If you come to Nashville you can’t miss out on eating some real down-home southern food before you go home. The only problem is you might not want to go home once you do.

We have what we call meat-and-three restaurants in Tennessee. That’s what we call them here anyway. Basically it means one meat dish with three vegetable sides. These are the hearty meals the south was built on.

A good spot to see is called the Sylvan Park Restaurant. They’ve got fried Tennessee ham, barbecued chicken and delicious breaded pork chops. Every day there are about a dozen sides too like turnip greens, squash casserole and stewed apples. All are great with biscuits or cornbread.

And don’t miss the pies. Sylvan is known for its pies. Though the banana pudding is Dora’s favorite.

Dane

Hi everyone! I’m adding another restaurant to my favorite restaurant list. Last night a group of friends headed over to Monell’s for dinner. It’s really well known and a pretty famous place in Nashville.

Around here we have what we call meat-and-three restaurants, which I think is pretty self explanatory, right? But the great thing about Monell’s is that all the food is served family-style at tables of 10 or 12 people.

So you share the table with other people, unless you bring your own big group. Don’t let that worry you because it’s really fun. Trust me. We had a couple from Washington D.C. and a family from Shreveport at our table and they were all really great.

Monell’s serves authentic southern food. Try the bottomless bowls of fried chicken. And the squash casserole!

See ya,
Sabrina

Me too! We loved it. I’m not a huge sports fan and I’ve never really watched the Olympics before but this year we just got caught up in it. Loved the gymnastics! How could you not? Those girls are incredible.

Dane you should’ve told us where you were! Because my vote for best place to watch was Buffalo Billiards on 2nd. Ever been there? It’s too late to see any of the Olympics there of course but there’s a bunch of other stuff to do. They’ve got like a million pool tables and darts and even what’s that one game – foosball!

Anyway, it was great watching it out with other people. Thank you Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson! And everyone else. It was great. Now I guess we’ve got to go back to regular life.

See ya!
Sabrina

I can’t prove it but I think I’ve discovered the perfect medicine when you’re sick. I was feeling a little under the weather and was actually about to bag out on a friend’s graduation party. At the last minute I decided I better go. (I was bringing the salad, after all!)

It was weird because I never get sick. But I got myself up and thought I’d make an appearance, deliver my dish and then go home and watch HGTV J. But then they brought out the cake!

It’s called a Velvet Elvis Cake. From Sweet 16^th. Imagine two layers of southern red velvet cake — but with a layer of chocolate and peanut butter! And cream cheese frosting! I’m not kidding, it fixed me right up. Though I guess it could’ve been the hot toddy.

See ya later!

Sabrina

People are asking me all time, “Where should I go to see good live music?” It’s really hard because there’s so much in Nashville. I usually start by asking what kind of music and go from there.

But coming up is a show that I think anyone who loves live music shouldn’t miss. I’ve seen him half a dozen times probably and no one can touch him when he’s on stage. Plus, I guarantee you’re going to get your money’s worth.

If you’ve seen the boss Bruce Springsteen you know what I’m talking about. The guy is a performer. It’s like watching Vince Young out there. He commands the stage and his band is something you have to see.

Anyway, you get the picture. So if you’re looking for some good live music on Aug. 21 I’ve got to point you to Bruce and the band over at the Sommet Center.

Dane

They were twins?! I thought it was one guy! That is too funny. I never met the Valeries, but that is hilarious. It is a great place to meet interesting people. That is definitely one of the reasons I decided not to go through with the actuarial stuff and came back. I missed it too much.

Something else I missed is seeing our new restaurant opened! That’s big news. It’s called Café Isabella and serves what they call “Italian comfort food with southern roots.” I’m all about the comfort food. And I’ve got southern roots. So it’s perfect for me!

I’ve only had a chance to sample a few things they brought over for me, but I’m so excited about the new place.I think it’s going to be a great addition to the hotel and the full service southern hospitality we offer.

I’m told the baked ziti is to die for…

See ya!

Sabrina

Looking for an unusual and far-out evening activity that even your kids will get a kick out of? Take them over to the Dyer Observatory for their Open House Telescope Night.

Seriously. It goes on once a month from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. (this month on Aug. 8th) and they let you use their telescopes to see the sun, moon, planets, and stars up close. Plus it’s free, which you can’t say about a lot of things your kids might be interested in.

Dyer Observatory is part of Vanderbilt University and is located on one of the tallest peaks near Nashville. If it’s cloudy they do tours instead and have one of their astronomers available to answer questions.

You can also bring your own telescope if you want and they’ll help you learn how to see the most with it. Though I’m going to bet their equipment is a little better.

Dane

A state reptile? The people that put that list together had a lot of time on their hands. But I guess if you’re going to have one the Eastern Box Turtle will work as fine as any.

I’m going to add a new category to that list: State burger – Fat Mo’s. Coming to Nashville and not going over to Fat Mo’s is like, I don’t know, skipping the Grand Ole Opry or something. It’s Nashville between two buns.

I can’t go all the time the way I used to, but when we do go, I’m a deluxe burger guy. They say they have the biggest burgers in town, and that seems a good bet. If you’re really hungry, you can try the super deluxe, which is a full 27 oz!

But save room for the spicy fries. And a milk shake. Maybe you need to take two trips.

Dane

There is this little place here in Nashville called the Wild Horse Saloon. Ever heard of it? If you’re from Nashville, or if you’ve visited, you have. It’s probably one of the most famous spots in town for music and a night out.

I just checked their web site and I would’ve guessed they’d been around a lot longer than since 1994. But they get pretty big name bands like right now I see that Little Texas, Gina Blossoms, Ringo Starr and Pat Benatar are all coming in the next month.

But you don’t have to go for the music. The place is huge and has all kinds of other stuff to do. It’s also got a restaurant, a bar, darts, pool and dancing. They even have free line dancing lessons. Line dancing skills are a good souvenir — they don’t take up any space in your luggage!

TTFN!
Jennifer

One of the great things about doing our blog is I remember all these places I haven’t thought about in a long time but that I love. Like the Pancake Pantry!

Pancake Pantry is a total Nashville tradition. I don’t know how long it’s been around but when I was a kid we would go there after church sometimes, for mother’s day, and whenever my brother could get our parents to go.

They have your normal breakfast dishes, but their big thing is pancakes. Of course. And you’ve never had pancakes like these! There are like 20 different kinds and flavors to choose from.

I’m a southern girl at heart, so if you’re looking for my advice, I’ve got to say the sweet potato pancakes are the best. My brother always got the apple-walnut ones with powdered sugar and whipped cream. Why not get both?

TTFN!
Jennifer