South Street - During filming of the Nashville episode of A Sense of Place, produced by Vacation Rental thought-leader Matt Landau, we took Matt and his crew to South Street, one of Nashville's famous landmarks since 1991.
South Street Smoked Pork and Corn Bread Sandwich
Back in the early 1990s, I was owner/operator of one of those big white Snap-On Tool trucks you see driving around and servicing mechanics and their tools at garages around town. My route territory included Green Hills and Hillsboro Village among other places. On one particularly cold and unpleasant winter night, I took a wrong turn and found myself on an unfamiliar street. I thought, "what the heck", I'll drive around and see what I see. I turned down 20th Ave. South, which was a fairly dark and quiet street 25 years ago.
As I drove along 20th toward Broadway, I looked and saw a place I'd never seen before. It had glass roll-up doors, which were quite unusual at that time. It was warmly lit on the inside, and filled with people. I could see the cheerful flicker of a fireplace at one end, and a cozy bar at the other. All filled with patrons who were eating, drinking and enjoying this charming place. Keep in mind that I was a young 20-something who at that time had never been far, or seen much. I'd never been to a place like that, but vowed that I would return. And return I did - many times! By now, possibly hundreds of times, and I now live right across the street.
So it was only natural that this was one of the first places we took Matt and his crew when they arrived in Nashville. We wanted to introduce him to the place that we now affectionately call our living room. When we stop in, it's rare that we don't see a neighbor or a friend. Many of our friends are the staff who work there, whom we have come to know over the years.
The first you notice when you walk in is the amazing aroma - from the authentic southern smoked BBQ. The very next thing one would notice is the sound - the bar staff welcomes guests on a first-name basis which is true sign of a neighborhood hangout in every sense of the word.
To many people South street is know for their smoked Pumped Chickens, the Nashville Rib, Crab & Slab, Crab-O-Rama, Smoked Pork Plate, Southern Broil... but to the locals, we show up there for its lively open-air bar in the summer and the cozy fireplace in the winter. Plus the unbeatable good food, reasonably priced.
Oh, and don't forget the hottest new addition! Nashville's only Tree House Oyster Bar. Several years ago, the owners added a new upper level to South Street, that is literally up in the trees. Step upstairs into the "Tree House" and try a dozen fresh oysters while enjoying a cold beer and the summer breeze, or the cheerful upstairs fireplace in the winter.
One last thing, be sure to tell the staff that John and Ellen sent you!
