Nashville Trip Report- Photo Report-April 2007

Friday Evening, A bunch of us met at La Hacienda A Mexican Restaurant for a pre-tour planning session. Here is a photo (posted at Jane's request) Of Michael Stern getting in shape for the Bus Tour Tomorrow.Surrounded by Steven Rushmore and the Sundancer , Michael seems to be right 'in stride'!!


This place is noted for its Margaritas that range from 16 oz to 60 oz. Very few places label a 45 oz Margarita as a MEDIUM !!Poverty Pete Introduced us to this treat.



Marc and Stephen put the finishing touches on the gameplan for Saturday.



Jane shared stories of her EMT Experiences, here with Roz (Iwannago). Not all the conversations at the table were on Roadfood.



The group worked very hard all evening..planning takes time !!


The Mayor got his usual shots of his dinner while all the plans were being made! First a Mexican Shrimp Cocktail, made in the style we used to get on the docks at Ensenada..(we fished there).. The difference between this and what one gets when ordering a shrimp cocktail is this has about a dozen medium shrimp all peeled, are in a small bowl full of spicy V8-like juice. Included are scallion bits and Cilantro. Rather than dip the shrimp into a pasty cocktail sauce, they marinate in the juice while waiting for you to 'snag' one. Then you drink the juice..Add some Alcohol and you would have a great Bloody Mary with extra protein and iodine!! We used to walk the beach after a day of fishing in the bay, chomping on the Shrimp and enjoying the spicy flavor of the juices. This one brought back a lot of pleasant memories of trips into Baja.



Then the plate of Carnitas with the usual sides. Carnitas are the closest thing to Pulled Pork one finds at most of these places.




At the end of the evening the Sterns posed for photos with the mayor...and many others.

I'm ready for breakfast. Nice pix, Al!

I enjoyed the country ham, biscuits, red eye gravy and jellies with the Mayor, Janet, and I wanago at the Loveless. They did a very nice job remodeling the place. I enjoyed the way they converted the motel to gift shops.

(From AL) Here Sundancer enjoys a Ham Biscuit..with a slice of ham and a plate if warm biscuits waiting for butter, and various preserves to sweeten them up a bit.




I watched the bus leave full of anticipating roadfooders going on their multi stop eatathon this morning. RickF barely made the bus.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Many thanks, Mr. Mayor, for the first of the Nashville photos!! And a pic of the ever-elusive Jane S. too!! Jane, you look great!

This is so wonderful, especially for those like me who couldn't make the tour, to be able to participate by viewing the pics. Now that I've got the cable connection, I don't have any problems with downloading the photos, so thanks so much again, Al. And I'm looking forward to more.

Wow!

I knew I should have gone.

Everything looks great so far. Looking forward to seeing more!

Mr. Mayor and all,

Sure looks like everyone is having a great time, and the weekend is still young. It is great to have these pics so soon, so it feels like we are with you, too, and we are, in spirit.

Sure wish I could have made it out from CA, but the timing just wasn't right.

I hope each and everyone of you enjoy this road trip and make new, or renew, old friendships, and share your love for good food.

Looking forward to more pics.

MG

Members who rode the morning Bus Tour came off the Bus with big smiles and no reported indigestion!! Jane and Michael enjoyed every stop !!!



Here are Mr Chips (The Jerry Garcia Look-alike!) and Skevekoe(Travelin'Man) Getting together again at Loveless Cafe. They have met in Mr Chips home area (Portland,OR) and now in Tennessee. Steve is wearing a Shiner's Beer Shirt Obtained when the group took a tour of the Shiners Brewery during the February Austin Texas BBQ Tour. Both have voiced praises for the friendships that have grown via the "Roadfood Connection".



Michael greets CHI-TWN-DINER getting ready for the morning ride.



Waiting to register for the hats and coffee mugs that were prizes for everyone. Notice the beautiful weather and smiling faces. If you see yourself in the photo, please post an identifing name and brief description. There are several folks I don't know in the Photo.



Marc greets the bus riders and helped get everyone settled.


We enjoyed a great day. More photos will be added shortly. Anyone with photos of the various Bus stops and restaurant scenes...Please add them to this thread.

Friday night Jane Stern appointed Demi and McDuff, our two Scotties, the Official Mascots of the Roadfood Group. This morning she informed them of their appointments and received some very enthusiastic tail wagging and doggie greetings in return.

Enjoying seeing the picture of your adventures and reports of your eating excursion, as they come in. Thanks to all!

Sundancer and I wanted to try the 'Hot Fish' Sandwich which is a local Nashville favorite. Poverty Pete, Jan, Paul, and I headed for one of the better 'Fish Stands' to try them out.



We got "small" sandwiches ...Whitefish or Catfish for about $4 each. Here is my Catfish Sandwich. It looked kind of like a good Pork Tenderloin, in that it overhung the bread on all sides! There was close to a pound of Catfish filets in that "SMALL" sandwich...A real Hot Treat..both Spicy and Fresh out of the Fryer. Hot Sauce, Yellow Mustard, Pickle and Sliced Onion are the normal 'condiments' for these beauties. American Cheese is available also.



Available at a number of small locations around the city. The HOT FISH SANDWICH is a real treat in Nashville!

If you're a numbers person...got to the Loveless at 7:12am. Six hours and 38 minutes later, we completed the morning tour with a still counting 'em - 28 items tried at 4 establishments! The pimento cheese sandwich with bacon and tomato on white toast was supurb! Great to meet all the Roadfooders and to share (literally) many items!

You all look like you are having a great time!!
Keep us up to date and ENJOY!!

Kathy

Great reports there! Thanks!!!!!

Sunday morning a few of the "Die-Hards" met for a Farewell Brunch at Ellendales, another Nashville Landmark. Here is the group--
Al- PC DIVA's Mother- PC DIVA (Alice)- Mr Chips (JIM)- Poverty Pete- Mrs Mayor- Ellen- Jan Flinn- and Rick Flinn.


Here we are lined up at the Omelet Table. That's Rick Flinn on the right then Stevekoe/Travelin' Man then Chips and on the end is Poverty Pete



The Brunch had everything from some great custom-done Omelets, Beef short ribs, Crawdads en-shell, All the breakfast meats and grits you could want, and a fine selection of Pastries and desserts. Here is "My dessert Plate" - Brie, Strawberries and Fudge Sauce and Whipped cream.

Good God Mr. Chips could be my brother if not my twin! That sure is a scary thought.

Glad to see/hear that ya'all had a great time.

MikeS.

All looking good so far!

Kudoes to Janet Stern for having the good sense and good taste to make Demi and McDuff the official mascots of Roadfood.

Pwingsx is jealous (no, not me, the real Pwingsx).

We arrived Home at about 4 PM, after a beautiful sunny afternoon ride up from Nashville. Given a short rest, we will then work on the photos from last night (Janet did a 60oz Margarita for the first time...)

I already made this plea Once..but we need to have photos added of the bus-ride and the food-stops on the tour. We did the start and finish of the tours, and the Mexican evenings and Today's great Brunch at Ellendales...but we need photos and comments about the bus-ride. You bus tourists need to either post them or send some to me to post on this thread SOON!! Timing of a News Story IS EVERYTHING !!!


MIKE S... You have at least 24 vertical inches on Mr Chips!

Al, I got about 50 digital pics. I am not sure how to send them to you. Perhaps I should get a disc made and send them to you and let you pic and choose. I would email them to you but I am aware of the way you receive.

Please advise.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Yes Paul, The easiest thing to do is make a Photo CD and postal mail it to me.

I uploaded about 180 photos this afternoon and deleted 60 or so duplicates or too dark or really dumb shots. I will edit some of them for the thread like the bunch on here now.. The rest I will size at 8"x10" and make CD's here to send out to some of the tour folks.
The original photos on my Canon are large 32"x48" and roughly 4-5 megs each in size. I like that because i can get great detail no matter how I crop them. After editing I try to keep them under a Meg in size to allow for emailing.
AL

Hello all ,
Great photos so far anf trip reports .
Looks like everyone had a great time . !!
Any Hot Dogs eaten along the way?
Keep the reports coming

Benzee

Here is BuffetBuster (in Blue) and his cousin getting ready to order a libation at La Hacienda. He is comparing the 16 0z little guy...the 45 oz "medium" (the Mayor's Drink) and a newly arrived 60 oz "Grande" that Janet decided to try! We had a lot of fun sharing stories with these guys!

quote:

Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen

Hey, I recognize that yankee in the ballcap! I just hope he wasn't in charge of the donut order!!

Great shots, glad everyone enjoyed themselves..... ah there's always next year

Well......I missed another good trip. Some day..........

Hello All,
Al, great photos. It is so good to see the people who write here.
One day I hope to join in one of the trips.
Take Care,
Fieldthistle

Unfortunately, my camera crapped out on the trip, but I was able to recover the wonderful hot chicken at Prince's

Had a great time! Mayor, I have photos that I will send ya of the afternoon tour. Let me hear. Wasn't the squash casserole the best ever? Friend loved the hot chicken the best. I'm ready for the next tour!!!

As a chilihead that Prince's chicken is one of the most mouth watering pictures I've seen. What heat level is that?

Too bad you guys can't just load them pictures all up to a photo sharing web site like Snapfish or any other one you guys like. I would like to sit back and look at all the Pictures. Wait... What was I thinking? Why can't Roadfood.Com just have a spot right here on the Roadfood Main Page with a link right to the pictures of the latest roadfood trip only. Just wondering?

I've been home for two days now and almost fully recovered from the busy, but fun weekend in Nashville. Here are the places my cousin and I ate, all on Friday and Saturday:

Pancake Pantry, Arnold's Country Kitchen, Elliston Place Soda Shop, Rotier's, Prince's Hot Chicken, Loveless Cafe (Roadfood Bus Tour), Puckett's Grocery (RBT), Henpeck Market (RBT), Sylvan Park (RBT), Swett's, McNeil's Produce Stand and La Hacienda.

Arnold's was simply the best meat & three I have ever visited and gets my vote for best meal on the trip, while my cousin thought it was a tie between Arnold's and Pancake Pantry. On the bus tour, we both loved Puckett's and Henpeck Market and I plan on going back and eating full meals at both next time in town.

This was the third Roadfood bus tour I have been on and it was my favorite, too. That is because I was able to meet some fellow Roadfooders for the first time, like Poverty Pete, Mr. Chips, Sundancer, The Travelin' Man, ChiTownDiner (who was extremely generous sharing his food on the bus tour stops) and the Mayor himself.

We also got to meet several other people on the bus who don't post here (or at least often), like the couple from California (she's from Sacramento and he's from LA and buys t-shirts at all the Roadfood spots he visits). And also Larry and Liz from Dallas (soon to be Birmingham) who shared tables with us at two of the stops. Everyone was so nice. My only regret was there wasn't more time to meet more people.

Here is the first photo of the eating places on the tour. I'll add some more here shortly.

Stephen is leading the line, Then Bruce and Sue, the ChiTwnDiner and his wife and family, Then Jane and Michael....and the rest of the pack !!


Jane and Michael are center-stage here at one of the stops.



Halfway through eating this delicious blackberry cobbler at Puckett's Grocery, ChiTownDiner and I traded desserts with me getting his banana pudding.



Several people on the bus (me included) mentioned that this grilled pimiento cheese sandwich with bacon and tomato was their favorite food from the tour



I am already looking forward to next year's Roadfood bus tour in Austin!

quote:

Originally posted by buffetbuster

I've been home for two days now and almost fully recovered from the busy, but fun weekend in Nashville. Here are the places my cousin and I ate, all on Friday and Saturday:

Pancake Pantry, Arnold's Country Kitchen, Elliston Place Soda Shop, Rotier's, Prince's Hot Chicken, Loveless Cafe (Roadfood Bus Tour), Puckett's Grocery (RBT), Henpeck Market (RBT), Sylvan Park (RBT), Swett's, McNeil's Produce Stand and La Hacienda.

Arnold's was simply the best meat & three I have ever visited and gets my vote for best meal on the trip, while my cousin thought it was a tie between Arnold's and Pancake Pantry. On the bus tour, we both loved Puckett's and Henpeck Market and I plan on going back and eating full meals at both next time in town.

This was the third Roadfood bus tour I have been on and it was my favorite, too. That is because I was able to meet some fellow Roadfooders for the first time, like Poverty Pete, Mr. Chips, Sundancer, The Travelin' Man, ChiTownDiner (who was extremely generous sharing his food on the bus tour stops) and the Mayor himself.

We also got to meet several other people on the bus who don't post here (or at least often), like the couple from California (she's from Sacramento and he's from LA and buys t-shirts at all the Roadfood spots he visits). And also Larry and Liz from Dallas (soon to be Birmingham) who shared tables with us at two of the stops. Everyone was so nice. My only regret was there wasn't more time to meet more people.

I am already looking forward to next year's Roadfood bus tour in Austin!

BB - Great to finally meet - that's an impressive number of stops! If I get to Pitt this summer, we'll hook up for a mini! Let me know if you get out Chicago way. I've been dreaming of the pimento, tomato and bacon we all enjoyed!

quote:

Originally posted by MilwFoodlovers

As a chilihead that Prince's chicken is one of the most mouth watering pictures I've seen. What heat level is that?

That was actually the "mild", which was quite spicy.

quote:

Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen

New Photos added over night..edited into posts already there to try to put things into chronologic order. I will install the Saturday night, and Sunday Brunch photos on Wed. I need some contributions posted, or sent to me to post, for the bus-ride stops...Didn't anyone take photos???
AL

Hi Al, and everyone...
It's Ellen.
I took lots of pics, so we're still in luck....
stay tuned, as I will try to post them all later tonight, Tuesday.
("Ellen's great weekend in Nashville" report coming up!!)

I had an incredibly great time !!!!!!

More pics, I see. ===>> Paul... We are waiting... Also I see the illusive Rick F. for the first time. BadaBoom.

I truly had a marvelous weekend. Meeting the mayor, the Sterns, Lost in the Mail, Buffetbuster, Rick, P.C. Diva, Bruce Bilmes and Sue Boyle, Mrs mayor and the dogs, Ellen,and any of the others I have forgotten was a treat and as has been true of all my roadfood encounters, an enduring pleasure. Special thanks to Travelin' Man Steve who got me to a Vanderbilt baseball game and a return trip to the Loveless. I ate at 11 roadfood joints in 3 days, my favorite being the boarding house delights of Monnel's. No pictures but delightful memories. If there is an Austin trip next year, I'm in.

quote:

Originally posted by mr chips

I truly had a marvelous weekend. Meeting the mayor, the Sterns, Lost in the Mail, Buffetbuster, Rick, P.C. Diva, Bruce Bilmes and Sue Boyle, Mrs mayor and the dogs, Ellen,and any of the others I have forgotten was a treat and as has been true of all my roadfood encounters, an enduring pleasure. Special thanks to Travelin' Man Steve who got me to a Vanderbilt baseball game and a return trip to the Loveless. I ate at 11 roadfood joints in 3 days, my favorite being the boarding house delights of Monnel's. No pictures but delightful memories. If there is an Austin trip next year, I'm in.

The feeling was mutual, Mr. Chips !
You are SO warm hearted.
My big claim to fame was eating fried chicken for breakfast,lunch, AND dinner on that Nashville tour! (At Loveless, Prince's and Monells , respectively )(plus a burger and a pimento cheese sandwich!)

Stay tuned for my pics and full report. I'll start a separate thread right about NOW !

Fondly,
Ellen

Here is Ellen, setting her next Photo Shoot ! Thats the first round of "Brunch" in front of her.



Now we are starting to see the evidence of the Bus-Tour locations. Ellen, your photos are encouraging others to get things posted. Keep it up !! BuffetBuster sent a few to me and I put some of them into a post on the first page. I'll add more to his post when he gets them edited and sends them along.

quote:

Originally posted by Adjudicator

More pics, I see. ===>> Paul... We are waiting... Also I see the illusive Rick F. for the first time. BadaBoom.

Illusive, illusory, elusive, allusory, and illustrated! BadaBing to you, bubba!

Kudos to whomever (I assume Stephen) decided to give out Roadfood.com mugs if you didn't want a hat this year. Since I already had two hats, it was an easy choice to go for the mug. I have been using it at work all week.

Coffee or Brandy???

It is Derby Week in Louisville. The Roadfood Mug makes a perfect substitute for the traditional Silver Mint Julep Cup...(Well about double the size too!) My Roadfood Mug has been thru a good rehersal and is now ready for heavy-duty work Tomorrow - The running of the Kentucky Oaks, and of course Saturday- the 133rd running of the Kentucky Derby. Yeah, I may have to order another mug, as this one faces a lot of wear and tear in the next few days !!

Hard workin' mug for hard workin' folks! Al - you deserve a refill!

I am trying to stay closer to the traditional appearance of the libation.

In the past The Hoosier version of the Julip consisted of:

One Quart of Bourbon (any brand) Aged in the truck on the way from Kentucky.

Four 20oz bottles of Mountain Dew- well chilled

Crushed Ice

One Package Spearmint Life Savers

Four 48oz Slurpee Cups- Original contents rinsed out.

Fill Slurpee cups with crushed ice to about an inch from the top. Add one (8oz) cup of the Bourbon, follow with One 20oz bottle of Mountain Dew, Float several Spearmint Life Savers on the top. Sip until Ice clogs the straw ! Repeat as needed.

Note- If an artist is available have" S.S. TITANIC" lettered carefully on the life savers. That adds a real touch of class to the beverage in the ice-filled cups.

Happy Derby Day to One and All.

In our current and more genteel environment we substitute KNOB CREEK or WOODFORD RESERVE for the Generic Brand Bourbon. Otherwise the recipe remains the same !!

My recipe is close to yours...Buffalo Trace and Sundrop

quote:

Originally posted by mr chips

If there is an Austin trip next year, I'm in.

Me, too, and I really hope there is! Might have to go early and stay late.

The Presidents Day Weekend BBQ/Oyster Tour is seriously considering Mobile,AL as the target for next February. Final decisions will be made late in the summer.

quote:

Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen


The Presidents Day Weekend BBQ/Oyster Tour is seriously considering Mobile,AL as the target for next February. Final decisions will be made late in the summer.

Isn't there anything planned for the summer?

what was the filming for???

DesertDog,
The West TN Glee Club and BBQ Appreciation Society holds it's annual get-together on President's Day Weekend. It met for a couple of years at Hays Smokehouse in Tennessee, and this year the group traveled to Austin, TX. While it is made up of a lot of Roadfood Members, It is NOT an officially Sponsored Roadfood activity.

There may well be another "Official" tour within 2007, but that will be for the leadership to determine, usually depending on Jane and Michael Sterns busy agenda.

Meantime there will be several smaller events. One that is listed in this forum deals with Crabs and Crabcakes in the Baltimore Area some time in the late summer. There have been several of these in past years. Janet and I have been able to attend a couple of them and have enjoyed the company and the food at each one.

I am sure the Hot-dog lovers in NY-NJ and Chicago will schedule more mini-tours of their communities. These events happen because folks in those areas organize and plan them and carry them off.

The first get-together of Roadfooders I ever attended was in Rancho Cucamonga, CA on Superbowl Sunday in 2004. There were about 20 roadfood members and their friends in attendance. We had a great time meeting our SoCal friends (and our Alaskan friends too). The success of these events are based on the efforts of the local organizers.

My suggestion for staging a 'Meet N Eat' is to find folks within travel-availability of where you would like to meet, and delvelop a plan for the 'party'. It can be a 'one-meal' party at a restaurant(Like the Crabfests have been), a several day event with 2 or 3 locations per day(Like Austin TX was), or (Like Nashville) a One Day Marathon of 6 locations in a day...with before and after extra socials. There are lots of logistical issues with each type, but they can be resolved and a great time had by all, if you want to do it.

ELISE, I haven't a clue as to the reason for the film crew. I will wait to see a response from someone who asked them.

The NJ group has their annual hot dog tour on September 14th and there is talk of a Chicago summer event.

Perhaps a calendar could be organized which has the nationally sanctioned and local/regional events with a link to the appropriate thread. Moderators could review each request, review history of submitters and check hits on the thread to determine posting to the calendar.

quote:

Originally posted by EliseT

what was the filming for???

I talked with the film crew at some length.They are producing a special on the Sterns for German television. There was also the Travel Editor of the Dallas Morning News who is going to do a story on the Sterns.

quote:

Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen


The Presidents Day Weekend BBQ/Oyster Tour is seriously considering Mobile,AL as the target for next February. Final decisions will be made late in the summer.

Hi Al. Please keep us informed about the BBQ/OYSTER tour next year.
I am definitely on for that one!

quote:

Originally posted by twinwillow

quote:

Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen


The Presidents Day Weekend BBQ/Oyster Tour is seriously considering Mobile,AL as the target for next February. Final decisions will be made late in the summer.

Hi Al. Please keep us informed about the BBQ/OYSTER tour next year.
I am definitely on for that one!

Me too,

I'll be foregoing a November 06 vacation in lieu of the tour!

I loved my one visit to Mobile and think it would be an excellent choice. Count me in!

quote:

Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen

The Presidents Day Weekend BBQ/Oyster Tour is seriously considering Mobile,AL as the target for next February.

Count the Flynns in, too! And I might be able to get my daughter & s-i-l to join us, as they live fairly nearby.

quote:

Originally posted by ChiTownDiner

Perhaps a calendar could be organized which has the nationally sanctioned and local/regional events with a link to the appropriate thread. Moderators could review each request, review history of submitters and check hits on the thread to determine posting to the calendar.

calender of events....great idea!

Here are some of my photos from the afternoon tour. Special thanks to the honorable Mayor for posting them for me.



Mr. Chips signs in on the lawn of the Loveless Cafe.



Does anyone have German TV? We're going to be famous....at least in Germany



Marc was surely saying "HOT". The Chicago couple broke out in a deep southern sweat over their HOT chicken. Fellow in the blue polo from New York (help me out with a name here) had well-worn copies of the Stern's books & had the signatures of many mom & pop restaurant owners in each book.



Cheryl enjoys her birthday gift...hot chicken at Prince's. Thought the bread would cool off the mouth. Mistake. It had soaked up the extra spices.



Lostnthemail (A.K.A. Darlene) & Cheryl. Left the men in our lives at the house & enjoyed a girls-only weekend.



Mr. Chips - The most Photographed member of the tour. Easy to focus on that t-shirt! I believe he had been to the fish fry next door to Prince's. Located at a private home, it was a fundraiser for a class reunion. Know the California couple & Ellen made a visit.



Swett's - Cheryl & I opted for the vegetables. The squash casserole & mash potatoes were very tasty. Any ideas on how they made them?




Ellen from New Jersey & her carry out tray.



Ellen at Monell's. Note the cornbread & the biscuit.



Jane & Michael were gracious to sign everyone's books.




me, Jane, Michael & Cheryl

Nice Job Darlene. You added a new point of reference for that tour. Thanks for the quick service on the CD.

In Reference to your request for a squash recipe...Here is a link to a recipe thread for the Squash Souffle served by the Dillard House in Dillard Georgia. It was wonderful!

http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=15665&SearchTerms=squash

Thanks, Mayor, for the recipe. I'll stash that one for a nice fall meal. Swett's casserole was not sweet. Squash, onion, cheese maybe???