Foodie/History Safari Part II: Nashville, TN, DAY 2

The next day we toured the Ryman, the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Parthenon.  On Broadway we stopped in at Hatch Show Print and Ernest Tubb Record Shop for souvenirs. 

The Mother Church of Country Music

Bill Monroe's Mandolin

Nashville's Parthenon

I grew up on country music, so finally entering the Ryman was special for me.  I was amazed at the character of the building.  The floorboards around the pews are gloriously worn.  The exhibits at the Country Music Hall of Fame are really excellently curated. There was a lot to see and good music to hear.  I was born in Tennessee, but I'd never seen the Parthenon in person.  Truly stunning. 

In the middle of the day we tried lunch at a spot our waitress at City House suggested, Arnold's Country Kitchen.  Oh my.  This is where we finally did ourselves in.  Good, but TOO MUCH LUNCH after too much other rich food!

Arnold's

Too Much Lunch

 






































Woof.  Edward had barbeque on a cornbread tortilla thingy, a cornbread muffin, fried green tomatoes, greens, mac and cheese AND strawberry pie.  I had fried catfish and hushpuppies, fried green tomatoes and mac and cheese.  This mid-day massacre humbled us at last.  We had to return to the hotel for a nap!


Because we had to be rested up for that night's reservations at the Bluebird Cafe!  Once we were slightly recovered from lunch, we knew we couldn't do justice to Capitol Grill, so we opted to sample it instead by ordering a couple of appetizers in the Oak Bar.  Good decision.  What did Edward have?  I've forgotten.  But my fried chicken livers were keen and just the right amount to tide me over for the evening.  And what a GREAT evening it turned out to be.  I thoroughly enjoyed the In the Round performance by Thom Schuyler, Fred Knobloch, Tony Arata and Jelly Roll Johnson.  Schuyler is a great songwriter with lots of hits: "16th Avenue" by Lacy J. Dalton; "A Long Line of Love" by Michael Martin Murphy and "Years After You" by John Conlee to name only a few.  I loved Fred Knobloch's Mississippi Delta bluesy sound.  And Tony Arata wrote a little ditty called "The Dance."  I think some guy called Garth recorded that song.  I've always said that Charlie McCoy is the best harmonica player in the world, but now I know Jelly Roll Johnson gives Charlie a run for his money.  I do NOT know how these musicians can sit together and play together this well.  There was a young kid visiting who got to sing one song.  I couldn't believe the way the others backed him up.  It was absolutely recordable!  I'm so glad I got to go to the Bluebird Cafe.  I wish Athens had a spot like this where adults could go and LISTEN to good music without getting amped-up eardrum damage.  I do miss real country music, but Nashville's still about the music and the songs.

Schuyler & Johnson

That's about it for Nashville, but I do want to share one little scene, a display of paper cranes outside a church door on a downtown street.  Some people disparage demonstrations such as this as meaningless.  I appreciate any time anyone spends focusing on peace.  There are many different kinds of heroes.

A Time for Peace

Two more stops on the 2011 Foodie/History Safari!


Back in 2006 Edward and I thoroughly enjoyed a Wiskey Tour of several bourbon distilleries in Kentucky, along with a tour of Jack Daniel's in Tennessee.  At that time we stopped by George Dickel, but didn't have time for a tour, so we made a point of returning to Casade Hollow on this trip.  Now that we've toured the Dickel facility, I wished we'd done it the same day as Jack Daniel's, because the juxtaposition would have been interesting.  Jack Daniel's is big-time production, including computerized plant management.  There's not a lot of high tech going on in Casade Hollow.  George Dickel has, including the touring staff, only about 35 employees.  But they produce an incredible amount of whisky (Dickel spells it without the "e").  If you've never visited a whiskey distillery and you're in the least interested in the process, I'd sure recommend a tour of at least one.  I find the whole business and its history fascinating and many of the distilleries are in beautiful settings.  At Dickel you won't get to share in the angels' share; you don't get to tour the barrel houses there, but it's a cool, free attraction.

Dickel Tour Guide Wearing Their New Slogan

Edward in Cascade Hollow

Are we finally hungry again?  After further navigational spats, we ended up eating lunch at a neat little spot in Tullahoma, Tennessee, Gondola Pizza and Steak House.  Edward had a Greek salad and shish kebob and I had a calzone.  This is exactly the kind of place (other than BBQ) we like to find for lunch when we're on the road.  Nothing fancy, outrageously hideous decor, and the waitress was of the bullish throw-it-in-front-of-you school of service, but there was a guy smoking briskets and ribs out in the parking lot.  If we'd been closer to home we'd have invested in a rack of ribs.  

Old-Fashioned Eats

The Old Bailey was glad for Edward and Donna to get home.  So was I.  I'm not a great traveler, but I sure appreciate being able to travel freely, discovering new food adventures and visiting interesting, historical venues.  Wonder where our next trip will take us?