A Flight of Pickles and a Beer in Flight - Our Visit to The Row in Nashville

Having arrived at our hotel right at happy hour we were looking for dinner within walking distance. When you stay at a hotel with a complimentary happy hour then nearby food is preferred.

After having vetted the menu on-line we made the two block walk to The Row. Billed as a 30+ year BBQ and live music establishment the menu hit all the right notes for us. The nightly slate of musicians gave us hope for the vibe we were looking for.

Pretty much every establishment in Music City has live music. The Row boasts different performers, on the hour, throughout the night from 6pm to midnight.

We don’t really “do” reviews. To do an honest review you need to visit a location multiple times and explore their menu in depth. If you don’t, giving a raving thumbs up, or brutal thumbs down, is really unfair to an establishment. Since we typically don’t make more than one visit to a place we prefer just to write a positive retelling of our visit.

Chefs and owners work hard. Generally, they put a lot of time, energy, and heart into creating a menu and the dishes offered. The Row appears to not be the exception. The menu tells a story of southern food traditions with some modernization.

While there is BBQ, there are also traditional items like fried green tomatoes, fried pickles, biscuits and jam, deviled eggs, shrimp and grits, and more. So not strictly BBQ.

We started with a couple beers and the Pickle Flight. We were excited about the Pickle Flight from our on-line menu perusing. Listed as Crazy Carrots, Smokin’ Okra, House Pickles, and Sting Beans, all are pickled in house. They were delicious!!

In order of favorite? Carrots, okra, cucumber, beans. The Sting Beans were definitely spicy. Not in an unbearable way. Just in an I’m going to eat something else next to let my mouth catch up way. The okra was so much better than anticipated. As I said, 2nd favorite. I’d take them over fried okra any day.

Our beers had arrived first. Followed quickly by our Pickle Flight. That was followed shortly by my beer falling to the floor and exploding all over the place.

Two servers apologized and said it was because our table was slanted. Lo and behold, it was. They cleaned it up quickly and brought a replacement. The rest of the night I kept a close watch on my drinks. They didn’t slide fast, but I could set them down and watch them move along the table. LOL.

We split the pork plate. It was a heaping pile of nicely smoked and shredded pork served upon a habanero corn cake. The corn cake was like a pancake and was a nice complement to the pork.

The fries were unremarkable. Not bad, not good. More like an afterthought. I found that surprising. I guess I expected The Row to have better fry game. Oh well.

My one beef is with the slaw portion. The slaw was good. Exactly what one would expect. Not too saucy. But they barely serve you any. You can see in the accompanying photo that it’s just a small soufflé cup with slaw in it. (Upper right corner of photo) My experienced eye tells me it’s either a 1oz or 2oz cup.

I guess all my time eating in East Carolina BBQ joints has spoiled me. But I’ve come to expect more slaw to be served with BBQ pulled pork.

I once worked for an Italian chef who used to tell us when we over portioned a plate, “Feed them, don’t fatten them up.” When it comes to the slaw portion at The Row, they need to at least feed us.

For dessert we had the Nash Beignets. To paraphrase a buddy of mine, Lordt! Two large, warm, pillowy beignets topped with cinnamon sugar and served with crème anglaise.

These are listed under the starters on their menu. But, my brilliant wife knew better. She held off on these until dessert time and they were awesome!!

On the whole, a very enjoyable night at The Row. Laid back atmosphere. Some good music. We sat in the bar area so we could hear the entertainment but far enough away that we could chat easily.

One last note on the Pickle Flight. Our server asked us what we thought about them and we raved. He said he loves it too but unfortunately it’s one of the least ordered appetizers there. No idea why. It’s an original idea. All items pickled in house. They were light and refreshing. So, our final advice when you go to Nashville: Visit The Row. Order the Pickle Flight. And ask for extra slaw. Enjoy!