Ellendale's Restaurant

Thanks to the recommendation of two of our followers on Twitter, our adventure this week was at historical Ellendale’s Restaurant. Ellendale’s describes itself as a, “family owned and operated restaurant serving Contemporary American Cuisine. Our menu offers creative, hand crafted dishes featuring fresh produce harvested from our own garden, presented with Southern Charm in our own Historic Farmhouse.” We couldn’t have described it better.

The history behind this family restaurant is even more enduring. Ellendale’s was named after Ellen Dale Ives, the great grandmother of the restaurant’s creator and head chef. Ellen Dale Ives was well known and revered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for her kindness and philanthropy. After growing up reading about the heroism of her great grandmother, Julie Buhler decided to start a restaurant bearing the name of this wonderful woman. Boy, are we glad she did!

Truth be told, we were a little weary about trekking over to Donelson to dine at an unknown restaurant near the airport, but anything for Alphabedible Adventures! We were pleasantly surprised by what we discovered. When we drove up Donelson Pike and turned onto Old Elm Hill Pike, we were shocked at what we saw; a gorgeous house on a hill that looked like it was waiting there just for us. We drove up the driveway, parked the car and began what we were sure would be a wonderful evening. Another pleasant surprise for the night: retired Alphabedile adventurer; Ben decided to join us for our “E”xperience at Ellendale’s. We were thrilled to have him.

Walking through the threshold of this historic home, one immediately forgets the signs for airport parking and gas station down the street. It almost felt as if we were coming home for dinner. The dim lighting, antique furniture and warmth welcomed us in from the cold. From what we could see, the entire downstairs of the house was for dining and the upstairs may have been offices or private rooms for large parties. Downstairs there were three unique dining rooms and a more casual lounge. Each parlor was lightly peppered with eclectic antiques and old photographs that may have even come from the time of Ellen Dale Ives herself.

The hostess greeted us, took our coats and sat us immediately. Once we were settled, our waitress came with dinner and wine menus. The ample wine list complimented an extensive menu of beef, poultry, fish and pasta. Choosing a glass of wine to drink was definitely the easiest decision of the night as the overwhelmingly extensive appetizer menu took us three visits from the waitress before we could settle on something. Brian employed a rating system to help us narrow down the choices, luckily, or we would still be deciding! We ended up with two seafood themed appetizers:

Lango crabby cakes ($9)
”Langostino crab cakes served with a cool spicy avocado sauce.”

Asiago crusted calamari – ($10)
"Calamari dusted with semolina flour & asiago cheese, lightly fried & served with a trio of Italian dipping sauces."

If we could have, we definitely would have ordered every appetizer on the menu, but the two we picked definitely did not disappoint. The four dollar sized pancakes were beautifully presented around the avocado sauce. We found it interesting that the words chosen to describe the sauce were cool and spicy, two contradicting terms, but surprisingly enough it was just that! The calamari was a much better dish for sharing. They came with three sauces, garlic aioli, marinara, and basil pesto. It was a beautiful medley of color and texture, each better than the next. We could have been happy with just appetizers, but our main courses were just around the corner.

After an eternity of making up our minds, we each settled on a different protein for our main course.

Brian’s mind was made up as soon as he heard the special: Baked catfish filet ($20)- served over renowned Italian sheep’s milk pecorino romano cheese and mushroom risotto with asparagus spears and a balsamic reduction. We all agreed that the catfish would have been better with a little crunch. As Brian said, “catfish is a dish best served fried.” We also agreed that the risotto more than compensated both in flavor and quantity. Our waitress let us know that Brian was the first patron of the night to partake in the special. I think now we know why.

Tracy chose the glazed apple brandy pork chop ($21)- "Hand cut 12 oz pork chop brined in buttermilk & grilled with a rich brandy & honey lacquer. Topped with spiced apple fries & served with a mango-apple chutney, mashed sweet potatoes, and vegetable casserole." The only word to describe this dish was SWEET! It all melted together to form a delicious combination of textures. The mango apple chutney and sweet potatoes were absolutely delicious and a table hit.

Last but not least, Ben ordered what turned out to be the table favorite of the night, the braised short ribs ($20) "Short ribs braised in merlot and veal stock. Served with pommes frites (hand-cut fries) and vegetable casserole." After both Brian and Tracy’s plates had been cleared, Ben was still practically licking his. The short ribs were melt-in-your-mouth good. The pommes frites were a little on the soggy side but the Dijon aioli was a great accoutrement.

After such great meals, it was hard to even imagine eating dessert, but the show must go on! We were definitely all “choiced” out so we went with the always-changing large dessert sampler ($15), the perfect dessert choice for the indecisive! Because, the sampler is chef’s choice, we had no idea what we were going to be served, but we were happy to find out. Our waitress brought out a large dish featuring mini versions of that night’s desserts: Irish stout bread pudding, banana spring rolls, classic crème brule, raspberry sorbet, Oreo ice cream, cheesecake with raspberry drizzle, chocolate chip cookie bar, chocolate fudge square with raspberry filling and dark chocolate fondue with strawberries and pineapple.

Brian and Ben were hoping to try the banana spring rolls and were pleased to find them on our desert tray. They loved them as much as they thought they would. Other big hits were the Oreo ice cream, bread pudding (Tracy’s favorite) and the fondue. If you know exactly what you want for dessert than the sampler isn’t for you, but if you and a couple of friends want to try all the sweets Ellendale’s has to offer then the sampler is a great option.

All in all, we had a lovely experience at Ellendale’s and can’t wait to go back. After all, we have so many more appetizers to try!

Pros:

• Romantic Ambiance
• Great place for conversation
• Attentive and knowledgeable service
• DESSERTS!

Cons:

• Location- We wish it were closer to town!

-Price: $$$

-Location: Cute house situated just off of Donelson pike by the airport (don’t let that scare you off!)

-Food Quality: Excellent, Fresh, home grown produce, wonderful selection

-Drink Quality: Broad selection of wines, full bar

-Service: Knowledgeable, personable, and very attentive

-Ambiance: Romantic, Homey, refined yet comfortable

An all around great experience! Join us next week for some "F"un eating!

DaVinci's Gourmet Pizza

After a large number of recommendations, we decided it would be best to begin again with a fan favorite, in the heart of Nashville: DaVinci’s Gourmet Pizza. We drove up Hayes Street and located DaVinci’s by its neon sign and Christmas lights on the surrounding trees. It was nestled a block off of bustling Broadway, behind the redesigned Hutton Hotel garage. One could easily spend years in Nashville and never know this two house block existed. We chose to park on the street, but noticed that there were signs outside the neighboring establishment welcoming pizza lovers to park there after 5pm. We noticed the porch as we walked in and wished it looked out on something other than a garage.

We entered the restaurant and Tracy immediately commented on how eerily quiet the dining area was. There was no music playing and the patrons were limited to one room. Even so, there were only three tables in use, including ours. We wondered if this was a typical crowd or if we just caught DaVinci’s on a bad night.

There was an Italian mural on the wall in the next room and muted flat screens on every wall in the room that we were in. The candelabra in the fireplace and quirky Italian phrases in unexpected places made us feel very welcomed and warm.

After perusing the menu, we decided to forego any wine because of its limited selection. On the other hand, they appeared to have a very nice selection of beer. We chose not to indulge. We also noticed that there were only two appetizers available and both were variations of a bread and sauce. What happened to the good old days when they brought out some bread and olive oil to dip in?!? We decided to split a classic caesar salad ($8.95 Large) in true Italian fashion. As they say…when in Rome… The lettuce was fresh, but could have easily come from a bag (not freshly chopped). Tracy liked the dressing because it was “more vinaigrettey than creamy.” Brian commented that he was very pleased with the “ample croutons.”

After our salad course, we were more than ready for our pizza. It is often a real struggle to pick a pizza with more than one person. Everyone has their favorite toppings and DaVinci’s has a lot of options to choose from. Luckily, this pizza parlor has the solution. You pick two ways to top your pizza and they will make it, half and half (Add $1.50 Medium). Brian set his sights on the Rosemary Chicken Pizza ($7 Half). The menu describes it as: (white) roasted rosemary chicken with sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, onions, fontina and provolone cheeses, After all, who can resist artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes? Tracy picked a more traditional pizza topped with pepperoni and mushrooms ($6 Half).

When the pizza arrived, we dug right in. Fortunately the pie was just the right temperature and did not require any cooling time. No forks necessary for this pizza!

Brian started with a slice of the rosemary chicken, which was surprisingly lacking in the flavor department until he got to an occasional undercooked onion or the sun dried tomato goodness – a pleasant surprise in an otherwise ordinary slice. The chicken and artichoke provided a complementary texture to the crisp, light crust. Brian was almost certain that with each successive bite he would come across a base of alfredo sauce, but alas, no sauce, and even with the fontina and provolone, the pie remained sparsely cheesed.

Tracy’s first bite came from the pepperoni mushroom side. The zest of the marinara sauce and the perfectly proportioned pepperoni, mushrooms and cheese made this half a table favorite. We decided that the best part of the pizza as a whole is that it wasn’t dripping in grease so we didn’t feel bad that we left no slice uneaten!

Our waiter definitely didn’t push desert on us; in fact, he wasn’t really around much at all. We got one drink refill and he brought our check as soon as we finished the last slice. If you’ve been an alphabedible follower, then you know that no meal is ever complete without dessert. After a little prodding, the waiter ran through the dessert choices but recommended the cheesecake ($4.75) without hesitation. It came out warm and creamy, with a drizzle of chocolate and a thin, delicate crust. We enjoyed our beginning mouthfuls until we noticed that the temperature of the slice was a little bit inconsistent. Even with the confusing hot and cold, we noted it as one of the better cheesecake slices in town. You’ll have to stop by DaVinci’s to see a slice because we dug in so fast that we forgot to take a picture!

After taking our entire meal into consideration, we remain on the fence as far as rating is concerned. With a handful of other great Nashville pizza joints, we think DaVinci’s falls somewhere in the middle, neither great nor terrible. We would like to wait to render final judgment until we can go back and sample some of their other signature pizzas. While it is not the first place we would recommend, we would certainly not turn anyone away.

Pros: Timely service, Affordable (especially when splitting), conveniently located

Cons: Lack of music and personality

Price: $$

Location: Convenient to downtown and midtown living. Block off West End

Food Quality: Middle of the road, but still satisfying

Drink Quality: N/A

Service: The waiter was also the chef so we didn’t see him too much.

Ambiance: TV screens on every wall make it a great place for sports watching but it was way to quiet. Feels like you can’t speak above a whisper.

Tune in next week for more good “E”ats!

We're back and better than ever!

Hey long lost followers, Tracy here! You may be wondering where we’ve been all this time. Perhaps we just got too full from all of the great food we ate every week. Maybe we were kidnapped by a restaurant owner for giving him a bad review. Whatever the reason, it was not easy to be away and we’re so glad to be blogging and more importantly, EATING again!

Over the last few months, we’ve gone through one important change; Ben will no longer be my partner on this great adventure. Now I know what you’re thinking, and no, I didn’t stab him with my fork after he went for the last calamari ring…but don’t think the thought hasn’t crossed my mind! Unfortunately Ben’s super important job hinders him from the great responsibility of being the taste buds of Nashville. I’m sure you’ll miss him as much as I do but you may catch him in some future pictures as he has requested to still participate when he can, in the eating part of the journey!

On to the good news, I’ve found another foodie to be my partner! I trust that he’ll be a great partner with great thoughts and opinions and that you’ll enjoy hearing them. Without further a due, I give you Brian!

Allow myself to introduce... myself. My name is Brian and I am the newest member of the Alphabedible Adventures team. Together, Tracy and I will take you on a culinary crusade across Nashville, one letter at a time. What qualifies me to join this noble quest? Well, I have been eating food almost my entire life. And, while I only recently moved back to town, I did spend some eight years at school here in Nashville. During that time, I sampled nearly every restaurant within the city limits. Thank goodness some of those places were condemned!

Now that I think about it, I probably had an opinion on most of those restaurants at the time, I just never shared those opinions with total strangers (unless they asked... and a lot of them did... I think I just have one of those faces). But I'm excited to share my experiences with you in the months to come.

Of course, I do have my shortcomings. I don't have a clue how to type. And I may or may not conveniently leave my wallet at home when Tracy and I head to one of the more expensive restaurants in town. (That will just be our little secret, OK?) Besides, I'll promise to get the next one. Tracy has no idea what she has gotten herself into. But enough talk, let's eat!