Ok, my friends are officially turning 30 forever. What does this mean? Do we have to get married, have kids and start doing the rounds at Wal-Mart? Or can we still have fun, go dancing and drink wine on Wednesdays? I say, all of the above. The 30's are a time to cut-loose plus pin your hair back and track down your toddler. Since 30 is a turning point, Elin chose to celebrate her birthday all weekend. The Honkey Tonks on Broadway saw plenty of us. We only danced on one bar (Stage) and twirled around with men our father's age at Robert's (ones our age can't cut a rug quite yet.)
I digress, this is an "eats" blog. We kicked off the party at Mambu. This was only my 2nd visit to the warm cottage on Hayes Street and 18th Avenue (1 block off West End toward Church). It's cozy, retro interior buzzes and the cheerful hostess steers us to a table in the bar while our table is prepared. We plop down, order drinks and they transfer the tab when we're seated five minutes later. We immediately order some appetizers - the dumplings are a hit. My neighbor, Katy, noshes on pizza and smiles. For main courses Elin and I have mac-n-cheese (okay) with filet mignon. My beef was cooked perfectly with a light red wine sauce. However, I was surprised I didn't get a vegetable so I ordered a side of spinach - bad idea. It was swimming in butter. The biggest hit was their special risotto which changes seasonally. My friend Kelly liked her seared tuna. The wine list is adequate. I've heard horror stories about the Mambu service. However, our waiter brought appetizers quickly and our main courses timely followed. Plus, he split our bills with a smile. PS - On other occasions I loved the fried chicken entree. It's a large meal you can share.
Saturday afternoon we shopped in Hillsboro Village and lunched at Jackson's. I munched on a mediocre caesar salad. My tomato basil soup with crusty bread in the middle made up for the greens. The burgers looked divine and my friend Elin slurped down a chocolate shake. Their sandwiches looked stacked. Unfortunately, I went back to try dinner at Jackson's and was disappointed we couldn't eat there due to a small kitchen fire (nobody hurt and the place is still standing.) I'll try again because I think it's especially good for large parties with diverse taste buds.
Sadly, I missed the girls for appetizers and drinks at The Bound'ry (weddings, weddings, weddings). I know a few of them will comment on the fare and the buzzing 'bout town atmosphere. I promise to eat (rather than just booze) there soon. Until then...
KEEP EATING OUT, NASHVILLE!
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Mambu Restaurant: 1806 Hayes St. - (615) 329-1293
Jackson's Bar & Bistro: 1800 21st Ave South - (615) 385-9968
The Boundr'y: http://www.pansouth.net/boundry-index.htm
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2 comments:
Will add a bit about B'oundry - we ordered a number of dishes for our large party, but the two best were the Ostrich, and the Lobster pizza. Both were to die for. The Ostrich in particular was out of this world, and one of our dinner mates, Jackie, lead the charge in ordering a second helping of it. :)
If you make it for breakfast/brunch at Jackson's again, try the biscuits n' gravy or the cinnamon toast. Bob loves the buttery perfection of the cin toast, and I really like the spicy punch of red pepper flakes in the gravy -- definitely a different taste from the southern classic! :)
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