“What’s your favorite restaurant?” is easily the question I get asked the most. My stock answer, which allows me to duck and weave, is that it depends what I’m in the mood for.
I hate making lists. It’s like being asked to pick your favorite child, except you’re really picking someone else’s child — with their parents watching.
Still, our minds love to pull order out of chaos. Everybody loves a superlative because everybody has an opinion, and let’s face it, it’s fun to argue about these things. And in the end, we like someone else to help make those choices for us.
I’m in a corner now. No more bobbing, shuffling or rope-a-dopes. Here’s the list of what I think are the 25 best restaurants in Nashville right now. Before you go all what-for and why on me, I want to explain a bit how I got here.
I’ve been eating in and around the crusty edges of Nashville my entire adult life, almost 40 years. When making my (super) long list for this, I was amazed at the breadth and quality of dining options we now have. From home cooking to global dining and now world-class fine dining, our table has never been so well set.
These 25 places are my personal favorites. This is not a critique of the restaurants; this is a personal list.
That’s why you’ll find a meat-and-three and Mexican joint on here with a James Beard winner. Outside of those finer dining places, I limited myself to my one favorite place that occupies a certain category, like barbecue or burgers.
What these places have in common is a total experience that fits what they are trying to do — from the food and the feel to the service — and how those three things come together. Authenticity goes a long way, too.
So here I am, in the ring with a list. I am prepared to defend it. I would take any friend, chef, visitor, boss or colleague to any one of these places. As you take your best shot, remember that I hope your list is different from mine. It should be.
Have fun. Be well, and I hope this helps you stay well fed. (continue reading at Tennessean)