I recently took a trip to Music City with my mom and aunt for a girl’s weekend. Come along as I relive all the music, fun, and delicious food!
Friday:
We arrived to our hotel, Hotel Indigo Nashville – The Countrypolitan, around 5:30pm. After checking in we went straight to the lounge. We enjoyed a performance by Tana Matz, while munching on a delicious plate of Fried Green Tomatoes and sipping cocktails.
The hotel is in the perfect location…located on Union Street between 3rd and 4th, 3 blocks from all the action you could want but a great escape from the crowds and noise when you need a break. Printers Alley is right next door and a really famous restaurant called Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse is across the street. The Titans football stadium is in walking distance as well if you are looking to go during football season.
For dinner we dined at Etch, headed by award-winning chef Deb Paquette. Deb was the first woman in Tennessee to qualify as a certified executive chef and serves her big, bold flavors throughout Nashville where she is widely known. We ordered the bread, cauliflower appetizer, and I ordered the vegan dish, Moroccan Bastilla. During dinner a really bad storm hit so we decided to head back to our hotel and listen to music in the bar area. My mom and aunt are social butterflies so we made friends with pretty much everyone in the bar. The musician playing was the talented Brian Rhea.
Saturday:
My brother and sister-in-law drove from Arkansas to meet us. We all met up at Blake Shelton’s place called Ole Red. We hit the timing right and snagged a table for lunch. We nibbled on fried green tomatoes, fried pickles and I ordered a beyond burger (thanks to Blake for having vegan options!). We enjoyed the band on the man stage!
After lunch, our mission was to stop in as many bars as we could and listen to music. Some of the bars we stopped in were: Whiskey Bent Saloon, The Lucky Bastard, Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa, The Stage, and Tootsies Orchid Lounge. Mission accomplished!
We did some shopping and of course I had to pick up some cowboy boots…gold sparkle ones of course!
We went to the Ryman Auditorium. It was extremely cool to learn the history and see all the performers that have played there over the years.
We went to dinner at a really cool, highly regarded spot called The Chef and I. The staff was amazing and it had a really fun interior. They knew I was vegan and asked if I trusted the chef the create something which of course I said yes! Our table ordered the caramelized cauliflower with local whipped goat cheese on focaccia bread, Brussel sprouts, and Harissa Mushroom Toast (a vegan option) to start. My dish was a portobello mushroom, with squash and a corn relish-type salsa around it. It was really good! For dessert I had a strawberry basil sorbet which was delish. The rest of the table ordered a dark chocolate bread pudding that they all raved about.
Sunday:
We decided to hit Printers Alley. The last Sunday of the month they have a drag brunch. We got very lucky as they had a no-show reservation and we were able to snag a table in the very packed place. We had so much fun. The entertainment was outstanding and the food was yummy. Instead of a BLT they created an avocado, lettuce and tomato sandwich for me, and their side potatoes are a must! My aunt ordered the biscuits and gravy and carried on about how good they were.
After brunch we walked next door to Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar! The two guys playing were older and going to town on blues music. Really good. They also told lots of stories about performers like Elvis playing there which added a really interesting element to the experience.
Then we walked down to hit some more bars on Broadway. We went to Alan Jackson’s bar, AJ’s Good Time Bar, where Francelle was the band playing. I requested a song and got lucky she sang my request while we were still there…Dolly Parton’s version of I Will Always Love You. We ended up staying there for awhile and then had to rush back to the hotel to shower and get ready for our 8:45pm reservation at Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse.
We loved this spot. The interior is beautiful and the service is top-notch. The chef made a vegetable vegan pasta dish for me. I started with an avocado and cucumber roll as my appetizer as they had an awesome raw and sushi bar. My mom and aunt loved their steaks! They also ordered the Mac n cheese and sweet potato casserole for sides and they couldn’t stop talking about how good both were.
Monday:
We slept in after all the excitement! Then enjoyed a late breakfast in our hotel. I ordered the oatmeal, which came with a beautiful dish of berries, bananas and brown sugar.
Then we packed up and off the airport we went.
What a great weekend! The staff at our hotel was beyond kind and I would highly recommend a stay. Delicious food, good music everywhere, and the whole city has a really fun vibe that says, let loose and enjoy life while you are here! I am not even a big country music fan, but I was shocked to find myself singing along to nearly every song we heard. Nashville, you’re a gem!
