Noshville (Nashville)

Noshville
1918 Broadway
Nashville, TN
615.329.6674 (NOSH)

I'd seen my friends on Facebook happily checking into Noshville and praising its food, but I'd never really looked into it. As we made our way back to Memphis from two and a half weeks on the road, we knew we would have lunch in Nashville and Warren said, "I don't want to eat anymore hippie food." Since we already hit the trendy new burger place on our way north, I decided we should give Noshville a try. "A New York deli in Nashville? Why would I want to eat there?" was Warren's response when I mentioned it. As I scrambled to find somewhere else, he seemed even more insulted. "Why are you looking for another restaurant? I thought we were going to Noshville!" he cried.

If I learned anything in two and a half weeks on the road it was not to upset the driver.



There are actually four Noshvilles in Nashville, and I didn't know if there was one that was better than the others, so I blindly led us to the Midtown location. We live in Midtown Memphis, so I assumed/hoped Midtown Nashville would be just as happening.

Inside, it was really cute. (Although the lighting did not agree with my camera.) There was a deli case stocked full of treats, meats and cheeses. Sodas were lined up all around.



There was a cool old school diner vibe. I loved the look of the booths and bars and stools.



It was sort of between normal lunch and dinner hours, so it was a tad slow. Our waitress brought over menus and, since they were quite extensive, I asked if we could have a few minutes. As she walked away I wondered if the staff was required to dress like they were Jewish (and living in 1950s Brooklyn) or if Noshville just attracted homely Jewish-looking people looking to wait tables. (To be fair to our waitress she only appeared to be TRYING to look homely.)

Anyway!

Since the kids' menus were coloring sheets, they immediately started coloring and offered little in the way of what they wanted to eat. Actually Satchel had requested we lunch somewhere that served hot dogs, so he was somewhat covered.



Jiro eventually agreed to eat a grilled cheese, which he hardly ever actually eats, but I went with it. Meanwhile, Warren had gone to the restroom and had come back reporting that there was a pickle bar on the way. When our waitress came back, I told her we still weren't ready, that we'd been in the car all day, and that I was sorry. Oh and could we have some pickles? She quickly brought over a giant sampler.



Warren was totally in love with Noshville now. He declared he was going "full Jew" and getting a liverwurst sandwich. I pointed out the half sandwich, half soup option to Warren and we both decided to go with that so we could have some matzoh ball soup. Now that we had decided our waitress was no where in sight.

She did eventually find her way back to us, we placed our order, and then a few minutes later she introduced us to our new waiter. I thought I must have really insulted her or something, but it was just a shift change.

The kids' drinks came in little plastic "kids club" cups. Apparently the kids club members get free griddle cakes on weekends with the purchase of a drink. (Adult purchase necessary.)



Some online comments I read indicated that Noshville breakfast is pretty popular so I like that kids can eat free.

Our soup came out right away and it looked delicious.



Warren agreed to share with Satchel, but after he accidentally spilled some, Warren rescinded his offer. (In Satchel's defense, the bowl was between him and Warren and they both really wanted it all to themselves.) Satchel sat there looking super sad until I could stand it no longer. I sent my soup over for him to eat.



A few minutes later, Jiro, finally looking up from his coloring sheet, said, "I want soup!" By now it was clear that we were probably going to need another bowl. I instructed Satchel to share with Jiro and asked our waiter for another bowl.



Before we could get through the third bowl, the rest of our food came out. I don't think I'd ever actually seen Liverwurst before.



Warren tried really hard to get me to taste it but I flatly refused. Besides, I had a roast beef sandwich to polish off.



I was really glad that we weren't on our first date because the combination of Liverwurst, red onion, and pickles surely made for some funky breath.

On to the kids' meals. Satchel's hot dog was, uh, very well endowed and came with smiley fries.



Jiro's grilled cheese looked buttery and delicious. He ate a few bites before starting role playing with the smiley fries.



Soon both Satchel and Jiro were obsessed with the smiley fries. Satchel, who plagued me with the game "Would you rather" for our entire trip, asked, "Would you rather have your eyes eaten or your mouth?" I can only assume that I was to pretend to either be a smiley faced fry or imagine some monster eating part of my head. "Neither!" I replied.

Since the kids' meals had little to no nutritional value, I ordered them a side of the vegetable of the day. It was a limp selection of frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot. Boo.



We couldn't even convince Warren to eat them.

All in all, I'd say it was good. If we lived in Nashville, I'm pretty sure we'd want to try the breakfast and desserts and surely the kids would clamor for more soup. At the very least, I'd go back for dinner and have a He'brew.

Finally, I'd like to note that styrofoam is widely used, but on the plus side, there is a changing table in the women's restroom.