One of my best friends lived in Nashville until recently, so I've been fortunate to visit the city a few times.



My last trip was short, but it was still packed full of food adventures - like Dozen Bakery.



We believe that putting the best into something yields the greatest result. We believe in QUALITY, so we choose to support vendors, farmers and artisans who believe in supporting the local community and who consistently deliver us the finest, freshest ingredients available. We value EDUCATION, teaching skills and encouraging curiosity about processes, ingredients and food. And we APPRECIATE our place in the tradition of bakers and craftspeople who work with their hands, recognizing that we work in a larger community of people seeking to support sustainable business practices. We value our work, ourselves and those we work alongside, as we strive for perfection while putting our unique selves into everything we make and do, day after day. Dozen Bakery was never intended to make it this long. Originally, it was started as a holiday cookie pop-up business that would exist for the last three months of 2009. Thanks to strong word-of-mouth popularity, some good press, and building a great team, Dozen continues to this day. We now have a bakery in Wedgewood-Houston, and sell to other local businesses and restaurants.



I ordered the radish tartine here, along with cucumber gazpacho and a little pastry.



To be honest, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. And, I wasn't excited by the flavor of the cucumber-gazpacho. It just didn't do much for me - not enough flavor or balance for me. 



But the radish tartine was one of those meals I look back on fondly. It's essentially a thick piece of crusty bread topped with herby whipped feta, herb salad and some pickled radishes that just blew my mind. It's really simple in concept, but every single element delivered. And, it was absolutely gorgeous. I've not yet tried to recreate this, but I do think about it often when I'm in the mood for something fresh and light, yet filling. It was tough for the pastry to compete with that - but I love ending on a sweet note so it was appreciated, as well. 



Grade: A