Category Archives: Tennessee

Gibson Cafe

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Breakfast sandwich

Chicken and chips

Egg white omelet

Interior

*** (3 stars)

I thought this place was pretty good for an airport restaurant.

The breakfast sandwich had a nice flaky biscuit and the accompanying hash browns (which were silver dollar shaped) were nice and crispy, as requested, and had a hint of onion.

The chicken tenders and fires were nice and crunchy, and it was nice that they offered the Buffalo sauce on the side.

Service was friendly, and the food was well-prepared.

Gibson Cafe
1 Terminal Dr
Nashville International Airport
Nashville, TN 37214

http://www.yelp.com/biz/gibson-cafe-nashville

Epice

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Barramundi

Rack of lamb (reverse angle)

Rack of lamb

Salad

Hummus

Freebie

Exterior

Interior

**** (4 stars)

Epice offers a full range of traditional Lebanese food, prepared with a few modern twists and great deftness.

The inside is very hard surfaced, so it can get noisy, but the large patio offers a delightful alternative.

We started with hummus, which was served with both plain pitas and some brilliantly seasoned fried pitas.

Then we shared two entrees:

Sayeda is seasoned fish. The night we were there it was a delicate barramundi. The accompanying rice and grilled zucchini were just okay.

The pistachio crusted rack of lamb was superb: perfecly cooked and seasoned, and accompanied by a delicious black been and rice mixture.

There is a small list of wines, including some nice choices from Lebanon.

Service was friendly.

Epice
2902 12th Ave S
Nashville, TN 37204
(615) 720-6765
http://www.yelp.com/biz/epice-nashville

Marché Artisan Foods

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Croissant French toast

Quiche

Chocolate croissant

Brunch menu August 2017

Kitchen

Interior, brunch crowd

**** (4 stars)

We stopped here on the way from the airport, and it was worth the detour. They serve a very good brunch.

The Croissant French toast is good, but maybe not quite as good as it looks in all the pictures. Croissants tend to be a bit hard to tear apart, which isn’t necessarily what you want in French toast. But the accompanying maple syrup was great, and I’m glad I ordered the delicious bacon to go with it.

The quiche and the chocolate croissant were two other things we sampled that were good. And the coffee drinks are excellent, with lots of options for preparation, flavors and type of milk.

Be aware that Sunday Brunch is really popular, right up until closing time, so there will be a wait, and it will be noisy.

Marché Artisan Foods
1000 Main St
Nashville, TN 37206
(615) 262-1111
http://www.yelp.com/biz/march%C3%A9-artisan-foods-nashville-2

Flight Restaurant & Wine Bar

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***** (5 stars)

What a creative concept this place offers. Not only are there flights of wine, there are also flights of food. Each features three different selections.

Although they are listed as small plates, the serving sizes are quite generous. We started with the ocean flight, which featured lobster ravioli, seafood salad, and scallop Rockefeller. The ravioli was the best.

Next was the salad sampler, and all three salads were really excellent.

At this point we were getting pretty full, even thought we’d theoretically only shared two “small” plates! But we pressed on and had the sashimi. Wow! This was top quality tuna and salmon, six pieces of each, served over ice. It was odd the they had no wasabi, but otherwise exceptional.

I really liked the fact that they were totally flexible about which wines to have in each flight, so rather than sticking with their preset offerings we selected eclectic assortments to match the food and our palates.

Ambiance is bustling and trendy yet intimate, especially in the booths upstairs. Service was very attentive and professional.

I loved this concept and wish there was once closer to home.

Flight Restaurant & Wine Bar
39 S Main St
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 521-8005
http://www.yelp.com/biz/flight-restaurant-and-wine-bar-memphis

Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center

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IMG_6895

**** (4 stars)

This is quite a spectacular hotel, with the rooms facing huge (as in HUGE) atriums filled with plants, waterfalls, rockwork and rivers. There are many restaurants scattered about, and the theming is really well done.

Having been to the Gaylord in Orlando, I was surprised to be reminded how much larger and nicer this Nashville one is.

As with any giant hotel, there are hordes of guests, so part of the trick of staying here is to try to avoid the rush. That means not arriving right at check in, when there can be 100 people in line at the front desk, particularly on a Saturday night. And if your room includes breakfast, go early before the lines form.

Staff is very friendly, so as long as you can avoid the crowds it’s a good place to stop in Nashville (note that it is nowhere near downtown, though).

Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center
2800 Opryland Dr
Nashville, TN 37214
(615) 889-1000
http://www.yelp.com/biz/gaylord-opryland-resort-and-convention-center-nashville-8

Etch

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etchinterior etchcauliflower

***** (5 stars)

The food at Etch is astonishing. Seriously. This was one of the best meals of my life. Every flavor component of every dish was surprising, complex, and worth savoring. Some dishes–such as the cauliflower appetizer–had different flavor combinations at different ends of the dish. There wasn’t a single element of anything we tried that didn’t contribute to the whole.

An interesting wine list and knowledgeable servers complement this amazing food. And the ambiance is upscale, trendy, yet not too loud to have an intimate conversation. This restaurant would be a major weekly temptation if I lived in Nashville. Truly memorable.

Etch
303 Demonbreun St
Nashville, TN 37201
(615) 522-0685
http://www.yelp.com/biz/etch-nashville