Dining
Erratic temperatures of the last month have lent credence to the notion that spring in Nashville is becoming shorter and shorter, with conspiracy theorists claiming the season has been preempted all together. The fact that Bobbie’s Dairy Dip—one of Nashville’s oldest and most beloved warm-weather institutions—had still not opened long past its traditional date with the daffodils seemed to support the paranoia, adding to the misery of gloomy, rain-soaked days in March and early April. Judging by the many email inquiries I received—ranging from pitiful to incensed—it’s just not spring in Nashville until Bobbie’s burgers hit the grill and the soft-serve starts swirling.
All of you who wrote, left desperate messages on the store’s phone line or simply camped out in the parking lot looking for signs of life can rest assured that all is right with our world. As of Saturday, April 22, Bobbie’s is back, serving the same old wonderful things to third- and fourth-generation customers, though owner Claire Mullally has a few new tricks up her sleeve.
The 70-something-year-old drive-up has received a fresh coat of paint on its exterior and its concrete tables; in fact, inclement weather impeding the painting was one factor in the opening delay. Staffing was another issue. But after two cooks departed just prior to opening, Mullally reports that two new griddlemasters are on board and several veteran employees are training the rookie staff.
Menu items debuting this season include stuffed baked potatoes with cheddar or bleu cheese, sour cream and scallions, or homemade chili and grated cheddar; a vinegar-based sweet-and-sour coleslaw; and sautéed onions and Swiss cheese rounding out the burger toppings of cheeses and guacamole.
There are a couple new twists on soft-swirl dips: dark chocolate for mature audiences and cotton candy for the younger set.
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In response to repeated requests for private parties, Mullally has introduced two options for groups of six or more. The “Cookout At Bobbie’s” reserves a wildly decorated table and offers a choice of burger, chicken, kielbasa or two hot dogs with toppings, sweet potato or regular fries, coleslaw, unlimited soft drinks and shake or make-your-own-sundae for $16 per person. The “Make Your Own Sundae Party” gets you a decorated a table with unlimited soft drinks, ice cream and toppings for $7 per person. Advance reservations required.
But wait, there’s more! Beginning May 1, Bobbie’s will present entertainment and special events. Already slated are an African drumming session, Irish music, Friday night fish fry and kid-friendly evenings with storytelling and book readings. The calendar will be posted at Bobbie’s. Also in the works: “Celebrity Soda Jerk Nights.” Start pandering now to Mullally if you want a shift behind the glass.
During these fast-forward times of disappearing local landmarks—Becker’s, Melrose Lanes and Vandyland among them—Nashville owes a big thanks to transplanted New Yorker Claire Mullally for preserving—and loving—Bobbie’s as much as we do.
Bobbie’s Dairy Dip remains at 5301 Charlotte Pike, 292-2112. Open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. When school lets out, the store will be open until 10 every night.
Custard’s last stand
Add frozen custard to the college-friendly offerings at the small Granny White retail strip practically on Lipscomb University campus, thanks to a group of investors who opened Shake’s last November. The group, including several Lipscomb alums, owns a second Shake’s franchise in Franklin. Swathed in soda shop nostalgia, with a soundtrack of ’50s music, the charming shop between Pizza Perfect and the newly reopened Copper Kettle seats 16 inside, with sidewalk seating on the way. Frozen custard is the backbone of the menu, served in cups, cones, shakes, malts, floats and sundaes. Signature “Classic Sundaes” are the calling card of the national Shake’s chain, with whimsical varieties including Dream Lover, Pink Poodle, Heavenly Angel and Bananadannasplit.
Shake’s is at 4002 Granny White Pike, 292-5551. Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 11 on Friday and Saturday, 2-10 p.m. Sunday.
Ale, yeah!
Nashville, add the term “gastro-pub” to your dining vernacular. According to New York magazine, a gastro-pub is a bar with “good, fresh, often locally grown food,” a movement that has been all the rage across the U.K. for more than a decade. Not surprisingly, the first in Manhattan boasts Mario Batali as a partner, who, given the well-known chef’s love of all things swine, might account for the pub’s name: The Spotted Pig. Located in the West Village, the Pig is reportedly packed to the jowls with folks who like a pint with their Roquefort-topped burger and juicy hanger steak.
Dredged with sawdust and shouting over the din of nail-guns the last week of April, Will Shuff references gastro-pubs as he stands among 2-by-4’s, plywood and pieces of corrugated tin in 12th South Market, which is currently closed while its transformation into the 12South Taproom is underway. Design plans call for a bar that will tap 15 types of keg beer—including local Yazoo and other regional microbrews—and serve even more by the bottle. The kitchen will be enclosed, separate from the tables and booths in the main dining room, where a small stage will host acoustic musical performers. A front patio will soon be poured, extending the 12th Avenue South outdoor-dining corridor, which includes Mafiaoza’s, Mirror and Rumours Wine & Art Bar, the last co-owned by Will’s wife Christy Shuff and Whitney Ferre, the duo responsible for the Taproom’s interior.
Some parking will remain out front; the rest will be directed to a lot in the back. With indoor and outdoor brick grills, 12South Taproom will be a full-service restaurant (for now, beer will be the only adult beverage), serving lunch and dinner every day but Sunday. Hernon Borda, who chefs at Rumours, will do double-duty as the kitchen adds entrées and grilled items to the popular 12South Market lunch items. Shuff hopes to open by the end of May. 12South Taproom is at 2318 12th Ave. S.
Sixth sense
Five Senses, the delightful restaurant owned by brother-sister team Mollie and Mitchell Murphree, is all the reason many Nashvillians need to drive to Murfreesboro. But on Wednesday, May 10, there is another: the Château Ross Wine Dinner. Chef Mitchell’s $65 five-course meal begins at 6:30 p.m. with baked gulf oysters with lump crabmeat and béarnaise sauce served with Château Ross Viognier, and ends with white-chocolate-and-blueberry bread pudding with homemade cherry ice cream and Château Ross Z. In between, there’s pan-roasted wild salmon, beet sorbet and dry-rubbed pork tenderloin. While there, peruse Five Senses’ new spring menu, which includes a pâté of veal, pork, ham, pistachios and brandy; swordfish ceviche; cream of asparagus soup with shrimp and artichoke salsa; braised rabbit; lamb loin chops with cornbread salad; and paella.
Five Senses is at 1602 W. Northfield Blvd., Murfreesboro. 867-4155.
Farm fresh
Sure, bagged supermarket lettuce is convenient—and so clean. But the trade-off is it typically tastes more like the bag it came in than the ground it came from, if it emerged from the ground at all. Discover the difference by signing up for a share of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program that links farmers and consumers by delivering fresh produce on a weekly basis.
Tennessee’s oldest organic farm, Long Hungry Creek Farm, is now accepting members for the season that kicks off Memorial Day with the first harvest of lettuces and other greens. The sign-up fee is $50, and for $25 a week members receive a half-bushel box of 12 to 16 varieties of produce picked that day and delivered to a choice of locations, including the YWCA on Woodmont Boulevard. A weekly newsletter provides farm news and recipes. Call 699-2493, email barefootmama8@yahoo.com or visit www.barefootfarmer.com.
An alternative for smaller families or single vegetable-lovers is the Fresh Harvest Coop, a partnership between adjoining farms in Bon Aqua, Drury Family Farm and Turnbull Creek Farm. Start an account by signing up online at www.freshharvestcoop.com and sending a $50 deposit to the Coop. When the season begins—likely in late May—subscribers receive weekly emails listing the available produce. Order only what you want and pick up on Wednesday afternoons at Trinity Presbyterian Church on Hillsboro Road. Along with produce, Fresh Harvest grows a wide variety of flowers, available by the fresh-cut bouquet on a weekly basis.
Without a Trace
Scott Witherow, the talented young chef who helped flip Deer Park Grille on Bandywood to Firefly Grille, was recently named chef at The Trace, which is still struggling to find a food identity 18 months after being purchased by Ken Perry. (The Trace website continues to list Freddy Brooker as chef, though he has been gone over a year.) But that kitchen will remain unsettled as Witherow has decided to hang up his toque—at least for now—to pursue other options. “The long hours a restaurant requires are not conducive to a personal life,” understates Witherow, married to Seigenthaler PR’s Shana Witherow. “I just felt like I needed to figure out my priorities. I’ll miss being in a kitchen and hopefully can still keep my hands in it in some way.” Applications now being accepted—no personal life required.