I first saw the menu at Nashville Sandwich Society when we made our way downtown for Crafty Bastards a few weekends ago. I had just ordered a Seattle dog from Daddy’s Dogs, and was trying to kill the time before it was ready. I’m just moseying around the premises when I see something that stops me dead in my tracks. It’s a po-boy (I love po-boys). But, it has fried gator and kimchi on it. My mind was blown. How could something sound so weird and disgusting yet intriguing and appetizing at the same time?
I tell my fiancé, “that Nashville Sandwich Society truck has a fried gator and kimchi po-boy. I have no choice but to try it. Take a picture. Write a review.” Our group took turns, looking confused, intrigued, and to be honest, grossed out. I gobbled down my Seattle dog (my first one – I’m making my way through the Daddy’s Dogs menu). Then, I look at my fiancé with a straight face and say, “okay, I’m gonna go get that po-boy now.”
Her response: “omg you were serious about that?”
Dead serious. Serious as a heart attack, of which I totally could have had after eating all of this in one sitting. This is the entire reason our mantra of “take a picture; write a review” exists! For moments when time stands still, and you know you cannot proceed with your life until you’ve tried a FRIED GATOR and KIMCHI PO-BOY. So, I may or may not have passed this off in the name of journalism, valiantly taking one for the team so that the mystery of whether or not this sandwich was actually good could be solved, but I’ll tell ya – I’m glad I did.
For more on Nashville Sandwich Society, click here. And, yes – for the record, they have some really good-looking sandwiches that aren’t fried gator and kimchi on the menu as well.
Pics
Ratings
Food: 6.74/10 – I never, in a million years, would’ve thought that gator and kimchi work so well together, but they do. It’s the tang of the kimchi and the gaminess of the gator, the freshness of the lettuce, and the crunch of the perfectly toasted bun. So many different textures in this single sandwich, and that made it perfect in my book. The remoulade really tied the whole flavor together, though. It’s interesting, and I could certainly understand why this sandwich isn’t for everyone. But, I absolutely loved it. I’ve had some overbearing kimchi in my day, but this wasn’t it. In fact, nothing in this sandwich was overbearing. I dare say it was done to perfection – it’s just a matter of taste and whether or not you like gator…or kimchi. That simple. The banana pudding wasn’t anything to write home about, but hell, if you grew up with my granny’s banana pudding, you’d probably be a banana pudding snob, too.
Value: 6/10 – It’s a good value when you consider how unique the food is that you’re getting. I don’t know where else you’re going to get a sandwich like this one. I have to mention that eating an entire Daddy’s Dog prior to eating this sandwich might’ve effected my perception of the value, though. 8″ was enough for me (that’s what she said), but I don’t know if I’d feel the same if I was coming into this meal starving, y’know?
Overall: 6.37/10 – I think they’ve put some sort of curse upon this sandwich and all who eat it, because now, I am going to feel compelled to get it any time I see the Nashville Sandwich Society truck parked somewhere. It’s one of the most unique sandwiches I’ve seen on a menu in this city, and I have nothing but respect for whoever’s brain came up with it. It may sound weird, but it works like beautiful music.
Current Nashville Food Truck Rankings
- Red’s 615 Kitchen – 7/10
- Califarmia – 6.93/10
- Tennessee Tatercakes – 6.85/10
- Hurt’s Hot Chicken – 6.67/10
- Chang Noi Thai-Lao – 6.65/10
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. 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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