Tennessee: Home of Graceland and Stuff-your-face-land

Grant and I have this crazy little tradition we have started. The tradition is two-fold:

1. We plan vacations around rock shows (exhibit A can be found here).

2. We eat a lot between sightseeing and the rock show.

But really, the trips are not for entertainment purposes. We look at these last-minute, freaking expensive, interstate jaunts as research. Tasty, tasty research. And it's an excuse to order a dessert at every restaurant I go to. Because hell, I am never going to be in Tennessee again, so yes I will have a slice of your orange-blossom cheesecake and your flourless chocolate torte, in no particular order.

The restaurants we sampled involved mostly hits and one flop. Here are my synopses:

1. Corky's BBQ, Memphis TN: We couldn't possibly visit the South without sampling a little BBQ. This restaurant was recommended by a friend of ours, a Memphis native himself, so we went for it. It was a chain, which was not entirely what I was looking for in a BBQ place. I was hoping for a little more of a dive, off the beaten path, meat being smoked out of the back of an old trailer kinda feel, but this was highly recommended. Despite the "Texas Roadhouse-like" atmosphere when we walked in, the food really was delicious. Their apple barbecue sauce tasted of just that; fresh-baked apples and sweet and smoky sauce. Not to mention that when we walked in, there was a framed picture of Elvis and the owner. So if it is good enough for the King, it is good enough for me!

2. Dish, Memphis TN: This tapas bar had a promising website and a promising menu. Unfortunately, it left much to be desired. We ordered crab cakes and figured, How could they go wrong? Well, they were very wrong. It's called salt, preferably Kosher, and you can even find it in Tennessee. USE IT! The lamb chops were decent, but they were atop of bed of what seemed to be Rice-a-Roni, and again, unsalted. For dessert we ordered creme brulee, and what's everyone's favorite part about creme brulee my friends? That's right, shattering the burnt and crispy sugary shell. Well, that's hard to do when the sugar is so un-burnt that it is still grainy.

There was one very good part about the meal that I should mention. My salad was actually very good and was covered in one of the best dressings I had ever had in my life. It was a simple spinach with cabrales cheese and almonds but it was the raspberry vinaigrette that was to die for. I think that raspberry vinaigrette these days is frankly overused and boring; dyeing oil and vinegar pink and calling it "raspberry" does not equal fancy. However, this tasted exactly like fresh raspberries and went perfectly with the spinach. Although the salad really did change my life, it did not make up for the fact that the rest of the meal was two sequins short of a jumpsuit.

3. Flyte, Nashville, TN: This was a fantastic find tucked away in a random industrial neighborhood of Nashville. The ambiance of the restaurant seemed to, in a way, match the neighborhood: it was industrial but cozy, if that makes any sense. Our reservations were clearly not needed considering that we were two of maybe seven people in the entire restaurant, which lead to the staff being a bit overly attentive. No one likes a hoverer. I started with a "pecan pie" salad consisting of greens, candied pecans, praline dressing and blue cheese ice cream. It was so random and different that I had to try it. I'll admit, I was slightly frightened of the ice cream but it was really amazing. Not sweet at all, very mild and very creamy. This means I have now had two dessert items with the main ingredient being blue cheese, the first of which was a blue cheese truffle at a dessert shop in Portland. Also amazing. But I digress.

Both Grant and I ordered the chicken, which was cooked to perfection atop a bed of pappadelli pasta and creamy garlic sauce, truffles, broccolini and a roasted tomato. The menu actually stated that we should allow 30 minutes so the chef would have time to "artfully construct" the entree. I was very excited about this. However, this turned out to be my one complaint: serving a chicken dish in a large, four-sided, glass, bowl does, in fact, look cool. What it also does is make it very difficult to eat your meal. It looked like something you would put in the middle of your dining room table and use to display plaster lemons, not eat a meal out of. Artfully construct my chicken on a flat surface, please. Aside from that, all parts of the meal were amazing.

4. Rumours, Nashville, TN: By far this was our favorite dining experience on our trip. And I swear, this decision was not at all based on the fact that we were accidentally served two glasses of a delicious Molly Dooker cab. I have plenty of other reasons why this was my favorite, but I am not going to lie, free booze is always a plus. The menu was fresh and fancy but laid back and unpretentious. We started with a cheese plate served with grapes and a plate of honey and walnuts (which is now how I will be serving cheese from now on). So yummy. My meal was seared ahi over mixed greens and a spicy remoulade sauce. It went great with the free wine.

This was also where we had the two amazing aforementioned desserts, cheesecake and chocolate torte, also perfectly suited for the free glass of wine. But more than the great food, it was the experience that I enjoyed best. It was what I like to call "comfortable fancy." Everything was right, from the decor to the background music to the laid-back and personable staff who appeared to love their jobs. It was the kind of place that makes me question my career and wish I could go back and do it all over again to ensure that someday I could make money playing with food all day long.