Sure, Twitter and Facebook can keep you posted with of-the-moment specials at your favorite socially networked restaurants. But if you've got a more analog appetite, or if you want something you can count on week in, week out, you need a seven-day itinerary of edibles. Whether you're looking for cheap eats to feed the fam or late-night sop to soak up the swill, Nashville's culinary calendar is chock-full. Here's a quick list to post on the refrigerator door.
Monday
Holland House: Quarter-Pound Meester Burger
Taking its name from the Dutch word for "the best," Holland House's standard-size Meester Burger weighs in at 8 ounces and carries a $14 price tag during the rest of the week, but on Mondays, it's half the size for half the price. All night long, you can chase your $7 quarter-pounders with a selection of half-price bourbons. Beer and wines by the glass are also half-price from 5 to 7 p.m.
Moe's Southwest Grill: Moe's on Monday
To stand in line at one of the five Middle Tennessee Moe's stores on a Monday evening is to answer the question "What do elementary school-age soccer players eat?" Because, come sundown, every tyke in a polyester jersey appears to be queuing up for a free supper of burritos, tacos or quesadillas. It seems too good to be true, but sure enough, kids eat free — at least one child per adult, anyway. That means your family of four can clock out for well under 20 bucks. Welcome to Moe's, indeed.
Tuesday
Jim 'N Nick's: Taco Tuesday
Man cannot live on cheese biscuits alone, so once a week the pitmasters at this small Birmingham-based chain switch things up, offering pulled pork and trimmings in flour tortillas. Billed as "tacos with a Southern soul," the wraps — loaded with pork, chicken, brisket, fried catfish or fried chicken — are $2.49 a piece, and a basket of three is $7.50. Or pig out on a plate of Kitchen Sink nachos, piled with a choice of meat — with pico, queso, lettuce, peppers, sour cream and barbecue sauce — for $7.
Whole Foods Market: 10-Cent Cookies
On the first Tuesday of the month, when Green Hills and Cool Springs shoppers are talking about dime bags, they're referring to something far more addictive than drugs. They're jonesing for the impossibly thin and crisp chocolate chip cookies packaged 10 for a dollar. Don't get too excited: The Jumbles and other full-size cookies in the bakery section aren't discounted on Dime Cookie Tuesday, but the 10-cent melt-in-your-mouth treats in this monthly promotion are worth marking on your calendar.
DaVinci's Gourmet Pizza: Half-Price Happy Hours
Tuesday is the new Friday at DaVinci's, which rescheduled its half-price dinner from the end of the week to the beginning. Now, thank God it's Tuesday, when all regular menu items are 50 percent off from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. — alcohol not included.
Wednesday
Crow's Nest: Family Night
Miss the days of playing Galaga at the bygone Gameland in Bandywood? Well, now the whole family can get the high score on Wednesday evening, when Crow's Nest (aka the former Gameland) offers kids chicken tenders, fried shrimp, mac-and-cheese, grilled cheese or a burger — plus a drink and a scoop of ice cream — for $2.99.
Thursday
Athens Family Restaurant: Open 24 Hours
You know it's the weekend when Athens retires the "Closed" sign. Starting on Thursday, the doors at this Eighth Avenue eatery are open nonstop until 10 p.m. on Sunday. Around the clock, you can sample the Greek and American specialties that recently lured Guy Fieri and the crew of Diners, Drive-In and Dives. Whether your late-night appetites veer toward souvlaki and gyros or BLT and grilled cheese, Athens offers a clean, well-lighted place to while away the wee hours.
Friday
B&C BBQ: Barbecue Smoked Salmon
After a week of pulled pork, it's time to push the pig over on the smoker to make room for some succulent salmon. Seasoned with barbecue rub and slow-cooked over hickory, the foil-wrapped portions of flaky fish are served with a corn muffin and two sides. Choose from an array of comfort foods, including an ever-changing selection of grits. Available at both the Melrose location and the newly reopened Farmers' Market stall.
Saturday
Martin's Bar-B-Que: Whole Hog 'Cue
When the weather's just right to open the glass garage doors on his new Nolensville establishment, pitmaster Patrick Martin throws a whole hog into the barbecue pit in the middle of the room and waits about 25 hours until it's ready. Martin's Twitter and Facebook feeds are helpful, but in this case, smoke signals are the best form of communication. Follow your nose to the latter-day roadhouse around 7 p.m. on a Saturday, when the whole hog items on the menu are plucked straight from the bronzed body of a caramelized porker splayed over a bed of glowing embers.
Sunday
55 South: Bloody Mary Bar
Jalapeños, pickled green beans, onions and okra, cornichons, capers, Tabasco and olive juice line the bar at Jason McConnell's endearing Franklin eatery, where Sunday opens with a build-your-own-bloody buffet. Start with a tumbler of ice and vodka, then finish it off with a splash of tomato juice, a dash of pickle juice, a pinch of horseradish and a sidecar of beef jerky. You gotta get there early if you want to get a Slim Jim, warns chef Carl Schultheis. Otherwise you'll have to settle for a celery stalk. A roster of pain perdu, shrimp and grits, gumbo, eggs St. Louis and roasted oysters, along with 5-dollar kids' meals, makes 55 South a mouthwatering morning road trip.
Miel: $30 Prix Fixe Dinner
Three tenners buy you a rustic three-course French meal, including soup or salad, bouillabaisse or boeuf Bourguignon and choice of sorbet or profiteroles. The regular menu, featuring produce grown in Miel's West Nashville farm plot, is also available. Service runs from 4:30 to 8 p.m.
Email arts@nashvillescene.com.
