Those of you who have been paying attention to SoBros Network here throughout the course of this quarantine know that I’ve obviously been forced to take a hiatus from going out and reviewing the Music City’s finest cuisine in person. Instead, I’ve been hitting up the food trucks like crazy – eating food that isn’t good for me and writing about it (Red’s 615 Kitchen has been a revelation). But, the question was posed to me a few weeks ago – when I’m craving an A+ meal plus a nice night out, where on the Nashville dining scene do I turn to? What are my favorites?
I mean, hell….over the course of the past couple of years, I’ve written reviews about 39 different spots around town. But, for some reason…and not necessarily by design, I haven’t reviewed too many of the nicer, more trendy, restaurants. I’m much more of a “hang out, drink beer, laid back” kind of guy, if that is ended a kind of guy. We ended up doing reviews of completely ordinary bar food with the occasional nice spot sprinkled in. But, after that question was posed to me, I got to thinkin’ about it, and thought, “fuck it – guess I can write about it.”
I’m still building our catalog of Nashville Reviews on the site, so I don’t have full reviews of these four on the site. Not to mention, I took all of these in on date night, and I am strictly prohibited from working on date night.
Anyway, on to my four favorite restaurants in Nashville, in no particular order.
My Nashville Dining Mount Rushmore
Etch – their website – Etch is tucked away in plain sight downtown. Had it not been recommended to me, I don’t know that I ever would’ve noticed it. But, I’m glad I found it – my girlfriend and I ate there for the first time on my birthday a couple of years ago. I had a duck dish that doesn’t appear to be on the menu any longer. My girlfriend ordered a chicken dish. And of course, we gorged ourselves on appetizers (the roasted cauliflower is a revelation), dessert, and a bottle of win. The quiet, cozy atmosphere made for a rather nice date night, and Etch is often our recommendation when family or friends come to town and are searching for a nice dinner downtown.
Butcher & Bee – their website – I do have a full review of this one on the site. The chef heard us debating between two dishes, and was kind enough to cook both of ’em for us. What a nice surprise! So, even though it was date night, the girlfriend was like, “you have to give them some free publicity at the very least.” It’s a charming little spot over in East Nashville. Rule #1 of winning over Stoney Keeley: serve bacon wrapped dates. That, and it helps when your whipped feta is 100% as unforgettable as advertised.
Barcelona – their website – There are few better ways to spend a Friday night than by loading up on tapas and polishing off a bottle of wine. The tapas menu seems to vary at different times, so I don’t want to publish my favorites in the event they aren’t on the menu at the time of your reading this. But, my girlfriend saw Mike Vrabel here once, so that counts for something, right?!
Treehouse – their website – Treehouse had been in the date night discussion for what felt like years before we actually made it out there. Oddly enough, it was a last minute deal. Our Valentine’s Day tradition is usually dinner and a movie far out of the Nashville city limits. But, something got into me this year, and I wanted to shake things up – it just so happened that Treehouse was open for reservations, so it felt like the stars had aligned. You might notice a habit out of my girlfriend and me, but we like to load up on date night – apps, entrees, dessert, drinks, the whole nine. Shrimp cocktail and potato fritter for the win, baby!
There you have it, folks. Feel free to chime in with your favorite restaurants in Nashville in the comments!
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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