What I Did Last Weekend

Last Friday the wife and I stole away down south to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary.  We'd been to Atlanta a few times before but never for a whole weekend and rarely without kids.  We stayed at the Omni Hotel, which is connected to the CNN center and overlooks Centennial Olympic Park.  It's not a quaint place by any means, but it's high on service and overall quality and the in-house Prime Meridian restaurant serves a pretty boss breakfast buffet.  Speaking of breakfast, Java Jive on Ponce-de-Leon is always on our itinerary when we are in the Dirty South.  Do yourself a favor and try the award-winning biscuits.  The Varsity is a must for anyone visiting Atlanta so we worked it in one evening but we had to have at least one nice dinner out.  Sarah of That's What She Said recommended Two Urban Licks so we went for it.  Pretty amazing fare, to say the least, although quiet conversation isn't an option at such a happening spot.  On the shopping front, we hit some vintage/thrift stores, the highlight being Lucky Exchange (I passed on two pairs of vintage madras pants) and we naturally migrated over to Atlantic Station for the chain establishments and a 3D showing of Alice in Wonderland (thumbs up.)  Nearly all of our final day was spent at IKEA, where we purchased as many cheaply made home wares as the minivan could carry.  All said, a splendid time was had and we likely won't wait another 10 years to do it again.

Hole In The Wall: Gabby's Burgers and Fries

Nashville isn't short on great burger joints.  There are local establishments like Brown's Diner, Rotiere's, The Hermitage Cafe, and the Washington D.C. based chain, Five Guys Burger and Fries, just to name a few.  I had heard about Gabby's "over by the baseball stadium" a few times from my coworkers before deciding to check it out today but I honestly assumed it was overrated.  Here is the scoop:

1.  It's not overrated.  (It's GOOD.)
2.  It's not outrageously priced (although New Jersey Chris complained anyway.)
3.  It's not easy to get to because of construction (but it's worth the trip.)

The first thing I noticed upon entering the plain gray building was the 16-star American flag on the wall.

I liked that a lot and things only got better.  Although I had been warned about "lines out the door" there were only a few people in front of us and we were at the counter in no time.  I told the cashier lady (who perfectly matched the description I had been given) that it was my first time and asked if she could recommend something.  She recommended a Bacon Swiss Burger with Sweet Potato Fries so that's what I got.  It came in at $7.05 without a drink, not too bad, considering what else $7.05 will buy for lunch.  The burgers are made to order on the grill (visible from the counter) but the wait wasn't too long.

I took mine back to the office to eat it to make up for the time it took me to find the place.  The burger was seriously good.  The fries were really tasty but I couldn't finish them.

Bottom line:  Gabby's is the real deal.  It's a great place for you and a coworker to grab something other than fast food without a restaurant feel.  Try it and let me know what you think.

Gabby's Burgers & Fries

493 Humpreys Street Nashville, TN

615.733.3118