribs and onion rings and we sipped our sweet teas and waited. Sweet tea makes me long for my times at Elon, so to have it again really made me very nostalgic and happy. 

Our food was up in mere minutes, which was great, but unfortunately it left a lot to be desired. The pulled pork was ok, but there were bits of it that had not quite reached the proper temperature, leaving it tough and dry. I also really didn’t like that they had dusted over the finished product with a fresh round of dry rub, because it soaked up some of the juices and left the pork very dry. It did have nice smoked flavor, and the pork that was cooked well was very good, but overall it was not very successful. The fries were run of the mill, nothing special there. They were very plain, not crispy and definitely lackluster. The ribs were also very dry and pretty small. There was not much meat on the bones, but what little meat was on the ribs did have good smoky flavor. The best part of the meal other than the sweet tea was the onion rings. They were huge rings, and the batter and breading was crunchy and crispy the way it should be. The batter stuck to them well and when you took a bite you didn’t pull the whole onion out of the breading. They were done very well and I feasted upon quite a few of them. 

One pint for Rippy's. In terms of food it was pretty poor, but as I mentioned we had been there the night before to watch a sports game and some live music at which point I was happy with the experience. It is definitely a fun place for that kind of entertainment. I would definitely recommend you get your barbeque fix in Nashville somewhere else. Cheers!

A Classic in Nashvegas...

F. Scott's

2210 Crestmoor Road

Nashville, TN 37215

www.fscotts.com/ 

It was pretty difficult to find a place to eat in Nashville that would accommodate such a large party. Nashville has an amazing food scene, and there were tons of places that we were interested in dining at, but unfortunately we didn’t try to book anything far enough in advance, so we found it very difficult to get a reservation for all of us. Luckily enough, we got a reservation at a Nashville institution called F. Scott's. It had an old school classic feel to it. It was a restaurant, but it was also a jazz bar, so it really felt like a true music city restaurant. 

Once we were seated and the waiter came around to take our beverage orders, we looked over the menu for a while. It was pretty traditionalist in terms of southern cuisine, but with a little bit of an upscale flair to it. We ordered a special flatbread that they were serving for the evening for the table, and then I decided on the cornmeal crusted catfish with creamed spinach grits for my entrée. Looking at the menu made me nostalgic for my time spent in North Carolina, so I knew I had to order something very southern.

The flatbread came up as soon as we had our drinks, which was a very good thing since we were all starving. I can't remember the specifics of what were on it, but I do remember that it really hit the spot. 

When the catfish came out, I knew I was in for a treat. It is hard to find good fried catfish above the Mason Dixon Line, so I took advantage of being below it and ordered it here. The crust on the fish was fantastic. It was extremely crispy and the fish was cooked absolutely perfectly. It was the largest piece of catfish I have ever seen, definitely a meal in and of itself. The creamed spinach grits were an interesting concept to me. I had had each separately on numerous occasions, but this was the first time ever I had them combined as one. It actually worked really well because of the creaminess that the spinach brought into the dish made the grits that much better. I am not usually a huge grits guy unless it is for shrimp and grits or something of that nature, but these were a perfect pairing for the catfish.

For dessert I left the decision up to my fiancé, and she decided on a type of napoleon they were serving as a special dessert for the evening. It had thin chocolate cookies layered with hazelnut crème and this caramelized sheet of sugar on top. It was absolutely delicious dessert. The cookies were sweet, but not too sweet, and the hazelnut crème was really tasty. I was super intrigued when it came to the caramelized sugar sheet, and it wound up being pretty fantastic as well. The portion size was just enough for the two of us, and we were left completely satisfied by it.

Three solid pints for F. Scotts. As I mentioned before it has been around for ages and it really has a great reputation in the Nashville area. It really is worth a visit if you are ever in the area, and don’t miss out on the catfish if you get the chance to try it out! Cheers!

A Greek Tragedy This Was Not...

Athens Family Restaurant

2526 Franklin Pike

Nashville, TN 37204

www.athensfamilyrestaurant.com/ 

My fiancé and I traveled to Nashville a short two weeks after our engagement celebrations to watch her sister graduate from Vanderbilt University. We were very excited to see her do that as well as spend time with her family since we hadn’t gotten the opportunity to celebrate with them yet. On the first night that we arrived, we picked a place that had been on Diner's, Drive Ins, and Dives to eat at for dinner called Athens Family Restaurant. 

I love Greek cuisine, so getting to have some at an affordable price was a win for me. We were a big group, so it was hard to make reservations for us all, and we were lucky enough that they had enough room to seat us all together. I was torn when looking over the menu, but I definitely knew that I wanted to order something with lamb in it. I remembered the few dishes that were cooked on the show, but I actually went in a different direction and ordered the lamb dish of the day known as lamb pie. The table had also ordered the sample platter, a combination of hummus, tzatziki, melitzanosalata, sliced fresh tomatoes, and feta cheese served with pita bread. 

When the sampler platter came out, we all were eager to dig in because we were so very hungry. All three of the dips were very tasty. Hummus and pita is one of my favorite things, and now I can add tzatziki and melitzanosalata to the list! The melitzanosalata is a Greek eggplant dip and it is fantastic. Pureed eggplants and spices combine to make a heavenly dip. 

When the lamb pie came out I knew I had made the right choice. I really wish I had lamb more often because it is so incredibly flavorful. I had never even had it until my trip to India a few years back and now I am obsessed with it. This lamb was seasoned so impeccably and the phyllo crust it was encased in was buttery and flaky, adding the perfect bits of texture and richness to the already flavorful lamb. Part of the reason I love Greek food so much is because of the abundance of bold flavors it offers. This lamb showcased it incredibly well, and made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Three pints for Athens Family Restaurant. The affordable prices and the quality of the food that you get are pretty amazing. It was one of those places on Diners that you could really tell Guy was in love with the food at, and I can honestly say I feel the same way after having eaten there.  It is definitely worth a visit, so check it out if you ever head to Nashville! Cheers!