Nashville is a melting pot, and as a food lover, that means a variety of delicious restaurants to choose from.  There are good restaurants springing up all over the place (I'm dying to try Tayst and Zola's!), but these are the ones I can personally recommend.  If you are planning a visit to the Nashville area or if you already live here, I hope you have the chance to experience my favorite places to eat and drink by palate!

If you've never been to Asia, Royal Thai is fine for thai food, Ichiban is fine for sushi, and P.F. Changs is fine for chinese cuisine.  However, if you want something more authentic, the shadier, hole-in-the-wall places are much tastier, inexpensive, and you'll probably get better service.  You may be the only ones in the dining room, but Chlay's in Franklin serves amazing food and plum wine, and Samurai's near Elliston Place serves the only sushi plate that's left me begging for more (get the special if you can... Mango sushi... mmm).  It's hard to find a Chinese restaurant that's buffet-less, but Pei Wei is a nice alternative to P.F. Changs.  Don't go at lunch unless you have a lot of time to burn!

When it comes to steak, Ruth's Chris and Fleming's on West End are head to head, though my most recent favorite was the coffee cured filet at Stoney River in Franklin (there's a new one on West End, too).  Ruth's Chris has the best creme brulee I've tasted in Nashville thus far, but I'm not even close to ending my search!

For Italian, my favorite is Buca di Beppo near Cool Springs Galleria in Franklin.  It has a surprising family feel, and the decor screams authentic Mediterranea.  I like the fist-size meat balls and the pistachio covered cannolis!  Sole Mio in downtown Nashville seems to be popular among the locals, but after eating there twice, I'm not sure why.  The ambience is nice...

New to Nashville the last couple years is the infamous Cheesecake Factory and California Pizza Kitchen, both in Green Hills.  I've given CF a good four tries, and don't have any desire to try again.  There's always a long wait, and it seems the servers' sense of urgency decreases the busier the joint gets.  California Pizza Kitchen will always have a special place in my heart, but it is also busy and crowded all the time.  Mellow Mushroom in downtown Franklin (there's also one with less parking on 21st) is my favorite pizza place, though Christopher's Pizza on Demonbreun and Michaelangelo's on 22nd are pretty darn good, too.

F. Scotts is perfect for food and music snobs alike.  This cozy and classy restaurant is located next to the opulent Mall at Green Hills, and boasts live jazz every night.  The food menu is a bit expensive, but the band is located in the bar, so if it's the music you want, you can enjoy a glass of wine and dessert with a front row seat in the most covetous jazz venue in Nashville for $20.

Valentino's on West End is another restaurant where I only go for dessert.  The food is certainly good, but I think it's a bit overpriced.  Ask for a bistro table in the bar and order the Bananas Foster.  Your server will prepare and flambee this sugary goodness in front of your table from their rolling BF station.  Don't go alone!  The Bananas Foster serves two.

Whenever I have friends from out of town, I always take them to Sunset Grill in Hillsboro Village.  I'm not a big fan of bread pudding, and I don't like spicy foods, but the Butterscotch Habanero Bread Pudding is the best thing I've ever tasted.  The food menu is great, too, and it's half off after 10 PM Monday-Thursday and midnight Friday and Saturday.  I don't even eat there unless the time's right for the late night menu to hit the tables!  I wouldn't recommend eating in the bar.  The bartenders are friendly enough, but for some reason the food always takes an unusually long time to arrive whenever I order from them.  Bottles of wine are half off on Sunday when all the liquor stores are closed.  Actually, several restaurants/bars around town offer 50% off wine bottles on Sunday (try Rumba), and state law lets you cork up your un-drank bottle of wine and take it home as long as it's in the trunk or tucked away somewhere else out of reach from the driver's seat.

Flyte is one of the newest, hippest restaurants in downtown Nashville.  It's spendy, but the menu is true to its name: you can order tastings of not only wine, but soups, entrees, etc.  If you're the kind of person who has to try everything, this is the place to come.  Who would have thunk ice cream on a salad or a white chocolate cauliflower puree would be so good?

Living in Franklin, there are times I want a good meal within a ten minute drive.  Bonefish Grill, Carrabbas, and J. Alexanders near the Cool Springs Galleria never let me down.  Criallo's is a delicious new piano jazz place across from the Galleria, and Basil's on the other side of the freeway serves great pan asian food while you watch the koi swimming around.  If you have expensive taste, Mere Bulles in Brentwood is great for lunch, dinner, or Sunday brunch, and Brentwood's Fresh Market is my number one place to pick up (and sample!) food for a picnic.  Merridee's Breadbasket in downtown Franklin is carb- and pastry-central, and Xoconochco on Main Street is THE place for chocolate.  Pick from truffles that taste as good as they look, try the featured drink at the hot chocolate bar, or get some fondue.

One piece of advise... the Nashville Scene conducts a poll every year for locals to rate their favorite places to go out for specific reasons (e.g., "Best Club to See and Be Seen," "Best Restaurant for a First Date," etc.).  My experience is that these places are hit and miss.  Some are great, others merely win due to their franchise popularity.  A good rule of thumb is that if it's not part of a chain, it's worth visiting.  And if it's in a song, you KNOW it's a winner! 

Happy eating!

K. Michelle Ross

Executive Assistant to DeAnne Cotthoff of RE/MAX Elite