Downtown Nashville Restaurant Advice please

We will be in Nashville next weekend for a few days. We are staying downton.

Can anyone recommend great breakfast, lunch and dinner places. We are a family of 4 with an11 and 16 year old. We love all types of food, but basically since we are visiting Tennessee we would like to eat what they are known for. Barbeque, country food? Soul food? Any advice.

Thank you

Downtown Nashville Restaurant Advice please

Take a look at the ';last minute trip'; post by gowhitesox for my recommendations on breakfast and barbecue.

For authentic soul food, Swett%26#39;s is often on the top of the list. Collard greens, fried chicken, squash, you name it, they fix it. Be prepared for the fact that a lot of soul food is flavored with salt pork (also known as ';fat back:). But it is so good.

Rotier%26#39;s also serves a good meat and three, not to mention a delicious burger on french bread.

My personal favorite is Sylvan Park on Murphy Road. Their fried chicken is awesome, not to mention homemade chocolate pie.

A good Web site for Nashville restaurant is www.hollyeats.com/South.htm. Lots of info. to be had. Just look for the Nashville listings. YUM!

Downtown Nashville Restaurant Advice please

All of Peachyswan%26#39;s recommendations are great, you might try the White Trash Cafe it a very good meat %26amp; three and they also have a Saturday night Murder Mystery Dinner. Since your staying downtown try The Old Spaghetti Factory and Jack%26#39;s Barbque (you can%26#39;t miss the flying pigs on sign outside).

Peachy, did you ever make it up to Chattanooga for the ';Living On'; exhibit?

Squire, I must sadly report I didn%26#39;t make it to Chatty for the exhibit. Wish I had. But gas prices have gotten so bad, I%26#39;m having to limit excursions.

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I%26#39;m an ignorant Yankee. ;) What is %26#39;meat and three%26#39;?

Hi again, Sox. Don%26#39;t apologize. You can%26#39;t find out if you don%26#39;t ask. Allow me to explain...

A ';meat and three'; is simply a meat (could be fried chicken, roast beef, meet loaf, pork chops, ribs, etc.) and three side dishes or vegetables. Mind you, in the South, we consider macaroni and cheese to be a vegetable! At least in terms of what a part of the ';three'; can be

Southern sides could be collard greens, broccoli and cheese rice casserole, squash casserole, sweet potato souflee, creamed corn, etc.

Most meat and threes also come with some type of bread, mostly a biscuit or cornbread. Southern cornbread tends to be of the yellow variety, not the sweeter white variety my Midwestern relatives eat.

Oh, and don%26#39;t forget the sweet tea. If you ask for iced tea, nine times out of 10, it will be sweet. I often ask for half and half, which is half sweet and half unsweet so I don%26#39;t get all that sugar.

I%26#39;m getting hungry just thinking about this so I%26#39;ll stop. ;-)

That was supposed to be ';meat loaf'; but I was typing too fast.

Thanks!

I love, love sweet tea. The last time I was in Tennessee (about ten years ago) I drank it with almost every meal!

The places mentioned are definitely great places to eat, but as far as downtown restaurants go, I would recommend Jack%26#39;s BBQ on Broadway for lunch or dinner. It%26#39;s a food channel favorite. Amy%26#39;s on Church has good breakfast or lunch. The %26#39;meat %26amp; 3'; is definitely a Nashville thing. I%26#39;m from Mississippi and had never heard of the term. There are a few downtown...like Maggies in the Arcade (between Church and Union). If you%26#39;re downtown for lunch, I%26#39;d recommend heading towards Church st. area, since those places are only open for breakfast/lunch and eating dinner on 2nd or Broadway. Wildhorse saloon is a good place to eat and catch some music and your teens might enjoy learning a little line-dancing in the evenings. If you%26#39;re here on a Sunday morning, the Sheraton has a great brunch at the top of the hotel in a rotating restaurant where you get the best view of all of Nashville. Make a reservation, though. Loveless Cafe is also a Nashville landmark (although the drive is pretty long from downtown). They have just about the most Southern breakfast you%26#39;ll find.

Thank you all so much for your great ideas. We really appreciate it.

All great tips. We cannot wait to try some of these restaurants.

Hava a great Thanksgiving Everyone!!!!

I 2nd the advice about The Old Spaghetti Factory. It is inexpensive and you get entree, bread, salad, drink and dessert all for one price. The food is EXCELLENT (as well as the sweet tea), especially the Fetuccini Alfredo and the Spumoni (spelling may be incorrect) ice cream for dessert. Also, thanks for the other poster for informing us about a ';meat and three';. I grew up in east Tn and hadn%26#39;t never heard the term either, but I assumed correctly as to what it meant. Have a good holiday everyone!