We all have our promised lands. Jesus had Jerusalem, Dorothy took all of her new pals to the Emerald City (I know it was all a dream but bare with me here), Marty Mcfly spent all his time trying to get back to the future and E.T finally found the mother ship that was calling him home.
Now I’m not saying there are many similarities between me and any of those characters. Yes, I do look good in a blue chequered dress while walking my dog, and maybe my face is a little wrinkled like our little Alien friend from the 80’s and yes, okay my nose is probably the same size as one of his fingers BUT… we definitely share something in common, and that’s a feeling of pining to walk somewhere we’ve always longed to tread.
Broadway, Nashville
Since I started listening to country music and loving all things food related to the Deep South of North America, Nashville has been top of my list. When I found a trip that included the motherland of all things “yeehaw!” With Contiki, I knew it was fate.
*Pulls out credit card, makes impulsive life decision*
As well as being overwhelmed by everything I saw and experienced in Nashville, I was taken back by how vibrant and loud it was compared to what I imagined. Think of Las Vegas but not as tacky. Less prostitutes and poker more beer cans and cowboys. Walking past each bar on Broadway is paddling your feet in a different type of live music. Eventually you can decide which ocean you wanna take a dip in. Luckily I always have a loud pair of Speedos in my back pocket!
Broadway, Nashville
If you’re not going to Nashville for the music then you’ll definitely be going for the food. A lot of the southern states have a big Mexican influence so there’s no shortage of Tacos, Burritos and Fajitas as well as places that do your traditional barbecue meats. However, if you like the idea of a crossover of both then boy do I have the place for you Cowboy!
Luke Bryan’s – Broadway, Nashville
With restaurants in Main Street, 12th Ave South and Murphy’s road in Nashville, Edley’s is the local higher end fast food chain you’ve always wanted your neighbourhood to have. Although I’m kind of glad that we don’t have a string of these restaurants in Medway because I would 100% be the twin of fat Ben Stiller in Dodgeball by the age of 26, obviously with less…titties…
Now don’t get me wrong, on my travels across the U.S.A I’m pretty sure I chowed my way through about 1 whole Cow, 3 Pigs and potentially 23 Chickens. I’m not calling myself a connoisseur but more like a hungry Old Macdonald that’s just converted his farm into an abattoir. I just had to decide on a favourite place, and this is it!
Hitting the 12 South restaurant just before lunch I was surprised how quiet it was as our guide had told us that the lines get longer than a stockbroker’s Saturday night toilet habit. As luck would have it we’d arrived just before the rush. So we grabbed a menu, ordered and paid for our food at the desk then sat down, rested our feet and wait for the meat.
I believe in Nashville mural – 12th Ave
The Brisket sandwich comes with a hefty few slabs of Beef, sauce and pickles. Add two sides of your choice at no extra cost – I went for the potato salad (more like a mash in the USA than diced potato we have over here but loaded with mustard and mayo! They also cook the potatoes and the “salad” them with the skins on which I thought added to the flavour. The “Mac n cheese” side was also a welcome addition, extra carbs are never a bad thing when you’re setting yourself up for some heavy drinking.
If you don’t fancy a sandwich or a meat platter you might be more interested in infusing the flavours of the Land of the free with it’s over the wall neighbour – Mexico. Edley’s offer a range of their amazing ingredients in Tacos for those of you that want to go a lil south of the border with your meal!
This place is quintessentially American. There were guys in baseball caps and “trucker” shirts, office professionals and just plain locals. Anybody who is anybody from any walk of life was enjoying a lunch at Edley’s and even us tourists felt like one of the regulars. Just goes to show that food with a little bit of heart and soul can make you feel like you’re at home, no matter where you are in the world.
The Prawnhub 