TOAST 2016 Winners: Food and Drink
Best Bakery
On any given Saturday morning, a long line of salivating customers stare eagerly at a case of cream-filled, glazed and decadent doughnuts at Five Daughters Bakery.
In less than a year, it has become one of Nashville's most popular bakeries.
Since its launch, Five Daughters has grown from selling a dozen doughnuts to Honest Coffee Roasters, its first wholesale partner, to a 60-person operation churning out 12,000 doughnuts a week to serve customers at its bakeries in The Factory at Franklin and 12South. Production will jump to 20,000 doughnuts a week once a bakery opens this fall at 1900 Eastland Ave. in East Nashville. (Lizzy Alfs)
2. The Cupcake Collection
3. Nothing Bundt Cakes
Best Barbecue
Yes, there was barbecue in Nashville before Pat Martin, but nobody stepped in and planted a flag saying it's time to pay attention to how we do things as much as him. And I really believe he does things the right way because he cares that much. It's not all bluster and showmanship, but a deep and abiding love for the craft. He's also training the next generation of real whole-hog pitmasters, so our kids should thank him, too. All that and the best pulled pork in town. (Jim Myers)
2. Edley's Bar-B-Que
3. Bar-B-Cutie
Best Barista
- Charlene Culbertson at Starbucks
- Brian Campbell at Sam and Zoe's
- Kyle Buckner at Eighth & Roast
Best Bartender
- Ryan Bruchey at TailGate Beer
- Ryan Yamada
- Adam Record at Jonathan's Grille Green Hills
Best Breakfast
This restaurant has been serving up melt-in-your-mouth biscuits to Nashvillians and tourists alike for more than 60 years. For those who crave Loveless but live too far away to indulge, bags of biscuit mix and several different fruit preserves can be purchased through the website. (Juli Thanki)
2. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
3. Biscuit Love
Best Burger
The Pharmacy Burger Parlor and Beer Garden
The very best in East Nashville, and most folks say it's the best burger in the city. The Tennessee-raised beef is tremendous, the buns melt in your mouth. Beware — there are large crowds and the staffers who greet you are not always particularly friendly. (Brad Schmitt)
2. Burger Republic
3. Five Guys
Best Chef
Tandy Wilson at City House
At long last, the "it city" has the chef award to go with its it-ness.
Tandy Wilson at last broke the Beard barrier.
As the chef/owner of City House who has been nominated almost every year since he opened 10 years ago — four years as a finalist — he finally cast aside his "always a bridesmaid" moniker and hauled home the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast. Outside of heritage awards for old standbys like Arnold's Country Kitchen and Prince's Hot Chicken Shack, this is the first chef-driven award for Nashville. (Jim Myers)
2. Maneet Chauhan at Chauhan
3. Deb Paquette at Etch
Best Chinese
Founded in 2004 by David Lin and his partners, Fulin's offered a fine dining take on traditional Chinese food. Over the next decade, Lin would open 10 locations, including six in the Nashville area. Lin, who legally immigrated to the United States in 1993, settled in New York City and worked in the restaurant industry. He moved to the Nashville area in 1999, starting as a server in a Chinese buffet before eventually launching his own restaurant.
2. P.F. Chang's China Bistro
3. No. 1 Chinese
Best Coffee House
Frothy Monkey has been a staple in the Nashville community since 2004. They were one of the first coffeehouse concepts in Nashville and one of the cornerstone businesses to open in the transformed 12th South Nashville neighborhood. The menu offers breakfast, brunch, kids menu, lunch and dinner with expanded beverage offerings including coffeehouse standards as well as craft beer, wine + cocktails.
2. Starbucks
3. Crema
Best Cupcake
Mignon Francois' The Cupcake Collection is shaking up the local dessert scene.
The original Germantown location often has long lines, fueled in large part by Francois' sweet potato cupcakes. And Francois has opened a second location in Donelson.
She often finds herself atop lists for best cupcake, best bakery and best dessert food truck in town.
Francois also has gained some national attention through ABC's "The Chew" and USA Today, which listed The Cupcake Collection at No. 10 on its 2013 list of best dessert trucks in America.
All that happened in only seven years: Francois started the business in 2008 because she and her family were broke.
2. Gigi's Cupcakes
3. Nothing Bundt Cakes
Best Donut
There’s a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which has been planted. There’s a time to weep, and a time for joy. There’s a time to use the word “literally” in a literal sense, and a time to use it in a figurative sense. Apparently. And, there’s a time for grocery store doughnuts, and a time for the hole-in-one, crispy-melty, make-you-weak-in-the-knees original. The Good Book says everything has its season, and luckily for us, Krispy Kreme season runs from Jan. 1-Dec. 31, every year. Just remember: They taste best in season. Literally.
2. Five Daughters Bakery
3. The Donut Den
Best Family-Friendly Dining
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
The 641-unit chain that started 47 years ago as a single store on Highway 109 in Lebanon has become an American dining institution. Historically, the restaurant chain has positioned its stores nearly highway exits to target travelers. Now, the company is launching new Holler & Dash stores to target younger consumers.
2. Loveless Cafe
3. Monell's Dining and Catering
Best Food Truck
While mom’s version was white bread and Kraft American singles, and, hey, no shade there. Those spatula-smooshed sandwiches hold fond memories. But The Grilled Cheeserie food truck, which already does magical things with cheese and everything from bacon to beef-braised shallots, is kicking it to the way-back for National Grilled Cheese Month. They commissioned Kenny’s Farmhouse to craft a cheese worthy of T.G.C.’s Cordon Bleu trained chef/owner: a 60-day aged double-cream Colby they’ve named, what else, Real American Cheese. Paired with your choice of bread, it’s so good you won’t even need the tots. (But you’ll order them anyway.)
2. Blue Monkey Shaved Ice
3. The Cupcake Collection Cupcake Bus
Best Greek/Middle Eastern
A long-awaited trip to Greece in 1997 should have been a relaxing getaway for Taziki’s founders Keith and Amy Richards. Instead, as they satisfied their souls with servings of flaky spanakopita, stuffed gyros, and olives so delicious they’d make you cry, they became inspired. As the perfect excuse to continue their love affair with Greek food, they brought the idea for Taziki’s home.
Best Happy Hour
Best Honky Tonk
The bar has been a proving ground for future country stars for generations. But Tootsie's is crucial to Nashville for another reason — it made buying old buildings to make room for a honky-tonk a lucrative investment. Smith also owns Rippy's, Honky Tonk Central and the recently demolished Trail West building, which will make room for a steakhouse.
"Tootsie's is the mainstay," said developer Alex Marks, who was with Tower Investments when the company purchased three Lower Broadway buildings over the last decade. "Tootsie’s did it right. They cleaned it up.”
Best Hot Chicken
Hot chicken in Nashville is as prevalent these days as price-gouging by evil snot-nosed pharmaceutical company CEOs. But not all hot chicken is created equal. If you seek the heat, you've got to find a bird that's worth pain. Not to mention to the wait. Because at Hattie B's, you'll always find a line out the door. But once you've tasted their hot chicken, not to mention sides and dessert that are worth the wait even if you skip the spicy chick altogether, you'll find yourself actually willing to brave the line, crave the line and embrace the line. Probably what Johnny Cash was singing about in the first place.
Best Ice Cream
Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams is led by Jeni Britton Bauer. The company doesn't focus on rapidly growing its footprint. Rather, it looks for the right spaces in walkable neighborhoods.
Aside from its hometown of Columbus, Ohio, Nashville is Jeni's largest market, and it's also where the company has focused much of its recent growth. Bauer also has family ties to Nashville.
"It always felt like we should be in Nashville and so it was always kind of on our plan, and now it's just like our second home," Bauer said.
Best Italian
Best Local Bar
M.L.Rose Craft Beer and Burgers
M.L. Rose is a Nashville staple and a favorite of mine — if not for the atmosphere, then definitely for the burgers.
This bar shines because of its fare and as a craft beer lover, they have quite a selection. And by quite a selection, I do mean it's plentiful, with over 30 beers on tap and 70 bottles and cans to choose from.
Sure, it's not the sportiest bar, but it has class, great food and great beer. What more do you need? (Jason Gonzales)
Best Local Brewery
Yazoo led the Nashville craft beer scene, and its pale ale — citrus-y, hoppy and crisp — is light enough to drink all day (if you're into that). It's also one of the easiest brews to find in grocery and convenience stores, so you can take it home.
Best Lunch
Sass is your first amendment right, although some of us exercise that more than others. Still, even the sassiest among us have learned there are a few situations where snark and witty rejoinders won’t necessarily serve you well. Meeting your in-laws for the first time, for instance. Anytime you’ve been pulled over by a copy. And anytime someone is serving you in line at a meat ‘n’ three. Just see how big that scoop of collards gets if you keep your trap shut. And if you throw in a little, “How’re you doin’ today, hon,” well, you might just get an extra dollop of mashed potatoes.
Best Meat-and-Three
Best Mexican
Best New Bar
TailGate Beer is a craft brewery specializing in experimental, small batch, seasonally appropriate craft beer in Nashville.
Best New Restaurant
371 Monroe St,
Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 730-7888
Chicago transplants Staci and Dan Bockman know deep dish pizza. 312 Pizza is a casual restaurant great for draft beer and filling food. (LIzzy Alfs)
Best Pizza
Such a crunchy crust! The restaurant gets packed at lunch and on weekend nights, but not to worry — there's a dedicated takeout section and a to-go window for those who call ahead. (Brad Schmitt)
Best Place to Listen to Live Music
The Ryman Auditorium, known as the Mother Church of Country Music, is best known as the home of the Grand Old Opry from 1943 to 1974. The building originally opened as the Union Gospel Tabernacle in 1892 as a church, but over the years, more non-religious events found their way to the Ryman. After serving as the home of the Opry for decades, the Ryman was facing demoltion in the 1970s, but preservation efforts helped save the building and prompted much-needed repairs.The facility held its first performance after the renovation in 1994.In 2015, the facility had a $14 million renovation and expansion, adding lobby space, expanded restrooms, concessions, gift shop and a cafe.
Best Sports Bar
1803 21st Ave S
Nashville,TN 37212
(615) 383-3601
Best Sunday Brunch
Best Sushi
Best Thai
A unique aesthetic and delicious, fresh food make The Smiling Elephant a star in Nashville's dining scene. Don't leave without trying the pad Thai. (Lizzy Alfs)
Thai Phooket
- Thai Esane
Best Wings
Buffalo Wild Wings. headquartered in Minneapolis, has more than 1,180 restaurants worldwide, and has set a goal of having 1,700 restaurants across North America in the next 10 years. The company was founded by two business partners in Columbus, Ohio in 1982.
2. Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint
3. Edley's Bar-B-Que
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TOAST 2016 Winners: Entertainment
TOAST 2016 Winners: Food and Drink
TOAST 2016 Winners: Health and Professional Services