Nashville has a grilled cheese food truck. A GRILLED CHEESE FOOD TRUCK. HAVE I DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN. MAYBE.

As soon as I caught wind of "The Grilled Cheeserie," I stalked their website to find out where they'd be the week I was in Nashville. They were at something called 615 Day (Nashville's area code is 615, so they have a celebration on June 15. Kinda cool). And we followed them there.

This food truck, which serves up gourmet grilled cheese melts, is the brainchild of a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef. So, yes, it's hip and trendy. But it's also really friggin' good.

The Grilled Cheeserie has a few specialty grilled cheeses (fun fact: I used to call these toast 'n' cheese. Just what I grew up calling it. Until I said it outside of my household, and no one knew what I was talking about):

The B&B of Tennessee - $7.50
Buttermilk Cheddar, Heritage Bacon, Georgia Peach Jam on Multigrain Bread

Pimento Mac & Chee - $7.50
Housemade Pimento Cheese with Local Cheddar, Macaroni, Benton's Bacon Bits, Sliced Tomato on Country White Bread

Buffalo South - $7.50
Pepper Jack, Organic Pulled Chicken, Buffalo Sauce, Pickled Celery, Bleu Cheese Aioli on Sourdough Bread

The French Onion - $7.50
Swiss/Gruyère Blend, Onions & Shallots Slow Braised in Organic Beef Broth, Sherry Wine & Fresh Thyme on Rosemary Garlic Bread

If there's one iconic restaurant in Nashville, it's gotta be The Loveless Cafe. Located on Highway 100 just on the fringe of town, The Loveless Cafe serves up legendary biscuits that are quintessential Nashville cuisine.

In 1951, Lon and Annie Loveless began serving [fried chicken and biscuits] out the front door of their home to travelers who passed by on US Highway 100, the then primary route between Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee. Weary travelers found comfort and refuge at the cozy home and in the food the owners served to them while seated at picnic tables in the front yard. As the tiny house became a planned stop for treks along the Trace, Lon and Annie Loveless expanded their private home into the Loveless Motel and Cafe. Lon Loveless built and ran the property’s motel and was responsible for smoking the meats while Annie whipped up batches of her homemade preserves and scratch-made-biscuits - a secret recipe that remains unchanged to this day.

After a bit of a drive, we arrived to this property that houses the restaurant, as well as the hotel, event venue, a few shops and more. But, first, we went to the main restaurant, expecting a lengthy wait. Fortunately, we had no wait and were seated quickly.

Biscuits are immediately brought to the table with sides of peach preserves, strawberry preserves and blackberry preserves. The peach was my favorite, followed closely by the strawberry. Nice hunks of fruit atop a buttery, airy biscuit. Yes, please. And, you can get as many as you want - it's the free appetizer that keeps refilling.

I clearly couldn't get enough biscuits because I also ordered some for my main meal. The "Biscuit Sampler Platter" comes with your choice of four biscuits: Fried Green Tomato & Pimento Cheese, Barbeque, Country Ham, Fried Chicken, Bacon, Sausage or Steak.

I went with a fried green tomato & pimento cheese, BBQ, fried chicken and bacon. And, for my side, I got the hashbrown casserole.

All of these were tasty, though the fried green tomato and pimento cheese took the cake. It was different, and it pleasantly surprised me. Cheesy & fried - what is better? Next would have to be the fried chicken because I just can't get enough fried chicken biscuits in my life. The BBQ was good, not amazing. And the bacon was plain. I should've shoved some of that hashbrown casserole on it. That, by the way, was exactly what I was hoping for. It's your aunt's cheesy ambiguous dish at the family reunion that seems as though it has crack in it. ... Wait, is that just my family, or...?

This place is down-home, comfort breakfast food. Freshly baked biscuits? You got it. Everything with an added slab of butter? Definitely. Rich flavors, kinda hospitality and feeling like you're in your grandma's kitchen? Yep.

Grade: A

The Pharmacy Burger Parlor & Beer Garden is an iconic burger place that melds an old-fashioned burger joint idea with a modern, hipster vibe and German wurst and bier. The branding is a throwback to an old-school soda shop, while the actual place has this sprawling, string-lit garden space, cool chalkboards and large windows.

Brittany and I met up with the Hatchers, the quintessential WVU couple that has now moved south to the Music City. I can't say enough amazing things about Whitney, and, as soon as Jeremy saw I was coming to Nashville, he sent me a spreadsheet full of places to go. Just to give you an idea of how great they are -- and how excited I was to meet up with them in town!

We put our names down and learned it would be about an hour before we'd be seated. And, we had to let them know when our full party arrived. No problems there. Around the specified time, we were beckoned inside and seated near the outdoor garden.

First up, how can I NOT get a milkshake? It was good - chocolate, but nothing too notable. But, good. For my sandwich, I ordered the "Cheeseburger," which came with yellow cheddar, swiss, muenster, tomato and roasted garlic aioli. Side of potato salad.

OK, guys, I made a rookie mistake and inhaled this damn burger before I had a chance to photograph it. I was so wrapped up in conversation and starvation that I forgot to get a photo. Ugh. What is this, amateur hour? Fortunately, Brittany snuck a shot of hers, and they are pretty similar.



It was really good. The bun was light and airy, the burger juicy and the trio of cheeses and the GARLIC aioli that just oozed out made for a delicious savory combo. I seriously devoured this. They are simple ingredients, really, but all combined together made for a damn good burger. Now, if only I got a photo to remember it by.



Grade: A

When I plan a trip, food is priority (shocker, I know). And, as part of my food research, I usually look to see if they have a local market. The West Side Market in Cleveland and the Milwaukee Public Market are two of my favorites.

The Nashville Farmers' Market has lots of small produce vendors outside, plus some small indoor shops and a cool area called "Gardens of Babylon."

We perused the outdoor vendors, contemplated buying a bushel of peaches and headed indoors to see what hot (or cold) food was available for purchase.

I was pleased to see Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at the market! Jeni's is in a few cities - with four locations in Nashville. Jeni's ice creams are smooth with a buttercream body.

There are so many flavors. I went with three scoops: birch & marshmallows, salty caramel and roasted strawberry buttermilk. The salty caramel had the deeper, sweet flavors, the birch & marshmallow just tasted like rootbeer with little bits of marshmallow, and the strawberry wasn't overly sweet - it almost tasted like fresh, without lots of added stuff.

So many cool, inventive, off-the-wall flavors, which makes this place a real gem. Ice cream can't get lower than an A from me. It's just the best. Especially salty caramel ice cream.

Grade: A

I love, love, love southern food. What's not to love about fried chicken, corn pudding and sweet potatoes drowned in brown sugar?

A big part of soul food is "Meat and three." Meat and three, which has roots in Nashville, is essentially a plate that consists of a main meat (fried chicken, meatloaf, pork chop, country ham), and three side dishes (vegetables, potatoes, macaroni and cheese).

Arnold's Country Kitchen is the iconic meat-and-three restaurant. Once we parked in the Arnold's lot, we walked inside restaurant and were met with the large, open dining space. Long communal tables ran the length of the room, with few open seats spaced out in between. We added ourselves to the back of the line and waited as people filed up to the cafeteria-style counter.

The menu changes a little bit by the day. And, fortunately, we were there on a meat loaf day (yum!). You can get a main and just one or two sides, but what fun is that? I wanted the full meat and three experience. So, I got the meat loaf, candied yams, macaroni and cheese, and corn pudding. I probably should've thrown something green in there, but ehhh...

We just so happened to find an empty booth along the wall, so we hunkered down there before we began devouring these plates. My god, I wish this blog had tastebuds, because that meat loaf killed the game. So flavorful. So moist. So hella good. The macaroni and cheese was a delicious baked mac with some nice dark spots along the top. Sweet candied yams bathed in brown sugar were sweet as a dessert, and the corn pudding had more of a spice factor, but it was perfect for this plate of food.

Just, go. Immediately. Go hungry and eat all these things. You're welcome.

Grade: A

When I was looking up iconic Nashville food, hot chicken was - of course - the most popular. But another popular Nashvillian food item was fruit tea. So, the South has sweet tea, but Nashville has fruit tea.

Bread & Company is one of the places known for its fruit tea, which has orange, pineapple and lemonade. Other restaurants may add ginger ale or cinnamon, but those are the main components.

I walked up to the counter, ordered my drink, received my cup and walked over to the dispenser. It simply said "fruit tea." I didn't know if there was a certain kind of fruit? I dunno. But, fruit tea it was.

Fruit tea is good. I almost wish there was real fruit in there? But, it's sweet and refreshing and there is nothing bad about that. Is it something mindblowing? No, but I would order it again if I was in the area.

Grade: B

My friend Lisa recently was interested the Almost Heaven BBQ Bash in Buckhannon and got her hands on this sauce that she told me I HAD to try: Tarbilly's Grillin' Sauce and Rub.

The owner, Bobby Collins, a teacher in McDowell County, competes in BBQ competitions with this tasty sauce, which is his own recipe that he has produced at Gourmet Central in Romney. Yay for WV businesses! The sauce has a few variations: the regular, the competition sweet, and the Tarbilly's heat. They also have a rub. Lisa brought me over one of each so I can check it out -- and tell all you great people about it!

It is the creation of Bobby Collins.  He was born and raised in North Carolina, but relocated to West Virginia in 1999.  The name Tarbilly’s is a combination of “The Tar Hill” state and the “Hillbillies” of West Virginia.  I have made this sauce for a number of years beginning in my kitchen and am now having it bottled and labeled just for you.  Enjoy the great taste of two cultures combined.  Our sauce and rub are hand crafted in small batches.  They are made with the freshest and purest ingredients available

So, the regular is the first one I've tried. And, it's the the quintessential BBQ sauce that you could slather on, well, anything. Just a touch of heat on the backend. A pulled pork sandwich is calling its name.

The competition sweet is brown sugar sweet - but tangy, and peppery, too. If you like your BBQ on the sweeter side, do not pass this up.

And the Tarbilly's heat has more of a kick, but it's also pretty sweet. Lots of depth of flavor here, and not cheap heat just for the sake of being hot. Chicken wings, anyone? PERFECT.

Whatever  the taste is that your carving Tarbilly’s Grillin’ Sauce will make it taste better. Our sauce cab be described as sweet and clingy with a WOW factor. Our repeat customers say it’s the best sauce that they have ever used on the grill, smoker and in their oven. 

And the rub! A little heat there with a unique blend of spices. I haven't had a chance to coat anything in this delicious blend, but that didn't stop me from getting a small taste. Delicious.

If your looking for a new flavor with a kick. Then Tarbilly’s Grillin’ Rub is what your after. Tarbilly’s Grillin’ Rub is a blend of spices specifically tailored to add extra flavor to your meat cooking experience to give it that extra kick of sweet, salt, heat and other flavors that it needs. 

If you get the chance, pick up a bottle or three. And, while you're at it, check them out on social media.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tarbillys
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tarbillys/