Anyhoo, I now have a love affair with the little slice of heaven I call brunch. Maybe it's because I first fell in love with Nashville over a brunch or maybe it's because it's completely acceptable to drink champagne (mixed with a splash of fruit juice, of course) before what most would deem an acceptable hour.
Nashville has no shortage of sweet spots to brunch with the bunch, and since no Music City vacay is complete without participating in a good brunch, I've compiled a brunch travel guide for those who may be visiting the area.
1) MARCHE ARTISAN FOOD
The fact that this spot made it to the top of the list is no accident. It is by far my favorite spot to brunch in Nashville. Located in East Nashville, the atmosphere is superb, and the food is a grade higher. They boast a full coffee & espresso bar and have mimosas that will rock your world. (My favorite is the Cognac Mimosa.)
Marche offers a Saturday Brunch and a Sunday Brunch menu that differ from one another. In addition, both menus change weekly. Some may find this inconvenient since they cannot hold fast to their favorite dish, but I love it because it affords me the opportunity to try something new. Because their menu changes so often, it's hard for me to recommend just one dish, but I have never had anything that I didn't absolutely love. I generally get the crepes because the ingredients with which they are paired are usually right up my alley.
Because of limited seating, you should be prepared to sit with a couple of people that you don't know. This is not a guarantee depending on your party-size and how busy it is. I have experienced both brunching with just my bunch and brunching with my bunch + strangers. Being the "people-person" that I am, I love this opportunity to meet new people. However, I know that not everyone loves being forced to dine with strangers.
***Good ol' Boys beware! If you are the traditional eggs, grits, sausage, and biscuit person, it pains me to say that Marche IS NOT for you. They offer more fancified food. I felt like I needed to include this because while I love it, it's not for everybody. For example, I would never recommend Marche to my parents because my Daddy would hate it.
Click here for a link to their website. They post all current breakfast, brunch, lunch, & dinner menus online.
The boys introduced us to mad donnas after a failed trip to Marche. (Jenna & I are not the type of girls that can throw our hair up in a pony tail, schmere on tinted moisturizer, and dab on some lip gloss. We aim to be perfect 10's on vacation.Unfortunately, this led to a LATE brunch and Marche didn't wait on us.)
Les be honest, mad donnas made it into my heart because of their beverages. It was here that I gathered the courage to try a Bloody Mary, and thank goodness I did!!! They have a full on Mary bar. You order your poison and they hand you the glass with ice and vodka. It's at this point you head to the bloody assembly line (in my best British accent). Being a newbie, this was a huge source of stress for me because I had no clue what I wanted to include in my beverage. Jenna helped me through it, and it was superb. If you're not a BM person, they also have a 2 for $6 Mimosa deal, and they have lots of different juices to choose from. No assembly required.
As far as entrees go, I would highly recommend The Big Don. It's delish! Description: Grilled Provence Tuscan bread stuffed with eggs, bacon, pepper jack cheese, tomato, and Dijon mayonnaise served with cheddar cheese grits or rosemary potatoes. Mouth watering yet?
Click here for a link to their menu.
3) SKY BLUE CAFE
We experienced Sky Blue Cafe this week and will definitely be going back. Seating is limited so be on the lookout for a wait. We arrived at 10am and had a 15 minute wait, but that was also on a Monday. However, the food was definitely worth waiting an hour for!! I first heard about SBC on the Internet and the stuffed french toast pancakes were recommended. While they sounded great, I saw them being delivered to a table and decided they would require elastic-waisted pants to order.
Jenna and I met up with a beloved ex-coworker of mine who made the move to East Nasty, and we all ordered the exact same thing: Coffee, Pineapple Mimosas, and The Tuscan 2.0. We saw the dish being delivered to another table while we waited to order, and it took everything we had not to ask for a bite. But don't worry, we're not those people so we waited to get one of our own. Description: Two eggs over easy on toasted French bread, topped with pesto, tomato, garlic, chilies, melted Parmesan cheese, and a drizzle of olive oil. Served with a side of fruit. Yummy, right?
Click here for their brunch menu.
Above is not the Tuscan 2.0, but it sure looks highly edible.
4) BOSCOS: RESTAURANT & BREWING CO.
Oh my gosh! This brunch turned into three hours--we ate so much we had to sit it out for a bit. Note: this is not a requirement to eat here. Surely, you have more self-control than I.
Located near Vanderbilt University, this brewery offers more than just exceptional beers. We visited Boscos during their Sunday Jazz Brunch which includes a live jazz band. The music was great, and it wasn't overpowering to where you had to shout across the table at one another. I was also surprised when we were able to be seated immediately with a party of 8. (Boscos has a much larger seating area than the previously listed bruncheries.)
The menu had many options which spiked my indecision. Jenna and I were looking at the same two options so we decided to each order one and split. Option 1 Description: Oskar Benedict. A toasted English muffin with asparagus, crab meat, Canadian bacon, two poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce. Option 2 Description: Crab Cake Benedict. Toasted English muffin with two poached eggs, fresh lump crab cake, sliced avocado, and hollandaise sauce. Both served with a side of cheese grits.
We also decided to try out the dessert menu. (Are you starting to understand how we ate ourselves miserable?) Boscos offered several daily desserts as well as some classics. We sampled pretty much every dessert other than the apple crisp. One of the dailies was Creme Brulle Cheesecake. It was divine!! I had the Bread Pudding of the day--pineapple white chocolate. Sounds weird; tastes amazing! The Chocolate Mocha Brownie was also ordered. If I'm being honest, the description sounded better than it tasted. (Steer clear.) Last but not least, the Boscos Gelato. It's made with in-house brewed beer and was delicious!
***Boscos is located near a lot of cute boutiques and shops so it's great to visit and do a little shopping before or after your meal.
5) PANCAKE PANTRY
This place is not a new topic in this blog. I love me some Pancake Pantry! Obviously, judging by its name, they are famous for their pancakes, as well they should be. Be prepared for a line that goes from the door and curves around the sidewalk. Of course, we time it correctly and hit it up around 1 or 2:00 so we don't have to wait.
**Pancake pantry is across the street from Boscos so good look making the decision between the two.
There is not enough room in cyber space for me to go on and on about what I love at the Pancake Pantry and why I love it so I'll just recommend two cakes. First and foremost, the Sweet Potato Pancakes. These little babies are so delicious, I found a copycat recipe, made them at home, and blogged about it. Why do I love these? For starters, their consistency is spot on. They're not spongy like most pancakes. It's hard to describe it so I'm going to go with dense. I also feel like I'm being more healthy since sweet potatoes are a super-food, ya know. (However, no matter what you order it is almost impossible not to over-indulge when visiting PP.) Lastly, I love these cakes because of their topping: cinnamon cream syrup. This stuff is so good I'd bathe in it!
Sometimes I do not want anything sweet for breakfast. It's at these times that I order my second recommendation: Santa Fe Cornmeal Pancakes. Description: cornmeal pancakes with chunks of bacon, cheddar cheese, and roasted green chilies cooked inside. PP recommends topping these cakes with maple syrup, salsa, and sour cream. (I say YES, but hold the maple syrup.) It took me a WHILE to gather up the nerve to order these cakes, as they sound like a gamble. I like to stay in the safe zone when it comes to food so it was a big deal for me to venture out of the traditional pancake choices. Quite honestly, Jenna and I had been curious about these cakes since our first visit and she was the one to order them first. After sampling hers, I decided to order them on my next trip.
If you have never had cornmeal pancakes then you don't know what you're missing! The pairing of bacon, cheese, and chilies is divine with the cornmeal. A dab of sour cream and salsa sets it off. I look forward to trying to recreate these at home!
So there you have it, my top 5 choices for brunching in Nashville. I hope this is useful when you're planning your next Nashville vacay. If you haven't visited this city, start planning now! It has become my favorite vacation spot. :) :)
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