Looking for ideas on dining in Nashville.

Been doing some research and have seen that there are restaurants that offer "meat & three", what is this? Is it a meat and three sides?

Yes, aka a plate lunch.

In the Nashville area:

Sushi: Sakura in Franklin. The atmosphere is lacking, but the sushi more than makes up for it.

Thai: Jasmine in Brentwood.

Indian: Sitar in Nashville, near Vanderbilt.

Here is our Nashville dining experience:

Flew into Nashville and were hungry. Drove right out of Nashville international onto Donelson Pike a mile to the Bar-B-Cutie BBQ restaurant located at 501 Donelson Pike.
The BBQ was good, sure hit the spot.
http://www.bar-b-cutie.com/

Did the walking tour of downtown historic Nashville and for some reason we both were in the mood for oysters, great oysters in the middle of the US! So we stopped by Joe�s Crab Shack at 123 2nd Ave. I�m not a fan of places like Joe�s, but it was late afternoon before the evening rush so we had good service. I am a fan of oysters and these were very fresh and we were very impressed. So good that we had to have another dozen.

Went to see the Parthenon, Vanderbilt U and other west end sites. We love our deli and headed to Noshville New York Delicatessen located at 1918 Broadway. Noshville bills itself an NYC deli. Obviously nothing can compare to a true NYC deli, but Noshville does deli proud. My turkey reuben was huge and the wife�s corned beef and chopped chicken liver sandwich was so large she could only eat �. Both were very good sandwiches. Pickles on the table were delicious. Only disappointment was the Matzo ball soup. The Matzo was very mushy and did not have the good flavor we were hoping for.
http://noshville.citysearch.com/1.html

Next morning we went to the Pancake Pantry located very close to Vanderbilt U at 1796 21st Ave S. I had fresh blueberry pancakes that were very tasty. Syrup is homemade and was a bit runny, but tasty. Wife�s omelet was good. Supposedly there are huge waits for the Pancake Pantry, but we got there at 6:45am on a Saturday and were easily seated.

We had decided to head south to do some antique shopping and see some of the old plantation homes south of Nashville near Franklin TN. Always in the mood for BBQ, we spotted Herbert�s BBQ as we got of the expressway near Franklin, located at 111 Royal Oaks Blvd. Herbert�s was terrific. Really enjoyed the dry spice ribs and links. Chicken was just OK.

The afternoon was so full of activity that we headed for a massage at Illusions Spa, located 5115 Harding Road 615.352.4464 http://www.illusionssalon.com/ Very good masseuses here, we were not disappointed.

We then headed over to the Opryland Hotel. While huge and somewhat impressive, I did not observe many people smiling as they were there. There was a feeling of mediocrity throughout.

By now it was late (8pm) and we really were not up for the effort to go dine at some of the restaurants we had researched. Our hotel was near the airport off of Donelson Pike so we dined at Darfons Restaurant located at 2810 Elm Hill Pike (just north of Nashville Int. Airport). Darfons is not the type of restaurant that we would normally search out, it has a typical American style menu w/some interesting potential, but rarely IMO, does the potential live up to what it could be. After the GREAT oysters at Joe�s we were again in the mood for some more so we ordered a dozen at Darfons. Again, we were very pleased at the quality and freshness. Two for two with oysters in Nashville, I would have never guessed. I ordered my Cobb salad w/the mustard soy dressing which was a topper of a delicious salad. My wife�s pancetta and shrimp pasta dish was outstanding as well. What dumb luck to stumble into this place! I looked up Darfons for reviews and some people gave it a thumbs down, those that gave it a thumbs up either ate salads or pasta, which is what we had, just an FYI.

We flew out at 6:30am the next morning so that is it for our Nashville dining experiences.


[This message has been edited by Sweet Willie (edited 12-16-2002).]

La Hacienda Taqueria Number One (don't know where Number Two is!), 2615 Nolensville Pike, 615.256.6142. Delicious fish ceviche! And cheap! $1.99 for this appetizer, and I could probably make three of 'em a meal. Thanks to Stephanie (BNA) for this great tip!

Taste of Tokyo, 615.292.8338, 1806 21st Ave. South. Right near Provence (below). Amazingly cheap sushi. I think if you order $6 worth of it, they throw in the miso and salad! Between this place and La Hacienda Taqueria, I almost moved here! (I'm still considering it!) Thanks to Stephanie (BNA) for this one as well!

Provence Breads & Cafe, 615.386.0363, 1705 21st Avenue S. Pretty good sandwiches; delicious pecan croquettes. Update: as of Summer, 2002: New location at the downtown public library! 615 Church Avenue.

And on a couple of non-food notes:

Don't miss seeing the Parthenon! It's a full-size replica of the Parthenon in Greece; I have enjoyed it as have the two people I have taken there on different occasions. There's a video exhibit showing, among other things, how the columns were formed from discs of stone which were sanded in a special way so that the space between the stones is less than the width of a piece of hair.

Antics, fine & fanciful antiques, 615.386.9485, 1813 21st Ave. S. Catherine Snow is the gregarious owner of this shop (some items are antique and some are new). Some Asian items. I took note of a set of 3 hammered, spherical copper tealight candle holders ($68).

Fall Creek Falls State Park, Pikeville. I've spent a couple of Thanksgivings here. Lovely scenery.


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Life's a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death! - Auntie Mame

www.angelfire.com/ny3/globalgourmets

I've not eaten there for sometime, but like the Arthur's at the Union Station.
http://poweredby.10best.com/list.pro...OLID_91/SID_1/

For a wonderful throwback dining experience, try Rotier's near Vanderbilt. My favorite: the grilled cheeseburger on rye, with a chocolate milkshake
http://nashville.citysearch.com/profile/9319115/
http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Overview.aspx?RefID=464
http://www.msu.edu/user/gibbensr/jimmy/burgers.htm

For another classic southern experience, the Loveless Cafe and Motel west of Nashville ~10 miles on Hwy 100 serves great southern food.
http://www.lovelesscafe.com/
http://www.turnersouth.com/southern-...907,68,00.html

Gourmet Mag�s (Oct 04) �Big Deal / Good Deal� restaurants in Nashville

Big Deal = Gourmet, Elegant food
Good Deal = �cheap� local�s spots

Big Deal Restaurants:

Zola
3001 West End Ave
615.320.7778

Capitol Grille
The Hermitage Hotel
231 Sixth Ave North
615.345.7116

Good Deal Restaurants:

Prince's Hot Chicken Shack
123 Ewing Drive
615.226.9442

Judge Bean's BBQ
611 Wedgewood Ave
615.244.8884

I've discovered that for the absolute best bargin and good eats of sushi/Japanese food, Rusans (though a chain) is the best way to go. Don't quite know where it is, but it's out there. ^

aloha

Where would one go in Nashville for some excellent steak?

Fifth Quarter
295 E. Thompson Lane
Nashville, TN
(615) 366-4268

Longhorn Steaks
1175 Murfreesboro Road
Nashville, TN
(615) 361-0457

Logan's Roadhouse
5300 Hickory Hollow Lane
Antioch, TN
(615) 731-4022

Nashville Palace
2400 Music Valley Drive
Nashville, TN
(615) 885-1540

There is also a Ruth's Chris location if you like them. I believe there are reviews of the above places on the net.

Cheap Good Eats According to City Search http://nashville.citysearch.com/best...005/cheap_eats

1. Otter's Chicken Tenders
1528 Demonbreun St, Nashville, TN

2. Baja Burrito
722 Thompson Ln, Nashville, TN
California-style Mexican fare comes to Music City.

3. Fat Mo's Burgers
2620 Franklin Pike, Nashville, TN
An immigrant cooks up a bit of Americana at a burger joint known for its gargantuan patties.

4. White Trash Cafe
1914 Bransford Ave, Nashville, TN
More treasure than trash, this meat-and-three pleases with traditional Southern fare.

5. Calypso Cafe
2424 Elliston Pl, Nashville, TN
Casual Caribbean hangout serves signature rotisserie chicken to business types and families.

6. Demos' Steak and Spaghetti House
300 Commerce St, Nashville, TN
This place still draws crowds, despite dated fern bar decor and forgettable food.

7. McDougal's Village Coop
2115 Belcourt Ave, Nashville, TN
Rustic restaurant and bar offers cold beer and no frills.

8. San Antonio Taco Co
416 21st Ave S, Nashville, TN
Hang out on the patio and order buckets of beer (to wash down buckets of Tex-Mex) at this fun Vandy favorite.

9. Rotier's
2413 Elliston Pl, Nashville, TN
Legendary no-frills diner serves some of Nashville's best burgers.

10. International Market & Restaurant
2010 Belmont Blvd, Nashville, TN
Thai fast-food at one of the city's little secrets.

I found Monell's to be very good for something different, yet reasonably priced. Community-style dining. Close to downtown. Set in a Victorian era house. Home-style cooking. Around $16, including (non-alcoholic) drinks.

http://monellsdining.citysearch.com/

Although the previous posts are a little dated, this will hopefully provide benefit to current viewers.

I created a site that lists as many of the Meat and Three's that I know about in Nashville, Tennessee and all other places in the U.S. The site is http://www.meatandthree.com and is arranged geographically, so you can link right to the Tennessee page from the home page.

The goal is to keep the site narrowly focused on just those cafes, diners, and restaurants that actually serve a Meat and Three option - one meat and three vegetables (some just serve a Meat and Two option and allow additional vegetables for an extra cost). There are places out there that serve the same kind of food, but we want to make sure that customers who find a place on our site actually end up at a Meat and Three. It's definitely a narrow niche, but there are many, many more out there that I am adding every day.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Meat and Three genre, the terms "blue plate special", "daily special", "plate lunch", and "southern comfort food" are some of the phrases that are often mentioned in the same breath along with "Meat and Three". Some of the best ones serve food made from scratch, using local produce picked right from the garden. Sweet tea and a variety of pies and maybe banana pudding are staples of most Meat and Three's, also. You can read more about them on the MEATandTHREE.com site.

If anyone knows about one that is not on the site, please email me and let me know about it. I have also started a series of articles that is concerned with the history and stories regarding particular Meat and Three's: http://historyblog.meatandthree.com.

I hope this helps some of you. Thanks.

As a guy who grew up in Nashville, I just have to step in here. You left out the only steak house that matters in Nashville: Jimmy Kelly's Steakhouse. The ones you listed are OK, but Kelly's is THE place to go for steak in the city and worth it. It's where Nashvillians go to get a nice steak. Their address is 217 Louise Avenue, phone 615-329-4349.

Thanks for the note. Jimmy Kelly's is also my favorite steak house in Nashville, no doubt. THE best steaks I have ever had have been at JK's.

However, my post addressed the first post regarding Meat and Three's and is only related to those types of restaurants. That is what my web site is all about. There are a lot of other great restaurants in Nashville, and elsewhere, that are not Meat and Three's. I apologize if I was not clear enough about my intent - I was just focusing on the Meat and Three genre.