Recent Comments
Re: “Mambu To Close and Reopen as Rosebud Bistro”
I have loved Mambu for so long! I hope the food quality and variety stays as high as it's always been. Anita and mambu have been a great Nashville addition!
Re: “Weekly Open Thread Wants To Know, Do You Tip on Takeout?”
When I worked at a full-service restaurant, the servers told me that it's at minimum customary to tip 10% on takeout, but tip at least 15% for a place you go regularly to ensure good service. I always overtip for delivery orders (cash, at least 20%, rounded up) and if table service is poor at a restaurant, I still do right under 20% and write a note. Most food issues are not the server's fault, but if it's general neglect, that's namely the only thing they can truly control. At coffee shops (having worked at them all through college), the $20 tips/8hr shift paid for gas and meals, so I try to give that back if they physically make anything for me. Drip coffee, maybe I round to the nearest dollar, but otherwise, it's always at least a buck and change.
Like SL said, servers make $2.13/hr, so every little bit counts if they are doing their job, y'all.
Re: “Say Ta-Ta to Cha Chah ... For Now”
@Beth: I agree on the "foodie" term...what should we be called? Food enthusiasts? Enthusiastic epicureans? I feel like if there is a 'proper' word for a wine enthusiast (oenophile), then we should have one as well, no?? Who do we consult about this? :)
And I'm bummed about Cha Chah, but always excited for new ventures! Plus, his others are doing so well that I'm very excited to see what creative yumminess abounds!
Re: “Headquarters Coffeehouse Ready To Start Serving Up Java This Week”
I'm so excited! It's right on my block!
Re: “Celebrate Flyte's 'Hex-iversary' This Week”
Lesley,
Catbird is really quite fair considering the offering, in my opinion. It's a flat $100 for the 7 courses and either $40 or 75 for the wine pairing (cheapest I've ever seen!), depending if you want the standard or the elite (both are great, honestly). Although it is an event to go there, it's one SO well worth it! Should I be embarrassed to say how many times I've gone...? ;) Well, let me just say that I've eaten at Flyte a zillion times more and happily parted with far more money for always exquisite food. Always. It is a consistently amazing experience, plus the servers and owners rock my face off.
Re: “Fish & Co. Closes; Atlanta-Based Taqueria del Sol Will Open in 12South Space”
Lesley, you know Cha Chah is closing, right? That makes, what, 4? 5? Good restaurants in Nashville that have closed in the past two months? Fish & Co, Cha Chah, Tayst, Rumba, Allium/GtownE. Such a bummer. The larger tragedy is that I'm afraid that several places are doing themselves a disservice by being overpriced. Etch is in that category, Watermark, Aura, even Virago in some senses. I've eaten at Silo twice this month and it's incredibly good and incredibly reasonable. Flyte is also amazing, but can get pricey, too. Lots of places, tragically, only have decent or pretty good food with very high prices (for what I would expect of excellent), which is where I think a lot of the disconnect is.
Unfortunately, due to the simple nature of chains, they make it more affordable for the majority of people to go there and receive a consistent product. Ironically, the only non-chain line of offerings that thrives on freshness is sushi, and hence, no chains (or none that I've really seen). Tacos, BBQ, most chicken/meat/pizza is easier to regulate and freeze, etc., so it's easier to monitor consistency. While I'm a STRICT non-chain eater (I work for Scoutmob, for chrissakes), they do serve a serious purpose and if too many good chefs price themselves out the market entirely, more and more chains will be ripe to move in. I don't think it's just the rent, I think it's really about what the market can sustain from a pricing standpoint that should be near equal to the quality, or at least start out modestly to attract people before upping their prices a dollar or two everywhere.
I've eaten at TdS and it's ok/good/same same to me as all the other fast casual taco-type places like Blue Coast (Nashville chain), Chipotle, Moe's (also ATL chain), Qdobe, etc. Swanky's in Cool Springs only has 3 locations and is from Memphis, and I think they do a better job than most (plus full bar), but it's still all fast casual fresh-mex food. What makes one different from any other? I honestly think it's more about the offering AND the price point that's driving the vendors. Those types of foods are more affordable than others. Nashville is a big eat out town, but because of that, we don't want to drop $100 every time we go out to eat, so we go to BBQ/Pizza/Burger/Tacos. Until they make other lines of cuisine more affordable for regular eaters, I'm afraid this is more of where the business is.
Re: “Our intrepid correspondent goes in search of the perfect hangover brunch”
Woah, Templar...if you're such a hater, why bother commenting? Nuvo is still considered Sylvan Park, as is most everything found between Morrow/Charlotte/54th and Charlotte & 42nd, Sylvan Heights is 40th-37th or so. There's no geographic error in their reporting. Surely there are more efficient uses for your angsty energy.