New find in Nashville - At the Table

I'm writing a review but it had an error just as I was finishing and when I went back in, it lost the whole review and a good bit of the other information I had done. Too late to start over tonight.

However - here's a quick scoop. This is a GREAT soul food/meat and three joint on 12th Avenue South just south of the gulch or north of Edgehill. Open Monday through Friday from 10:30-4:30 and Sunday from 11:00-6:00. Fish is supposed to be best in town but I didn't try it today because they had fried pork chops. I couldn't stop with two sides though. I had sweet potatoes (not too soupy or sweet - just right), mac and cheese that is worth ordering again which might be a first for me to say, and baked spaghetti that is the best in town. Sweet tea was a georgous deep mahogany color full of flavor and nice and sweet but not sickening sweet. Coworker had the fried chicken, mac and cheese (she agreed - best we've ever had in a restaurant), and pinto beans. She cleaned her plate and agreed this place is a keeper. And she had to have a refill on the tea before leaving saying it was the best sweet tea she's had in a long time.

They say they take Saturday off but they send about 5 hours on Saturday preparing for the big Sunday lunch. I'm dying to try the fish now and wish they were open on Saturday.

Poverty Pete & Pogophile - up for lunch one day VERY soon!

Oh and all this came complete with advice from an old man on the sidewalk (coworker is pregnant so he gave her advice on how to make her baby smart) - it was priceless!

Melissa, this time of year I could get over there almost any day. Let me know when. I haven't been there yet, but work very nearby.

I'm trying to catch up on some short ends of places I've hit in the last couple of months. In mid-October I was in Nashville for a few days, for work, staying at the Sheraton Downtown, and when I take a work trip it tends to be packed to the elbows with both non-eating events and eating events over which I have little to no sway about where we're going. But I was bound and determined this visit to squeeze in something roadfoody. No I didn't have my camera! Who do you think you're talking to?

Saturday night we ended up having an official dinner at Merchants on Broadway, and it was one of those deals where we were bringing a large group and negotiated a prix fixe dinner with a limited menu. There was a beef option, some other meat, maybe a chicken, and a salmon. I had the salmon, it was fine. Some of the rest of their menu looked interesting but it's exactly the kind of place I'd never go back to on my own.

Sunday I wanted to be adventurous and I had some time to myself so I found the directions to walk to Bolton's Hot Chicken. Their hours posted on the Web said they were open, and I called ahead to no answer, so I took a gamble and alas, got Travelin' Manned. I did get a good walk out of the deal, and it was a lovely day for it. Yes I had my car. Yes I was told about the neighborhood. It was fine.

By this time I had gotten .8 of a clue, so I emailed the lovely mlinkinhoker above and told her I was planning at least one venturing-out meal with a coworker and did she have any recs? She emailed me back a super lovely and exhaustive list, and by some beautiful coincidence, I was at one of the places she recommended--my coworker had gotten the rec from somebody local--at the time she emailed me. This was Kien Giang on Charlotte Pike a couple miles out of downtown. It's in one of those side-situated strip malls along with a lot of Asian businesses and what looks to be an Asian supermarket in an old Kroger building. We went in and wandered around the Asian market to marvel at the produce and seafood. Wow. It just blew me away--I've seen folks talk on the forums about the prices and freshness and sheer array at an Asian market and now I know why. So back to Kien Giang. I have almost no experience with Vietnamese but I know I love crunchy and I know I love cilantro so I figured I was in good shape. I ended up with a pork barbecue banh mi and a small pho, ate until I was groaning and still had leftovers. We also had some summer rolls and spring rolls, deeeelicious. Super fresh, super wonderful, super cheap. I still miss Kien Giang.

The next night we hit the Loveless Cafe. I know it's got its detractors here. I had country ham and eggs and the coworker the fried chicken livers. I want to say I was only really disappointed in one of the sides maybe a hash brown casserole? Anyway the big star for me was the jams; I was slathering jam on my ham pretty soon. They are absolutely lovely. We had a terrific waitress with a serious accent too, and just gave her the business all night. I was happy, but I get why they might have detractors.

Giving Kien Giang a real run for trip MVP, however, was this tiny place across the street from the Sheraton on Union, the name of which looks like Cafe Sevalia from my debit receipt but I don't remember that. It's a little breakfast/lunch place run by Kosovar folks maybe? (I apologize if I have the where-from wrong.) Anyway I got two breakfasts--one egg & cheese biscuit and one full breakfast--and a yummy lunch hoagie from them and they were cheap and delicious, and if you'd told me I could have all my meals this trip from there I'd have been fine with that.

Thanks for the tips mlinkinhoker and I hope I'm in Nashville sometime soon so I can take you up on lunch.

You walked from downtown to Bolton's?? I took the travelling man there a few weeks ago, and I wouldn't even let him finish his fish sandwich in the car in the parking lot. I don't stroll around that part of town.

It really didn't bug me. I was only nervous about going under the overpass near the stadium. It was Sunday--lots of church folks around.

All I can say is - I warned her!

quote:

Originally posted by mlinkinhoker

All I can say is - I warned her!

That is a part of town I have 360 vision. Maybe Sunday Morning a little forgiving, don't want to find out, would not walk there on a bet.

I didn't get nervous about the neighborhood until we heard some nearby sirens - and Poverty Pete had the look of "you don't gots to go home - but, you gotta get up outta here!" on his face.

Something tells me, from my visit there, that posted hours don't mean much to the proprietors of Bolton's.

quote:

Originally posted by The Travelin Man

I didn't get nervous about the neighborhood until we heard some nearby sirens - and Poverty Pete had the look of "you don't gots to go home - but, you gotta get up outta here!" on his face.

Something tells me, from my visit there, that posted hours don't mean much to the proprietors of Bolton's.

Some friend. Food is good, daylite only, But walking there is beyound my expectation.
Look on his PP face, probally unreal.
For our neck of the city, walking there scary, really.

I have a suspicion that you guys pulled a Mrs. Pingleton out there.