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NASHVILLE FOUND MUSIC IS THE SOUL OF THE TENNESSEE STATE CAPITAL — CHEFS, ARTISTS AND OTHER TASTEMAKERS HAVE BROADENED THE CITY’S APPEAL. BY CATHY MARTIN
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down by a few of the city’s most vibrant neighborhoods.
THE GULCH
This former rail yard just south of downtown had been mostly neglected until the mid-2000s — now it’s a bustling retail and residential district dotted with colorful murals with an energy similar to Charlotte’s South End. For breakfast, if you don’t want to wait in the long line at the popular Biscuit Love fast-casual spot, you can head to Milk & Honey. There will probably be a crowd there as well, but while you’re waiting for a table you can grab a giant fresh-baked brioche cinnamon roll from the bakery to quell your appetite. The restaurant serves breakfast favorites such as sourdough French toast, buttermilk-fried chicken and waffles, and spicy bloody marys with fresh jalapenos in a cozy atmosphere. Chef Jonathan Waxman’s Adele’s is a bright, airy space with garage doors to let the outside in, concrete floors, and lots of greenery. The seasonal menu features upscale comfort food: JW Chicken, roasted and topped with salsa verde, and a bright frisee salad with watermelon radish were standouts on my visit, as was the roasted cauliflower with hazelnuts and saffron. If you’ve got room for dessert, don’t miss the coconut cake. For a casual bite, Stock & Barrel is a Knoxville beer/burgers/bourbon concept that opened a Nashville outpost in late
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF NASHVILLE CONVENTION & VISITORS CORP
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s a first-timer visiting the Music City — I’d passed through town before, but never spent any time there — I had a hard time shaking the misconception there wouldn’t be much to do for anyone other than die-hard country-music fans. Historically, the media’s depiction of the Tennessee capital didn’t help: “As recently as the 1990s, the city was portrayed as a backwater on the variety show ‘Hee Haw,’” reads a New York Times article from late 2018. To be sure, country music is still alive and well in Nashville (along with bluegrass, rock and about every other musical genre you can imagine). Living up to its chamber of commerce-promoted nickname, music really is everywhere. Nearly every café and storefront has a stage, especially in the downtown entertainment district, where you’ll hear live music blasting from open doorways at all hours of the day. But what I also found in Nashville is a multifaceted city with a stellar arts and dining scene. With as many cranes (perhaps more?) around town than in the Queen City, Nashville is clearly a national and international hot spot for both tourists and newcomers relocating from other places. But it’s also a city that’s made obvious efforts to preserve its local history. Before my trip, I naively wondered if I’d find enough to do over three days in the Music City — oh, but I barely scratched the surface. To sum up the best that Nashville has to offer — and this is by no means a complete list — it’s best to break it
