Thursday, January 26, 2012
Conversation Bites Couple Blocks Away From Lunch: What's the Restaurant Near Your Office?
Posted by Nicki Wood on Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 5:47 AM
People working near the airport, in a hospital, or an office park know what I'm talking about.
The restaurant nearest the Scene used to be Jimmy Carl's Lunch Box, and we miss it. Providentially, the hot bar at Turnip Truck Urban Fare opened the week Jimmy Carl's closed.
Whiskey Kitchen, Sambuca, Cantina Laredo, Urban Flats, Ru San and Casablanca Coffee are also close enough to be contenders. And when the boss is paying (or, theoretically, would be paying), Watermark and Kayne Prime.
In my other job, the nearest restaurant is (wait for it) Chili's. That's right. Chili's. Say it again. Chili's. Sniff it and smell the majesty: Chili's is around the corner from my office.
Them's the breaks. What restaurant is around the corner from your office? Do you eat there? And what do you wish were nearby?
Comments (22)
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Nice. And you're complaining? I (we) work in a $100 million dollar facility off of - wait for it - Brick Church Pike. Near Trinity Lane. And you're complaining? McDonalds, Jack in the Box, Subway, Jacks, Fat Mo's, and a fucking Waffle House. Carjackings, shootings, police chases, helicopters, panhandlers, freaks, prostitutes, and the homeless. And that is just during the daylight hours. Them's the breaks. For us, lunch regularly involves 6 to 20 miles one way, 1 1/2 to 2 hours duration.
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In Germantown: Zackie's, Third Avenue Kitchen, Germantown Cafe and City House. 2 of those 4 are too expensive for lunch fare, so we end up hitting up the bevy of fast food choices in Metrocenter or the Farmer's Market Market House. The neighborhood could desperately use a deli and a bar.
My faves within a 5 minute drive: La Hacienda, House of Kabob, Ginger Thai, Siam, Calpyso, Yellow Porch, and Joey's House of Pizza. Yes, I feel lucky!
Chef's Market, up in Goodlettsville. With all the chain restaurants in the area, Chef's is a total surprise: fresh ingredients, prepared very well, and they manage a broad menu really well. You can eat crap, or fairly healthily. The atmosphere isn't exactly my thing, but the food is just really good.
I work in Antioch which is an international shmargesbord and King Market is in walking distance (so lucky, I know), but I'm an executive assistant to someone with Crohn's disease who has a limited list of foods. So, exotic is often off the list. That leaves us with the Hickory Hollow offers... O'Charley's, Logan's Steakhouse and Zaxby's. I so wish for healthier, fresher American fare in the area. Are there any secret locations I'm missing?
I've got Coco's Italian Market, Siam, and Kien Giang. I just alternate between those three.
I wish we had a hot chicken restaurant in West Nashville. Or an Ethiopian restaurant.
I work downtown, and have 2 meals on one day (lunch & dinner) that are purchased for me because I literally do not get up from working for 16 hours other than to use the restroom. I should be excited to have lunch & dinner paid for, right? Well, we have an $11 limit which is no big deal for lunch, but dinner... makes it harder, and they MUST take AmEx. I really only have restaurant input in the lunch choice, for which I have to negotiate with 2 other people's preferences. For lunch we often end up with City Wraps (my 1st choice often), Panera, occasionally Which Wich; for dinner we almost always get Demos', and I am SO.SICK.OF.DEMOS. I've eaten it almost 1x a week for the past couple years!
Now, on the rare day I eat out on my own dime (I prefer to pack my own nutritious meal), I love to go to Provence for the "Librarian's Lunch", or to Wise Burger (used to be Cheeseburger Charley's) near the arcade, or Chile Burrito.
Downtown does have many options, it's just too bad I can't/don't utilize them! I still can't believe I've been working downtown for 5+ years and have NEVER ate at Merchant's.
I'm in Green Hills so I'm pretty lucky - other than the traffic and parking. My favorite, yet barely known lunch spot is The End Zone. Yes, that smokey bar that was the original Box Seat how ever many years ago. If you can handle the smoke, which at lunch is not too bad, they have a $5 dollar lunch special that rocks. Two sliders (bbq, turkey, cheese burger or pork loin) and fries/tots or a 10" pizza with 2 toppings. Service is a little slow but food is awesome.
Fiesta Mexicana, Quiznos, 400 Degrees and Sole Mio are within a few blocks walk. (Note to David H., you could be at 400 degrees in about 7-10 minutes via interstate from Coco's, but definitely order ahead.)
Surprisingly, one of my favorite places to get carry-out fried chicken is the Z Mart on Lafayette right before the right turn to 2nd Avenue. I'm not real hip on walking there under the interstate, but the gas is some of the cheapest in town so I try to I time my chicken fill-ups with my petrol fill-ups.
I'm in Maryland Farms, where it's not a huge selection other than chains, but lucky to have The Puffy Muffin, Mere Bulles, The Perch, and The Local Taco.
At Vanderbilt, but I rarely, rarely leave campus for lunch. It's an exciting day if I go to Au Bon Pain for soup. Kay Bob's is close though, and I'll occasionally hit Bosco's after work. Provence, Fido, and Jackson's are all close by. In grad school, SATCO was by far our favorite place to drown our sorrows after a bad exam.
I'm in Maryland Farms right next to Mere Bulles, so if I'm not paying I go there. Otherwise Soy and Hanabi are typically where I eat if I don't bring my lunch.
Vandy, corner of 21st and West End; had composed a post listing dozens of places, in order of walking distance, then short drives, etc.; lost the post. Sufficient to say there are many, many choices in this area; I don't feel deprived. Except that we lost Peter Chinn's from right across the street, and the mediterranean place above it also.
I work from home. Now that I am in Green Hills I don't go out that much for lunch, the traffic just too insufferable. When I do, I usually go for the Whole Foods hot bar.
When I used to live on Belmont I was at International Market multiple times a week, then across the street for a cup of coffee from Bongo and back to the grind.
@Yam I think we picked up your Med Cuisine out in Brentwood. Catered lunch from there last week, just as good as I remembered
@mike, the hubs is a WF hot bar guy too.
Big oops on my previous post. The place in Green Hills is actually Joe's Place - not the End Zone. The building has been about a dozen places over the years. And more oops. I just heard that the guy who's been their smoke-miester has left and is openning a place behind SATCO. You know, that house that's also been about a dozen places over the years, too. I understand the $5 lunch is in jeopardy or at best, being reworked. Bummer of a way to start my weekend.
Micky D's is closest, followed by No 1 Chinese (which is misnumbered), Cinco de Mayo, Hardees, Dairy Queen, and Jack in the Box.
I'm originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. There's a chain of restaurants there called Skyline Chili. Via the army, I have been around this country, then around the world and back around this country again, ending up being planted in the TN military town outside of Ft. Cambell, KY (most of the post is in TN...was told the post office is on the KY side and that's how it got it's name but don't know if that is true or not). I have never seen any Skyline Chili restaurants outside of my hometown. Could somebody (or somebodies) please help me get a Skyline Chili in Nashville, maybe even near the Nashville Scene office. Then I could meet all the people that work there and write for the dead tree and online versions. You all saved me from walking the streets to figure out what to do when I am in Music City, USA. Now I can go online and connect with my own kind (people I can relate to) and find out the best things to do on my Music City adventures! I know you all would really enjoy having a Skyline Chili close by. I have ordered the season packets to make the chili myself but it just ain't the same as going to a Skyline Chili restaurant like I did when I was still living in my hometown.
Miss N. Cincy: Your hometown grocery store is here with you, and you can find Skyline chili in cans at Kroger and make your own 3 way when the mood suits. They even have the frozen entree versions in some stores. If you're holding out for the option to dine in at a Skyline itself, alas, the closest is in Louisville. Now, as to bringing a Cincy chili joint here, what makes you so sure it would be Skyline? Someone might prefer Gold Star instead ! (C'mon, it wouldn't be a cincy chili discussion without bringing up the competition, would it?) :)
@Miss N. Cincy - You missed your opportunity, as it's already been done. Many years ago (mid-80s maybe?) Skyline opened a store here near Centennial Park (roughly where the Calypso Cafe across from Rotiers is located). Alas, it did not last very long...
@BelleNic - totally late on this post, but I work in Antioch too, at the corner of Antioch Pike and Haywood - also within walking distance of King Market. Have you tried the Trousdale/Harding area? Unique Flavors is an excellent lunch spot, and across the street are Mama Mia's Italian and Back to Cuba cafe. A little father away and you have 100 Oaks/Berry Hill, with Sam and Zoe's and Baja Burrito.
