Mad Donna's

Finally used my Groupon for Mad Donna's in East Nashville. Delicious! Although I have got to start writing down the names of what I order because I always forget, and if it isn't on the online menu I am usually screwed.

For my main dish, I do know I got the bacon avocado and swiss miss burger and it was excellent. It comes with ranch dressing which is something I am a huge fan of, and it was really well done. Cate got the nachos which were also delicious, but unfortunately the picture did not come out.

There was nothing overly eventful although the art on the walls was interesting. I really like it, but there was a sort of freaky painting of a stuffed elephant bugging Cate out, so I guess if you have a fear of odd stuffed elephants, have them sit you on the second floor. Also, Mad Donna's is supposed to be excellent for brunch food so I am planning on going back at some point to check it out.

Maggie Moo's

This post is unfortunatly very sad. So I went to Maggie Moo's ice cream parlor a few weeks ago (yes, big delay, but I had dental drama and it is a very valid excuse imo). I love Maggie Moo's and I was very excited about using my Groupon.

Tragedy struck twice on that fateful evening. First, I wanted a banana split I had been dreaming of sad banana split all week. Guess what? They were out of bananas. Yes, you heard me correctly, I was deprived of my great ice cream dream!

So I proceeded to get some chocolate thing or other with strawberry and chocolate chips all shoved in and I spilt it all over myself and that is why there is no picture. The entire event was extremely upsetting and if this were Ancient Greece I would be relaying this tale on the stage and the entire amphitheatre would be weeping - O, the ice cream's demise is tragic! Ooooeeeeeee.

Next time I go, I will get pictures of some ice cream so this blog isn't quite so pathetic.

Whats-in-Store

Now the horrific Nashville flooding has subsided, its time for some more Groupon review love. Since I work downtown, Cate and I ventured out on Tuesday to use our Groupon for Whats-in-Store, a super cute accessories boutique with locations in Nashville and Franklin. As Franklin was subject to massive problems thanks to the weekend's torrential downpour, we opted for the Nashville location (which is also closer). The Franklin location is supposed to be larger.

(Cate and I loved this bracelet - picture from the Whats-In-Store). Let me just say, I loved it. The store is fabulous. They have lots of amazing jewelry and the staff are amazingly helpful. Most of the things I purchased were gifts for people who read this blog, and so must remain hidden at this time. However, some I can spoil you with! Mother's Day was coming so I bought my mom some gorgeous earrings with a faux pearl and beautiful beading. For myself, I bought a long neck made of a linked chain that flows beautifully. I love the new chain looks but was having trouble finding pieces that didn't make me feel like Mr. T. This piece did it perfectly.

(Picture from Whats-In-Store website). The store also had cute sunglasses and lots of really cute rings and charms. They have a section where you can select your own charms and chains, and the staff offered many times to adjust chain lengths on the pieces so they fell in just the right place. The prices were very reasonable, most in the $35 range. We lucked into a 40% off deal day which was wonderful. I will most definitely be returning.

PS We were told to join their facebook group for headsup on deals and sales. If you love fashionable accessories I highly recommend it. You can find their facebook page HERE. (and while you are at it, check out our facebook page!)

Amerigo's on West End

First of all, mad apologies in advance for falling behind on Groupon posts. Cate has been super duper busy and I have been running around (literally running) and so I wasn’t able to pick up the slack by going anywhere. Now I have, and it is time to suffer! On Monday, the boy and I went to Amerigos for his birthday. We both like Italian food, and Amerigo was the first Groupon I actually purchased. I had been once before back when I was still in school, but didn’t remember hating it so therefore it must be good, right?

The two of us headed out to the location on West End. The restaurant seemed pretty crowded for a Monday evening, but I don’t know if that is normal or abnormal for the restaurant itself. The lay out is nice with classic pictures of Italy and wallpaper made to look like a plastered wall. We were sat in the back corner, which was a little dark and very loud. Once again, I don’t know if the restaurant is loud by design or just our corner but I had difficulty hearing conversation. I generally prefer places a little quieter as I use dining out as a social engagement.

We only ordered one drink since it was a Monday. I purchased the Siren, which was a light rum based drink. There was something sweet but light added to it along with lime, but I can’t remember now and it is not on their online menu. If anyone wants to go order one and let me know I will be more than happy to edit the information in!

Overall the food was very good. As this was a birthday celebration the two of us went all out. We ordered two appetizers in the small portion, the Calamari and the Crab Cake. First I have to say having a smaller portion for some of the appetizers is really excellent. Sometimes you just want something to hold you over that isn’t bread. The Calamari was the perfect size to meet this goal. It tasted good, both the red and pesto sauces were good, and I could taste the calamari and not just the breading. The crab cake was also good, although different. The small portion is one cake and comes on a delicious bean and corn sweet salsa which I could have devoured just by itself. The crab cake was probably the softest I’ve ever tasted personally. It was a little different but seemed to melt and tasted good.

For our food, I ordered the Fettuccini Imperial with a Caesar salad and the birthday boy ordered the Cedar Roasted Fish of the Day in Salmon. The Caesar salad was meh as far as side salads go as it tasted very watery. I don’t mind salads with less dressing but it seemed to lack much of the flavor that makes a Caesar salad so unique. Our meal came with bread which I liked because it was very soft, but if you, like my date, prefer crunchier crusty bread you won’t care very much for it.

Our food was delicious. The Cedar Roasted Salmon came out on a piece of cedar wood with potatoes and leeks. I don’t eat roasted food or fish very often so I only tried the potatoes. However, the birthday boy really enjoyed all of it and ate every last bit! My Fettuccini Imperial was also delicious. The Fettuccini Imperial is roasted chicken, ham, garlic, and mushrooms in a creamy alfredo sauce. It was perfect. There was just enough garlic for a little kick but did not overpower in any way and you could taste all of the flavors. In fact the next time I go to Amerigos I may have to order it again because it was really that good. My mouth is drooling just thinking about it.

Also since it was a celebration we ordered dessert as well. We went with the pecan butter crunch cake. Although I am not normally a pecan person I really enjoyed this. The cake was served crunchy and warm with what appeared to be restaurant made vanilla ice cream. It was really delicious. Even with absolutely no room left in our stomachs we ate it all.

Overall I really enjoyed Amerigo. I wasn’t a fan of the salad and he wasn’t a fan of the bread, but the rest of our food was really pretty spectacular and I am surprised how much we liked it. Amerigo is not overly expensive but not cheap. Groupon excluded our tab came to about $70 for quite a bit of food and in that sense it is really quite affordable. I would definitely recommend Amerigos for any special occasion when you are on a budget because I don’t feel the lower prices compared to other nicer Italian restaurants has any effect on the quality of the food there. I will most definitely be going back.

Amerigo on West End
1920 West End Avenue
Nashville, TN 37203
Hours: Sun-Thur 11 am-10 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am-10:30 pm
Reservations: Seated Upon Arrival. Reservations available for large groups.
Private dining also available.
Dress: Upscale Casual
Telephone: (615) 320-1740

The Red Pony in Franklin Tennessee

A few weeks back, my sister and I headed out to Franklin to check out the Red Pony. I was a little nervous purchasing this Groupon as the restaurant is a bit higher end than I am used to and was a good 40 minutes away, but the Red Pony has such a wonderful reputation I figured a Groupon was as good of an excuse as any. My sister works out there, but this was my first epic journey into town and it was a pleasant surprise. Downtown Franklin is adorable, and although there were roaming bands of adolescent boys yelling inappropriate things to people in cars, seemed cute safe and friendly.

The Red Pony was located on the main thoroughfare. We could not find street parking but there is a nearby parking garage about a block walk from the restaurant. The interior of the restaurant has a nice look, a little bit rodeo but still modern and high end looking. However, it is very dimly lit so if you are afraid the dark you might need to bring a nightlight. We had a reservation and were sat almost immediately. They placed us on the first floor next to the kitchen which might sound bad at first, but the wall to the kitchen has a large clear window allowing us to watch the chef prepare the food. Let me tell you, everything we saw the kitchen staff put together looked absolutely delicious. The spot was a little loud. I did not have much problems hearing my sister across from me, but hearing the waiter was a bit difficult at times. You can check out the menu HERE.

We started out with two appetizers – one which we ordered and one which arrived magically in advance much to our delight. The first to arrive was a flour gnocchi. I apologize in advance because I am going to butcher the ingredients, but oh my gosh it was wonderful. The gnocchi were in a white crème sauce with herbs that had almost a blue cheese kick to it. We had also ordered the Crispy Calamari which was very good. It was large pieces and the flavor was not overpowered by frying like many calamari dishes are these days. However, I have to admit it was not as good as the gnocchi.

For our main courses, I ordered the Shrimp & Grits and my sister ordered the Wood Grilled Beef Tenderloin. The serving sizes are significant and if you order an appetizer each of our dishes were large enough to share between two people. I had a small taste of her meal and it was good. I don’t normally eat a lot of beef tenderloin, but I did find it enjoyable. The asparagus and blue cheese sweet corn risotto that came with it – DELICIOUS - which of course means it was probably horrifically bad for me! My Shrimp & Grits was amazing. As in, so amazing I ate all of it and didn’t have room for dessert which for me is a huge deal. The Shrimp & Grits has apple bacon, green onions, mushrooms and wine all sautéed together and served on top of garlic cheese grits. The shrimp was perfectly cooked, the mushrooms were delicious, the bacon was good but not too much and it didn’t overpower the other flavors. You serve that on top of cheese grits that are wonderfully creamy and its food heaven. I was completely sated by the end of our meal.

The waiter brought out a small plate with thin apple slices and cheese that cleansed the palate. We had planned to order dessert, mainly because we watched the items being prepared in the kitchen and they looked delicious, but we were too stuffed. I will have to make a return trip mainly because I hear the guacamole is delicious and I really love guac so I need to try it. Perhaps next time I will manage to save room for the Chocolate Demise baked lava cake. Our Groupon was for $50 and made the dinner more affordable.

I really enjoyed the Red Pony. The food was incredible. Our service was good and I liked the atmosphere, although as I said before it was a little dark. Without the Groupon our bill was probably around $75, which is not horrible but should be noted in case you are on a tight budget or dining with a large number of children. However, I think the high food quality makes the Red Pony definitely worth the price. I would recommend heading out with foodies or on a nice date. Even with the restaurant being all the way out in Franklin, I will definitely make a return trip back.

Suzy Wong's House of Yum Part Deux

Yay for Suzy Wong’s House of Yum! It’s amazing how many great independent restaurants Nashville has now. I am going to be reviewing Groupons for the next hundred years!

So I already like this restaurant and when I saw there was a Groupon for it way back when, I jumped on it ASAP. I went to Suzy Wong’s for my birthday in October and it was really great (although sorry for the tab!). This time, I went on a Sunday night with my sister. Heads up now – I have tried to sneak in here before on a Saturday evening without a reservation. Don’t even try it without calling ahead. Friday and Saturday nights are super packed! This may get better once the weather is warm and the patio is open, but for now make sure you call in advance if you want to go on a peak dinner night. You can place reservations on their website and there is also an online menu.

My sister and I opted for the shared plates for our meal. I thought all of our food was delicious. We got the Crunchy Shrimp and Avocado Maki, Lump Crab Wontons with Bacon, Coconut Thai Chili Chicken Wings, and the The Asian Wonton Nachos Deluxe (with the pork). We also ordered drinks which I didn’t write down the official names and it’s not on the website. I do remember mine was a Lychee something or other and it was delightful. For desert we got the banana and chocolate spring rolls with vanilla ice cream.

I liked the Lump Crab Wontons with bacon and the Asian Wonton Nachos the best. I think this means I really like wontons. The crab wontons were good and meaty but not overly so. If you like crab I highly recommend you try this dish. The shared plate comes with three wontons and luckily my sister let me steal the third one. The Nachos are different but very good. Who came up with edamame for nachos? I never would have thought it would taste good but it is delicious. The pork was pushing it for me so maybe next time I will get them without. They also come with queso blanco, cilantro pico, Sriracha, and red curry crema. This dish is one of the larger ones with 5 or 6 wontons.

The Maki was very good and there is avocado all over the top (yum!). It is not the best sushi in town, but it’s very good. Also the Coconut Thai Chili Chicken Wings were also delicious. The meat came right off the bone making them very easy to eat, and they were flavorful but not too much so. They had very little spice to them . We had the banana chocolate spring rolls for desert, which is the desert Cate had and didn’t care for much. I liked it. It was my least favorite item of the night (how do you top lump crab and bacon wontons ?!) but it was different and I ate mine. The ice cream was good but it’s hard to screw up vanilla ice cream. The banana and chocolate spring roll was not too crunchy but not soggy either. However, having had the brownie desert on a previous trip as well as the desert wontons, I don’t think I will get the banana chocolate spring rolls again.

Cate has already talked about the ambience some in her previous review. My sister and I opted for a regular table so I can’t comment on the fuzzy stools. Also the patio looks amazing although I haven’t ate out there before. The bar is not bad as well if you are trying to just stop in and it is full service. Also they are open LATE which is fabulous, and they have a special late night menu. I think my next trip will either be for the late night menu, or the Monday Karaoke. Our service was good and food and drinks arrived quickly and at the proper temperature.

Suzy Wong’s House of Yum is located between Tribe and Play. It is a little hard to find but there is a glowing sign on the brick wall. There is street parking and I have also parked across the street and managed to not get towed. Someone mentioned parking behind it but I have always just parked out front so if you know of better parking please feel free to post it here. I highly recommend it as a pre-club hot spot or even just hanging out with friends.

The Local Taco in Sylvan Park

Last Friday marked the return of the Groupon Girls to Nashville's The Local Taco in Sylvan Park.
Of course, I came armed with my previous taco knowledge from when Cate used hers, but we took advantage of the opportunity to try different things to review. Of course, we still got the pitcher of frozen margaritas because they are fabulous, but we tried different tacos and even ventured out into the world of red sangria. So yes, I am reviewing the Local Taco again. Please note this gives me a better ability to avoid things I don’t like.

First off, the queso was way better than the last time I had it. It was the proper consistency and nice and creamy. It is light on spice but as it was a table purchase it’s better that way since not everyone likes to feel the burn. I purchased the spicy shrimp taco which was really good. It was no buffalo chicken and shrimp, but still really good. The shrimp is fried but not overly so, and the spice was fairly light. Cate got the lamb taco which she thought was ok, but our other friend loved hers so we aren’t sure if the dislike was more of the taco or the lamb, which Cate does not eat very often. Some of my friends who were there before me tried the carnitas. I'm hoping she will also post with her opinion as I didn't get to try them.

In addition to my beloved Margaritas, I sampled the Red Sangria. My friend liked it well enough to get two pitchers, but I prefer the margaritas. Having lived in South Florida for 4 years, I have some experience with Sangria. This wasn’t undrinkable or anything, but just didn’t meet my standards and I would probably never order it for myself. The drink was made with just berries, including blueberries, which was an interesting twist but I prefer your standard version. If you do want to try the Sangria, I would recommend asking for it with ice on the side. The second the ice started melting I was done with it. They also have a white Sangria apparently, but no one at our table purchased it. I may have to try the white sangria next time I go. If I do I will be sure to comment on it.

I also tried the guacamole. I’m neutral on it. I make better myself at home in my opinion, but it was pretty decent. We definitely ate it all. I would probably pick the queso over the guac though if I could only choose one.

I definitely still love The Local Taco. Their food is delicious and $30 for a pitcher of frozen margaritas, two tacos and an order of queso and chips on the patio is a great deal. I can’t wait for the summer I think it will definitely be a monthly haunt however, I will not be sipping on any Sangria. Margaritas or bust!

Suzy Wong's House of Yum!

I'm going to keep this short and sweet, since I know that Morgan's dying to review Suzy Wong's House of Yum too. I went last Sunday right when it opens at 5pm with my mom before seeing the 6:30 show of Mamma Mia at TPAC. She and I both bought the $10 for $20 Groupon, so we used hers that night. (Guess that means I have to go back again!) We ate tapas-style, and here's what we ordered: vegetable gyoza pot stickers, curried tofu & potato pockets, Asian wonton nachos, coconut chili brown rice with egg, and banana spring rolls with vanilla ice cream. And without further ado, here are the pros and cons of our visit to the House o' Yum.

CONS:
1. Parking - We got there at 5pm, so we managed to get one of the 3 or 4 parallel spots in front of the restaurant. But I'm really not sure where else you can legally park (although there are huge lots across the street that belong to other businesses).
2. Funny cushioned stools as seats - I would prefer being able to lean back in my chair while I'm eating. However, at least, they did better than the Wine Loft (which has similar seating) in that the table was the right height, so I didn't spend the night wishing I'd requested a booster seat.
3. Curried tofu & potato pockets - Personally, I thought they tasted AWFUL. I actually used the word "dirt" in trying to describe their flavor. But perhaps, I just hate tofu because my mom loved them. (Full disclosure: My mother drinks day old coffee, so her taste buds can't be that great.)
4. Dessert - We originally ordered the Tempura Brownie Bites. Just thinking about them makes my mouth water, but they were out of them. So we substituted the banana spring rolls. They were just really disappointing. Personally, I think if they added some dark chocolate it would have helped the flavor because they were really bland.


PROS:
1. Decor and general ambience - I'm in love with the giant dragon on the ceiling, and I can't wait to try out the patio.
2. Neighbors - Suzy Wong's is right next door to Tribe and Play, so it's the perfect place to eat dinner before a night out of dancing.
3. Late night - There are very few places open late night in Nashvegas, and Suzy's is open until 2am on Mondays, 11pm on Tuesdays, and 4am (!) every other night. (Note: It's also open for lunch on weekdays.)
4. Potstickers - I was a little concerned when they came out without any dipping sauce, but they were seriously the best dumplings I've EVER eaten.
5. Fried rice - Yummmmmmy and spicy. Plus, it's chock full of vegetables and made with brown rice, so you don't feel as bad about eating it. It's kinda healthy, right?
6. Asian wonton nachos - So simple, but so delicious. Also, spicy. They're wontons topped with queso blanco, edamame, cilantro pico, sriracha, and red curry crema. Now, I don't know what half of those things are, but I do know that these are a must when you visit Suzy Wong's. (Note: You can also get them with BBQ pork.)
7. Karaoke - I haven't gone yet, but don't be surprised if I become a regular at their Monday night karaoke party.

Okay, so that's my review. I'll need some karaoke partners in crime. If you or anyone you know is interested, hit me up!

The Local Taco

Whew! I've been trying to get my act together to post about The Local Taco Groupon I used with Morgan last Friday, but I've been busy busy busy!

Friday was my last day of work. I decided to quit, so I could spend more time blogging about Groupon. Just kidding! Actually, I'm focusing all my energy on getting my law practice off the ground, and The Local Taco was the best place I could have picked to celebrate. Needless to say, we had a huge group since it was a going away party, and state employees certainly don't need an excuse to drink margaritas.

The Local Taco has daily specials, which is great because their menu is not that large. I'd imagine (although it's all yummy) it could get kind of played out eventually. I ordered the Seared Ribeye Taco with Jack Cheese for $4.50, which also had red onions and horseradish (one of the specials), the Southern Fried Taco for $2.50, which is fried chicken strips with a honey lime sauce, and the Green Chili Mac and Cheese (another special). Oh, and of course, I ordered a pitcher of frozen margaritas for $21. (Tip: The frozen margaritas have slightly more tequila than the regular.)

All I can say is that the food was delicious. My favorite was the Ribeye Taco. I could have eaten another 5 or 6 of those, and it didn't hurt that it had about a pound of jack cheese in it. I thought the sauce on the Southern Fried Taco was a bit strong after the first few bites, so next time I'll probably just ask them to go easy on it. But again, still really tasty. The margaritas were amazing, and I usually have trouble drinking that much tequila.

I have decided that The Local Taco is now going to be my Friday night happy hour spot. They have a great outdoor patio that is currently sealed up and heated for the winter. Otherwise, the inside doesn't have a lot of room. I especially enjoy the fact that you order at the front and then wait for them to bring your food. This may sound like a downside, but it means no 15% gratuity for all you cheapskates out there. I'm also partial to the Sylvan Park location since it's my neighborhood. Plus, West Nashville needs more cool hangouts to compete with those East Nashville hipsters.

Basically, you all need to go right now to eat, drink, and be merry at The Local Taco. You won't regret it. And for those of you in Brentwood, looks like there might be a location near you shortly.

Home Zone Quality Painting

I don't have much to say about Home Zone Quality Painting other than that I am ecstatic about my new paint job! I bought 2 Groupons ($85 each room) a while back, but Home Zone is a very small company, so they were SWAMPED since so many people bought them. I wasn't in a hurry, so that worked out perfectly.

Home Zone is a family company: Jonathan is the painter and his wife Denby is the entire support staff. For big jobs they sometimes bring in a couple other folks. Needless to say, when Jonathan showed up Tuesday morning I really wasn't expecting much. I was just hoping for the best.

Jonathan was about an hour late (sometime after 10am), but Denby called to let me know he was running behind, so I wasn't that broken up about it. Besides, I'll do anything to avoid going to work in the morning. When he showed up by himself, I was slightly worried about it getting done properly since I was having my kitchen/dining room painted. That's a lot of cutting in! Plus, he had to move the fridge and the stove to get the area behind them. Maybe that's not a daunting task to a career painter, but I thought it seemed like a big job for one little dude.

So when Jonathan showed up I told him to paint everything that was the ugly red color, and I asked him if he could remove the blinds in the dining room and paint the inside of the windows. (I couldn't figure out how to get them down myself.) After that, I ran off to work and left him to do his magic.

I got a picture message on my phone of my new beautiful green walls to let me know the job was complete around 1:30pm. I asked Denby if Jonathan could lock up since I had to go to a meeting. When I finally got home a couple hours later, I was blown away. The color was completely smooth, and the cutting in lines were so straight. And he did it all in just a few hours! All by himself! I just can't get over it.

I asked Denby how much they typically charge for a 12x15 room, so I could make sure I had the facts for this review. I think you will all want to set up your own appointment ASAP because (drumroll please) ... they charge $99 a room! That's without a Groupon. Jonathan will paint the trim as well for another $40 a room, and you can have the ceiling painted for an extra $20. For my open concept dining room/kitchen, it would have been about $200 without the Groupon discount, and that's still an AMAZING price.

P.S. If you like the color, it's Benjamin Moore Natura in Brookside Moss.

Allium

Wow. Morgan and I have been Groupon-happy the last few days. I doubt we'll be able to keep up with this pace for much longer. Okay, on to my review...

I went to Allium for Sunday brunch with my brother and my mom. For those of you who are unaware, Allium is in the 5th and Main building in East Nashville (right over the James Robertson bridge). First off, I'd like to say that I'm really sad about what happened to that building. It obviously is set up to be an amazing hip urban living situation, but somehow with the economy that didn't work out. They have underground parking, which is great, but when we surfaced on the main level it was very apparent that there isn't much going on up there. Currently, 5th and Main houses Otter's and Allium, and that's pretty much it. The condos (so cute and modern) appear to be abandoned for the most part. I really hope that they manage to bring in some more businesses and residents because it's a great location.

Despite the rest of the complex being a ghost town, Allium was decently busy at 1:30 on a Sunday. Due to the unnaturally warm weather we're having (I guess global warming is back on), there were several people sitting out on the patio. We chose to sit inside since both me and my mom are cold-natured. The inside of the restaurant is lovely. They have floor to ceiling windows, which let in tons of light. I imagine at night the view of downtown would be really nice. The decor is modern and simple, and the dining area is quite large.

On to the food! I ordered the regular french toast, which was nothing special. Thankfully, they used lots of eggs (it was even listed on the "egg" portion of the menu), which is the way I like my french toast. My brother ordered the blueberry/blackberry french toast, which he said was in the middle of the rankings for all the french toast he has ever eaten. But the rest of the food definitely made up for the unexceptional french toast. I ordered the pepper jack grits, and they were a-MA-zing. They were creamy spicy cheesy deliciousness. I ate every single bite of my HUGE side order even though I was already full. My mom ordered the mushroom and spinach cheesecake, which she said was incredibly rich. We also ordered the popovers, which are kind of like a crusty breadier version of donuts. They were definitely worth the mess they took to eat as they were covered in powdered sugar. I think the best thing we ordered was the goat cheese and red onion tart. I'm a total sucker for goat cheese.

I definitely want to come back for dinner sometime so I can try the potato gnocchi that's on the dinner menu and check out the skyline view. Also, I'd really like to try their croque madame as it appears on all three of their menus (lunch, dinner, and brunch). The prices are very reasonable for such a high end looking place, so I think I'll have to do a girls' night out at Allium sometime in the future.

Finally, I got the thin mint cheesecake to go. I tried one bite at the restaurant, and it tasted pretty damn delicious to me. But really, anything involving thin mints is bound to be good.

Cafe Coco's Italian Market & Kitchen

Now I really like Cafe Coco so I was super looking forward to using my Groupon for Coco's Italian Market, or the full name, Cafe Coco's Italian Market and Kitchen. Whew, that's a long one. My father came to town for the day so I decided to take him and my significant other out to 51st to try this place out.

The place is super cute. I love the way they have the market laid out and it has a good variety of things to purchase, like chocolate, books, coffee, food, and gelato. Beer is available. Prices are also super affordable. Like Cafe Coco, you order your food at the counter and then have a seat. Having been to Cafe Coco before I knew the drill, but others with me and other people in the store at the same time seemed to be a bit confused about what to do. Coco's Italian Market offers both indoor and outdoor seating. While I didn't much care for the view from the patio, the patio itself is great and I really enjoyed sitting out there. The day was so nice, having an outdoor option was a definite plus.

All three of us wound up ordering sandwiches and all three were good and very affordable. My Dad got the Torpedo ($7) and definitely enjoyed it. My boyfriend got the meatball sub ($8) which was really good! It is not very saucy which is how I like my meatball subs. I got the Chicken Pepper Melt ($8). My melt was good but the peppers were a little oily and I wound up blotting some of the oil off. All three of us got the pasta salad which I liked, but the menfolk wished had a little more flavor. The menfolk still ate it all so don't take their pasta opinions to heart too much. I enjoyed it mainly because it reminded me more of actual Italian dishes which tend to not have the overwhelming flavors some of their American counterparts do. Their menu is available online at www.italianmarket.biz. Next time I will have to try the pasta or pizza.

After we ate, my Dad wanted to buy some chocolate for my stepmother which lead to a lot of annoyance on his part. He waited, and waited and waited and watched cooks moving back and forth basically ignoring him until he finally gave up and left without the candy. This is really not cool. I understand if it's not your job to handle the candy section but at least acknowledge the customer and let them know someone will help him shortly. I have a lot of patience for these sort of things, but this definitely irked my father.

I think I will probably come back here, especially for lunch and gelato, but my Dad probably would not because he was pissed off about the lack of service. The sandwiches were good, the clientele didn't irk me, the place was cute, and it was super affordable. I would recommend this to other people with a disclaimer to not get your hopes up for personalized attention.

More on the Wine Loft

Oh, Groupon. The savior of my social life. Morgan insisted that we venture out last night, and I happily obliged. There was talk of gay boys joining us, but a text message from one saying that he had had a "long day o" and stating that "om jave," was enough to indicate that they were bailing. But who needs 'em anyway! Day-o, me say day-o! Daylight come and me wanna get drunk!

As Morgan stated the ambiance in the Wine Loft was very hip and modern. I was a little disconcerted by the fact that I was forced to sit on a poof, and the table was even with my clavicle, but there was wine to drink, so it can't be all bad. What scared me more was the clientele. Now, I know the Gulch is ... different. I mean, who moves to Nashville, TN and chooses to live in a luxury studio apartment with no grocery store close by when they could have bought a 3 bedroom single family house with a yard and a garage? Well, I know I only saw them from far away and did not really get to interact with them, but my guess is: douchebags. Wait, can I say that on a blog? Look, I'm a lawyer. So I don't know a lot about food or wine or other classy stuff, but I know a douchebag when I see them. And I saw a lot of them last night.

Personally, I found the prices to be a bit high. Especially, since there is a very popular wine bar (Rumours East) on the East side and its sister bar in the 12S area (Rumours), which are much cheaper. Although with the Groupon, I guess that doesn't really matter. Yay for Groupon making overpriced hipster bars affordable for the lowly masses.

As for the food, I was not that impressed. Granted we only tried Three Spreads (olive and fig tapenade, hummus, and baba ganoush), but it just didn't wow me. Plus, it took the waitress a good 15 minutes to bring us more pita bread. Morgan's theory was that she had to go slay the great Pita beast. I think it probably had more to do with the fact that we weren't ordering the Dom and rolling with our groupies.

Wow. This review took a very negative turn somewhere around paragraph 2. Oh well. What disappointed me most about the Wine Loft was leaving and realizing that even though we were in "the Gulch," there was no where we wanted to bar hop to. I'll be more into that whole area when it has more to offer, but until then, I will continue to judge it harshly (and probably unfairly).

To close, I still had a fabulous night out with Morgan. We always do. But next time, my vote is for Rumours East.

P.S. I have my own Wine Loft Groupon that I intend to use with my mom, so watch for that review. Maybe I'll change my mind and grow to love the place. Or maybe not.

The Wine Loft Groupon

Friday night, Cate and myself ventured out to the Gulch to use my January $15 for $30 Groupon for The Wine Loft Wine Bar in The Gulch (503 12th S). For those of new to town, the Gulch is towards downtown Nashville on 12th S. Basically, where the two giant surprisingly modern looking LEED certified condos are located is the Gulch (you can see from West End and Broadway).

Of course, in typical Morgan fashion, I did not notice the Groupon said reservations were required until I was leaving to go to the bank and swing by Cate's. Of course, this also means I call Cate with a bunch of OMGZ and WTFzz, and she calmly tells me to STFU, calls over to the Wine Loft, and gets us a reservation. Ding, mission accomplished! Parking in the Gulch is disasterous, but conveniently there is Valet parking right outside. Of course, the valet parking is also at a red light and holds up traffic, resulting in lots of honking and irate cab passengers, but hey - not my problem!

So the Wine Loft has a pretty cool look. Basically, the outside looks sort of like you are going in to an illicit establishment in an abondoned warehouse to do all sorts of sneaky things. The inside is interesting to look at as well. The Wine Loft has very low lighting, lots of velvety couches for your clothing to cling to, little cut fluffy stools to sit on, and black lizard texture tables which are pretty awesome. Refreshingly for me, the music was not country which I'm not a huge fan of. Unfortunately for Cate, it was dance music of the, you know, redundant techno variety which would not have been her first choice. Well, too bad Cate!

So on to the important reviewy stuff: the service was good although a little slow. However, slow worked for us as we were looking to chill and hang out and not in a mad rush to get on to the next location. The food menu looked really good, but a lot of really amazing looking dishes had shrimp in them so heads up if you have seafood allergies.

We went with the Lunetta Prosecco which was $45 for the bottle ($9 for the glass) and the trio of dips with pita bread. Of course, the food is the one thing not listed on their online menu, so I am going to have to try to remember exactly what it was which means I will probably be off base. There was definitely hummus, an olive and fig tapenade, and something I can't remember (Cate help me) but it was spicy and awesome. EDIT: See Cate's post on the baba ganoush, definitely the best part.

The place was a little pricey but the prosecco was good, and there were quite a few options. The clientele seemed a little too serious for me, but if you are the type that enjoys having a glass of wine and expressing deep thoughts with Jack Handy, you'll probably fit in well. There was a cool group of people that went upstairs for a party but since neither of us were invited we were forced to stay downstairs with the serious folks. The couple near us that kept making out would probably like me to add that the Wine Loft has a very romantic ambience and would be a good place to impress a chick or dude on a first date.

Overall it was not bad. I don't know if I would go back for every day type of gatherings, but it would probably be a good place to go if you have a hip business client from out of town and your corporate card. I would also probably go back if I had to stage a relationship intervention and needed a place were I could confront someone about how horrible their relationship is, because it is a public place so no one can kill you but it does sort of feel secluded at the same time. However, they do have deals including a Tuesday night half off for all bottles of wine, which I think may also draw in more of my kind of people.

Ratings on the MorgyMeter:
Environment: 4
Potent Potables: 4
Cheap Factor: 2 - EXCEPT TUESDAY! Half off bottles = way more affordable!
Clientele: 2

So overall, I guess it's a 3 unless its Tuesday. If someone wanted to meet there I'd oblige, but it's just not my scene. I had a good time, but I'm not necessarily going to seek it out if it's not a Tuesday because as Cate mentions above me, there are more affordable options if you are willing to leave the Gulch.

Getting our Groupon

First and foremost, before I delve into the ever fascinating and entertaining stories of purchasing things, the purpose of this blog must be explained.

What is a Groupon? you ask. Are these babes stupid and just can't spell or speak English? Well, possibly but not in the way you might be thinking. See, there is a happy website called Groupon: (http://www.groupon.com/nashville/deals). The purpose of Groupon is to use the power of buying bulk to get people fabulous deals. If enough people buy the Groupon for the day (which has always happened for me), the Groupon is "tipped" and everyone runs off into the night with their $10 for $20 at Cafe Coco's Italian Market http://www.cafecoco.com/ Groupon. Fun times are then had by all within a certain period of time, usually 4-6 months, and all is right in this stingy world.

While sitting at The Wine Loft (http://www.thewineloft.net/intro/) enjoying our Groupon, Cate and myself pondered why we weren't blogging. Seriously though, why weren't we? Especially when we are both actively trying to visit new places in Nashville AND save money. Since we also love Groupons why not mush them all together into one big happy blogspot posting (mainly because we are also obsessed with Google).

So that is a short summary of why this exists and what you need to know. I will try to make sure that all posts to places include a link to the establishment's website for easy access. I will include disclosures if they bribe me for any reason. I do not work in the food industry. I am not cool enough to work for the Nashville Scene. Unfortunately, all I am is a creatively unstimulated late 20's professional with a boyfriend and a friend and nothing better to spend the money in my "entertainment" budget on, sorry Arrow! (http://www.arrownashville.com/ don't click that if you are scared of nude male entertainment.... HA!)