Fried Pickles and Beer

I know it has a been a long time.  I am sure some of you have gone through withdrawals but clearly I won't be covering any treatment costs you incurred dealing with the getting the monkey off your back.  Mainly because I am back and, well...I guess that about sums it up.  So, jump back on the bandwagon, wipe your tears and let's move on.

So I thought we would rally from the long blissful hangover suffered enjoyed after the amazing party of my last post and jump right into the soul experience I had last month in Nashville, TN. 

There is only one thing I love more than food and that is the amazing people in my life (you know, the ones I still like).  One of those people is my beautiful friend Brittney whom I have been friends with for about 19 years.  She met the man of her dreams a couple of years ago and when they decided to get married, we all decided to go to Nashville to celebrate!

Besides the ROCKIN' music and the cowboy boots everywhere we turned, Nashville brought us some amazing food and drinks!

When you get off the plane, an overwhelming urge to slather some type of smoked pork, beef or chicken in BBQ sauce and then wash it down with a shot of whiskey and a beer backer comes over you.  And who am I to ignore overwhelming urges?

So, on that note, here are some of the highlights.

I love pickles.  I love fried foods.  Never in my life would I have thought to put the two of them together.  However, I had a love affair in Nashville, TN with fried pickles.  And there is no greater picture to display their amazingness than with the beautiful bride above.

Now, I am not a huge beer drinker (let me clarify...I love beer.  My tummy doesn't always seem to love it.), but as they say...when in Rome!  My beer of choice for the weekend was Killian's Irish Red.  It was a good choice.

We had an amazing dinner at Mambu once everyone got into town.  This was an old house turned into a very eclectic restaurant with delicious food and a great wine list.  I had Pan Fried Chicken with whipped red potatoes, sautéed spinach with a touch of andouille sausage and finished with a Creole Mustard vinaigrette and peach chutney.  It was southern, rich and fried...I was in love.  However, I think the winner of the night was the  Paella (Hayes St. style) with shrimp, chorizo sausage, mussels, tomato broth and saffron rice.  It was incredible and vibrant.  Mambu is a must for any trip to Nashville.

The weekend we were there they were having a BBQ festival down on the river.  The smell of hickory smoke filled the entire town.  I can't say for sure, but I am almost positive that Heaven will smell the same.  We had pulled pork, slaw, roasted corn and a whole lot of Twisted Tea.

Pancake pantry was a diner experience that everyone should have at least once in their life. A line out the door, a bossy man at the front door who tells you where to sit (and you damn well better listen to him and get your ass to your table right away) and friendly waitresses with deep Southern drawls.  On top of that, they had food that warms your soul, gets you ready for the day and possibly clogs your arteries.  In other words, the best kind.

Brittney, I love you and wish you and Bo a lifetime of happiness!  Readers, I wish for you a trip someday to Nashville to experience all of the food, drinks and Country Music it has to offer!

Cheers!