Best of Nashville Food & Drink

BEST ALL-PURPOSE RESTAURANT: RADIUS10

With its gorgeous one-two punch of artistic food in a playful, industrially sleek environment, Radius10 was a contender in just about any dining category we could think of this year: best lunch, best happy hour, best atmosphere, best place to impress out-of-towners, best reason to move to the Gulch...you name it. Chef Jason Brumm’s bacon-and-lobster pizza can hold its own against any pie in town, and pastry chef Ray Luther just might take the dessert title with his revamped menu that includes artisan chocolates—in combinations such as lemon-basil and lavender-honey—flown in from Oregon. Hell, Radius10 almost bested Baja Burrito in the fish taco category. Now in its second year, Radius10 delivers all-around style and substance to The Gulch. The combination is a knockout. —CARRINGTON FOX

BEST CHEF: WILL UHLHORN, F. SCOTT’S

In the 20 years since it opened, F. Scott’s Restaurant has fielded an impressive lineup of superb, standard-busting chefs. Anita Hartell, Josh Weekley, Louise Branch, Margot McCormack and Jason McConnell all have passed through the Green Hills kitchen, and with the exception of Branch, they all went on to open their own Nashville restaurants (Mambu, Rack Room, Margot Café and Red Pony, respectively). That’s an impressive graduation rate, but one that co-proprietors Elise Loehr and Wendy Burch, who bought the restaurant four years ago, must hope doesn’t repeat itself anytime soon. With his first menu in September 2005, executive chef Will Uhlhorn announced his personal culinary profile: contemporary French-American food that marries classic technique, irreproachable quality, seasonal product, regional sources and provocative creative expression. (Not to mention his unabashed fondness for all-things pig, exceeded only by his irrational obsession with the Boston Red Sox.) With each new menu—it’s rewritten every three months—Uhlhorn again reveals his stellar gift for composing intriguing plates of pristine flavors and artful presentation. He not only has met the high standards set by F. Scott’s noteworthy epicurean lineage, he has exceeded them, and continues to raise the bar, night after night, season by season. —KAY WEST

BEST NEW BURGER: 12 SOUTH TAPROOM

Ordinarily I would oppose a $10 hamburger on principle—but principle doesn’t really factor into eating the ground flesh of a ruminant force-fed cheap corn until its life comes to a merciful end. So I ordered mine with cheese and bacon. And man alive, was it good: crusty around the edges peeking out from the bun, juicy in the center, beefy and toothsome as steak. Friend cow, you died not in vain. I can’t wait to meet your cousins. —JIM RIDLEY

BEST OLD BURGER: BOBBIE’S DAIRY DIP

All apologies to partisans of Rotier’s or Brown’s Diner, but a first-rate cheeseburger plus priceless Americana (and no smoke) gives this Charlotte Avenue fixture the edge. A change in ownership hasn’t changed Bobbie’s stacked Black Angus burgers one pickle slice, and little else about the drive-in seems to have altered since it opened in 1951: you expect bobby-soxers in hot rods to screech up to the counter as the sun sets over Wendell Smith’s Liquors and Buddy Holly blares from the outdoor speakers. (Thanks to the incessant ’50s music, our 3-year-old startled us with the words to “Duke of Earl.”) One welcome addition, though: Bobbie’s now accepts debit cards. The times they are a-changin’. —JIM RIDLEY

BEST MARRIAGE OF NAME AND PRODUCT: I DREAM OF WEENIE

Hot dogs may be the furthest thing from your gastronomically sophisticated mind, but one glimpse of the semi-mobile, bright-yellow VW bus with the flirty sign “I Dream of Weenie” and, faster than Barbara Eden can cross her arms and nod her head, you’ll have a Kraut Weenie in your hand. Or maybe a Dill Weenie or a Chili Cheese Weenie. There are seven to choose from and at least one daily special. Red-meat-phobes and vegetarians won’t feel left out—each version is available on a turkey or tofu dog (no tofurkey yet). Though some may snigger at the sexual connotation, the name actually came to Bret McFadyen in a dream, or so his wife Meg swears. Securing part of the grassed lot beside the couple’s Art & Invention Gallery in East Nashville, Bret put the vintage yellow van on blocks, installed a galley kitchen inside, screened the windows, added a counter and small porch out front (festooned with hot dog planters) and recruited avid collector of hot dog memorabilia Alisa Martin as partner and Weenie Jeanie. Permanent seating is prohibited by one of Nashville’s many bizarre zoning laws, so bring your own blanket or chair. —KAY WEST

BEST THING TO HAPPEN TO NASHVILLE SINCE MARGOT CAFÉ: MARCHÉ

Last November, I was on the fence about whether to buy a house in East Nashville. There were a few great dinner options in the neighborhood, but very little for lunch or breakfast. My first meal at Marché was the deal closer, and I haven’t looked back. Most of my friends are cringing right now, saying, “Criminy! Would you shut up already about Marché!” Admittedly, I’m somewhat obsessed with the place—but only because it is hands-down my favorite restaurant in town. It’s like the ultimate lover: reliable (I’ve yet to have a bad meal there), endlessly fascinating (the menu changes regularly) and willing to indulge any desire, wholesome (Nicoise salad, vegetable tartine) or naughty (croissant French toast, flatiron steak sandwich, chocolate pot du créme). And a sexy French accent! I think I even prefer Marché to its more elegant big sister, Margot, if for no other reason than it’s a bit more affordable (and I can eat breakfast and lunch there to boot). A tout à l’heure, mon amour! —JACK SILVERMAN