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? 

Foodie/History Safari Part II: Nashville, TN, DAY 1

It was still overcast as we rolled out of Birmingham on our way to Nashville, but it had at least warmed up a bit.

You'd think we'd never be hungry again, but a few miles on up the road we stopped for lunch in Franklin, Tennessee, at Riff Burgers and Fries.  This is a burger joint sort of a la Five Guys.  They grind their own meat and serve beef, lamb, salmon and turkey burgers with trendy toppings.  We both opted for the classic beef burger though.  I was excited to see "skinny fries" on the menu, but was disappointed that they were the dark, limp kind I'm not that crazy about.  Edward's onion rings were really good.  How does he always end up ordering better food than I?  I enjoyed eating here because it's in an old Gulf service station.  Can't ever see that orange and blue sign without sweet memories of my dad.

That Good Gulf Gasoline

Riff burger and skinny fries

Awhile back I read, thoroughly enjoyed and recommend The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks.  Hicks did a masterful job with this novel based on the life of Carrie McGavock and the Civil War Battle of Franklin that was fought in her back yard on November 30, 1864, the bloodiest single-day battle of that horrible, bloody war.  The battle lasted about five hours, with around 9,500 casualities and/or MIAs.  Almost 7,000 were Confederate troops, who were mowed down as they charged across McGavock's Carnton Plantation.  Many of the wounded and dying were carried to the McGavock's home.  The next morning, the bodies of four Confederate generals, Patrick R. Cleburne, Hiram B. Granbury, John Adams and Otho F. Strahl, were laid out on Carrie's back porch.  By 1866, the hundreds of field graves around Franklin were neglected, deteriorating and/or being destroyed.  John and Carrie McGavock, recalling the tragedy of the Battle of Franklin, designated two acres at Carnton as a Confederate cemetery and set about removing remains from around Franklin to a final resting spot on their plantation, where Carrie McGavock would watch over them for the rest of her life.  I had to see this place.

Carnton's Back Porch

Carrie McGavock's Tombstone

War is such a tremendous waste of our God-given opportunity on this earth.  I'm afraid we'll never, ever learn.  And our children will continue to pay for our stubborn human pride.

Leaving this solemn spot behind, Edward and I ventured on into Nashville.  I won't bore you with all our navigational spats, but we finally arrived at our next lodging place, the superb Hermitage Hotel in downtown Nashville. 

Hermitage Hotel

The Hermitage Hotel has been awarded the AAA Five Diamond Award eight years in a row and the Forbes Travel Guide Five Star Award five years in a row; it's currently the only hotel in Tennessee to hold either award.  Let me tell you, 5-stars mean something.  We were treated as if we were royalty.  Check their website if you're interested in details on the up-and-down-and-up history of this hotel: http://www.thehermitagehotel.com/homepage.aspx, but I will mention that Gene Autry AND Champion were both guests here in the past (we stayed on the top floor, so I guess we didn't get Champion's room).  Superior service starts with a doorman in tails and a top hat and just keeps going from there.  Everybody knows you by name.  If there's anything you want, all you have to do is look like you might ask for it.  Fresh cherries and strawberries and fancy glass-bottled spring water in your room.  A little basket you can place outside your door with your shoes inside and an hour later they'll come back to you shined.  Free Wi-Fi.  A fresh rosebud on the desk.  A stack of cool magazines in your room, and a TV Guide in a special notebook.  Luxurious robes of course, and an umbrella.  Turndown service includes homemade cookies, fresh bedroom slippers and little mats next to the bed in case you don't want your bare toes to touch the carpet.  Really.  And get this, personalized printed hotel stationery.  And that's just the stuff.  As I said, what really shines is the personal service and attention to every detail.

The Hermitage Hotel is also home to an excellent, award-winning restaurant, The Capitol Grill, and we were tempted, but after two FINE dining evenings, we were ready to try out one of Chris Hastings' recommendations and after cocktails in the hotel's beautiful Oak Bar, we made our way to City House for supper.  Good recommendation, Chef Hastings!  But I must have had an extra manhattan at the Oak Bar (yes, I did, and they served hot boiled peanuts and spicy popcorn as bar snacks!), because I can't recall exactly what I ate at City House.  It was a special that evening, so it's not on their online menu.  It was pasta, just the way I love it, shells with a garlicky, no tomato sauce.  I think Edward had the House Made Sausage with green tomato agrodolce and Abbey Ale mustard, but I wouldn't swear to that either. I do know we had the trip's best bottle of wine, a 2007 Elyse Nero Misto.  I love Elyse wines and tried to abscond with the winery dog when we visited there back in 2007.

Whew, two more days to go.  I'm getting full.  Let's let Day 2 be its own post.

Foodie/History Safari Part I: Birmingham, AL

We didn't make it to Oregon wine country this fall, so where to go on vacation instead?  Really, Alabama and Tennessee?  Good choices!

We've been wanting to eat at Frank Stitt's Highlands Bar and Grill for quite a while, but never found a reason to travel to Birmingham.  So with no place else to go, Edward planned a short culinary tour of two neighboring states.  Good food (too much good food in fact) all along the way, with some history sites thrown in, made for a good little trip.

On our way to Birmingham we ate lunch in Anniston, Alabama, at Goal Post Barbeque.  It was good and the service was BBQ quaint, but I wish the neon sign of the field goal attempt had been working.  The star of the meal here was Edward's side of fried squash.  It tasted pretty fresh.

Anniston, AL

We stayed in the very nice boutique Hotel Highlands at Five Points South, a 1920's medical arts building that became the Pickwick Hotel in the 1980's.  Decorated with a modern flare and Brazilian furnishings, the hotel was comfortable and interesting.  We had reserved just an ordinary King room, but when we started to settle in, discovered Tropical Storm Lee had drenched the carpet in front of one of the windows; we were moved to a Luxury King Suite!  This was a very nice suite with a spacious sitting room, wet bar and bistro table and a very large bedroom with a view of Vulcan.  This is the first time we've ever gotten such an upgrade.  Accommodations such as these could spoil a person.  We only have one TV at home; here there were two.

Vulcan View

Suite at Highlands Hotel

Disaster # 1: The storm had dropped the temperature by twenty degrees or so.  It was still raining and I was wearing shorts and hadn't brought any kind of jacket.
Disaster #2: I forgot to pack Edward's sport coat.  He wasn't going to be a happy camper if he had to go to Highlands without a jacket.  We had enough time to go out to buy something.  We asked the girl at the desk where we could find a men's shop and she suggested Walmart.  We were able to locate a mall with a Belk and Edward lucked into a Ralph Lauren sport coat on clearance for less than $30.00!  I found a sweater to at least fend off a bit of the chill.

Disasters averted, that first night we walked to the Highlands Bar and Grill (http://www.highlandsbarandgrill.com/) and were treated to a wonderful meal.  Signature martinis (Stitt insists on regular Bombay, but I'm still a Sapphire fan myself) hit the spot.  For starters, Edward had a Charcuterie Plate of pork pate with foie gras and pistachios, duck rillettes and grilled chicken-apple sausage.  I had Cornmeal Fried Mississippi Quail with fresh chicken livers with scrambled farm egg salad and warm bacon vinaigrette.  Both these dishes were stellar.  We had a bottle of 2009 Ken Wright "Abbott Claim" Pinot Noir with our entrees.  Edward selected Grilled Veal Chop with Provencal zucchini gratin with Vidalia onions, parmesan and comte; I had Colorado Lamb Porterhouse Chops with herbed roasted fingerling potatoes with red onion, eggplant and olive oil.  The entrees were good, but Edward's veal was not outstanding and my potatoes were potatoes.  Perhaps we should have selected items less like Edward does so well himself.  The zucchini gratin was really good.  To finish off, we shared a Sweet and Salty Cake, chocolate with sea salt.  SO good!  And our waiter, who has been with Stitt since his beginning, added gratis moscatos!  I think he couldn't stand the thoughts of us having dessert with nothing to drink.  Our dinner at Highlands Bar and Grill was my idea of quintessential fine dining.  Quiet, sophisticated, good, comfortable.  The service was absolutely impeccable, probably the best I've ever experienced.

The next morning Edward played golf at Highland Park Golf Club (http://www.highlandparkgolf.com/highlandpark.asp?id=13&page=348), the oldest golf course in Alabama.  For lunch we ate at Saw's Barbeque (http://www.sawsbbq.com/) in Homewood, where Edward had what he says is the best barbequed chicken of his life.  This is saying a lot.  Edward lives for barbequed chicken.  It was done, smoked and juicy and served with white sauce.  It was really good.

Saw's: "The BEST BBQ Chicken Ever"

Later that afternoon we found Reed Books: The Museum of Fond Memories in downtown Birmingham. This eccentric book store looked like what E. Brumby Bookseller might be today if we'd stayed in Murphy. 

One more dinner in Birmingham and it was a doozy!  Just before our trip Edward had purchased ANOTHER cookbook, Chris and Idie Hastings' Hot and Hot Fish Club Cookbook and was already falling in love.  I'd heard about Hot and Hot from Athens' FourCoursemen.  Everyone was right, this is a really good dining experience.  We ordered cocktails of course.  Edward had a special manhattan with house-made sour mix and honey.  It was excellent and something we plan to try to recreate soon.  I had something with peach puree and bubbly.  To start our meal Edward ordered one of the chef's signature dishes, Hot and Hot Tomato Salad with field peas, sweet corn, fried okra and applewood smoked bacon.  This one is definitely making onto our "try this at home" list.  I had an interesting (and I mean that in the best way)  Hot and Hot Rabbit Tamale with black bean salsa, Ancho chili sauce and cilantro creme fraiche.  For our main courses, Edward had 13 Mile Florida Hoppers (shrimp) with sweet corn and lobster mushroom risotto and oven roasted  baby okra.  There were six big shrimp in this nice dish.  I had a really good Pan Roasted Long Island Duck Breast and Confit Leg with Anson Mills' white grits, sweet corn, chanterelle mushrooms, Petals From the Past muscadines, scuppernongs and red wine gastrique.  Here we let the waiter select glasses of wine to pair with our meal.  For dessert we shared a wonderful Elton's Chocolate Souffle with creme Anglais and whipped cream.  Yum.  Yum.  Yum to this entire meal.  The Hot and Hot dining experience wasn't as polished as Highlands, but the food was incredible.  Chef Hastings came out and talked to us for several minutes.  When he heard we were on our way to Nashville, he went to get his own phone to give us contacts for great places to eat there.  He was so nice.  He really believes in what he's doing and seems intent on staying where he is and making Hot and Hot Fish Club the best it can possibly be, which is already pretty darned excellent.  Overall, our dinner at Hot and Hot was exactly the kind of experience we were hoping for on this food safari.  Thanks, Chef Hastings.  Right now there's a jar of cream and buttermilk sitting on the counter in my kitchen.  What's Edward brewing up from the Hastings' cookbook?

That's it from Birmingham, on to Nashville in the next blog!