Best. Restaurant. In. Nashville. Macke's.

I rarely give anything or anyone the title "BEST" (with the exception of Magic Johnson and REM), but I'm ready to dole it out to Macke's Green Hills--- In my humble opinion the best restaurant in Nashville. I've been 3 times now and it has yet to disappoint and only gets better.

This past week I celebrated my friend Christina's 32nd birthday with a group for dinner at Macke's.

We started with beverages (I had some bubbles) and then moved into a heavy appetizer rotation that included: Seared Scallops with a bruleed peach, candied Benton's Bacon and creamed Kim Chee; Lobster Corn Fritters; Jumbo Lump Crabcakes with saffron, pineapple compote and Paprika Oil; Butter Bean Hummus; Yazoo Pale Ale Battered Shrimp with a local tomato aspic and House-Made Mayo. All of the appetizers were delicious with special props going out to the Butter Bean Hummus and the House made mayo that accompanied the shrimp. Mmmmm....

Next we took our try at main courses. I spilt the entree special with my friend Ava Kay....Tarragon Crusted Halibut plated over a crab risotto in a golden tomato broth. It was phenomenal. Everyone else also loved their entrees that included salmon, scallops, and pork cheeks.

One thing I love about Macke's is that with most of their entree's they offer half portions-- perfect for those who love amazing food but also love fitting into clothes. :)

Most of us were pretty much done and done after entree's but our side of the table decided to splurge on the caramel apple creme brulee'-- AND I'M SO GLAD WE DID. I will say that it had not quite set properly but the taste was so robust and spot on that it could have come in an IV bag and I would have been fine with the presentation and consistency.

Some Nashville foodies claim the more posh places like City House, Tayst, Margot and Watermark to be the best-- but not me. I'll take friendly, family-like service, precise flavor profiles, and fresh ingredients any day over a pizza with an egg on it. (and don't get me wrong, I love eggs)

One thing to note: Macke's does have a full service bar, however, they don't have an actual BAR at which to sit so drinks after work won't work so much here.

Another side note: Unlike speakeasy's that purposefully make their establishments hard to find, Macke's has made their establishment hard to find without trying. It's located in Grace's Plaza in Green Hills where the old Davis Kidd used to be and across from the Davidson County Clerk's office. (I know, weird).

Follow them on twitter: @Mackesgourmet

Totally fLliPPed out....

I've been wanting to eat at Flip Burger since I heard of the Richard Blais joint that boasts homes in both the A and the Ham and considering the Ham (Birmingham, that is) resides in my territory I made a point to visit this time. There were ups and downs to our experience but here's the skinny...(ha)

Joining me for dinner was King Cobra (KC) a new full time Red Bull marketing specialist based in the Ham. We arrived around 7 and put our name on the list (pretty hopping place) and waited in the front area. Soccer moms with Louis' and 14 year old girls going on 20 packed the place along with the occasional old fart that would walk up to the host and ask if there was a wait (hello there are people standing EVERYWHERE). I digress.

We ended up spotting 2 seats at the back bar and politely turned in our pagers and headed to belly up. After waiting forever for a bartender or server to come by we finally flagged down a server and asked that she take our order....she immediately did so and after that downside it was smooth sailing. Grade for original service: F. Grade for flagged down service: A.

KC ordered (after much urging from me) the Korean BBQ burger and a side of fries and I decided on the Chorizo burger (of course I did) with a side of the panko and Parmesan zucchini fries. Our order came up quickly and KC loved his burger and here's a bit more detail on mine: The Chorizo burger boasts spicy pork sausage (I know, I know, I'm supposed to be off the pig), romesco ketchup, hashbrowns, manchego cheese, smoked mayo and last but certainly not least FRIED EGG. I think it was the ancient philosopher Beyonce who once said "If you like it then you should have put an egg on it".

The burger itself was a little disappointing as it wasn't spicy and lacked a savory kick that I really enjoy from chorizo. The egg, however, really helped the burger as it blended all the other toppings together. Grade: B

Oooohhhh....panko and Parmesan zucchini fries....to die for. WITH A GREMOLATA MAYO that I could have bathed in. I ended up putting some of the mayo on the burger....winner, winner chicken dinner. GRADE: A+

So it turns out that the bar where we were sitting wasn't the alkie bar....oh no, it was the milkshake/liquid Nitrogen bar. After seeing a specific Nutella, burnt marshmallow and N2 shake made a few other times for loving patrons KC and I just couldn't resist. OMJ (Oh Michael Jackson).....I have few words to describe this shake but I'll try: GO AND GET ONE RIGHT NOW. Grade: OMJ

Taking everything into consideration-- definitely somewhere I would go again and recommend to others-- probably a good idea to wait for a table if you want great service and be sure to leave the calorie counting at the door.

Stupid is as stupid does

I learned the hard way how to not sweat the small stuff and put life into perspective; I lost my mom too early. I remember thinking when mom died that I would never again allow myself to get all worked up for nothing. I would never allow myself to put meaning in the meaningless, place importance on the non-important and worry about things I cannot control. Well I blew that out of the fucking water this week.

Sunday night I'm enjoying a lovely evening at home. I'm looking at my Twitter and @IamDiddy tells me to turn on BET...so I do, and start watching the BET awards. Next thing I know I go to do some work and voila...no internet. I check my home phone line also provided by Comcast....no phone either. I imagine this is something that can be handled easily so I give Comcast a call and 2 days, 7 conversations, and tears later I still have no fucking internet. OK...well, I do now because I just got it back but you get the point.

It's one thing to go without TV, Phones, and Internet when you're on a camping trip but when I'm at home (and I work from home mind you) I want these things to work, and work well, and work quickly. I have literally been a raging bitch for the last 2 days. I had multiple anxiety attacks and had to have a glass of wine at 4:30 yesterday so I could continue to breathe. (Veronica, if you're reading this I swear I only had one and I went back to work).

The bottom line is that I'm an idiot. Why in the world would something without importance, meaning and definitely something that I can do nothing about get me so worked up? Why did I let it get to me? I have my priorities figured out, right?

So now the internet is back on and I can tweet, blog and email in peace....but mostly I can put myself in a serious TIMEOUT. Worry about what you can control....the rest is trivial.

That's my REV RUN blog for the month.

Monday Night June 28, 2010-- I'm getting out, are you?

Tomorrow night is Monday and although I rarely go out/am in town on a weeknight anymore there are 2 amazing shows I want to tell everyone about. The first is my good friend Lindsey's, Masters Recital for cello at the Belmont Mansion. It starts at 7:00 and is free to the public.

The second stop will be the Benefit for Bella at Exit In with American Bang, Will Hoge and Ricky Young. Those American Bang boys are awesome and I haven't seen Will play in quite a while. There's a $10 minimum donation at the door and all proceeds go to help little baby Arabella Cobb's medical expenses. I don't personally know the parents but since seeing the show I've been keeping up with the blog and have been thoroughly touched by this story. You can also follow the blog at : http://arabellacobb.blogspot.com.

Burger Up or....down?

I've just returned from my first visit at Burger Up....Nashville's newest (and only) speciality non-chain burger establishment. I'll start by saying that I love the location- 12th south in the Paris building right next to a long time favorite- Las Paletas. The restaurant is relatively small and has a few smaller tables and two long community tables. There's also a well stocked bar full of trendy liquors like Prairie Vodka and Corsair, Plymouth, etc...you get the point.

Dinning with me this afternoon was Cara L.--- who is always up for trying new food and experiences. We were sat in a 2 top right next to the front door-- a high boy and stool situation that didn't allow me to cross my legs or really get comfortable...but not completely horrible.

I started off with the Bloody Mary which came highly recommended from our server and Cara had an Amstel Light. The Bloody Mary was interesting. Not bad...but definitely not 3 Crow's or Jackson's. Grade: B

We then ordered a Crab, cheese, habenero fondue of sorts. The toast points served with it were a little soft and the dip missed the mark to a degree. Plenty of crab (which is rare) but not enough cheese to really call it a fondue. Grade: C+

Next UP were our burgers- I went with the Turkey Burger and Cara had the Mushroom Swiss. My burger was good and had plenty of moisture which is tough when cooking ground turkey. Cara also really enjoyed her burger and the sweet potato fries that came on the side. I thought the fries were soggy and lacked seasoning and pazazz.

I enjoyed the side salad that would have been fab had the greens not been completely drenched in the bacon vinaigrette. It could have used half the dressing but was still tasty.

Grade: B+

Overall a pleasant experience and definitely want to try again once I get back on the Cow and Pig to try the Woodstock burger that boasts Benton's Bacon and a white cheddar cheese...yummm.

Check them out at: http://www.burger-up.com/.

Side note: Rumours East will be closed for a week or so due to remodeling (they are apparently taking an amazing old historic home in East Nashville and modernizing it's interior). Potential bad call but I could be eating (or drinking) my words later about that one. http://www.rumourseast.com/

God Bless the Internet

First and foremost I would like to wish all of my July birthday friends a very happy birthday. Lindsey, Jana, Susan, Christina & Ashlee-- love to you all. Secondly I would like to take this time to express my love and fond memories of Bill Settle who passed away last week. I can't find any pictures right now but will try to post some of me and Bill together. 

However, this post is mostly to comment on that fact that I am writing from my bed. That's right folks...wireless internet is back in my life. Thank you Dave Ray's friend who got the encryption info as I've been internet-less at home since I moved in : JUNE 26. I can breathe easy now. Woohooo!

But here's a picture of me in Charleston!!

Lakers Win, Haters Lose, Patterson House Wins

The Los Angeles Lakers have won the world championship (15th) and Kobe has grabbed his fourth while my man Phil took his 10th. Congrats to the team and all the Laker fans around the globe. For all the Laker Haters, specifically Chris Harbin and Bill Simmons: Suck it. Yes, that's right, suck it. 

While we're on the topic of winning and happiness....we went to The Patterson House last night for drinks and dinner-- it was a delightful experience. The drinks were parties in my mouth and the food was delectable. The best part is the slow, speakeasy atmosphere. When you have time to enjoy a professionally made beverage and a good conversation-- make the trip. Oh, and be sure to preserve the sexy.