Nashville Food Fan: Top 10

It is no secret that Nashville is currently having a moment. In the 6 years I have lived here, the growth has been non-stop & recently it feels exponential! In fact I have a running list of local shops & restaurants that I need to check out, that seems to be growing by the week!

In my time here I have been fortunate to connect with some of the amazingly creatives that call Music City home, people that inspire, collaborate, & remind me to get out & explore our local nooks & crannies. One of these talented individuals is not only my amazing photographer but also the human behind the successful Nashville food/restaurant Instagram account @NashvilleFoodFan. Whenever I am looking for a new place to try, I head to FoodFan first to see what new places she has visited recently.

If you are looking to travel to Nashville soon, or already call it home, below are the top 10 restaurants & what to order from the Nashville restaurant guru herself! When you travel to Nashville, you must plan your days around eating & drinking to fit it all in!

All photos: @NashvilleFoodFan // Find @NashvilleFoodFan on Instagram // Check out Kate's photography site too!

Is your mouth watering yet? But wait, there's more! Below are the @NashvilleFoodFan Runners Up (not pictured in the collage, but still excellent!):

- Chicken Noodle Soup at Thai Esane. If you're under the weather this amazing soup will bring you back to life, no seriously. It's a game changer.

- The tater tot nachos at The Flipside. The perfect group sized hangover cure.

- If you find yourself at a baseball game this summer at the new Sounds stadium you'll want to head straight to The Band Box for all of your food and drink needs. Specifically, the fried chicken sandwich has a surprising Asian flavor. Unexpected for ballpark food and SOO GOOD. Pair it with a whiskey coke slushy and you're hitting a homerun!

- Cinnamon Sugar donuts at The Patterson House. We all know to go there for the best speakeasy style cocktails in town but let me tell you these donuts alone are worth the wait and sometimes I will admit that they make appearances in my dreams :)

Thank you Kate for sharing all your insider tips! Don't forget to tag @NashvilleFoodFan & #NashvilleFoodFan when you try local Nashville restaurants/food trucks/bars as she loves to regram your culinary delights!

mixology

If you imbibed too much champagne last night & are currently nursing a raging hangover, this post might be better saved for you to read at a later date… seeing more drinky drinks might be a trigger point for your reversal machinery.

New Year's Eve is my favorite holiday - the sequins, the drinks, the fun hats & noise makers, sparklers & the fact that I have usually spent it surrounded by my nearest & dearest friends. 

But last night's affair was for sweatpants, pug snuggles, a marathon of Red Box movies, midnight smooches, & cocktail mixing… 2014 is slated to be a pretty crazy year for us (weddings, graduations, job changes, & lots of travel to name a few reasons), so I was more than happy to spend the last day of 2013 with my beloved, low key, no cover charges, no waiting for taxis, at home where a head to toe sweatsuit + a fur blanket are considered appropriate attire. 

But before you think that we are boring, let me show you our midnight mixology fun! My Sissy is a flea market GURU & found this book of cocktails called "Here's How", a cheeky relic of drink recipes (& drawings!) from 1941… this gem has lived on my bar cart for the past year, & I don't know we waited to long to break it out!

So out came the book, the ingredients, the supplies & glass wear.

And here is what we created. *Disclaimer: I think that drinks should be fun, so sometimes we don't play by the "rules" & make drinks that just taste good to us. For example, a "Manhattan" is typically made with Rye or Canadian Whisky, but in our house, Bullet Bourbon does the trick. 

Who says that a champagne cocktail has to be served in a flute. Them bubbles taste delicious to me out of a mason jar! Go ahead, get wild!

What yummy cocktails have you been enjoying recently?

We are having so much fun acting like we are straight outta Mad Men with our highbrow cocktails & are always ready to learn a new one!

the year of little

Ty & I are big snackers. We have a morning snack, an afternoon snack, a bite to eat after work & maybe another bit before bed. If it were up to me, I would graze all day.

I love taking these moments to catch up with each other about our days, play a game, or love on some pugs.

Taking these little moments & making them something special is a favorite of mine.

Breaking out my grandmother's china.

Pouring an extra healthy serving of wine.

Putting our phones away to play a game of cribbage (a beloved game of Ty's family that I happy to say I am finally mastering!)

Having fresh flowers in the house & yummy veggies at the ready for impromptu snacking opportunities are ways that I turn the regular into something special.

Just this week I was feeling extra domestic & made my first (of hopefully many to come) loaves of homemade bread (as documented on Instagram).

This warm loaf of doughy goodness provided us the chance to nom on one of our favorite snacks:

dipping yummy bread into olive oil + balsamic vinegar... if we are feeling extra snazzy, fresh basil & ground pepper sprinkled in is always welcome!

When Olivari (the company behind this yummy olive oil pictured) launched their “One Year of Little” campaign, recognizing & celebrating the “little things” in life that bring us joy, I knew this was right up my alley.

I make time for the little things by stopping & living IN the moment. It is important for me to celebrate the little things, because let's be honest, I am truly blessed & should always remember that. Instead of wishing for more, I take a second to jot down my gratitude in my journal. Break out the fine china & enjoy a quiet moment with my man. Wake up 5 minutes early just to soak up extra pug love.

Olivari Olive Oil is celebrating "One Year of Little". Visit their Facebook page to learn why the little things are everything.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Olivari . The opinions and text are all mine.

NYC eats

As it worked out, while in NYC I organized most of the activities & my sister planned the eating.

Let's just say, the next time you visit a new city, you are going to want to consult my sister on her restaurant recommendations... we ate like QUEENS!

here is a taste of what we ate in The City:

1. Zucco Le French Diner: what a way to start the trip! A teeny TINY really & truly French diner on the Lower Eastside that might or might not have the cutest little French hipster pouring the win & dishing out complements. Mussels, steak, pomme frites, & wine! Oh, you'll know you are in the right place when you see their adorable Frenchie logo!

2. Ceci Cela French bakery: their claim to fame? The best croissants in NYC. They're definitely getting a vote from me!

3. Mazzat Mediterranean Kitchen: We were looking forward to some tasty seafood at Petite Crevette, but the kitchen was closed so that the owner/chef could cook for his son's Eagle Scout celebration. However, he personally recommended Mazzat & that man knew what he was talking about! Greek brunch with yummy wraps, shakshouka & bloody Mary's! Ma man!

4. Katz's Delicatessen: Known for pastrami reubens, house made pickles, & the place that Harry Met Sally. I did have what she's having & yea, it's that good ;)

5. Russ and Daughters: classic New York lox + schmear. De-lish

6. Grotta Azzurra: greeting you on the corner of Broome Street & little Italy is a cozy little place that serves up a whole lotta awesome. Get the stuffed artichoke & thank me later!

Not Pictured: Upper Elm @ King & Grove has the sickest view of Manhattan's skyline from their hip Williamsburg rooftop bar.

I love learning about a city by eating my way through it & we definitely put a dent in some NYC menus!

Thanks to my seester for letting me raid her Instagram feed ;)