Nashville Eats: Where to Dine While Visiting

The Nashville food scene boasts an array of divergent styles of cuisine from down home cooking to fine dining establishments to capture any foodies’ heart.

First the Gaylord Opryland has many different restaurants to choose from.  The restaurants in the hotel I tried was Wasabi Sushi Bar, Fuse Sports Bar, Paisano’s Pizzeria and Vino and Cascades American Café.  All were great dining experiences, although my favorite was Cascades, which offers your favorite comfort foods refined with the flavors of Nashville and regional America.  But this massive property has an impressive selection of dining choices and lounges allowing guests to try a different one each night of their stay.

I had a few cocktails at the Falls Bar and Lounge located in the entrance atrium and is surrounded by flowing waterfalls.  The hotel’s signature restaurant is Old Hickory Steakhouse located in an antebellum-style mansion with a gorgeous view of the indoor river.  Known for their aged-to-perfection steaks, award-winning wines and artisanal cheeses, the restaurant also includes the Library Lounge which is laid-back, yet upscale.  If you are in the mood for more worldly fare, besides Wasabi Sushi Bar, they have Ravello for Italian, Findley’s Irish Pub and Solario for Mexican.

I tried two exceptional downtown restaurants, Merchants (which is one of my all-time favorite dining experiences) and Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant.

Merchants is a culinary find for foodies and has a very extensive craft cocktail selection.  My favorite was the “Rise and Fall,” which lives up to its name.  Merchant’s Restaurant opened in 1988 in the old Merchant’s Hotel, which was constructed  in 1892. The original structure was a three-story building built circa 1870 which housed a pharmacy on the 1st floor, a hardware manufacturing company on the 2nd floor, and a wholesale drug company on the 3rd floor that was famous for producing the alcohol and opium based “Blood Medicine” which can still be seen advertised on the brick walls today. The Merchant’s Hotel in 1892 offered the European Plan which was 25 cents a day for lodging and another 25 cents for a meal. Each room had a bed and a fireplace, and privacy was not guaranteed.  Many notable Nashville legends stayed at the old Merchant’s Hotel, including Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Porter Waggoner, Little Jimmy Dickens, and Roy Acuff to name a few. The original marble counters and tile are still maintained and every effort has been made to hold on to the unique history and architecture of this renowned Nashville establishment.

The food was simply tantalizing especially their Duck Fat Tater Tots and Mac and Cheese.  I enjoyed the place so much I went with one group of friends one night, then another on the next.  They have good-looking, sharply dressed staff dressed in bow ties and suspenders who was all friendly, professional and knowledgeable about their libations and menu.

Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant is known for its comfort food and lively environment.  It is a Tennessee chain with the motto Where the main ingredients are Real Food, Real People and Real Atmosphere.  How can you go wrong?  With locations in downtown Franklin, downtown Nashville and downtown Columbia, the Puckett’s roots go way back to the 1950s, and a little grocery store in the village of Leiper’s Fork, Tenn. Ever since then, we’ve been focused on providing friends new and old with great food and Southern hospitality

Founded by the Puckett family in the 1950s, Puckett’s has served as a country store to several communities in Williamson County for decades. In the mid-1990s, Andy Marshall’s love of food, music and community began to steer him in a different direction than the grocery stores he owned. His desire was to serve one small town with just one store, where he could also offer home-cooked family recipes to the community he was serving.  So, in 1998, he decided to sell all of his stores and purchase a little gem in the heart of Leiper’s Fork.  That gem was Puckett’s Grocery.  The food quickly began to develop a reputation of its own. Marshall added his own flair to the Puckett’s staples, throwing in upscale dishes with down-home Southern cuisine.  In 2002, Marshall branched out to start a formal dinner and music program at the local hot spot.

In 2010, Marshall decided to expand the Puckett’s brand to downtown Nashville. They also offer some of the best performances that Music City has to offer on the Nashville stage, six nights a week.  There was funky band the night I was there and it just added to the entire ambiance of the night.

For more information on any of these restaurants, go online to www.marriott.com, www.merchantsrestaurant.com and www.puckettsgrocery.com.

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Tony Leggio

Tony Leggio is a born and raised New Orleanian. He has over 20 years of event management experience having produced over 5,000 events locally and nationally. Tony has received numerous awards for his outstanding achievements in the hospitality industry. Besides his professional career, Anthony has played an active role in the community.He has served Event Chair of Art Against AIDS for the No/Aids Task Force for the past ten years and was honored as Humanitarian of the Year in 2010 by the organization. He is also a freelance writer who has written for USA Today, as well as several local publications.He also writes a column regularly In Ambush Magazine, plus is part of Gambit’s Big Easy Theatre Committee.Tony is a social butterfly of New Orleans that not only knows how to put on a great event but also knows how to enjoy one.

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