There's no way to start a discussion of 12South's new modern-throwback soda shop The Flipside without first addressing the decor: It is so stinking cute that I want to log in to Pinterest and start pinning every image I can find related to "white subway tile," "chrome detailing," "malt shop," "aqua-blue paint," "reclaimed soda crates" and "garage doors." In my dreams, this is what my own kitchen at home looks like — playful, clean, pretty. (I repeat: in my dreams.)
Let me say up front that on the three times I visited the establishment, opened in July by Tin Roof veterans Libby and Jason Sheer and Tim Gibbons, the cheerful ambiance made me plain old happy. The rich brew and dark hue of the iced tea — so few places pay attention to that detail — got my attention. The games on the table made me want to stay and play.
On one evening, the aqua tufted-leather booths were packed with families, and tables overflowed with toddlers in those genius baby seats that cantilever off the edge. Iconically adorable. It's as if, after selling the successful Tin Roof chain, the owners took everything they learned about 21-to-35-year-olds, extrapolated what they would want once they settled down and had kids (think full bar with milkshakes), then delivered it in a sizzling-hot neighborhood that has flipped from gritty to gracious.
Let's hope The Flipside team doesn't rest on its laurels and its very pretty face, because I want to want to revisit often. But a few things will have to change before that will happen.
First, IT NEEDS TO BE QUIETER. If it looks like I am yelling, it's because I can't hear myself type. Presumably, this is the reverberating consequence of so much gleaming tile during a sweltering season when the garage doors can't be raised. Still, at a certain volume, even the most beloved retro soundtrack — which ranged from Motown to country-fried rock on our visits — is oppressive.
Second, and more significantly, the food needs fine-tuning.
Kudos for a well-edited, concise menu that confidently omits hamburgers from a retro-diner theme. Flipside flips things on their head with a refreshingly creative roster of chicken dishes, based on a Sheer family favorite recipe. The so-called Jack's Best chicken is an 8-ounce organic breast pounded flat, dredged in herbed bread crumbs and pan-seared in olive oil, then dressed with any of a dozen topping combinations, ranging from cheese curds and gravy to fried eggs and bacon. Depending on your appetite, one order can serve two people.
We were delighted with the Greenway, which topped the supple canvas of golden chicken with avocado slices and a garden of arugula dressed in red wine vinaigrette, like a bountiful upside-down salad. On another visit, I ordered the Phuket, a Thai-inspired pile-on described as "peanut butter, Sriracha and Thai basil slaw." The server assured me it was not just peanut butter slathered on chicken. Actually, that's pretty much what it turned out to be — along with a crisp julienne of cabbage and fresh herbs with a mild pepper sting — but I dug it.
The eponymous Flipside chicken layers decadent loads of jambalaya, fried eggs and cheddar to create a glistening yellow mat of hangover-healing excess, while the Memphis employs indigenous 12South barbecue sauce from Edley's down the street, atop chicken with bacon, cheddar and pickle.
(If stomach-lining over-the-top comfort food is what you're after, don't miss the tot nachos: hashbrown nuggets with all the usual nacho accoutrements. It seems so obvious, so why are we just now discovering this gloriously unabashed union of excesses?)
One common complaint I heard from fellow diners had to do with the texture of the chicken. Generally speaking, these diners hailed from a tradition of crispy schnitzel; thus, they were disappointed by the softer consistency of the breaded and sautéed breast. Coming from a tradition of chicken-eaters who favor picatta- and marsala-style preparations, which use pan juices to dress sautéed medallions, I did not expect a deep-fried crunch and found the softer consistency comforting and familiar.
That said, even I concede the Popeye was too soggy, with a gray-green hue from cooked spinach and balsamic glaze soaking into the breadcrumbs. And there were other disappointments. While the arugula on the Greenway was delightfully crisp and peppery, the arugula-and-spinach salad tossed with dried cranberries drowned under a heavy coating of dressing.
Kale soup recalled the thin canned tomato soup of childhood, but strewn with a few green ruffles. The vegetarian-friendly combination did little to benefit either the kale or the soup, and our bowl returned to the kitchen largely untouched. Worse, in a city whose Brussels sprouts routinely claim national attention, Flipside served the kind of mushy little cabbages that earned the unfairly maligned vegetable a bad reputation in the first place.
Perhaps the greatest disappointment came in a frosted glass, topped with whipped cream and a cherry. On both occasions, our milkshake was more milk than shake, thin and riddled with the occasional ice chip. Not acceptable at all from a treat with a hefty $6 price tag.
If the place were less charming or the service less endearing, the spottiness of the cuisine might lead to some unflattering and pessimistic conclusions. But did I mention how adorable the restaurant is? And how happy I was dining there? And how rich the iced tea was? And how inventive and abundant the entrées were? Please address the issues with noise level, food consistency and those no-great shakes, Flipside — we so want to flip for you.
The Flipside serves lunch and dinner daily from 11 a.m. to late-night.
Email arts@nashvillescene.com.
