Here's the thing: every human being on this planet needs to eat. It's primal, biological, necessary for survival. The real question is, are you a human that loves to eat? Do you love trying new things and sitting down in new spaces, indulging in appetizers and craft cocktails and homestyle meals while out on the town? Memphis understands the heart of its southern food culture to the very core, and the South Main Market food hall is bound to please even the pickiest of foodies. Have you been?
The South Main Market is located in downtown Memphis, found in the historic 1912 building that once housed the White Wilson Drew Company. The building was later utilized by Lucky Heart Cosmetics and eventually abandoned in the 1960s.
The recent infusion of local artists and foodies has given the historic space a new beginning. A Kickstarter funded the South Main food hall, which has since exploded into a community destination.
The South Main District has recently expanded into a community of tiny shops and galleries, spaces for artists to create and foodies to build out new, delicious eateries.
The South Main Market offers up catering opportunities from its market vendors, and the space has since become an event venue and the meeting location for the South Main Market Book Club.
Doesn't this look like a dreamy book club experience? They meet once a month, and there are even yoga classes the first Thursday of every month for only $10 a person.
Ah, but of course - the food! Indulge in a craft cocktail at Civil Pour or a decadent sandwich from City Block Salumeria. Java Cabana will give you your coffee fix for the day, and no home is complete without a bouquet of flowers from Wall Flower Memphis.
You can visit for yourself at 409 South Main in Memphis, Tennessee, every day but Monday. Hours from from 7:30am to 7:00pm Tuesday through Friday, with a later opening at 9am on Saturdays and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays. It's a mouthful, but we promise prioritizing this experience is something you won't regret.
When I recently met a long-time friend in my old hometown of Music City, it was quite the reunion. For this much-needed, in-person check-in after more than four years, we decided on The Butter Milk Ranch, a popular bakery and brunch restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee, along the buzzy 12 South neighborhood thoroughfare.
We both loved the mid-century look of the building and the thoughtful blend of vintage and modern finishes inside that made the atmosphere feel more classic than dated. As we expected, the place was packed for Sunday brunch - as most places in this neighborhood have been for years. The infamous angel-wings mural is a stone's throw away, as are dozens of cute shops, coffee spots, and other restaurants that lure as many or more tourists as locals.
One of those other restaurants is Urban Grub, a casual-yet-upscale dinner destination that opened in 2012. Its ownership group opened The Butter Milk Ranch in 2021, a year after my friend and I last saw one another. She'd moved to another state when a massive tornado outbreak decimated parts of my (and our friends') East Nashville neighborhood on March 3, 2020, and returned to help with cleanup. Needless to say, this meeting was under much better circumstances.
Thankfully, she'd secured an early spot on the waitlist, which is only available during business hours (you can't make reservations). We had a nice spot in the front room with plenty of filtered sunlight coming in through the building's glass front, through which we could see the busy street scene. The warm wood and generous greenery made the space feel cozy, even when full.
As for the meal, we started with breakfast cocktails - a blueberry lavender mimosa for me and a BMR Irish coffee for her - and the most light, flavorful beignets with brown butter, lemon curd, and brown butter "snow." I ordered a seasonal salad with mixed greens, beets, and tomatoes, while she ordered the Avocado Benny with hollandaise - a take on eggs Benedict using a cube croissant foundation. We shared generous side servings of cheesy stone ground grits, fresh fruit, and bacon.
We were pleased with our meal, grateful for the time together, and hugged before parting ways, neither realizing we'd been dining at a place we'd both frequented decades before. We even made small talk about it as we ate, pondering exactly what business had been in the building before and its location in proximity to the building that once housed Katy K's Ranch Dressing. Katy K's was a custom and vintage western clothier shop that was a hipster hotspot from the late '90s until 2015, when it closed due to rising rents.
Owner and designer Katy Kattelman was a noted figure in New York City fashion, music, and art circles of the 1980s, where she launched her fashion brand before moving and reestablishing it in Nashville in the early 1990s. She operated a shop in Midtown before moving to the 12th Ave. South location, where she long predated the slew of trendy shops you see there today.
As for us, it turns out we were sitting there eating scrumptious food, chatting away, while mentally trying to orient our location around the Katy K.'s landmark we both knew well from many years ago... while sitting on the site of it. If that's not indicative of people who lived through Nashville's growth boom and leaving, I do not know what is.
While The Butter Milk Ranch clearly took design cues from the original building, the façade is much larger in scale, with replicated rock wall details. Aside from a large portrait of Dolly, there were few if any other hints of cool, country kitsch that defined the vibe at Katy's - and really, much of all that was cool about Nashville in its early days of growth. Not to say it isn't now, especially to people who are delighted by different things. As for when I arrived in 1998, you just had to be there!
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Despite my nostalgia, I've got nothing against this delightful bakery and brunch restaurant. To the contrary! The service was great, the food fantastic, and the atmosphere lovely - surely even more so to those who do not know or yearn for a Nashville that was.
I will certainly be back, and I might just sneak a Katy's button, a Bettie Page figurine, a kooky belt buckle, and a pair of fuzzy dice onto one of those shelves for posterity.
We'd love to hear about your visit to The Butter Milk Ranch when you go. You can check out the full menus on The Butter Milk Ranch website and keep up with the latest news on The Buttermilk Ranch Facebook page.
If you're looking for a luxurious stay in the heart of downtown, consider the highly-rated JW Marriott Nashville. Located adjacent to Music City Center convention center, it's almost exactly three miles north of The Butter Milk Ranch.
Nashville has become quite a hub for foodies in Tennessee. You don’t have to travel very far to find some of the best dining experiences in the state, which is certainly the case with Etch, one of the best dining experiences in the state -- and country. Etch is an accomplished and award-winning restaurant firmly establishing itself in the busy capital of the Volunteer State. The food is outstanding, but equally important are the people toiling behind the scenes. After all, we are in Tennessee where the people make up the heart of the community and make our state such a wonderful place to live.
Etch opened its doors in 2012 and has since become an iconic part of the Nashville dining scene. Sleek and elegant, Etch has been revered as one of the best restaurants in the city, catching the attention of thousands of people on a national scale. So when you sit down for a meal at this famous restaurant, you are really embarking on a culinary journey.
If you know anything about Tennessee then you know that we care deeply about our roots and the people that make up the community. So we would be remiss to not mention the woman who started it all; Chef Deb Paquette. This accomplished chef has an established reputation when it comes to the culinary arts. Not only does she have the honor of becoming the first woman in Tennessee to become a certified Executive Chef, but she has been following her passion for food for over 30 years now. Chef Paquette is respected in her field and highly sought after when people visit Nashville looking for a unique dining experience.
A unique dining experience is exactly what guests are going to find from the first time they open the front door to when they partake in that last glorious bite. With two private dining rooms, a full bar, and a chef's kitchen which gives a peek behind the scenes to see what is happening in the open kitchen, there are plenty of seating options. I would personally opt for the chef’s kitchen to see the brilliant work being performed. It is like watching a master artist create a beautiful painting from a blank canvas.
Presentation is a very strong part of Etch. Each plate is carefully displayed and looks almost too good to eat. In fact, these colorful dishes are one of the best parts of the whole dining experience, you will certainly get a feast for your eyes before you ever even take a bite. The menu is inspired by cultures from all over the world so you can expect a menu that is eclectic and exciting. Chef Deb Paquette and her team have poured their heart into these dishes and with the skill it takes to craft them, you will be able to taste the difference.
Once you leave full and satisfied I have no doubt that you too will see why Etch is considered one of the best restaurants in the country. If you plan a trip to Nashville then you owe it to yourself to take a night and experience this culinary journey. To browse the menu and more make sure to visit the website for Etch.
If you plan on a night on the town then consider also adding a show at the famous Grand Ole Opry.
