Welcome back to the final installment of this series (read Part 1 and Part 2 if you missed them), where we’ll find out where our quartet of experts — Dan Lovitz, Alex Muyl, Patrick Yazbek and Jack Maher of Nashville SC — go for celebrations, binge meals, health food and caffeine boosts.
Now let’s shred the Gibson Guitar Riff and hit the pitch!
What restaurant do you go to when you want to splurge?
When it’s time to blow it out, Lovitz opts for a spot that literally has a listing for “Too Much Caviar” on the menu. “If I’m looking to splurge, I’ll try to think ahead of time and get in at Locust. That’s a really nice one.”
Muyl is a fan of the ambiance at his first choice, although he’s a Trevor Moran fan, too. “Bad Idea is a lot more expensive. It definitely is one that you wouldn't eat at all the time, but when you're trying to have a night, trying to drink some really good wine, be in a beautiful space, have just a really high-quality dining experience, you go there. You wouldn't go there all the time. So Bad Idea is really good. And I mean, everyone knows it — I can't get back in — but Locust feels like a place where I would really take care of myself and go.” Maybe if Alex prints out this article and shows it at the door, Chef Moran might be able to find him a seat somewhere.
For somebody who’s been in Nashville for only a little more than a year, Yazbek has discovered an old reliable for his favorite splurge restaurant, plus another relative newcomer that he’s a fan of. “I did go to Virago the other day in the Gulch. That’s a good spot. Either that or Audrey in East. It was one of the first restaurants I went to in Nashville.”
Alex Muyl, Patrick Yazbek, Jack Maher and Dan Lovitz reveal some of their favorite spots around town
Unlike Yazbek, Jack Maher has been in Nashville for his entire career, so he splits his votes between new school and old school when it’s time to dine like the baller he is. “If I’m wanting a nice little night out, I’m going to go to Halls Chophouse, and I’m going to get a really good steak. I like to go to Iberian Pig as well. It’s a great little date night spot with good vibes. Also O-ku. Let me tell you — I wasn’t a big sushi guy at first. You wouldn’t think Nashville would be known for good sushi, but it’s actually incredible. I think it’s all thanks to O-ku.”
What is your guilty pleasure restaurant?
An end-to-end midfielder like Yazbek might run six to seven miles during the course of a 90-minute match, so he deserves a little junk(ier) food every now and again. When he wants a treat day/cheat day, there’s only one spot for him: “Shake Shack. I love Shake Shack. I just get the original Shack Burger with two sets of fries, and I’ve got some Chicken Salt at home, which is like an Australian kind of salt. Splash that on there, and then I’ll get either a Sprite or a Coke Zero.” Maybe the Coke Zero balances out the rest of the order …
Even though Muyl is an NYC native, when he wants to be a little bad, he looks to his northern neighbors from Buffalo. “In terms of something a little less healthy that I wouldn't eat at all the time, but that I absolutely love — probably StrikeOut Wingz. They’ve got one in Plaza Mariachi, but I go to one off of Dickerson Pike.”
Lovitz points the other direction for splurge meals, south towards New Orleans. “Right now it's Turkey and the Wolf [Ice House]. It’s a new one. It’s in East. It’s near a bunch of those other ones, but it’s burgers, sandwiches, sit outside, have a beer. Really really nice.”
Where would you go for something healthier?
Maher isn’t afraid to admit he’s a man of taste when it comes to health food. “This is a little bougie, but I got introduced to this place called SunLife Organics. They’ve got a place in the Gulch, and it’s all actually really amazing. I get the Shroom Shake that has peanut butter, mushrooms and oat milk.”
Lovitz has discovered the joys of eating at Middle Tennessee’s fastest-growing health food chain. “Radish Kitchen's been really good. They have a location in East now, which is nice. I love Lyra. They make a hummus dish that’s like my favorite dish. It’s really, really good. I could eat that for dinner every night, it’s awesome. I can find healthy options usually anywhere.”
Patrick Yazbek
Yazbek leans on a chain as well for his greens, but a chain that is far from local. (In fact, I heard they might open a Cava in the restroom of the Cava in Green Hills.) “Cava. I love Cava. I always get the spicy meatball bowl with super greens, a bit of brown rice, and then a bunch of veggies.”
Muyl wants to eat well even when he’s looking for healthy food. “I think Cafe Roze has some good healthy options. But yesterday I went to Greko Street Food, and they had a really good chicken soup. They have nice salads. So if you're trying to do a salad, maybe some chicken soup, that was actually a really good option."
What is your favorite spot for coffee, and what is your order?
Nashville SC players are deadly serious about their coffee. It’s a frequent source of debate around the locker room, and individual allegiances run as deep as feuds between Man U and Man City supporters during Derby Week. Yazbek hails from Australia, where coffee culture is more like a coffee cult. “My favorite place to go for coffee is called Elegy in Germantown. It’s a hidden gem. The coffee there is unbelievable, and the baristas — I don’t know what they’re doing, but they’re doing something right! I just get a regular cappuccino with nice little art on top. There’s another place I went recently in Franklin, Perenn. They’re opening one up in Berry Hill. That was a nice little spot for breakfast.”
Lovitz is also a fan of Elegy, but he’s also not afraid to pay full fare for a really special experience. “My favorite spot for coffee is probably Crema, because I’ve gotten their beans a lot for when I make coffee at home. Honorable mention is Now and Then. It’s on top of Audrey. I don’t know if they’re still doing it. It’s a coffee experience where you don’t make a reservation, you just go and sit at the bar up there, and it’s a whole immersive thing. The menu is color-coded, so the espresso is a darker blue and a latte would be a lighter blue based on how they brew the beans. There’s pour-overs, lattes, there’s espresso, there’s regular drip, and they have really fancy beans. The pour-over is like $35 or something. It’s a coffee connoisseur's dream, which I am not, but I realized I wasn’t when I went there. It was way over my head, oh my God. But it’s really good. Elegy is also an honorable mention.”
Most of the time, Lovitz has simpler tastes. “I’m an Americano guy. Sometimes if I’m feeling fancy, I’ll do a cortado. But I like drip coffee, really good drip coffee — black, beautiful.”
Muyl has also worshipped at the altar of beans on Meridian Street when he’s not hitting his regular shop. “I go to Ugly Mugs a lot. I go before every home game. I get a cappuccino with an extra shot of espresso, so it’s like a triple shot because they pull doubles. So I go there a lot. I love it there. Shout out to — I can’t remember exactly what it’s called — but it’s in Audrey. They have a coffee cafe. My good friend who used to work at Audrey introduced me to these people, and they just do really high-end coffees. And it’s an experience. Again, you want to feel like you're not just enjoying the coffee, but like you're with real craftsmen, real artisans, so you learn about it and it’s like you're paying for that boutique experience, almost.”
Maher isn’t obsessive about coffee yet, but he’s learning. “I’m a recent coffee connoisseur. I’ve been turned on to a Breville, so I’ll be whipping up coffees every single morning, but I love Frothy Monkey. I think their beans are superior, and their vanilla syrup is incredible.”
Special thanks to our quartet of restaurant experts from Nashville SC, and best of luck for the rest of the season!
