Photography by Madi Flournoy Henderson

YELLOW FLORAL DRESS || NUDE SHOOTIES || GOLD LAYERED NECKLACE || GOLD BANGLE BRACELETS || TWO TONE WATCH

I recently spent some time at Noelle Nashville, a beautiful chic boutique hotel in downtown Nashville, and I had a great dining experience at MAKEREADY!  Noelle is situated right near the well known Printer’s Alley area and MAKEREADY is located on the ground floor of the hotel.

MAKEREADY aims to provide a comfortable relaxed dining experience, much like that of a modern day tavern tailored to both men and women.  The decor is unique and it certainly compliments the overall tavern feel.  There are these beautiful panel windows on one wall and as you dine, looking up at the bustling Nashville street above you, you feel that you are tucked away from the crowds.  It’s gives you the feel that you can see the people above but they can’t see you…like a secret nook or a great hiding place!

We enjoyed a meat and cheese board first, which was delicious (pictured above)!  We asked our waiter to make pairing recommendations for our charcuterie board, which he did, and it was perfect.  From the high quality cheeses to the delicious meat to the seasonal chutney, it was a great way to start off our meal.  

We then tried the butter lettuce salad!  We really liked the texture and flavors of this salad.  The puffed Farro added such a unique twist to this salad.  And I can’t deny the delicious pear  topping was such a delicious compliment to all of the other flavors.

After indulging in a delicious charcuterie board and butter lettuce salad, we tried the rotisserie chicken and the steak with the red chimichurri sauce.  Both were served with french fries, as we were there for lunch, but from my understanding the dinner portion is served with pickled vegetables.

The rotisserie chicken had a nice smokey, a touch spicey, with a little sweet sauce over top it.  The flavor was delicious and the sauce brought the most perfect amount of heat (it was very subtle ;-).  It was cooked perfectly and we really enjoyed the easy of being able to eat with our fingers when necessary!

And the chimichurri steak…wow, talk about flavorful!  The steak was served with a side of french fries and for dinner, it would be served with charred onions!  We really enjoyed the tenderness of the steak and the spices/sauce was delicious!

From the location of MAKEREADY, to the relaxed warm environment, on to the food, I definitely recommend that you add this to your list of restaurants to try.  Noelle is another beautiful boutique hotel option to consider when staying in Nashville and if you navigate your way down to MAKEREADY, enjoy a great meal and some delicious beverages too!  Oh…and be aware of the corners that you turn while down there…you may just run into a really unique hidden patron space!

Are you enjoying learning more about some of my favorite places in Nashville?!  I sure hope so!

Stay tuned for more about Noelle…I have a post coming up sharing more about their guest rooms as well as their gorgeous rooftop bar called Rare Bird!

As always, thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a great day!

Photography by Madi Henderson

DRESS || MOTO JACKET || BOOTS C/O EUGENIA KIM || RINGS || EARRINGS 

Since 2012, the year that we moved to Nashville, I’ve been on a personal mission to experience some of Nashville’s top restaurants.  So much positive change has taken place over the last several years and there are more and more amazing restaurants popping up all over town.  As you can imagine my list of restaurants continues to grow and I haven’t even scratched the surface yet.

On my list of top restaurants to try was Marsh House, which is located inside the Thompson Nashville hotel in the ever so popular Gulch area.  The first time I visited Marsh House was for a breakfast meeting so I only got a very tiny taste of their menu (I’ve got to say their biscuits and jam are HEAVENLY).

My second visit was for lunch and we got to taste test their weekly lunch specials in addition to a few other dishes and it was quite the culinary experience!

Marsh House is located in a prime location of Nashville as I mentioned, called the Gulch.  This is a very popular area for locals and visitors alike.  You can certainly dine and shop your way through the Gulch…this area has so much to offer.  Thompson Nashville is a chic modern hotel situated in the Gulch and Marsh House is situated in the lobby of the hotel.  Not only do I highly recommend that you consider staying at Thompson Nashville when visiting Nashville but I also highly recommend that you eat at Marsh House and that you enjoy the popular rooftop bar, LA Jackson.  The views from LA Jackson are something to see (more on that coming soon)!

Let’s dive into our experience at Marsh House…

You first should know a bit about Executive Chef, Nathan Duensing.  We spent some time chatting with Nathan, as he presented each dish to us, and I’ve got to say we were so impressed with his background and his culinary knowledge/experience.  Nathan grew up on a farm so he knows first hand what it takes to grow and preserve food.  Learning much from his Grandfather & Father, Nathan took that knowledge and has applied it throughout his successful career as a Chef.  He understands the importance of high quality food and he also works with local Nashville farmers as often as possible to bring fresh locally sourced produce/meats to the tables at Marsh House.  Much of what is offered at Marsh House is influenced by traditional southern cuisine with a hint of Louisiana flare.

The atmosphere of Marsh House is chic and modern with a touch of urban charm.  There are different textures, colors, and elements to the restaurant that easily make you feel like you are dining in style.  It is a comfortable, not stuffy at all, atmosphere.  Marsh House is one of those restaurants that you will go to for a business lunch, date night, girls night out, and everything in between and leave there feeling like you had the best experience from start to finish.  It will be a memorable experience and Marsh House will be a place that you will want to recommend to others and return to as well!

We went for lunch during the workweek and were pleasantly surprised to learn that Thompson Nashville offers complimentary valet from 11am-3pm during the week.  Being able to take advantage of this complimentary service made it so easy to drop in for lunch and it also added to our overall positive experience!

Okay…whose ready to talk about food?!  If the pictures didn’t make your mouth water, I’m not sure what will.

We started off with their rolls…I mean rolls are rolls but these rolls are not just rolls.  Could I possibly say ROLLS anymore in a sentence.  With every bite we could taste how fresh they were.  So light and so delicious.  It would be easy to eat an entire skillet of these but we had to pace ourselves because we had a lot more to try!

Here comes Monday’s lunch special…

Red Beans & Rice – this dish wasn’t just your average red beans & rice…it was the most flavorful red beans & rice I have ever had!  The pork chop was mouth watering and so tender.  The combination of the dishes flavors served with a side tomato cucumber salad was…sigh, what good southern cooking dreams are made of!  A bite of this and a bite of that…YUM!

Wednesday’s lunch special took us down to the deep south of Louisiana…

Shrimp Creole – if you like shrimp and grits, you will LOVE this dish as it is very similar.  It’s spicy but not too spicy…the perfect combination of creole flavors.  This dish is served with a grilled squash and beet salad which is truly the perfect compliment to offset the mild spiciness of this dish.

Thursday’s special…what a southern girls dreams are made of…

Fried Chicken – It’s not often that I eat fried chicken but this is hands down some of the best fried chicken I have EVER had.  I don’t say that lightly because I’ve had some of the best.  The method that Chef Nathan uses to flash fry the chicken creates a moist (yes, I don’t like that word either) and super flavorful dish.  This was probably my favorite dish of the 4 that we tried and one that I will order time and time again!  Everything about this dish was perfection, truly!

Friday’s special…finishing it off light and healthy…

Blackened Catfish – Opt in for a lighter lunch option with this dish…the fish was tender and cooked perfectly and the wild rice salad, roasted tomatoes, and sautéed spinach were the perfect compliments to this stand out fish.  I LOVED this dish as well…it fought hard for the top spot!  I truly felt that I was eating a very healthy lunch while still feeling very satisfied!  You’ve got to try this one as well.

The only special that we did not try was Tuesday’s lunch special but I am certain that it would be just as divine as the other four.  We also ate a side of their brussel sprouts and let me just tell you…I could have eaten bowl after bowl of just brussel sprouts.  They were so dang good!!!

What I love most about the lunch specials at Marsh House, besides the fact that they are all freaking fantastic, is that they all only cost $15!  You get a delicious hand crafted meal that will leave you feeling satisfied at such a great price!  There aren’t many places that you can go for lunch, spend $15 dollars, and receive a high quality meal.

So for all of you who work in or near the Gulch area, you need to make it a point to lunch at Marsh House!

For those coming to Nashville to visit…stay at Thompson Nashville and dine in at Marsh House for breakfast, lunch, or dinner…I assure you that you will have a wonderful experience and be delighted with their culinary prowess!

As always, thank you for stopping by!  Special thanks to the Marsh House team and Chef Nathan for such a wonderful, memorably delicious, culinary experience.  We will be back soon!

Photography by Madi Flournoy Henderson

TOP || SCARF || DENIM || BOOTIES || BANGLES || EYEWEAR

Is your mouth watering yet?!  Mine is and I am honestly sitting here, as I write today’s post, reminiscing about my meal at Pastaria Nashville a couple of weeks ago.  To say it was good is an understatement…it was SOOOO GOOD!  

I’m excited to write today’s dining experience review because I honestly would tell anyone who lives here or is planning to visit to try Pastaria!  I’m already planning my second visit and this time, I am taking Peter along to enjoy the experience.  We both LOVE Italian food…pretty certain it’s at the top for both of us.

Pastaria is located in an up and coming area.  It was great to see so much being built around Pastaria…it just goes to show how quickly our city is growing and how many amazing restaurants and experiences we have to offer!

When we arrived to Pastaria, I could tell that it would be adorable on the inside just by looks of the outside and it was!  The restaurant takes on an chic yet old world feel and definitely showcases many nods to what would be an authentic Italian eatery in Italy.  It is a very charming space.  You can dress casually for lunch or get dressed up a bit more for dinner!

We started with the crispy risotto balls, which were so yummy!  Think cheesy risotto rolled into a ball, lightly deep fried, and served hot with marinara sauce.  A fancy and even more delightful twist to something like a mozzarella stick.

Next up…their Caponata Bruschetta!  WOW…just WOW!  This was one of my absolute favorite dishes that I tried at Pastaria.  Grilled bread, lemon and basil ricotta, eggplant caponata, and mustard greens…need I say more?!  These flavors were perfect together and we just raved and rave about how much we loved it.  I could have eaten that just for my lunch!

Because we dined in for lunch, we then tried items from their lunch menu which included their lunch size Shaved Kale Salad and their Mixed Greens salad.  Both salads were really good and we especially loved the kale salad.  I’d recommend ordering both if you go with another person and sharing so you can experience both salads!  

Finally…PASTA!  After all, isn’t that what we came for?!  All of the other dishes leading up to the pasta dishes were great compliments to the entire experience but I was definitely looking forward to trying their pasta and they did not disappoint!  Their pasta is made fresh on site so you know you are getting a very authentic Italian experience.

Funny enough I had been stalking their Instagram feed before dining in and I had my eye on a certain pasta dish.  I showed the picture to our Waiter and he immediately knew which pasta I was talking about…Papardelle with smoked pork, mascarpone, and apples!  I’m guessing this is one of their most popular dishes because it was a homerun The sweet with the savory was such a perfect combination so it was easy for me to clean my plate.  No shame. 

The other pasta dish that we tried was Canestri Cacio e Pepe with pecorino, grana padano, and black pepper.  This was also very good and reminded us much like an elevated macaroni and cheese!  Although we did not try their pizza’s I’m certain that they would be just as good as their pasta.

I’m excited to return to Pastaria and try some of their other dishes and maybe even try a pizza!  Everything on their menu sounds amazing and after our personal experience with the dishes that we tried, I am certain every dish would be a winner in my book!  They are also able to switch out regular pasta noodles for gluten free noodles!

Pastaria is a great spot for lunch but also perfect for a night out!  I love that they have a bar area overlooking the wood fire oven/kitchen and they have plenty of space to serve both small and large parties!  Not to mention Pastaria is very family friendly too, which is so important to me and I would totally take my family there!

Have you tried Pastaria yet?!  What did you think?!  If you haven’t and are looking for a new place…give it a try and let me know how your experience was!  I think you will be as pleased as we were.

As always, thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a great day!