I can't tell you how long I've been waiting to write a new blog post, and I apologize for the long awaited post, but IT HAS FINALLY ARRIVED. I have definitely had a crazy, and very busy start to 2015. Trying to figure out where to go to culinary school and start my career is a stressful yet exciting experience, so if you have any recommendations please feel free to comment! I can't believe its already Mid-February (seriously where does the time go), and this past weekend I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit Nashville, Tennessee with my Business Fraternity. We got to tour a lot of really great corporations, but of course, I was most excited for the food! If you have never been to Nashville (like me before this trip), there is something very unique about the layout of the city. Let me start by saying- it's NOT a walkable city- going from Broadway to Vanderbilt, or Midtown may only be a few miles but it required a lot of driving and ubering, which can get expensive. So beware of this when planning your trip! But with that being said, I love how each part of town had a different, unique feel. We personally stayed in Brentwood, which is a cute suburban town about 15 minutes outside Nashville. If you have a car and are looking for a cheaper place to stay outside the city, I would definitely suggest Brentwood. I knew I didn't want to go to a normal chain restaurant when in Nashville, so I made sure to ask a few locals for a good place to grab a quick breakfast!
Many of them suggested The Puffy Muffin, which is located at 229 Franklin Road in Brentwood (it's next to Fresh Market, which is my FAVORITE store- do yourself a favor and try the chocolate covered banana chips!). There is two sections of The Puffy Muffin, one being the bakery and the other is the restaurant side. Being in a rush, we choose the wait in line at the bakery. I knew we made a good choice because the line was almost out the door, this place is seriously popular! There are tons of cases filled with amazing looking pastries, cookies, breads, cakes, and of course muffins. These pictures do no justice to the amazing things that are inside those cases. Everyone was very friendly, and we were even greeted with a sample of their Zucchini Bread when we walked through the door and it was to die for! Take a look at their website because they have so much to offer, and sell both savory and sweet items. Everyone in my car tried something different- a blueberry, lemon poppy seed, and banana nut muffin, as well as a bagel- and we all agreed that we would definitely be regular customers.
We continued our day by driving Downtown to the Vanderbilt area. After a long walk around the HUGE, and absolutely stunning campus we decided to check out the cute little area of town called Hillsboro Village. Hillsboro Village is located almost directly outside the Vanderbilt area, and consists of a few streets lined with adorable shops, bars, and restaurants. I wanted to make sure we eat at a place that was true to the culture of the Hillsboro- young, hip, and artsy. It reminded me of a small Greenwich Village. I asked a few locals and they all told me that their favorite place was called Fido. Fido is owned by the company Bongo, who started as one single cafe and has grown to seven! If you check their website you will see that they emphasize local, organic food, and I could tell immediately after walking in why so many people recommended it. Open-faced brick lined the walls filled with chalk board menus. It was one of the cutest cafes I have ever been too, because it kept the small time cafe and bakery feel but was actually a reasonably sized restaurant. You order at the counter where you will see an array of unusual coffees, and AMAZING desserts. There was at least ten different types of cookies, as well as brownies, and tons of cake. Cake is probably my all-time favorite thing, so I could not resist when I saw Blueberry Lavender Cake. Needless to say I finished the entire (huge might I add) slice of cake before the food even arrived. As a table we ordered hummus, a cheeseburger, and pressed sandwich. The food was delicious and fresh. Our waiter was very sweet and helpful when explaining the area and what it had to offer. I loved Nashville and my whole trip in general, but Hillsboro Village was the highlight of my trip. I was amazed at the uniqueness of Fido- everything from the food options, quality, and very reasonable prices. I hope to own a place like Fido one day, and it will always be one of my favorite places and one I plan on revisiting whenever I am in the area.