There are few things in life better than a nice, relaxing coffee shop. The environment, the nice little perk from the cup of java and just the all-around general vibe. It's a place to hang out, get some work done and just enjoy your community. When I went into Steadfast, I instantly felt all of this.



The barista gave me a quick sample. And, I was instantly hooked. It tastes like coffee and a carbonated lemonade had a baby. It's perfect for that little caffeine perk you get from coffee while also being super refreshing - which was much needed on that hot day.


Grade: A

"Enter as strangers, leave as friends"

Preserves and biscuits. Cinnamon rolls. Smoked sausage, bacon, gravy, country ham, breakfast potatoes, pancakes, scrambled eggs, hash browns, cheese grits, skillet fried chicken, fried apples, corn pudding ...

Have you ever eaten a Goo Goo Cluster? I'm not sure I had before traveling to Nashville. Sure, I've heard of them - maybe on the peripheral - but they seemed more like a candy from the past.

The Goo Goo Cluster was created in 1912 in Nashville and contains marshmallow nougat, caramel, roasted peanuts and milk chocolate. There is a Supreme version (which replaces peanuts with pecans) and Peanut Butter (which replaces the marshmallow nougat and caramel).

I wanted to go to the mecca of the candy - a shop located in downtown Nashville. It has the three versions of the Goo Goo Clusters available for purchase, as well as other retro candies, merchandise and other fun goodies.

It also has the Dessert Bar, which serves up pies, cheesecakes, sundaes and shakes and floats. Since I arrived a little late, I didn't get the chance to order from the dessert bar, though "The Salty Southerner Shake," with vanilla ice cream, house-made salted caramel, fresh whipped cream and more caramel sounded amazing!

And, it is the only place to purchase Premium Goo Goos, which come in a variety of different flavors/ I purchased a "cookies and cream" one. It wasn't bad.

Overall, this shop is super cute, with some great goodies!

Grade: A

Jackalope Brewing Company was founded by two women: Bailey Spaulding and Robyn Virball. That alone made me excited to check out this brewery. Badass women showing that the beer world isn't just for guys? Count me in. Plus, what a weird/cool name.

There is parking here, which was a huge plus. And, as soon as we walked in, we waited our turn at the bar before placing our order. I got a sampler with Thunder Ann, Bear Walker, The Great Horned Owl, and Leghorn, and then walked it over to the casual, comfy open area. It was clear this was a real community spot, with a room full of people hanging out with a delicious, creative craft beer having conversations and reading the paper.

I liked the Thunder Ann, which was a bit hoppy, but it was also a tad citrusy. It is also named after Davy Crockett's fictional wife. Cool.

Bear Walker is a good, malty beer. Heavier for a hot day, but tasty. Leghorn was a bit too hoppy for my tastes, and The Great Horned Owl is a wheat that has a nice body.

I think this place has a super cool vibe with some tasty beer. If I had more time, I could see myself hanging out here and leisurely enjoying my beer. But, we have many, many more places to see.

To cap off my first evening in Nashville, I wanted to grab drinks at one of the trendiest spots in town: City House. The Germantown restaurant and cocktail bar opened in 2007, and Chef Tandy Wilson has been named a James Beard nominee for Best Chef Southeast.

The changing menu features fresh produce and house-cured meats. And, they're also known for their pizzas. We had a reservation and arrived about 10 minutes early, and she said she can accommodate us at our reserved time. K. So, we went outside and had a seat on these large wooden logs, which fashioned a makeshift fire-pit area, before returning inside.

The inside is not super large, but there are metal accents meshed with wooden tables that made for this modern meets traditional vibe. Sound seems to reverberate off everything, so it gets quite noisy.

Once we saw the menu, we changed course. The drinks looked amazing (really amazing), but there's no way I could NOT try something off this delicious food menu. Cavatelli, brisket, zucchini, tomato, black pepper and pecorino pizza? Sour corn cake, white beans, yellow squash, mint, red wine vinegar? And those pizzas - peaches, cottage cheese, mozzarella, vidalia, fennel and black pepper? Yes, please.

The pizza was good. It wasn't great. Maybe I was expecting more of a flavor explosion, a la the grape & gorgonzola pizza from Pies & Pints. This was much more mild, and the peaches weren't fully sweet. And, that's fine. The flavors were just kind of muted. But, still not a bad pie.

In fact, the couple next to us was asking us about our pizza, and we told them it was good. They were trying to figure out what to order, but weren't sure if they wanted to commit to an entire pizza. We actually had two pieces leftover (and with restaurant after restaurant on my wish list, no time for leftovers) that we insisted they have. What else were we going to do with it? They were super excited to get a taste without having to order an entire pie.

The waiter at one point asked us where we were from and he said one of his friends, who is this homeless traveler, is moving to Charleston from Los Angeles. We questioned "West Virginia? Or South Carolina?" He assured us Charleston. We looked baffled and wondered why that would be the place he'd choose to be a vagabond, and the waiter replied that his friend was tired of being around intellectuals (so, apparently you go to the land void of intellectuals: West Virginia). Oh. Ok. Subtle dig there.

So ... the pizza was good - not the best I ever had. And the service could be a little less snobby, I think. I'm sure that's part of the draw. Next time, though, I definitely want to snag a drink ... as long as I can keep myself from ordering the entire menu.

Grade: B