Best of Nashville
BEST ETHNIC GROCERY: TIE: GLOBAL MARKET/INTERASIAN MARKET As anyone willing to venture beyond Kroger, Harris-Teeter and Wild Oats knows, this town has an abundance of ethnic markets and groceries, and local shoppers all have their favorites. I could probably keep my house completely stocked if I shopped at only two places in town. The first, Global Market, has been around longer than all the rest. Until last year, owners Ed and Sunee Moore had been running their shop on Church Street for more than three decades, and the store had the feel of a place that had been around for ages: seasoned with the unique blends of spices, oils, sauces and products they stocked from all over the world. A recent moved forced them into a larger space on Vine Street, just around the corner from the Adventure Science Center, and their loyal customers have followed, knowing that there are few other places in town they can find quality products from countries as distant as Turkey, Russia and South Africa. It’s also the best source of British products (HP Sauce, Branston Pickle, treacle, etc.) in Nashville. Meanwhile, the overflowing stock at Interasian Market on Nolensville Road near the Fairgrounds reflects the store’s name: canned, packaged and bottled goods from China, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia…and, um, Mexico. Best of all is the fresh produce section, which stocks all kinds of Asian greens, from bok choy to gailan, along with abundant tropical fruits like mango, lychee and rambutan (when in season), and much more. If you’re hungry, order a freshly made banh mi sandwich from the kitchen in back. —JONATHAN MARX
Best Place to Get Local Produce Smiley's at the Farmers Market
BEST PLACE TO GET LOCAL PRODUCE: A CSA, OR, FAILING THAT, SMILEY’S STALL IN THE FARMERS MARKET Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, connects local consumers directly with farmers, and the rewards for both are innumerable. Consumers get freshly and, just as important, locally grown produce cultivated without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Farmers get the reward of knowing just who they’re growing their food for—and weekly contact with customers, who over time grow to be friends. Were it not for being a member of Hill & Hollow CSA, based in nearby Edmonton, Ky., I don’t know that I’d ever have given much thought to where my food came from, or to the fact that the soil of our region can yield everything from arugula to edamame to potatoes to the delightful leafy green known as tatsoi. (Not to mention all the tomatoes in their infinite varieties.) Now that I’ve been a member for half a decade, I find myself searching for locally grown food wherever I can find it. When I can’t get produce from my CSA, Smiley’s produce stand in Farmers Market is my first stop: they’re one of the few stalls whose produce comes almost entirely from their own farm, in nearby Ridgetop, Tenn., and from the eggplants to the tomatoes to the cabbage to the broccoli, it’s all good, all plentiful. For more information on CSAs, visit www.csacenter.org; visit Hill & Hollow at www.hillandhollowfarm.com. —JONATHAN MARX
BEST NEW SPECIALTY MARKET: THE ITALIAN MARKET Though it’s a little off the beaten path, the brand-new Italian Market adheres to that typical tagline locals use when giving directions: you can’t miss it. Take Charlotte Pike from downtown toward White Bridge Road, look for the landmark gold-domed bank building at 51st Avenue North, turn toward the interstate, look for the squat cinderblock building painted like an Italian flag in red, white and green. See, you can’t miss it! And you won’t want to, if you, like many Italian Americans and transplanted Yankees, have been longing for imported Italian meats and cheeses, Pagliacci canned goods, dark tuna packed in olive oil, pine nut cookies, jars of pickled pepper spread, a cup of fresh-brewed espresso and a square of lasagna just like Nonna used to make. Not to mention wondering where the hell Corrado Savarino’s fresh-baked Italian bread has gone. Right here! You can’t miss it! —KAY WEST
BEST FOOD NEWS: WHOLE FOODS COMING TO NASHVILLE The good news is, Whole Foods is coming to Nashville. The bad news is, Whole Foods is coming to Green Hills. Had the Austin-born chain of natural and organic foods supermarkets just asked me, I could have told them that Whole Food devotees would have followed them anywhere—a nice warehouse space in Marathon Village, for instance—and that there was no need to put their fans through the angst and stress of Green Hills congestion. Personally, I go all the way to Boulder, Colo., for the incredible array of products, beautiful presentation and soothing ambience that defines Whole Foods. (Actually, the store is on the way to Estes Park, where my family vacations, but it’s still worth the trip.) The under-development Hill Center on Hillsboro Road is considerably closer—probably a little too close for comfort, if you ask Wild Oats just down the road. —KAY WEST
BEST REASON NEVER TO SET FOOT IN WILLIAMS-SONOMA EVER AGAIN: DAVIS COOKWARE People complain so much about hauling their asses to the shopping mall, I don’t really understand why they do it. Look closer to home, and you’ll find your needs taken care of, and in such nicer surroundings. Case in point: no amount of free bread and dipping oil samples is going to lure me into Williams-Sonoma, with its shiny Cuisinarts and assembly-line serving platters. Not when Davis Cookware beckons. The Davis family has been running this shop in Hillsboro Village for as long as anyone can remember, and, with its assortment of coffee makers, appliances, pots, pans, utensils and specialty items scattered across two rooms, it feels like the kind of place that’s been there forever. And where a mall shop promises some combination of chirpy and uninformed service, the father-son clerks at Davis Cookware have decades of knowledge at their disposal, and no shortage of opinions to help you in your decision to buy this knife or that mixer. They’ve also got an astounding selection of loose teas—black, green, herbal—along with an intriguing variety of salts extracted from the seas of distant lands. —JONATHAN MARX
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BEST BABY/KID STORE: POPO As a parent gratefully swimming in hand-me-downs, I can’t say that I do a whole lot of clothes shopping for my young’un. And when our family does go in search of outfits for our year-old son, our most likely stop is the thrift store. But when it comes time to purchase a baby gift—or to give a doting grandparent some gift suggestions for their darling grandson—Popo is at the top of the list, a welcoming little storefront just off Belmont Boulevard festooned in eye-catching colors. This city is bursting with hip, trendy boutiques, and it’s about time we had one for the little folks. Not that kids need to be hip, of course, but an already cute child looks only that much cuter when dressed in sharp clothes. Without doubt, Popo has some of the coolest kids’ clothes around, not to mention neat toys and playthings. I will confess that, for this parent, Popo’s arena rock T-shirts converted to fit younger frames might be crossing the line of sartorial taste, but I’m glad that heavy-metal moms and head-banging dads have the place to find the perfect outfit for their own offspring. —JONATHAN MARX
BEST SHOP FOR SCENT ADDICTS: COSMETIC MARKET Granted, it can be a little disconcerting to find your favorite l’Occitane hand cream sharing shelf space with Fat Bastard barbecue sauce, but the idiosyncratic selection of merchandise is part of the charm of this no-frills shop in the otherwise upscale Grace’s Plaza. Sephora it’s not, but there’s makeup galore, and serious hair and skin potions, all of which I personally pass up to get to the fragrances tucked away in the back of the store. Trish McEvoy, Laura Mercier, Comptoir Sud Pacifique, Index—they’re all here, along with a nice selection of Archipelago Botanicals candles. Bath bunnies will find all the luscious Philosophy body shampoo scents, as well as more grown-up fare such as Dr. Hauschka’s herbal baths. The friendly staff will let you sniff to your heart’s content, and nobody will spray you with anything. —MARIA BROWNING
BEST PLACE TO BUY A GIFT: CADEAU How could this not be the right place to shop for a present? After all, the name means “gift” in French. And if money isn’t much of an issue, you can’t do much better than this place (though we have to give props to Nancy Saturn’s long-running American Artisan, which also carries some of the most beautiful handmade objects around). It seems as though the stock is always changing here, and the offerings range from small, and quite affordable, handmade cards and gewgaws to exquisitely crafted vases and other decorative-yet-functional objects. Much of Cadeau’s appeal comes from the fact that it’s a neighborhood shop—the kind of place you can pop into while on a leisurely stroll. And though I do recall Belmont residents grumbling about the fact that this building didn’t become home to a long-hoped-for restaurant, something tells me that no one in the area is going to go hungry. Better, I say, to stop every once in a while and contemplate an object of beauty—and maybe even buy it for someone you love. —JONATHAN MARX
BEST POLITICALLY CORRECT GIFT STORE: TEN THOUSAND VILLAGES It takes 10,000 villagers from a global community of 32 mostly impoverished countries to craft the handmade items that stock Ten Thousand Villages’ more than 100 stores nationwide. All goods are fair trade, distributed and marketed through this nonprofit program of the Mennonite Central Committee, meaning that the artisans got paid a living wage—a rare occurrence in today’s global economy. A visit to Ten Thousand Villages is an around-the-world trip through an exotic and illuminating marketplace of home accessories, clothing, toys, holiday ornaments, linens, tableware, musical instruments, service pieces, pottery, baskets and jewelry, all reasonably priced and marked with a tag indicating their country of origin and cultural significance. Prada, schmada. —KAY WEST
BEST NEW VINTAGE STORE: LOCAL HONEY Thrift stores are great if you don’t mind sorting through polyester pants and T-shirts with pit stains to get to “the good stuff.” And oftentimes, vintage stores present the same obstacle: racks of unwearables with a few gems hidden in between. At Local Honey, which opened June of this year, the selection is small but superb. Owner Shea Steele took the entrepreneurial leap when, after a brief stint as a buyer for a local boutique, she realized she had a knack for finding the good stuff and might do just as well on her own. Her shop, located on Eighth Avenue above Grimey’s, is named for the notion that eating honey from one’s own vicinity can boost immunity and assist in allergy prevention. Steele searches regionally for fashionable finds, sorting through thrift stores, flea markets and consignment shops so that the 20-something consumer doesn’t have to. The shop is cozy and intimate, and features blankets, jewelry and quality vintage clothing for men and women at affordable prices. On my first visit, I heard Pavement and Peaches on the stereo and found a ’50s-style vintage dress at an exceptional price. A petite and enthusiastic Steele helped my friend locate just the perfect accessory and shoes to complement the peasant blouse and pencil skirt she was trying on. Satisfied with her coordination efforts, Steele exclaimed, “If I saw you out wearing that, I’d think you were hot.” Sold. —TRACY MOORE
BEST THRIFT: BOOMERANG When Kimmy Wix first saw the future location of his thrift store, Boomerang, he had a vision. “Actually, it was more of a sick feeling,” Wix says. “It was this rundown massage parlor called ‘Dotties,’ but I decided that that was where it was going to be.” Wix, who’s a former music journalist, has since translated the house of ill fame into a thrift showplace. “I love bringing things back to life,” he says, “but I don’t want a junk shop—I’m very selective. On the other hand, keeping the cost down has been a goal since day one.” —PAUL GRIFFITH
BEST NEW REASON TO RESENT ATLANTA: IKEA New aquarium, big deal. You want to see fish, go to Kroger. But that showplace for Swedish modern whateverthehellitizzes shoulda been Brentwood’s, dammit, and Atlanta knows it. They did it just because we finally (finally!) got a Cheesecake Factory. And now look at them. “Ooh, look at me, I’m Atlanta! I’ve got a Knivsta work lamp! I’ve got an Alvine Blommig bedspread! I can eat Swedish meatballs any time I like!” Peach-eating bastards. So where is our aquarium? —JIM RIDLEY
BEST $12 HAIRCUT FOR MEN: BEAUTIFUL TANS & HAIR SALON Marty Ford has been a mainstay of Inglewood’s Gallatin Road business district for nearly as long as the nearby public library or the Es Fernandos eatery, which bookend her small, homey storefront in a strip mall that can’t keep another tenant. With consistent help from her daughters Tammy and Michelle and a growing cadre of granddaughters, her shop is a modern merging of the old-time beauty salon and corner barbershop that welcomes one and all. There always seem to be family and friends about, and Ford always gets her job done with a friendly smile and a minimum of fuss. For a follically challenged person like me, dishing out funds for a stylist is ridiculous. But while Ford’s cuts for men come at a bargain, they never feel cut-rate. Instead, it’s like dropping in on a favorite cousin or aunt. —MICHAEL McCALL
Best Shopping for Metrosexuals Bloke
BEST NAIL SALON/BOUTIQUE: FAVORITE There is just one word to describe Favorite: precious. From its pale pink-swathed manicure and pedicure studio outfitted with white banquettes and service tables, to the small boutique in the foyer stocking tiny tees, snuggly sweats, pretty accessories and retro candy, Favorite is girlie world all the way. Quite the ironic transformation for what was most recently a lawn mower repair shop and service station. A few doors north, Melody Malloy has made over another former gas station into Bloke, a quirky boutique for Nashville’s out-of-the-closet metrosexuals. —KAY WEST
Best Dog Spa Wags & Whiskers in East Nashville
BEST DOG SPA: WAGS & WHISKERS Need to give Fifi a bath before it turns cold but don’t want to trash your bathroom or backyard in the process? Take her to Wags & Whiskers, East Nashville’s “Wash-a-Dog and Pet Health Place.” As the one-stop pet shop’s website puts it, “You bring the pup; we provide the rest.” And how—from lathering massage tools and aprons to towels and some righteous water pressure, owner Jenny Slagle and her staff have it all, including a spirit of hospitality that won’t quit. Wags & Whiskers also has terrific, healthy dog and cat food, treats and accessories, plus special events, like periodic free nail trims. W&W is located at 1008-C Forrest Ave., on the backside of the building. For information, call 228-9249 or go to www.wagsandwhiskersnashville.com. —BILL FRISKICS-WARREN
BEST PLACE TO TAKE YOUR DOG OUT FOR COFFEE: CITY LIMITS BAKERY AND CAFÉ Here’s what you do the next time there’s a pretty fall day and your dog keeps gazing at the door, clearly longing for some quality outdoor time with his/her human: enjoy a nice long walk together in Edwin Warner Park, and then head down Old Harding Road to this excellent bakery and restaurant, nestled in the tiny Bellevue Station shopping strip. There’s parking right out front, so your pooch can wait safely in the car while you go inside to choose from a terrific array of pastries, sandwiches and soups. Get a fresh bagel for the pup (we call them “dogels” at our house) and you can both carb-load alfresco on the comfortable patio, which is roomy enough that your companion won’t be drooling on the other customers. Of course, this makes a fine outing for kids and spouses, too. Just don’t tell the dog. —MARIA BROWNING
BEST VET OFFICE: MURPHY ROAD ANIMAL HOSPITAL When I adopted my first dog, I wanted to feed her the best dog food, get her the best chew toys and find the best veterinarian to take care of her. So I did some research and asked around, and the Murphy Road Animal Hospital kept popping up. The Murphy Road vets have an extensive knowledge of the latest medical procedures for animals, but they are always honest and up front with customers about the pros and cons of trying something new. They even offer acupuncture therapy for appropriate medical cases. When I discovered a lump on my dog’s shoulder, I took her to Murphy Road without an appointment and they biopsied it right then and there. Talk about fast service. Even if you don’t use Murphy Road as your veterinary office, you might want to use them as your kennel. I have had many dogs stay at many kennels; I’ve dealt with my share of smelly dogs and kennel cough. Not only did my dog come home from Murphy Road perfectly healthy and clean, but they gave me a day-by-day report of her habits while she had been there. Even your crazy dog-loving spinster aunt won’t give you a better report on your pooch. —CLAIRE SUDDATH
BEST PLACE TO BUY A SWEATER FOR YOUR PET: THE DOG STORE/CAT SHOPPE You know that relative you have—the one who keeps pictures of her pet in her wallet and has both bumper stickers and throw pillows praising the merits of her particular breed of dog or cat all over her house? Have you wondered where that relative finds the pet-related doorstops, mugs, greeting cards and magnets? Look no further than the Dog Store/Cat Shoppe, which recently moved from Green Hills to its new Berry Hill location at 2824 Bransford Ave. But the Dog Store/Cat Shoppe is more than just your froufrou pet-friendly establishment; it also carries high-end pet supplies, including organic dog and cat food, pet toothpaste, multiple kinds of catnip and every chew toy imaginable. The Cat Shoppe also has rescued cats available for adoption. So the next time you want to get Rover or Felix a special treat, go see what our favorite independent pet supply store has to offer. And who knows, you just might come home with your own doggy mug. Or maybe even a new cat. —CLAIRE SUDDATH
BEST WAY TO BOND WITH CO-WORKERS: VOLUNTEER FOR AN NPT TELETHON There’s something about answering phones on TV that just brings people together. You may be self-conscious in front of the cameras, but so is your boss, and so is that guy you don’t really know who hangs out by the copy machine. Stage fright, the bright lights of public television and all the free pizza and candy you can eat give everyone something to talk about. Next thing you know, between pledge phone calls, you’re talking to the HR guy about your favorite episode of Sesame Street and whether Teletubbies really is subversive. Your company looks good and you’re helping support television worth watching. So cancel your next corporate team-building retreat and volunteer for a telethon. Operators are standing by. —CARRINGTON FOX
BEST NONPROFIT MERGER: SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK AND NASHVILLE’S TABLE In the last five years, Nashville has seen an 18 percent increase in the number of nonprofits in town, a total of 600 or so new agencies, too many of them ego-driven pet projects. Doing good is one thing, being smart about how you do it is another. The recent merger of Second Harvest Food Bank (the area’s major food reclamation agency) and Nashville’s Table (the city’s premier prepared food recovery program) is both, and a move whose time had come. It also proves that good stewardship and doing good aren’t mutually exclusive. —BILL FRISKICS-WARREN
BEST NUMBER TO CALL FOR HELP: 2-1-1 Need something and live in Middle Tennessee? Call 2-1-1, a joint initiative of the United Way and the Crisis Intervention Center (now part of Family & Children’s Service). Last month alone, 13,000 people dialed 2-1-1 with questions about where to meet basic needs ranging from food, transportation and shelter, to health care, jobs and treatment for addiction and mental health. Not only did the folks fielding calls hook people up with these things, they answered nearly 70 percent of all calls in 20 seconds or less. So who you gonna call? —BILL FRISKICS-WARREN
BEST NONPROFIT FUNDRAISER: GENEROUS HELPINGS, BENEFITING NASHVILLE’S TABLE The problem with so many fundraisers is the rubber chicken entrée. Not so at Generous Helpings, where Nashville’s top chefs and wine merchants come together to put on the dog. As many as 30 independent restaurants serve soupçons of their finest dishes and desserts, making the event an exercise in self-control—don’t want to fill up before you get all the way around vthe room. Going on its fourth year, Generous Helpings draws a voracious crowd of foodies with a keen taste for stamping out hunger in Middle Tennessee. —CARRINGTON FOX
BEST INSPIRATIONAL SUNDAY MORNING EVENT: RACE FOR THE CURE Lance Armstrong circling the Arc de Triomphe with a yellow jersey is no more thrilling than 10,000 women and men with pink ribbons completing a 5K tour de MetroCenter. Going on its 15th year, the Nashville Area Race for the Cure to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation showcases the courage and beauty of those women—terrifyingly, one in eight—who are afflicted with breast cancer, and honors the dedicated friends and family who support them. With a Service of Hope, Parade of Pink and scenic run/walk, Race for the Cure is a fun and triumphant way to celebrate life—and to fund research to make it longer. —CARRINGTON FOX
BEST NEIGHBORHOOD EVENT: EAST NASHVILLE TOMATO FESTIVAL It’s debatable whether the second annual Tomato Festival lived up to the buzz, but the PR was fantastic, and the wacky event drew an enthusiastic crowd across the river. Art & Invention Gallery plastered the walls with tomato-inspired art, and a tomato cook-off attracted creative recipes such as tomatillo-crab soup, as well as some unlikely concoctions along the lines of tomato cake and tomato popsicles. There was even a tomato-throwing spree aimed at a building marked for demolition. Enough to make you look forward to the dog days of summer. —CARRINGTON FOX
BEST PLACE TO PLANT SHOP: FARMERS MARKET We all know how the flats of annuals carpet the Farmers Market with the brilliant pigments of spring. And most of us have seen the mounds of earth-toned mums during our fall pumpkin quest. With the migration of Gardens of Babylon from East Nashville’s Five Points to Betty Smith’s former site on the south end of the market, we now have a central source of supply for perennials, shrubs and even trees. Bring trucks. —CHRISTINE KREYLING
BEST NEGLECTED NASHVILLE SPORTS TEAM: NASHVILLE SOUNDS We haven’t had a professional sports championship since the Titans won the AFC in 1999. The NHL was shut down for a year. Then, in early September, the Sounds swept the Tacoma Rainiers for the championship of the Pacific Coast League. And where does The Tennessean put the story? On Page 3 of the sports section. And the byline was not even one of their own. True, the daily reran the same story word-for-word with a couple of pictures the following Sunday, but still on the inside pages. Everybody wants a new stadium, but the paper where every day matters doesn’t seem to care about the team. —MICHAEL KREYLING
Best Place to Nurse Your Inner Fiddler Williams Fine Violins and Luthier Studios
BEST PLACE TO NURSE YOUR INNER FIDDLER: WILLIAMS FINE VIOLINS AND LUTHIER STUDIOS No matter whether you are a professional player or a rank beginner, this place offers aid, comfort and inspiration. Located in a cozy house on 16th Avenue South, the store is like Santa’s workshop, filled with all the members of the violin family in every stage of life—new instruments being born, beauties in their prime for sale and old-timers receiving careful tending and repair. Owner Dustin Williams doesn’t believe in mystifying the luthier’s craft, and is happy to help players learn more about the inner workings of their instruments. Ultimately, he would like to found a school of violin-making here in Nashville. In the meantime, he is focused on building a staff of master luthiers and looking after the needs of players at all levels. The open, dedicated philosophy of the shop provides a great environment for lessons, which are available for both children and adults. —MARIA BROWNING