Arnold's Country Kitchen

Before going to Nashville, I researched places to eat there and learned of these eateries called “meat-and-threes”.  Their meal serving is a choice of meat plus three choices of vegetable side dishes.  They’re only open for lunch on weekdays and they serve their food cafeteria style.  I read about at least three meat-and-threes, including the humorously-named White Trash Café, and the one with the most glowing reviews was Arnold’s Country Kitchen.  Arnold’s was also the closest to the hotel where I was staying and attending the conference for work.  It was about 2/3 of a mile to the southeast of the hotel so that made it an iffy lunch choice during the hour and 15 minute lunch breaks during the conference.  However, on Tuesday, February 10, we only had an afternoon conference session starting at 1 pm.

I woke up early Tuesday morning despite the time change (Nashville is on Central time, two hours ahead of Pacific time) because I can never sleep well in a new place.  The free “hot” breakfast at the hotel was just a continental breakfast plus some hot English muffins with cheese.  It would improve a bit on Thursday and include sausage and scrambled eggs.  After showering and checking e-mail at the hotel business center, I left the hotel.  The weather was windy and cloudy but not too cold.  It felt warmer than it had felt in Southern California right before I left.  I walked to the intersection of 4th Street and Demonbaum Street.  On the southeast corner was a black box from which classical music played.  The Schermerhorn Symphony Center was just across Demonbaum Street to the north.  Across 4th street was the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum that looked like a piano keyboard with the keys turned vertical.  It was closed that day because it was a Tuesday in January or February.  Between the Hall of Fame to the south and the Hilton Hotel to the north is the Music City Walk of Fame.  It seems very new with the first panels set in 2005 or 2006.  It had panels for all kinds of musicians including Barbara Mandrell, Michael McDonald, and Elvis Presley.

I crossed the Walk of Fame, walked over to 5th Street, turned north and passed the Sommet Center.  I crossed Broadway, passed the Ryman Auditorium and eventually arrived at the legislative plaza on which a Greek-looking building stood.  Just north of that was the Tennessee State Capitol building perched high on a hill.  I went down the other side of the hill to look at the large map of Tennessee on the grounds of the Capitol Mall State Park.  This park was set up in 1996 to commemorate the bicentennial of Tennessee Statehood.  I walked back up the hill, passed the capital, to the Tennessee State Museum.  They had a temporary exhibit of paintings by John Baeder called “Pleasant Journeys and Good Eats along the Way.”  Baeder paints the retro-looking roadside diners he sees in his travels and on old postcards.  He uses bright and cheerful colors and the diners have playful names such as Darling’s, Apple Tree Diner, and the Blue Suede Shoe Shine Parlor.  Some paintings reminded me of home.  A large one depicted a Las Vegas street from the 70’s with a sign for the Stardust Hotel.  Another called “Big Boy Bop” showed a bunch of Bob’s Big Boys.  There was also a large model of Bob’s Big Boy and behind it, on the wall, a relief painting of the Bar-B-Cutie, a chain restaurant in TN, GA, NC, and other states (not a home-reminder).

At 10:30 I left the state museum and returned to Broadway where I entered a souvenir shop to buy some Jack Daniels Whiskey Praline Pecans for my wife.  Jack Daniels is distilled in the small town of Lynchburg, TN that’s about an hour’s drive from Nashville.  I later learned that Lynchburg is located in a dry county so no one in that county can drink what’s made there without leaving it.  After shopping I continued walking south on 5th Street through downtown Nashville and into a less urban part full of old warehouses.  One warehouse had skulls on the windows and signs saying “Slaughter House”.  It was a haunted house attraction.  The streets got a little confusing as some were no longer in the familiar grid form.  I noticed the tall tower of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in the distance.  I turned west, passed the Nashville Rescue Mission, and resumed south on 8th Street.  By about 11 am I arrived at my destination.

Arnold’s Country Kitchen is a small red building attached to another building.  A marquee-like sign outside states, “VOTED BEST MEAT N 3”.  Posted on the door was the menu with the different meats and sides served on different weekdays.  Monday’s choices looked good with Kielbasa and Kraut under Meats and Fried Apples under sides.  But the day happened to be Tuesday and the choices differed slightly.  The interior of Arnold’s extends deep inside the building making the small façade seem deceiving.  There are many tables: some communal and others seating 2-4 people.  On the walls are signed photos of celebrities, mostly country musicians such as Waylon Jennings and Chet Atkins.  There’s also a movie poster for Fried Green Tomatoes that also happen to be a choice under Veggies on Fridays.

The tray line is on the right and though less than half of the tables were occupied, the line was building.  I picked up a tray and joined in.  They had all the veggies sides right under the glass and served them as we requested.  On top of the window cover they had the choices for bread that came with every meat-and-three or meat-and-two.  We could get either two small rolls or a muffin and a pancake.  Actually, the cold sides came first along with the desserts.  The latter consisted of pies and puddings including chess pie.  Then came the hot veggie sides: the yams, cabbage, greens, and green beans.  Following the sides were the Tuesday meat choices: carved SC ham, roast beef (served every weekday), meatloaf, chicken & dumplings, and battered grouper.  They carved the roast beef right there for us who ordered it.  They had to sharpen the carving knife and while doing that they extolled the other meat choices.  While waiting I paid the cashier who noticed my bag of whiskey pecan pralines.  She acknowledged I had bought souvenirs and asked where I came from.  The guy who carved my roast beef asked if I wanted gravy.  I said, “Sure,” and the cashier said, “‘Sure’, that’s what we say in Nashville.”  She told me to enjoy my stay in Nashville.

I found a table at the end closer to the door.  As I ate the place filled up completely with business people and other working people.  There were no other visitors from out of town that I could tell.  I enjoyed my meat-and-three.  The boiled cabbage was cooked to the right consistency.  It still had just a bit of crunch and also tasted good with the residual gravy from the roast beef.  The candied yams were sweet but still had a lot of sweet potato taste.  For the third of the three sides I had slices of raw tomato with salt and pepper that wasn’t listed on the weekly menu.  They tasted fresh and went well with the meat and other sides.  As for the meat, they gave me several thin slices that were fully cooked yet not tough or dry.  The blackened parts had great flavor and the gravy was more like savory au jus.  Overall my meat-and-three was first rate and a full meal for under $8.

As I mentioned, the place filled up.  Many people seemed to know each other and/or know the restaurant staff.  The server/busser graciously refilled my cup of water and brought me a to-go container for the rolls I was too full to eat.  I saw many people get to-go containers.  I saw some have the grouper or meat loaf that also looked good.  It was all just like home cooking, away from home in my case.  After I left, I saw more business people walking down 8th Street to Arnold’s.