The Loveless Cafe, Nashville, Tennessee

Sometimes there are restaurant finds that are so memorable you try to recreate the experience over and over again. Sometimes doing so requires a 500 mile journey just for a good biscuit. Sometimes you find yourself attempting to replicate recipes and dreaming of the good food that someone must be eating right at a distant table right at that very moment.

For Poncho and Lefty, the holy grail of restaurant finds happened on a cold, wet November night when they walked into the Loveless Café outside of Nashville, TN. After thousands miles without sweet tea and just one night away from Georgia, the desire for a home-cooked meal had taken on a whole new meaning.

The Loveless is a magical little café that makes you feel as if you’ve just walked into your grandmother’s house. Pictures of famous locals along the walls let you know that you’re not the only one who feels this way. Most of Nashville’s red carpet gang has stopped in for a meal at the Loveless at some point during their stint in Music City.

There is so much to say about the Loveless, but the short of it is that this place is legendary. If you are anywhere remotely nearby there is simply no excuse for not having a meal at this Nashville institution. The Loveless opened more than 60 years ago serving hot biscuits and fried chicken to travelers out of the front door of Annie Loveless’s kitchen. The tradition (along with the good biscuits and chicken) continues to this day.

Poncho and Lefty were so impressed with that first night at the Loveless that they have returned two additional times to dig deeper into the menu. The country ham with red eye gravy left Poncho speechless. Lefty has declared the fried chicken almost as good as his grandmother’s. (The fact that it is even worthy of a comparison speaks volumes to the quality of the crust and the juiciness of the meat!) The hashbrown casserole and cucumbers salad round out Poncho’s favorites, while Lefty taps the fried okra and macaroni and cheese as his notables.

And then of course there are the biscuits. Always served warm and fresh, these biscuits are worth writing home about. The biscuits are neatly shaped and always have just the right amount of melted butter drizzled on top. They are still made with Annie Loveless’s recipe and you can watch the masterpiece in progress through a big glass window in the back of the dining room.

The biscuits are best enjoyed with a generous helping of preserves. Strawberry, blackberry and peach preserves are all homemade with only two ingredients: sugar and the fruit! You can take the preserves or a smoked ham and other memories home from the Loveless’s Country Store.

The Loveless Cafe can be found at:
8400 Hwy 100
Nashville, TN 37221
http://www.lovelesscafe.com/
615-646-9700

Jack's Bar-B-Que, Nashville, Tennessee

If flying neon pigs aren’t enough to draw you into a Bar-b-Que joint then it is quite possible that nothing ever will. And so it was without high expectations, but with heightened curiosity that Poncho and Lefty stepped off of Broadway and into Jack’s Bar-B-Que in the heart of Nashville’s downtown “district”.

Once you’re through the door of Jack’s and take a deep breath of the heavy, smoke filled air you know, “this is going to be good.” The concrete floors and red checked table clothes complete the feeling.

Jack (or one his employees) takes your order at the head of a cafeteria-style line. The menu is vast enough to please BBQ connoisseurs from across the south. There is beef brisket for the Texan, South Carolina mustard-based sauce, and even Kansas City sweet sauce. Turkey, sausage and of course pulled-pork round out the choices of perfectly smoked meat. There’s also macaroni and cheese, a lovely vinegar based slaw, BBQ beans and other sides to complete your meal.

All of this may sound a lot like your nearest chain BBQ place – attempting to be just good enough at all styles of BBQ but never hanging their hat in one place. The difference is that Jacks does them all – but does them well.

Even the corn bread is worth mentioning. As much like cake as bread, the dense slices are not to be skipped.

A BBQ purist will note the lack of Brunswick stew on the menu. Maybe it’s the style, maybe one of the pigs flew off with the stirring stick, who knows? At any rate the tasty sides, perfectly sweetened tea, and even a selection of pie slices just begging to come out of their syran wrap make for an excellent Bar-b-Que experience.

Items we ordered:
Smoked Turkey, Pulled Pork, BBQ Beans, Macaroni and Cheese, Slaw, Corn bread, and Sweet Tea.

Jack’s Bar-B-Que can be found at:
416 Broadway
Nashville, TN 37203
http://www.jacksbarbque.com/

615-254-5715