This past summer, two of my very good friends moved to Nashville. While upset to see them go, I was thrilled to finally have a reason to visit the city. (Matt and Cait, if you’re reading this, I promise I will visit you anywhere you move.). As someone who wasn’t always the biggest fan of country music and is a new convert, I never had an overwhelming urge to check out the city. However, with my recently adapted taste and friends living there, it felt like the perfect time to go check it out. I’m going to level with you, that was one of the funnest weekends I have had in a long time. The drinks were flowing, I collected rubber ducks, and rode a mechanical bull for the first time. We checked out a variety of different restaurants and bars.
The first location that shocked my tastebuds was TailGate Brewery. Located within a restored warehouse with a massive patio, the drink and food menu was expansive. The beer list rotates regularly and has something for everyone, from a fun apple cider option for the fall (I’m clearly posting this very late) to stouts and more. However, the pizza is what sold me on this place. I know what you’re thinking, “Sam. It’s a brewery. How good could this pizza really be?” And the answer to that, my friend, is insanely good. The crust was perfectly thin and crispy and the options ranged from normal to how did you come up with this?
We tried four pizzas and all of them were great, but two stood out the most for me. My unexpected favorite was their Thanksgiving pizza. They forgo regular sauce for a mix of mashed potatoes and gravy, then layered on turkey, stuffing, and cheese, before topping it with a drizzle of cranberry sauce. What should have been a heavy and greasy pizza was an incredible blend of flavors and textures. The next favorite was the Nashville Host Chicken Mac. Again, no pizza sauce was added, but just the right amount of extra saucy mac and cheese, topped with Nashville hot chicken nuggets and pickle slices to balance out the creamy and spicy components. The final two were nearly neck and neck. The Spicy Vodka takes third place by just a hair over the Hot Honey only due to the dollops of ricotta balancing out the spice just a touch. Both featured their house-made hot honey, which was killer, as well.
The other featured restaurant on the trip was Sadie’s, a Mediterranean restaurant with the best interior design I’ve seen in a long time. Our waitress recommended the Espresso martini (which I happily went along with) claiming it was the best in the city. Now I’m usually skeptical of claims such as this, but damn was she right. They used a blend of regular and vanilla vodka which made the drinks smooth and creamy, without any dairy, and added just enough sweetness that it may be the best Espresso martini I’ve had.
For our hungover brunch, my friends and I decided to get the family-style spread they offer. They started us off with the Mezze Plate, Chopped Israeli Salad, and Whipped Feta which were all fantastic. The Mezze Plate featured hummus, olive tapenade, tzatziki, grilled pita, and crudités. The pita and dips were all made fresh in-house and were absolutely incredible. The whipped feta was topped with edible flowers and honeycomb and was a delightful blend of sweet and savory. The salad was light and refreshing which balanced it perfectly.
Round two was where we ran into trouble… Everything was absolutely fantastic, but we severely underestimated how much food we actually ordered. I warn you now, the menu says minimum of four people for this but I would recommend at least six if not eight people. We barely ate half of what we got. Our first round was followed by Shakshuka, a Mediterranean Breakfast Skillet, French Toast, and Souvlaki Chicken Kebabs (there was also the option for steak or shrimp but we went with chicken).
All of the food was incredible, but the standouts for me were the first round of dishes and the chicken kebabs. The Shakshuka was good, but it simply isn’t my favorite dish. The breakfast skillet was also enjoyable (the potatoes in it were amazing), but it just didn’t stand up to the incredible-ness of some of the other dishes.
If you’re planning a trip to Nashville anytime soon, I highly recommend you check these two stops out!
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