Hello Foodies!
Sorry that it has been awhile since I wrote you last. In October, I was taken off of furlough and am now back at work. This leads to less foodie adventures and more Zoom meetings. A friend and I had a trip planned for Nashville before the second lockdown in Michigan, so I wanted to share a couple places that caught our attention with amazing flavor and presentation.
Let me start by saying that this was not the most ideal trip, but we made the most out of it anyway. Our car had broken down in Kentucky, and we had to pay for a rental car to make it to our hotel in Nashville. Nonetheless, we prevailed! We arrived at our hotel at 11pm at night, and had to wakeup extra early the next morning to meet up with a long time friend, who I attended Grand Valley State University with. She had picked out a very cool, old movie theater turned brunch spot. You may have noticed that this is the same friend who took us on a amazing scenic field trip throughout the neighborhoods of nashville in our last post called, Nashville Foodie Guide.
Sinema is set in the historic Melrose theater, serving over-the-top portions with a pop culture twist. Once you walk in to Sinema, you are greeted by a large staircase, a huge movie screen, and pictures of some of Hollywood’s elite hanging on the walls. We were guided to a table upstairs, where a Cinderella Story was playing on an old school move screen projector.
First, the drinks. Choose between a bloody Mary bar, or a Mimosa flight where you can try different mixes. We opted for the Mimosa flight, which came with grapefruit juice, orange, and cranberry. Second, choose your dishes. The brunch is bottomless, so you might as well go big or go home. We ordered a variety of different dishes. The S’Mores pancakes were by far my favorite item. If you are looking for an experience, definitely give Sinema a go.
Next was Pinewood Social. Ideally, we had reserved a spot at the pool with poolside bar service, but it had to rain in Nashville. So, we opted to sit inside and take in the ambience of this multi-use restaurant. Pinewood Social is a bowling ally, outdoor recreational activity area, coffee shop, and bar all in one. We enjoyed a pumpkin spice latte and a mezcal cocktail, while we waited for the rain to subside.
Next, we headed out to Franklin, TN to shop at their rustic and vintage boutique stores that align the main downtown area. Mounting pumpkin displays were placed around Downtown Franklin. I would be lying if it didn’t feel like I was stepping into Holloweentown.
For dinner, I wanted to take my friend to one of the best restaurants that my boyfriend and I had experienced during our last trip to Nashville. Butchertown Hall, located in Germantown, where they serve texas-style bbq, crafted tacos, and amazing margaritas.
Because Halloween was right around the corner, Butchertown had a variety of crafted Halloween themed cocktails. The margarita, pictured above, was a mezcal, coffee and cherry vampire cocktail. At first, I wasn’t sure if I liked it, but it grew on me the more I drank it. One of the reasons that I love Nashville, is because they do not play it safe with their cocktails. Also pictured are their amazing brisket and shrimp tacos. Not your traditional tacos, the meats in these tacos were smoked and complimented with different toppings. For dessert, we split the Caramel Spice Texas Sheet Cake. The frosting just melted in your mouth and the cake was very flavorful. Butchtown Hall is by far one of my favorite restaurants to visit in Nashville.
The next morning, we wokeup with an appetite for donuts. Five Daughters Bakery is famous for their 100 layer donuts. Pictured from left to right is there Pumpkin Spice Latte, S’Mores, mini Pumpkin Spice Latte, Maple Bacon, Chocolate Frosting with Sprinkles, and a Raspberry donut. The Maple Bacon and Pumpkin Spice donut both had a generous portion of buttercream stuffed inside the middle layer of the donut. Love this place!
I have to add a couple mentions of establishments that we did visit during this trip, even though they were not in Nashville. We had stopped to spend the night in Covington, Ohio on our way to Nashville. We found a couple really cool paces to visit for next time! We were so lucky because when we did decide to stop in Ohio, it was Cincinnati Taco Week!!! For those that know me, you know that I love tacos.
Frida 602 is a Tequila and Mezcal Bar that features Latin street cuisine. Located in the heart of historic Mainstrasse, Friday serves up some unique take on tacos and margaritas. First, we started with the queso, which was utterly devine. We both opted to try their featured tacos for Taco Week 2020. The Chicken Taco consisted of grilled chicken, honey pablano slaw, black bean mango salsa, cotija. The Brussels Sprout taco consisted of sautéed Brussels sprouts, and topped with smoked peanut sauce. Frida’s featured margarita of the week was a Apple Cider Margarita (pictured). Everything was so flavorful and we’ll prepared. What a great stop for Taco Week!
For a nightcap, we headed towards a wine bar in Downtown Covington called, Ripple Wine Bar. This was a swanky wine bar that had a heated patio and quite the selection of fine wines. Pictured is their Red Sangria.
Even the food menu had something unique to add to every dish. Pictured is a chorizo flatbread that is topped with a savory, spicy honey that compliments the herbs and the chorizo nicely. The meat and cheese board was unique with savory cheeses and salty meats. The foccacia bread that came with the meat and cheese board was served warm and was delicious with everything on the board.
Even though this trip had its rough patches, it was a nice change of scenery. The new food establishments that we were able to discover, and the establishments we know and love from before were a great addition to the trip.
Drop a comment below and tell us your favorite spot in Nashville!
Until next time. Cheers!
MiFoodChronicles 