Garden Brunch Café

First of all, we would like to send a special welcome to our new followers on Twitter. We hope you enjoy what you read as much as we enjoyed writing it. And we hope our blog will help you answer the ever so frustrating question, “Where should we go to eat?” We were overwhelmed by all of your “G” restaurant suggestions and would like to give honorable mentions to The Germantown Café and Gabby’s Burgers and Fries. As delicious as they are, it is our goal to go to restaurants that we have never visited and we finally found one that fit the bill.

On that note, welcome to Alphabedible Adventures: The Brunch Edition!

Brian is actually responsible for finding our “G” restaurant this week thanks to suggestions from a credit card rewards website. The Garden Brunch Café is located on Jefferson Street near Rosa Parks in north Nashville right outside of MetroCenter. It’s a cute converted home sandwiched between a muffler shop and a Popeye’s Chicken. The interior is colorful and refined with an “urban” vibe. The walls are covered with beautiful paintings and photographs for sale. There is even a mic stand in the corner for the occasional performance of jazz music and spoken word.

At least three servers and managers immediately welcomed us and they made sure our table was in perfect condition before they invited us to sit down. Our waiter, Justin, informed us that we were in for a treat when we let him know that we were first time visitors. He seemed genuinely happy to serve us. He took our drink orders and left us with a breakfast menu and a lunch menu. Tracy’s coffee came in a very contemporary mug and she loved the beaker looking glass that the cream came in so much that she had to take a picture. Brian’s fruit tea tasted just as delicious as it looked. We had fun trying to guess what fruits were concocted to make this tasty beverage. To keep you from losing sleep, it turned out to be cranberry, orange, and mango juices.

The menus were not overwhelming, but there was a decent selection to choose from. We found it refreshing and had a much easier time deciding. The lunch menu was somewhat limited with a few salads and mix-and-match paninis. We both decided to focus on the breakfast menu, which seemed to be the other patrons’ preference as well. Who doesn’t love breakfast at any time of the day?

Tracy’s love for eggs benedict made her decision very easy. She went with the Germantown West Benny, which consisted of, “Two over easy eggs, topped with smoked salmon, sautéed spinach, cherry tomatoes, 
onions, hollandaise sauce and capers on an English muffin.” After she devoured her eggs benedict, practically in one bite (minus the bite she gave to Brian), she realized that she never really tasted the smoked salmon or the spinach… or the onions or the capers for that matter! But it was too late; she had already finished her meal. After inquiring, we did find out that Justin accidentally put the order in for their Jefferson Street Benny, “an English muffin topped with two over medium eggs, topped with turkey bacon, and cheddar cheese.” She enjoyed the Jefferson, but can’t wait to go back and try the Germantown.

Brian, notorious for his indecision, was debating between the Pumpkin Pancakes and the Original Breakfast. Tracy nudged and nagged until he picked the more unique and daring pancakes “sweet memories of grandma’s pumpkin pie, warm spiced and topped with whipped cream”. At least they came with turkey sausage to satisfy his inner carnivore. The pancakes were warm and fluffy and real whipped cream made it seem more like dessert than breakfast. Pumpkin is probably the ideal "comfort" flavor for chilly weather and three pancakes was the perfect portion for the midday meal. Brian definitely wants to go back to try the Bananas Foster Pancakes next time.

We hardly spoke through our meal except to say, “can I have a bite of that,” in between mouthfuls. We took that to mean that we enjoyed our brunch more than words could say! We both have plans to return as soon as possible. Want to come with?!

Pros: Ambiance, Service, Fruit Tea
Cons: Limited Lunch Selection, Limited Parking (in the back)

-Price: $
-Location: Jefferson Street in North Nashville
-Food Quality: Absolutely delicious!
-Drink Quality: Tons of tasty options
-Service: Attentive and with a smile.
-Ambiance: Warm and welcoming. We could have stayed all day!

"H"appy Eating!!