The Whites Creek Entertainment Strip

Nashville Restaurants and Food
Whites Creek is Hopping

Historic Whites Creek is strumming along quite nicely these days with singer-songwriters, amiable dining rooms and festive surroundings- all on a half-mile strip on Whites Creek Pike. The now defunct Star Café started the trend several years ago. Richard’s took over that location and built a reputation for quality Cajun cuisine, cozy music nights and the friendly antics of impresario-chef Richard Trest. It’s a combination that continues to thrive. The Farm House at the Fontanel opened the area up for corporate development with a community-based vision, just last year. It’s a restaurant and entertainment complex tied to the former Barbara Mandrell mansion that includes a large, grassy outdoor concert venue, walking trails and tourists brought up from Nashville by the busload. You can listen to a bluegrass group in the bustling dining room and find a wide-ranging menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Now the James Gang Company has set up shop in a historic building, circa 1874, that once housed a grocery store and saloon. It gained fame when James Gang member Bill Ryan was arrested there. These days the small, comfortable room is filled with kitschy antiques, country tables illuminated by candlelight and a teeny-tiny stage in one corner. You can expect the obligatory singer-songwriter nights, but also comedy, Christian music and even Indie Rock. They’re open primarily on Friday and Saturday nights, with occasional forays on Sundays and special occasions (they have both Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras events planned). You can get a bottle of Yazoo or Fat Tire and peruse the short menu. The Puttin’ on the Ritz Cheddar Jam is a cheese spread chock full of pecans, green onions and topped with strawberry jam. Put a chunk on a Ritz cracker and you’re in a good place. Everything else seems kind of standard: thick chili, a heavily sauced pulled pork sandwich. The sweet beans with fatback bacon stand out a bit. The promise of a hot dog covered in peanut butter may be worth investigation on a future visit. The Veggie Eater chose the produce plate, artfully presented as strips of fresh veggies cut lengthwise and propped up inside a sundae glass. The ranch dressing appeared to be fresh and perhaps house made. A few sandwiches, nachos, spinach dip and ice cream treats round out the choices.

The staff at James Gang tells us that the abandoned gas station at the corner of Whites Creek Pike and Old Hickory may soon be converted into a barbecue joint. That would probably be enough business in one location to put the new entertainment strip on the map, if everyone can keep pulling in good crowds. You’ll find beer, solid food and music at all three current restaurants. It’s a trip well worth taking on a weekend night, just 20 minutes north of downtown Nashville. And the parking situation beats Broadway any day.

The James Gang Company
4409 Whites Creek Pike
Whites Creek
615-876-8668
www.jamesgangcompany.com