***** (5 stars)
Very interesting museum with an excellent introductory film about Casey Jones, and extensive memorabilia. Also includes a visit to his carefully preserved house, a chance to climb on a locomotive, and a model railroad shop. Lots to interest all ages.
Casey Jones Museum
30 Casey Jones Ln
Jackson, TN 38305
***** (5 stars)
This is a fabulous restaurant with great indoor and outdoor dining areas.
The way to go here is with the "Chef's Choice," a very reasonably priced sampling of a large portion of the menu. We loved everything. The standouts are starred:
Hummus
*Whipped feta with honey
*Bacon wrapped dates
Turnip noodles
Heirloom tomatoes
*Avocado crispy rice
*English pea gnocchetti
Pork Schnitzel
*Coconut Malbi with black lime and caramel cashews
As you can see, it was a lot!
At least for this location (there's another in Charleston) and on this dinner visit, the isn't much "butcher" involved, as most of the menu focuses on complex and wonderful vegetarian dishes.
Service was friendly and the meal was perfectly paced.
Highly recommended.
Butcher & Bee
902 Main St
Nashville, TN 37206
***** (5 stars)
This is a fun and creatively themed Tiki bar. They change the drink offerings seasonally, and there are some very creative cocktails using non-traditional spirits. I loved my Dopamine, the only tiki drink I've had with coffee as an ingredient.
Of course, if you want some fire, then their Zombie is the way to go, and you can also purchase the unique Robot tiki glass it comes in!
Chopper
1100 Stratton Ave
Nashville, TN 37206
**** (4 stars)
Counter service breakfast spot with a lot of indoor and outdoor seating. Breakfast burrito and yogurt parfait were both very good. Dog friendly, since it used to be a pet shop!
Fido
1812 21st Ave S
Nashville, TN 37212
***** (5 stars)
This was a great distillery tour, with a great guide, Kim.
We did the Angel's Share Tasting tour, which ended with a very educational opportunity to sample five different products, and learn about the variations in the way they were made.
Highly recommended for its educational value. And it was tasty.
The Jack Daniel Distillery
133 Lynchburg Hwy
Lynchburg, TN 37352
*** (3 stars)
This place serves a pretty good hamburger, with all the fixings I like on it. I would have liked a bun the held up a bit better, but it was tasty. We really liked the fried okra and onion ring sides. The service was fine. We visited after our Jack Daniels Distillery tour, and it was one of the least crowded places to eat.
Lynchburg Cafe
177 Main St
Lynchburg, TN 37352
**** (4 stars)
There's a nice sidewalk eating area at the sandwich shop and deli. I really liked my Reuben sandwich; the pastrami in it was the leanest, and most succulent I've ever had. Home made chips were pretty good, but the warm potato salad is probably a better option. The burger was just okay. I you don't want rare be sure to specify, as it is so thick it's hard to get the center cooked.
The whiskey list–a somewhat unexpected element–is extensive and very interesting. I really enjoyed the Port Barrel aged Chattanooga whiskey.
Main Street Meats
217 E Main St
Chattanooga, TN 37408
***** (5 stars)
Barcelona offers a very nice selection of traditional and modern tapas in a bustling indoor or more chill outdoor patio setting. The Mussels Diablo and the chickpea and spinach dish were two standouts. The back of the menu includes a nice selection of wines by the bottle and glass, but be sure to checkout the full wine list for a much more extensive variety. Santo Assyrtiko from Santorini went particularly well with the food, and it's my favorite of all Assyrtikos.
Service was great, and they're open late.
Barcelona Wine Bar
1200 Villa Pl
Nashville, TN 37212
***** (5 stars)
This seems to be Nashville’s definitive hot chicken. It’s certainly very busy, so plan to go at a weird time to avoid long lines.
The half chicken with two sides is a great deal, and plenty for two people to share. I recommend getting medium spicy, even if you like hot food, because anything spicier and you will not be able to taste the chicken at all. Medium is plenty spicy.
If you prefer something a bit less messy and easier to handle, the chicken sandwich is a great choice. It comes with one side, and the components of the sandwich cool the chicken off a bit.
For sides we tried black-eyed peas, krinkle fries, and coleslaw, and all were excellent.
There’s a nice outdoor seating area. Service is friendly.
Hot Hattie B’S Chicken – Nashville
112 19th Ave S
Nashville, TN 37203
https://www.yelp.com/biz/hot-hattie-bs-chicken-nashville-nashville
*** (3 stars)
Very friendly service is the highlight here. The breakfast menu features many varieties of eggs Benedict. The ones with tomato were the best as they cut the richness the "hash" was just very salty pulled pork and large crunch's of potato. The vanilla spiced latte was excellent.
Ruby Sunshine
405 Market St
Chattanooga, TN 37402