Greetings Earthlings! I am returned from my travels and travails to converse with you some more.
I took the Dawgbus (Greyhound) from Dallas to Nashville leaving 7/11. Not so lucky as the TSA was out in force in the bus station in Memphis on the morning of the 12th, with both a bomb- and a drug-sniffing dog checking luggage, random frisking, hate and discontent, but no checking of ID that I could see. It all looked like random harassment of poor people to me, because they were searching people as they got off the buses.
I spent most of the rest of my trip watching the TdF on Versus, visiting friends and eating out in restaurants, so the rest of this post will be a review of the better places I ate. I’m not going to bother with telling how bad some places were because number one they were all chains with big budgets for lawyers, and number two they are all very popular so somebody likes them. What I am going to mention are the local places we ate where the food was good and the service fantastic.
The first of the locally-owned eateries was M & V Famous Soul Food, 281 N Lowry St Smyrna where we had liver and onions served with mashed potatoes and gravy and corn as the sides. The liver was perfectly cooked and very mildly flavored, both of which require a degree of skill seldom exhibited in your average eatery that serves this dish. Most of the time your liver is very tough to chew and has a pronounced “organ meat” flavor, both of which were missing here. The liver was tender without being under-cooked (a problem I have when fixing liver), and very tasty. The sides were done with an equal amount of skill and complemented the meat perfectly, and the cornbread and biscuits also completed the meal. I was so full that I was unable to sample the dessert menu, but rest assured I didn’t see a bad dessert there.
The second local place has a bit of a following in my family and circle of friends in that we have been eating there for at least 6 years, from the time they were located in the Old Jail in Franklin to their new location in the old location of New Orleans Manor next to the Nashville Airport (BNA) on Murfreesboro Road. I’m referring to Monell’s at the Manor in Nashville, where they serve family-style at large tables and you share a common meal with whoever gets seated next to you and the food just keeps on coming. Nothing they served was less than good, with most of the dishes rating an “ehhhxxcellent” with excited hand-wringing a la Mr. Burns. I’m talking some seriously good grub here, served in massive amounts by friendly wait-staff. I suggest skipping lunch so you get your money’s worth of their all-you-care-to-eat service. One of their sides was something I haven’t gotten anywhere else, a savory corn pudding, think creamed corn with cornbread and seriously tasty. I couldn’t get enough of that except for the competition from the coleslaw, turnip greens, mashed potatoes, pot roast, 3-bean salad, fried chicken, and banana pudding for dessert. I’m talking seriously good food in try-to-kill-you quantities at this eatery.
Another seriously good place to eat was the Franklin Chop House My teriyaki was spectacular with tasty sides that I can’t remember because it was so late and I was so hungry that I don’t remember anything besides the fact that the dinner rolls had too much sugar in the recipe for a dinner roll. For breakfast they would have been perfect. I do remember my turnip greens had just a bit of crisp to them instead of the usual limp state of turnip greens in the south, and could have used a touch more vinegar in their preparation. Still good though.
While I was visiting in Franklin we also went to Las Palmas where we had Mex-Mex food, not the blazing hot variety from the border regions but the milder stuff from the interior of the country. They still put peppers in it but not in everything like Tex-Mex or CaliMex food. I had an enchilada and burrito combo that was very good, and I also got to sample quesadillas and chicken enchiladas from other diners in my party as the designated “garbage disposal”.
Last dinner was at a place in Smyrna that was simply called the “Asian” with a buffet. They served a generic Chinese/Japanese/Vietnamese fusion that was much better to eat than to write about.
Last place was a Donut Palace in Smyrna, on Lowry Street across from the Square. I mean doughnuts, fresh and big. Their apple fritters were huge, bigger than dinner plates. Service was good and quick.
So, that’s what I can tell you about my Summer Vacation. I should have taken better notes, but I was on vacation… I should also mention that I gained about 10 pounds in 3 weeks because of being the designated “garbage disposal” when we didn’t go to all you can eat places.
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