Nashville Adventures

I was so excited to visit Nashville with my world traveler boyfriend this past week. We drove from my home in North Carolina to Nashville early Saturday morning and were there for lunchtime. I was lucky to have a human karaoke machine driving me around for 5 hours 🙂

I’m regretting not taking a picture of our first stop for lunch but I think I died and went to Heaven with this sushi bowl from Funk Seoul Brothers, a food truck turned restaurant. I got the Capistrano (salmon poke) bowl and Sam had the spicy tuna bowl. A.m.a.z.i.n.g.

It took us awhile to be able to move after inhaling the scrumptious bowls but then we got settled and were ready to hit Downtown. First stop: Honkey Tonk Central, naturally.

We both agreed that we probably won’t be able to fully enjoy any bars back at home due to the overwhelming welcoming vibe and floors upon floors of different live bands playing our favorite songs. Such a fun-loving, relaxed atmosphere.

Then (late) breakfast time! You all know this is my favorite meal of the day and I think I’m starting to convince Sam of the same 😉

We found a popular, yet cozy, place called Fido Cafe. The line was pretty long but it went quick and I was surprised at how quickly our food was delivered despite the Sunday morning rush!

I had a smoked salmon egg scramble (right). Sam had steak egg scramble (left). Both were amazing. The potatoes were crispy and the toast was super crunchy. Loved.

Sam was a great sport as I navigated him to all of the hidden art around the town and even waited in lines of other tourists and posed for pictures. (hashtag blessed)

Both walls are found on 12 south.

Next- Happy Hour! I love finding Happy Hours in cities like this, especially because North Carolina doesn’t do Happy Hour! There is not a shortage of options in Nashville. Most run from 3:30/4-6, a few until 7pm. Here is the go-to list I used.

We ended up at a delightful-smelling place called Butchertown Hall where we shared their shrimp ceviche and queso (because cheese…) alongside $5 grapefruit tequila drinks called La Paloma. Y.U.M.

Over apps, we decided we were going to take on the town once again. This time, we had a drink at each bar along Downtown Broadway.

Okay, we maybe made it to 5-6 bars before we settled on a karaoke bar waiting on Sam’s 5 minutes of fame. The line was long and we almost fell asleep before his name was called (hello grandma!)  There were great bands at each spot! People watching was also a lot of fun. According to my credit card statement, we visited Tequila Cowboy and Crazy Town, for all other places, you’ll need to ask Sam 🙂

Then breakfast time again! We were on our way to our second Airbnb and were rushed to find a place to eat but this was a great side-of-the-road find. J. Christopher’s is a cute family-style breakfast place.

Anything that is cooked in a skillet is for me. Mine (bottom) had sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, bacon, and blue cheese. 4 of my favorite things on the planet. Sam’s (top) was turkey, avocado, pico de gallo, and melted Jack cheese. Whole grain pancakes are usually a must as well. If I could, I’d make these biscuits an everyday staple. #WhenInTheSouth

After getting settled in our awesome Airbnb, we read through the binder the gracious hosts left behind of recommendations for places to visit and eat. We grabbed a few $3 tacos from a very reputable hole in the wall, Mas Tacos.

I got a spicy beef taco and a quinoa sweet potato taco while Sam had 2 chicken tacos. All were delish. Tried to save room for Happy Hour again 🙂

We stopped by one of the recommended places called Family Wash. Food was okay, but can’t beat $3 whiskeys.

Our craving for the night was serious: Noodles. It was Sam’s idea and little did I know it would be one I couldn’t shake after trying for the first time. It was easy to find a superb Ramen House in this city.  We started with some tapas before sharing a pork broth ramen bowl.

Un.real. That is all.

The next morning I couldn’t wait to visit a breakfast spot that kept coming up on all of my searches known for its local, homemade food. Biscuit Love is a must visit.

And you have to order Bonuts.

Fried biscuit dough + lemon mascarpone + blueberry compote

I’d consider getting them to-go on your way out because I couldn’t imagine eating my breakfast after these bad boys.

But alas, we ordered some traditional southern breakfast foods:

Sam’s (top): East Nasty: fried, boneless chicken thigh, sausage gravy, aged cheddar + biscuit, duh.

Mine (bottom): Princess: Nashville style hot chicken thigh, pickles, mustard, honey + biscuit. May or may not have ordered for the name.

Needless to say, I had 2-3 bites before we wrapped it. Sam was a champ and powered through his. Both were amazing.

The restaurant had this fun sign that I had to snap a picture of as we nursed our food babies and began our journey home.

Overall, I would visit again in a heartbeat. I loved the cleanliness of the city, being close to any and everything, being surrounded by music, and obviously, the food.

What are your favorite spots in Nashville??

 

xo