Best Steak For Around 10 Bucks

Once a month our family (my wife, and our kids if they aren’t in school, my mom and dad, sister, brother-in-law and sister-in-law) gets together for a family lunch. Its a great way to keep in touch and hang out over a good meal together.

Last week we headed over to Thompson Station Grill. I have been there several times for lunch and always got lunch food- soup, sandwiches, an occasional burger. This time I was really hungry and opted for the Ribeye Steak ($10.95).

Wow! What a great steak! About 10 ounces, perfectly cooked, and a great flavor. The seasoning was complimentary, not overpowering, and the steak was served with the veggie of the day (green beans with red peppers and onions on the day I visited), and potato wedges. While the potatoes were a bit overdone, everything else was great. The picture above, from their website, shows a baked potato and roll, but I think that's the $19 dinner version.

I can’t get over the quality and taste of the steak- and at a great price. I heartily recommend it.

Thompson Station Grill
1549 Thompson Station Rd W
Thompsons Station, TN 37179

Open Tuesday - Saturday Closed Sunday & Monday
Lunch: 11am - 2pm
Dinner 5pm - Til!
(615) 790-2055

Best Beef Brisket Tacos

Never head of beef brisket tacos? Neither had I until I visited Mickey Roos on the day they opened last year. I am a fan of Mexican food, Tex-Mex, and also good old fashioned Texass Barbecue. So...mix them all together and what do you get? Exactly- Beef Brisket Tacos.

You get 2 or 3 tacos- your choice- with tender beef brisket tucked in soft corn tortillas, nice and hot and slathered with guacamole and ready for some spicy barbecue sauce. Comes with sides, and a roll of paper towels at the table. Enjoy!

Oh yea...live music on the weekends. Well worth the visit.


Mickey Roos
509 Hillsboro Road
Franklin, TN 37064
http://www.mickeyroos.com/home.html

Best Furniture Store- Unique and Unusual

This is a tough one. Michelle and I really appreciate quality primitive furnishings, and it is very possible to find unique items at very affordable prices if you look in the right place. Two such places are Wessex & Rye and PeeDee.

Wessex & Rye has 3 levels of shopping right on Main Street in old town Franklin. The collection of unique and affordable priced furnishings is fun to peruse- especially if you are looking for that unusual wine rack, apothecary case, bookshelf or bench for the hallway or foyer. An adventure in unusual furnishing shopping.

Wessex & Rye
346 Main St
Franklin, TN 37064
(615) 599-5666

PeeDee is Franklin’s secret store- no name on the building. It is across the street from Harmony Home, and across the railroad tracks in an old wood building. There is no address I can find. A must visit place for unusual furnishings.

Best Tortilla Soup

One of my favorite soups in the world is chicken tortilla soup. While most places serve a chicken broth based soup, the place I think has the best in Williamson County is tomato-based.

Vanderbilt’s Legends Club of Tennessee at the corner of Franklin Road and Mack Hatcher is an often over-looked lunch spot for the non-golfer. Open to the public, the restaurant, Legends Grille, has surprisingly good fare and very reasonable prices. Only two draw backs- members get priority seating, so if it’s busy plan on waiting a bit for a table, and second- jeans are frowned upon. Make sure you break out the khaki’s or dress slacks for the otherwise casual atmosphere.


After church lunch is our favorite time to go to Legends, although it makes a great business lunch spot during the week, and is just a mile or two out of the Cool Springs traffic bog.

The tortilla soup is thick and full of tomatoes, very high quality chicken breast sliced very thinly, and the surface of the soup is coated in cheese and thin tortilla strips. Its on the spicy side, leaving a nice acceptable burn in the throat. Well worth the trip.

It used to only be a soup de jour, but after many complaints by regulars, including me, on days it was not on the specials board, they finally added it to the menu as an everyday option. Enjoy!

Vanderbilt Legends Club Of Tennessee

1500 Legends Club Lane

Franklin, TN 37069

Lunch is served from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. on Friday through Sunday.

Best Furniture Store-Primitive

Harmony Home is one of the secret shops tucked away behind Main Street in Franklin, TN. The back of the shop is a collection of small stalls and stores-within-a-store sections that show off local artisans and crafters. The front of the store is where the furniture action happens.

The owners select imported pieces from low-cost suppliers, and while I would not rate the quality of the primitive furniture and fixtures as excellent, for the price, they are amazing. I have purchased several pieces from the, and perhaps our most prized are two end tables in our living room, made in China from wood 200+ years old. The wood is taken from old buildings, doors, ceiling beams and the like, and fashioned into one-of-a-kind small tables. We bought two pieces for around $200.

To make Harmony Home work for you, it must be added to your once a month routine, as their space and selection is limited.

Harmony Home- Furniture, home accessories, gifts, lamps, arts. Over 20 local merchants, designers, artisans.
236 Second Ave. S.
Franklin, TN 37064
(615) 791-0414
Jo Jernigan/Amy Simcik

Best Martini

Saffire in the old Factory in Franklin has the hands-down best Martini's in Williamson County. The wide selection, great staff, and wonderful atmosphere just make them taste better. Great for dinner too- try to score one of the couches or love seats for your pre-dinner drink.

Saffire Restaurant
230 Franklin Road, Franklin, TN 37064
Tel: (615) 599-4995
www.saffirerestaurant.com

Best Thai Fried Rice

Little tiny Thai place called Chlays. The spicy version of the fried rice with chicken is very good. Better than Royal Thai, better than Basil, Jasmine or any other Thai joint I have been to in Williamson County. Check it out.

Chlay's Thai Diner
323 Hillsboro Rd
Franklin, TN
(615) 599-1338

Best Guacamole

Red Pony Restaurant in downtown Franklin, TN, was where Matt and I decided to conduct our business meeting. We changed plans as we were walking to McCreary's Pub a few doors down, and saw Red Pony. Neither of us had been there, so we were both in.

Not quite. Even though the sign on the door indicated the bar opened at 4:00PM, it was 4:05PM and the door was locked. There were a couple staff people inside, so we banged on the door to get their attention. After they looked up and acknowledged us, sort of, one of the two sauntered over after another minute to let us in. Matt and I almost resumed our walk to McCreary's.

Loved the lighting, colors and ambience. Our plan was to have a beer or two while chatting buisness, but I decided to order the guacamole dip to snack on. It was wonderful. Great flavor, not too many onions, plenty of tomato- very well done. Heartily recommend it.

Dinner with the wife is next.

Hours of Operation:
Bar opens at 4pm Mon-Sat
Dinner 5-10 Mon-Thurs
Dinner 5-11 Fri & Sat
Bar & Dining 100% Non-Smoking
408 Main Street
Franklin, TN 37064
615-595-PONY(7669) Fax 615-595-6410
info@redponyrestaurant.com
**Reservations Highly Suggested**