Friday, January 17, 2014

The Row-Vanderbilt/Downtown

The Row - Vanderbilt/Downtown
January 16, 2014

Last night my sweet Uncle Mike and Aunt Linda were in town and wanted to take me and my fiancĂ© out to dinner.  They were headed to the Texaco Country Music Showdown at 6:30, so we made a 4:45 reservation.  When we walked in the restaurant was pretty empty, but I'm sure that was an artifact of our eating time.  The atmosphere is really cute/rustic/country and we were sat in a very comfortable booth!  The menu has "southern" food...fried pickles, fried green tomatoes, hot chicken, bbq etc.

The Row Menu
We started with fried pickles and fried green tomatoes.  The fried pickles were sliced longways in thin strips and then fried in kind of a peppery batter.  The had white bbq sauce to dip them in, which was good! I wish the pickles were sliced a little thicker, because the batter seemed to dominate them a little.  The fried green tomatoes however (not pictured), where AMAZING.  They were fried in cornmeal, with a side of pimento cheese, and topped with a chow chow.  My recommendation is to skip the pickles and go for the tomatoes.

Fried Pickles
I ordered the pimento grilled cheese, that had pimento cheese, bacon, and a fried green tomato.  It was a little bready and a little buttery, and needed a little more pimento cheese.  It was tasty, but I wouldn't order it again, especially if I started with the fried green tomatoes appetizer, which was essentially the sandwich without the bread.  The fries also came undercooked, but I told the waitress and she brought perfectly fried new ones.  (For the record, I always feel bad sending things back)

Pimento Cheese Sandwich and Fries
Nate got The Row hamburger which is topped with pimento cheese, and a fried green tomato! He said the burger had the most perfect 'char' on it, so I think it is definitely worth trying.  Also, the bacon mac and cheese was AMAZING.  I ate most of it in fact...

The Row Burger with pimento cheese and fried green tomato with a side of bacon mac and cheese 
My Aunt Linda is not much of a meat person and so she ordered the veggie plate, which means you get to choose 3 sides.  she got mashed potatoes, cheese grits, and brussels with bacon.  She said the cheese grits were to best she ever had! She lives in Dallas, and swore she would come back to Nashville just for those grits.  They looked so good, they will be on my order list next time.
Veggie Plate- Mashed Potatoes, cheese grits, brussels and bacon
My Uncle Mike got the catfish tacos.  I almost ordered them and after he got his meal I wish I had.  They looked nicely blackened and he said they were delicious.  I think the perfect combination might be fish tacos with a side of cheese grits.  My mouth is watering as I type this.
Catfish Tacos with Mashed Sweet Potatoes.

Overall, I would give it an A-.  The food was good, but we were the only 4 people in the restaurant it seemed, and our service was actually somewhat lacking.  The water glasses were empty a lot, and my Uncle had to track down the waiter to pay so they wouldn't be late for their show.  If I had to do it all again, I would make a reservation for 7 pm when the restaurant has a little more activity, and I would order the catfish tacos and cheese grits!

Happy Noming Nashville!

Sarah

The Row Kitchen & Pub on Urbanspoon

3 comments:

  1. Thanks, Sarah! I just approved your blog claim. Now your Urbanspoon profile picture is displayed on your blog page. You can upload a blog-specific photo if you prefer, and can change a few other blog settings there. Also, if you vote for a restaurant that you've reviewed on your blog, we now show your vote next to your post everywhere on our site.

    https://www.urbanspoon.com/br/47/12465/Nashville/Nom-Nom-Nashville.html

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    Greg

    www.urbanspoon.com

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  2. ^^^ Urban Spoon?! You are obviously the coolest ever!

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  3. Hi, Sarah! I wanted to welcome you to blogging with Urbanspoon. Keep up the great work and I'll see you on the Urbanspoon Nashville leaderboard!

    Grant, from Marie, Let's Eat!

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