Roc’s Bar-B-Que

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Roc’s Bar-B-Que
4037 Clarksville Pike
Nashville
615-876-7544
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It takes a tough soul to do battle with Metro Codes. Roc is an ex-Army Ranger and a restaurant business veteran, as well. Despite that determination and experience it took him 14 months to get the tiny, down-home barbecue shack up to Metro par. Roc’s is finally open for business and smoking up some solid barbecue in Bordeaux.

The building is a cinder block storefront painted dark red and featuring the logo of a puffing train. The portable smoker is puffing out front, at least until Roc gets the brick pits in the back fixed to his specifications. He’s been doing barbecue for more than 30 years, most of that in the Knoxville area. He’s been pulling that smoker around Nashville for a couple of years now, quickly building a fan base that is now flocking to the take-out joint. Inside you’ll find just a tall counter and a smiling welcome from Roc. In the spring he may put out picnic tables. Right now it’s take-out only.

Roc takes pride in his sauce and everything will come pre-sauced unless you order otherwise. The mild is tasty and you can take the heat level up from there. The pulled pork sandwich is a monster-sized mound of pig meat and at $4 a real bargain. Bits of bark are worked into the mix and the spicy sauce adds a pleasant spice and vinegar flavor. The spare ribs are big and meaty and another tremendous deal at $8 for the sandwich. There’s a light smoke flavor and they’re tender to the bite. Roc is quick to point out that once he’s sold out of something, that’s it for the day. He won’t serve day old barbecue and that’s appreciated. You’ll see little sold out signs covering whatever has proved popular for the day. Beef brisket, polish and chicken sausage, chicken wings, a burger and turkey legs round out the offerings. The pulled chicken sandwich is juicy with pieces of char skin for added flavor.

The sides are the usual standards, with the addition of grilled corn and grilled cabbage. The cabbage is sublimely rich thanks to what must be a butter and pepper sauce of some sort. Potato salad proves unremarkable in a traditional style.

Roc has already built a fan base with everyone from Nashville firefighters to musicians. The location just north of the Bordeaux library is an easy hop off of Briley Parkway. He has plans for expansion if business goes well and we can only hope that the Metro Codes process won’t slow him down too much.

I paid $12 with tax and tip on one visit and $15 for a bunch of food on another visit.

Willie Mae’s Barbecue

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Willie Mae’s Barbecue
200 8th Avenue East
Springfield
615-384-8383
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Barbecue eaters know that to get the good stuff you often have to forage well outside the city limits. Willie Mae’s Barbecue in Springfield provides another good reason for a ‘cue road trip. They’re smoking some of the better barbecue this eater has sampled in the Nashville area.

The restaurant is located just off the court house square in Springfield. You can’t miss that smoke; it permeates the place and gives the joint a true barbecue atmosphere. The bluegrass/country themed decorating is simple road house barbecue style and yet clean and inviting. That smoke will pull you right up to the counter. It’s a familiar menu of pork, brisket, sausage, turkey and chicken. The hickory smoke and Texas-style dry rub provide great flavor.

They cook ribs up each day and they’re beauties: skillfully cut with a nice char on each side. The thick rub is mellow and compliments the ribs well. You don’t need sauce, but if you indulge the sweet red is a solid tomato-based treat. The mustard sauce is vinegary and spicy. The ribs were excellent, but the brisket proved to be the revelation. On this day it’s incredibly moist and tender, and if that holds true on other visits it’s some of the better in the area. The pulled pork has a lighter smoke and while very moist needs just a little sauce to kick it up a notch. There are bits of bark and the dry rub once again works well. They serve the sandwiches piled high on thick Texas toast. It’s not my favorite barbecue sandwich choice. It seems that squishy buns do a much better job of soaking up the juices. It’s still a fine sandwich.

It’s always cool to see a barbecue joint that takes sides seriously. The hand-cut red cabbage slaw is creamy, vinegary and addictive. It has an excellent kick and might even keep the Veggie Eater happy in a barbecue joint (not that I’m brave enough to ask). Cakey corn bread is a welcome accompaniment to the meal. Traditional Mac and cheese was sticky and good. The green beans had very great flavor.

Kudos to Joe Tuten and Gail Norman for their fine new addition to the Nashville area barbecue scene. This will be my new go-to spot in Robertson County. Right now they’re only open weekdays for lunch. Check the Facebook page for updates; they have been considering extending hours. This review was originally scheduled to run weeks ago; however they had an electrical fire in the pit that caused major problems. We decided to hold off until they were open again. We’re happy to report that Willie Mae’s is back up and running.

I paid $13 with tax and tip on one visit and $11 on another visit.

Nashville Originals Restaurant Week

Just a reminder that next week is the Nashville Originals Restaurant Week from January 16-22. It's a great opportunity to dine local, dine independent and get a good deal in the bargain. The Nashville Originals group started a few years back.They formed to support the indie restaurants in the area and it has grown by leaps and bounds, now counting more than 50 members. Those restaurants have specials for restaurant week listed on the web site. Take a look and hope to see you out and about supporting Nashville independent restaurants.

http://www.nashvilleoriginals.com/restaurantweek.php

Joey’s House of Pizza

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Joey’s House of Pizza
897 Elm Hill Pike
Nashville
615-254-5639
www.joeyshouseofpizza.com


Anyone worried about the new Joey’s House of Pizza location pulling in customers can rest easy. Joey has brought his regulars up from Brentwood and is garnering a new fan base for the lunch spot just off Fesslers Lane and I-40. While some have worried that it isn’t near any real neighborhoods, it is just a quick hop from downtown. Errands necessitate an early lunch one day, so I arrive at 10:50 a.m. and there are already three other cars waiting. When I leave at 11:26 a.m. every parking spot is filled and the dining room is packed. Don’t let that deter you. Joey and his crack staff keep things moving quickly.

We never made it to the Brentwood location, so we can’t compare. The new layout is a long serving line with trays full of traditional American-Italian favorites, such as chicken parmigiana, baked ziti, lasagna and spaghetti. They have several salad options, including giardineria and antipasta. Then you hit the pizza rolls, laid out for inspection and ready to be popped in the oven. Joey’s has several pizzas ready to go by the slice, or you can put in a custom order. They do a big take-out business and if you want an entire pie it would be best to call it in. That said, the dining room is a fine place to eat your lunch. It’s a sleek, modern black and grey decor and the bottle cap bar stools add just the right touch of fun.

The double crust slices are an entire meal in one. The Gladiator is a thick combo of pepperoni, sausage and mozzarella. It’s layered once, topped with another thin crust and then layered again. Somehow they manage to keep that crust super-crispy, even with the mammoth topping spread. The massive slice is a greasy treat. The crust for the pizzas is some of the better in the Nashville area with just the right balance of floppy and crispy. The pizza rolls are baked super-crispy as well. The spinach version features fresh spinach, which still has life. A little sweet ricotta and stringy mozzarella bring it all together. The light and tangy marinara on the side is perfect for dipping. The calzone may seem similar to the pizza roll, but it’s puffier, enclosed and filled with more of that sweet ricotta than its cousin. The Joey’s Specialty version combines herby meatballs, savory sausage, chicken and spinach.

Even the salads get respect at Joey’s. The house is nicely dressed with a generous dousing of smooth balsamic. Fresh greens, black olives, green olives and a sprinkling of oregano make it a good starter. The pasta salad hits the spot as well with big pieces of sundried tomato.

Veggie Eater: As with most Italian pizza joints, if you are an ovo-lacto vegetarian, you have plenty of choices. There’s pasta, eggplant parm, salads, calzones, pizza rolls, and yes, of course, pizza. Granted, the same ingredients show up in different configurations, but those staple ingredients make for infinite combinations. I opted for the standard cheese slice and found the pizza a tad bit thicker than the NJ/NY styles I’m accustomed to. The crust is more crispy than floppy. The tomato sauce is a sprightly affair which balances well with the mixed cheeses on top. I’ll happily dash in here for a meal to sample the other goods when I am in this neck of the woods. It’s especially enjoyable to watch the entire family working the line, the interactions between customers and owners, and the even handed way they deal with lunch time stressors (to go order—man is handed two slices of whatever type of pizza he had ordered via phone; problem is he ordered two pizzas, not two pieces…not to worry, they still got him out the door in quick order).

Meat Eater: The finale at one meal is a flaky, crumbly and utterly decadent calzone. It’s so completely fresh that the memory lingers far after it is gone. Here’s wishing Joey the best of luck in the new location. It looks like he’s going to stay busy.

We paid $22 with tax and tip on one visit and I paid $14 on a solo trip.

Pharmacy First Look

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Pharmacy First Look

We broke in the Pharmacy beer garden this weekend. A sunny Saturday prompted the Veggie Eater to insist on outside seating and the staff promptly informed us that we were the first. Folks quickly joined us as the  new East Nashville eatery filled up. It’s a terrific outdoor space and perfect for letting kids run around, which a couple of families were trying out. It’s safe to say this place is going to be a hit. An eclectic, high-end beer selection and creative burger combos are just two reasons to visit. In the warmer months that beer garden may be one of the best places in Nashville to spend an evening al fresco. It’s a huge, green, terraced space with 14 large picnic tables. It’s opening week and the popularity is probably tough for a new spot. With the experience of the ownership they’ll be fine. A falafel burger and stroganoff burger proved to be a great introduction to the place. We’ll be back for German sausages and the much talked-about, house-made soda treats. We’ll have a review soon. Visit their Facebook page for updates and to keep in touch about hours. A reminder: they close after lunch at 2:30 p.m. to get ready for dinner, opening again at 4 p.m.

The Pharmacy
731 McFerrin Street
Nashville
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