Nashville Revisited

With Christmas less than two months away Nashville is starting to light itself up. Opryland, which is never a dark spot is lite up and decorated within an inch of its life. Belle Meade was much more subdued but the decoration certainly added a festive touch. On the second weekend in November not only was Vanderbilt University having Homecoming Weekend but the Annual Christmas Fair was being held at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds.

What brought me to Nashville however was not the promise of the Holidays but rather a unique opportunity to see a fabulous collection of art while it was still on display in the United States. The Rau Collection which in its entirety is more than 800 pieces had 95 on display at the Tennessee State Museum. With offerings from Fra Angelico, Lucas Cranach, El Greco, Renoir, Monet, and Cassatt just to mention a few it was an outstanding opportunity.

Quick Tips:

The Tennessee State Museum even without the Rau Collection is a must visit site for anyone coming to Nashville. Why this museum doesn’t get more press is beyond my comprehension. It has an outstanding collection of historic items dealing with the State of Tennessee from prehistoric times to modern day issues. The format is adult but there are areas geared for children as well.

Cheekwood offers acres of gardens to explore as well as the house itself. There is only one room decorated with furniture, the rest of the house has been converted into a museum to showcase the family collections. These include china, snuff jars, silver, and art. There is a recent addition of the donation of the White family’s collection of miniature portraits.

The Hermitage, the home of President Andrew Jackson, is a place that can be revisited many times since it is not a static museum. There are ongoing archaeological digs that add new information to what they know about the General and the slaves who worked his land.

While trying to find a church to attend Mass I discovered the oldest standing Church in Nashville and can you believe it, it is St Mary’s Catholic Church, dedicated on October 31, 1847. Known as the Old Cathedral this Greek style church has a rich history and is still a thriving parish in the Diocese of Nashville.

We decided that Saturday morning we would have breakfast at Monells which is a Nashville institution. Breakfast is served family style and it is a great way to get to meet your fellow tables mates.

The biggest bargain in Nashville is the music. You will find it everywhere.

Opryland is also free to visit, you just need to pay for parking. You could spend a whole day just wandering around there, especially in November and December when the Christmas decorations are outstanding.

Best Way To Get Around:

Nashville is serviced by it’s own International Airport. We were lucky enough to have a hotel which provided a courtesy van to pick us up and drop us back off for only the price of a tip. We rented a car in Nashville from Enterprise. It cost us less than with additional insurance for the weekend.

There is public transportation but Nashville is an easy city to drive in. Our hotel provided free parking but most downtown hotels charge. There is on street parking, I had no trouble finding a parking spot when I drove to church Sunday morning. Another benefit of our hotel van was that it dropped us off at the Germantown Café and then picked us back up on Saturday evening. We also street parked when we went to Monells Saturday morning. Just watch the signs about where parking is allowed .

Bargain hunters unite. This is one good deal. I purchased the Millennium for the fabulous price of $52 a night. This was on one of the discount hotel sites. With their fee our three-night stay came to $185. Just as a comparison, the Hilton Suites where I stayed last time I was here was $159. That is a savings of $107 a night for a total of $321. Is this hotel the Hilton, not in its wildest dreams. The Hilton doesn’t have a complimentary shuttle, which by the way picked us up and returned us to the airport, a savings of at least $24. The Hilton also doesn’t offer free parking, a $60 savings. So far we have saved $405. I am not trying to say that this hotel is for everybody. It probably isn’t. The rooms are small and nothing out of the ordinary, the halls smell funky but the rooms smell fine, they don’t offer wireless Internet but they do offer a computer in the lobby. There is no mini bar but for $10 a day you can have a refrigerator in your room. There is a health club with sauna and Jacuzzi but only an outdoor pool.

Our room 530 is clean, thought the carpet certainly is the worse for wear and has lots of stains on it. There is a desk, a table, a dresser, a TV, and two double beds. There is a coffee maker with, what else, Maxwell House Coffee. The beds are very clean smelling and comfortable. The lighting for reading is not great there is only one night stand between the beds with one light on it, only just adequate. There is a pole lamp behind the chair and ottoman so I suppose they think you will read there. The bathroom is small with nondescript yellowish ceramic tiles but there is a sink located in the room itself with amenities and plenty of towels.

The hotel has a restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner at very reasonable prices, not just hotel reasonable, anywhere reasonable. They also have a bar with a happy hour that offers some real bargains including $2 drafts and $4 Margarita. Even room service is well priced, the Tennessee Pepper Steak is the same price on the room service menu as it is in the restaurant itself.

One serious drawback is that this hotel is not downtown. It is a couple of miles north of town beyond the State Capitol and Millennium Park. There is nothing within walking distance as far as restaurants go.

The staff were unfailing friendly and helpful. Everyone went out of their way to make our stay memorable. Thank you to Ralph, Angel, Meda, and all the others. Would I stay here again? I wouldn’t hesitate for even a second.

It’s all about the dining with me. Every trip is well planned with specific dining plans included. On this trip my research turned up the Germantown Café as a standout restaurant. A quick trip to mapquest revealed that it was only a mile from our hotel. Not a walking mile however. They do not take reservations but you can call ahead for seating. I did that and then requisitioned the van to take us there.

We arrived early at about 6:30pm and there were still seats available. By the time we left things were really picking up. Kelly the manager, a Johnson and Wales graduate, noticed our New England accents right away and made us feel particularly welcome.

My research had revealed that the squash fritters were an appetizer not to be missed. They are served with a buttermilk sauce and we were encouraged by a guest at the next table to order them as well as the salmon entrée. We finally decided that why fight it, we ordered the fritters, the crab cakes and two orders of coconut curry salmon served with risotto, asparagus, and spinach.

Cindy had the house Pinot Grigio which she deemed exceptional and I had a Heineken. Our appetizers came out for us to share and let me say right up front you have to try the squash fritters. A combination of butternut squash, feta, and ricotta cheese, thyme, rosemary and apparently love are deep fried to perfection. The crab cakes are a close second with no filler just sweet crabmeat and a very good aioli.

In appetizer heaven we were unprepared for the breadbasket of fried dough. Yes, think beignet without the sugar and cinnamon. We enjoyed these with our salads as we prepared for the main course to arrive.

Let me start by saying I am not a salmon lover, I am however a curry and coconut lover and this sauce is so good I would order this salmon again right now if I had the chance. Everything about the meal was perfect, atmosphere, service, and especially the food. So good in fact that we returned the next morning for the brunch.

Same great service, same fried dough now with the cinnamon and sugar and in my case blueberry French toast. Cindy had an omelette of artichoke hearts, mozzarella, and spinach. All perfectly cooked.

What I especially love about Germantown Café is that you never feel rushed. You are encouraged to savor your meal and sit and relax and enjoy your coffee.

We had been to full to try dessert on Saturday night so we ordered the pumpkin Cheesecake on Sunday morning. Be prepared to share this is a huge piece but it is delicious. All the desserts are made in-house and if this one is any indication they are stellar.

Martha Stamps who has written some well received cookbooks and is a much acclaimed chef has brought her culinary expertise to Belle Meade. The restaurant which is open daily for lunch between 11am and 2pm, offers new Southern cuisine. On this particular Saturday in November that took the form of specials the like of sherried shrimp bisque, a fried green tomato appetizer and an entrée of gumbo served with basmati rice and a side salad.

We were beguiled with the delightful odors that permeate the grounds as we walked back to the visitor center after our tour. Intending to have a cup of tea and perhaps a sweet we were soon facing the delightful dilemma that is their menu.

While the spiced gingerbread with cinnamon whipped cream and cranberry glaze certainly sounded inviting it had plenty of competition from the southern fried pies with vanilla bean ice cream and the apple strudel with brandy caramel sauce.

After much thought and discussion we decided that salads would be a lighter and more appropriate choice for lunch. I chose the Plantation salad, roasted apples and red onions, field greens, burnt sugar vinaigrette, grilled chicken, and melted brie. What a complex blending of flavors and textures. The apples still firm were the perfect compliment to the soft subtle flavor of the brie and the onions cut through all the sweetness to add a pungent note. All together a very successful pairing.

Cindy chose the fried green tomato salad topped with horseradish sauce, bacon, and roasted corn over field greens tossed with lemon thyme vinaigrette. Again these unique combinations of ingredients make for a truly marvelous salad. This was Cindy’s first experience tasting fried green tomatoes and she assures me it won’t be her last.

The restaurant itself is very simple with white walls, white linens, lots of windows which at this time of the afternoon made my seat very uncomfortable. I finally moved my chair to the side of the table. If I have any complaint at all it is that we were never asked if we would like another cup of tea. This may have been due to the fact that we arrived just about 10 minutes before the restaurant was due to close.

The menu is varied including their specialties, chicken croquettes, buttermilk fried chicken, crayfish cakes and blackened boneless pork chop. Vegetarians haven’t been forgotten, they offer Alabama Goat cheese with portobello mushroom and pesto on grilled Tuscan bread, a crustless baby spinach and feta cheese quiche, a combination vegetable plate and a sandwich of savory cheddar and olive spread.

There is bar service available and the day we were there that special drink was a passionfruit julep. They also serve wine and bottled beer. You can even purchase some of Martha condiments if you need to take a fix home.

www.martasattheplatation.com

Normally I am not a great proponent of Buffet as a dining style. Typically they are more about quantity than quality. Rachel’s may be the buffet to end all buffets and it makes a mockery of the assumption that buffet food has no quality.

I began my dining experience at the soup station. I filled myself a small bowl of acorn squash soup and went on to pick up a few items for my dinner plate. While I went back to the table to eat my bounty, I saw Cindy head to the stir fry station and begin a conversation with the chef in charge. I soon lost track of her as I lost myself in my wonderful soup flavored with nutmeg. Thus began my biggest buffet dilemma. Do I go and get more soup because it was fabulous or do I try something else? With a cost of $21.95 per head I wanted to get my money’s worth. Ah who cares about value, that soup was too good to stop at half a cup, I went back for more.

If your tastes are inclined to meat, there is a carving station that offers sugar cured ham or roast beef. You could help yourself to breaded pork chops, barbecued ribs, grilled trout, turkey fritters, beef stroganoff, pasta, roasted potatoes, green beans almondine, roasted root vegetables, mashed potatoes, and several other sides. There is a nice salad bar with fresh vegetables and fruit. There is also a bread station with corn muffins, rolls, bread sticks and a very tasty foccacia bread.

The stir fry station allows you to have your stir fry made your way. You tell the cook which vegetables and or shellfish/meat you want and then you watch it being made fresh for you.

You can have ice tea sweet or unsweetened; soda, coffee, or tea with your meal. If you still have room there is a very extensive dessert station. You can choose from rice pudding, bread pudding, tarts (key lime, fruit and crumbled top), chocolate mousse, pyramids, cannoli, pound cake with strawberries and whipped cream, tiramisu, and more...

The atmosphere at Rachel’s is tropical. We had wicker chairs and there are ceiling fans and greenery around the room. If you prefer to be where the action is there is a patio on the outside of the dining room (not the outside of the building) where you can sit along the corridor and people-watch. Whichever you choose you will be delightfully surprised by the quality of the food and the service.

Rachel’s serves breakfast lunch and dinner daily. On Friday evenings there is a seafood buffet and on Saturdays Prime Rib. Rachel’s is located in the Magnolia section.

To understand Cheekwood you need to understand the Cheek family. Christopher Cheek moved to Nashville in the 1880s. He ran a wholesale grocery business. His son Leslie joined the family firm. Leslie married Mabel Wood and they had two children. It was however Leslie’s cousin Joel who made the discovery that sealed the future of the family. He developed a blend of coffee that was better than anything available at the time. It was served at the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville and President Theodore Roosevelt is credited with saying about this coffee that "It was good to the last drop". I guess you can figure out that the Cheek family developed Maxwell House Coffee into a household word and a family fortune..

After the sale of the business to Postum the Cheeks (Leslie and Mable) purchased 100 acres in west Nashville to build their dream home. They brought in architect Bryant Fleming from New York to both design the house and the grounds. What they got was a limestone English Country home and formal gardens. The house passed to their daughter and she deeded it to Nashville. The Nashville Museum of Art gave it’s collection to the House and also the proceeds from the sale of it’s building. So what we have here now is a unique combination of Art Museum and Botanical Garden.

The House you visit on a self guided tour. Only one room has any furniture the rest is a gallery with their permanent collection and a constantly changing temporary exhibits. It really is a beautiful museum and for me it was the decorative arts that were of particular interest. They have a wonderful variety of silver and some amazing porcelain. Being Christmas time they were in the process of decorating the house and there was a large nutcracker that was just about life-size and several beautiful Christmas trees.

We had wanted to take one of the walking tours (they are headphone tours) but the woman at the desk totally discouraged us saying that we didn’t have enough time. This wasn’t really true but we didn’t want to argue with her. So we had to walk around with only our map and actually we managed quite well.

We began by watching a bride get her picture taken on the patio, it is a lovely location for photos. There are plenty of pretty gardens to wander though, you just follow the paths. We loved the wild flowers and the gazebo. There is a water garden and a boxwood garden. The trails are well marked.

There are several parking lots on the property. Getting to the house is uphill and may be difficult if you have any mobility problems.

Don’t forget to stop by the store on the way out. It is one of the nicest ones I have ever visited on an estate.

The reason I headed to Nashville in November 2005 were two-fold. First it was time for Cindy and I to have our yearly girls get away and secondly the Rau Collection was being shown at the Tennessee State Museum.

Much as I would love to give all the details of the fabulous Rau collection it is no longer on display at the Museum. As far as I was concerned it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to view these priceless works of art.

I want to emphasis though that the Tennessee State Museum on its own is well worth a visit. We only had a little over an hour to see all the exhibits and it wasn’t nearly enough time. We seriously considered returning to spend more time.

The Tennessee State Museum was founded in 1937. It moved to its current location in 1981. It is one of the largest museums in the country covering three floors with more than 60,000 feet of exhibits. There are lots of permanent exhibits and a constantly changing array of traveling exhibits. To find out what is currently being exhibited go to Tennessee State Museum

The exhibits are chronological. You can begin with the first inhabitants in prehistoric times and move to the founding of Nashville winding your way through exhibits. In the frontier exhibit you can see a full size cabin and if you are a Daniel Boone fan there is one of his muskets on display. Large parts of the museum are set up so that you feel as if you are walking down city streets with store fronts on both your sides. There are other displays arranged as rooms.

Andrew Jackson was a local hero and there is an extensive display on his life and presidency. Along with Jackson, native son Davy Crockett gets some exhibit space as does General Santa Anna, Sam Houston and President Polk. Some of the exhibits are disturbing, especially those on slavery, there was a broadside advertising the sale of slaves along with stock and land. Further displays dealt with the punishment for trying to escape.

As you would expect, the Civil War has a large number of exhibits. You get a change to see the many regimental colors and uniforms that made up the Tennessee war effort. Not only the soldiers are covered but also the effects of war on the regular people. I was particularly interested in a display of Confederate currency. There are also some very nice displays of weapons both swords and guns. I was surprised to find out that the battle of Shiloh was fought very close to Nashville. There are also displays on reconstruction and also on the rise of the Ku Klux Klan. As you move forward in time you will become involved in the Civil Right Movement, Suffragettes’ movement, prohibition and the 1897 Tennessee Centennial has an exceptional exhibit.

You will find enough here to keep you occupied for several hours.

I visited the Hermitage last year for the first time. It was my favorite historic site in Nashville. I wanted to share this very special place with Cindy. That in itself is not of particular note but what happen to me on my revisit is.

The house itself has of course remained unchanged. It is locked into a time warp that places it in the last years of Andrew Jackson’s life, after he served his second term in Washington. What came as a big surprise to me was how much I had missed on my first visit.

Begin your visit in the visitor center. You can watch a video that replays every 15 or 20 minutes. This will give you a history lesson on Andrew Jackson, The Hermitage and their times. After the video walk down the hall on your right and head toward the museum. On my previous visit I wasn’t aware that there even was a museum. Along the corridor you will be introduced to a number of the slaves who once lived at the Hermitage. These placards are very interesting as well as informative.

Once inside the museum you will be introduced again to Andrew, his wife Rachel, their adopted son as well as her nephew Andrew Jackson Donnelson. Here you will see artifacts found during archaeological digs on the property, items that belong to the family and a history that takes you beyond the occupation of the house by members of the Jackson family. Allow yourself half hour to forty-five minutes to visit this museum, there is a lot of information there.

After this it’s time to walk up and take your guided tour of the house. This takes about 15 minutes and then you are on your own to explore. I am going to suggest that your first stop be the garden and graveyard. In November needless to say there was nothing blooming but the starkness adds poignancy to the peaceful place.

As we began our tour of the grounds we came upon a trail that led to the Field Quarter Springs and the remains of field quarters that have been discovered. It is a half mile walk and leads to the area where the field hands lived and spent their time off from the fields. The remains of four brick cabins have been found and there are traces of two earlier log cabins in the same area. Some of the items from these excavations have made their way into the museum exhibits at the visitor center. They have shed amazing new light on what the life of the slaves would have been like. One surprising find is that there was little difference between what was found in the field hands cabins and what has been found in the house slaves cabins. All of them have had coins found in their ruins as well as pieces of dishes, marbles, porcelain doll heads and many other items. Life was hard but there was some time for the children to enjoy toys.

On the way back we stopped at the original cabin that Andrew and Rachel lived in. When I was there last year these were not renovated and we could only see them from outside a barrier. All that has been completed and we were able to walk around inside as well as outside.

After you leave the Hermitage turn left and follow the road to the Hermitage Church and Tulip Grove. These are just two additional pieces to the amazing story of Andrew and Rachel Jackson.

St Mary has the distinction of being the oldest standing church in Nashville. It was dedicated on October 31, 1847. I found this to be an amazing fact. I would have never though for a second that a Catholic Church would have been the oldest standing church in Nashville. Being Catholic, I was looking for a church to attend on Sunday morning. I had assumed that I would be able to have the hotel shuttle drop me at another church I had located but when I checked with the desk the shuttles were all booked up taking people to the airport.

Cindy is a Lutheran so I usually don’t drag her off to Mass with me. I got myself a map and took off in our rental car. It was actually a very easy drive and on Sunday morning I had no trouble finding on street parking right next to the church. Just a note, fifth Ave is one way where the church is so you need to go down fourth and cross over to fifth.

I was surprised to learn that the name of the man who is called the father of Nashville is Timothy de Monbreun. He was the first Catholic in the area and is buried in Nashville’s City Cemetery. This was in the early 1700s. It wasn’t until 1824 with the influx of Irish workers to build the bridge over the Cumberland River that it was felt necessary to construct a Catholic Church. When the workers left in 1828 the building fell into disrepair. In 1837 Nashville was chosen to be the see of a new Diocese. Richard Pius Miles was elected the first Bishop. I found it of particular interest that he was closely related to Daniel Boone. The cornerstone for St Mary’s church was laid in 1844 but because of delays it was not dedicated until 1847.

St Mary’s Church was designed by Boston architect William Strickland. He also designed the State Capitol building. St Mary was built in the Greek style. What distinguishes St Mary’s is the fact that there are no interior support columns. The stress beam that supports the church is as strong today as it was when it was constructed, amazing.

During the Civil War, St Mary functioned as a hospital. More than 300 men, from both the Confederate and the Union armies died within her walls. At the end of the war the church reopened and remained the Cathedral until 1914 when the Cathedral of the Incarnation was opened.

St Mary’s today is a very conservative congregation. Mass began with the altar being incensed, this usually only happens at funerals in my experience. No one shook hands at the sign of peace and communion was received while kneeling at the altar rail, holy shades of pre Vatican II. Evidently this is a growing trend in the area but though I found it nostalgic I am not anxious to repeat the experience.

There is a lot to see in the church even if you are not a Catholic. The marble on the back altar is from Bottocino and is from the same quarry as the marble on the altar in St Peters Basilica in Rome. The murals on the ceiling were painted in Italy. The Stations of the Cross were painted in Czechoslovakia. In 1998 a tornado lifted the roof of the church allowing dirt to damage the murals. They have been restored to their original beauty. Historically speaking, this is a very significant building and architecturally it is outstanding.

330 Fifth Ave North

Opryland Hotel

If you have the opportunity to stay here, I would recommend it. Not for the accommodations—I have to admit that I have never seen the inside of one of the rooms—but because it is just such an amazing place.

Since we had opted for the more economical Millennium Maxwell Hotel, we decided to head to Opryland to have dinner. We happened to be at the Hermitage when we made this decision, but if you are downtown you will need to take Rte. 65 north to Briley Parkway. It is all very well-marked, so don’t worry about finding it. The actual entrance to Opryland is on McGavock Parkway and again, with all the signs and lights, it is hard to miss.

Once on the property you will need to decide very quickly through which lobby to enter. You may enter through the original lobby in the Magnolia Building—this is the one with the beautiful chandelier and the sweeping stairway—or you may opt for the equally dramatic Cascades Lobby. There are also entrances in the Delta Area and at the Convention Center. Signs will direct you to these two. You have the choice to self park for $10 or to do valet, which is also $10, but only for the first hour. More than 2 hours is $18 plus tax and tip. We chose the convenience of the valet and it worked wonderfully.

We entered through the Cascades Lobby. Stop at the concierge desk and pick up a map of the hotel interior. You are going to need it. There are three different areas to explore and this does not include the Convention Center. We began by walking into the Cascades and we took the escalator up to the garden conservatory. You may walk through on the skywalk or if you prefer you can walk at ground level. The Christmas decorations here are spectacular. Children will love it and it certainly caters to the child in all of us.

The map will help you to locate the restaurants, bars, cafés, retail stores, Delta Flatboat Experience, Magnolia Pool, Relache Spa, and the Video Arcade. Another great thing about the map is that it pinpoints all the restrooms.

From the Conservatory we walked into the Magnolia Section, which includes the original Opryland Hotel. Only about 600 of the now more than 2,800 rooms are in that original section. We choose Rachel’s to have dinner in. It is a lovely buffet restaurant with very good food and a casual and inviting atmosphere. We could have chosen an Irish pub or a sports bar, both of which were in the same area.

With dinner out of the way we headed to the Delta Section to take the flatboat. We arrived at 6pm and maybe it was just luck or maybe everyone else was at dinner, but we got to take a private trip: just Cindy, myself, and our flatboat operator. Her job is to point out all the items of interest along the way, including Louise the albino catfish and Ben and Jerry the woodland ducks. This is an interesting ride and gives you an up close look at the water features as well.

We finished up by shopping in the many upscale stores on the upper level in Delta. Whether it’s Opryland memorabilia or Jack Daniels anything, you will find it here. We spent about 3 hours there and I am sure if we hadn’t already spent a full day at other things we could have spent more.

Monell's
1235 6th Ave North

Monell's is as close to a Nashville institution as you will ever find. They are home to meat and three on a daily basis for lunch and dinner. (that is your meat choice with three sides) On the weekend, they open up for breakfast. We came here on a Saturday morning in December and we were lucky enough to find parking on the street, but it is very limited.

When you arrive, you are assigned to a group, since dining is family style, you won’t be seated until the table is almost full. Pitchers of orange juice, water, and of course sweet tea, will begin to flow as well as cups of good hot coffee. And let me warn you that even in December there was a large crowd here.

In turns, platters will be passed of scrambled eggs, biscuits and sausage, gravy, bacon, ham and sausage, stewed apples, fresh jam, flapjacks, grits and much, much more. It does not all arrive at once, it is very well timed so that everything gets served warm. If you are not in the mood to be friendly at breakfast then you will not fit in here. It is polite to ask to have the food passed and, of course, in your turn, talk to the person next to you to whom you are passing. We had a table full of delightful companions and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and a very filling Southern breakfast.

The tables are spread through several different rooms and have upwards of a dozen wooden high-back chairs at each table. The rooms are decorated with wall murals. It is all very Southern, very gracious, and very delicious.

Lunch and dinner are also served family style.


Pralines
Millenium Maxwell Hotel

When we arrived at the Millennium Maxwell, our room was not ready yet. It was just a little late for lunch but we hadn’t eaten so we put our bags into storage and went into Pralines where a lunch buffet was being served.

I went right up and took a little of everything. There were cold salads, soup and some hot entrees. It wasn’t a great selection but it was adequate. Cindy took her time getting to the hot food and by the time she did there wasn’t much left. This place is incredible, they brought her the menu and told her to order off the menu for the same price we were going to pay for the buffet. She ended up with a very nice steak with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables.
We finished up with cups of coffee and some very fine cake, Cindy opted for the German chocolate and I had the carrot. They were both large and moist and well-worth the calories and carbs.

Pralines serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

Maxwell’s Lounge
After a day that involved traveling from CT and then spending two hours touring the Tennessee State Museum, we were ready to chill. The thought of leaving the hotel to find some dinner didn’t appeal to us, so we just headed into the bar to get a couple of drinks and snacks.

Little did we know that drafts were $2 until 7pm. I have to say, our waitress was great telling us when it was almost time to go back to regular prices so we could order a second round. We decided to split an order of buffalo wings and a plate of loaded nachos along with our mugs of beer.

The beers were cold and fresh, the wings were nicely spiced and served with bleu cheese and celery, and the nachos came with plenty of cheese, refried beans, and guacamole.

It was a very cheap evening and the food was better than okay, it was quite good.