Asparagus is an ugly word.
It just doesn’t roll off the tongue, does it?
But no one ever told me that asparagus tasted good–like, really good–especially when grilled. I figured that out about 13 years ago while dating my future wife.
Her mom grilled some asparagus and peppers, and because I was the new boyfriend I felt obligated to try the green veg, much to my picky palate’s dismay.
It’s a story I recount in detail in this post I made on Medium last year.
That first taste of grilled asparagus opened up my palate to all sorts of new adventures–and, at the risk of sounding overly dramatic–it changed how I eventually viewed the world.
Fast forward to today. May 17, 2018.
I turned 42 in March. I’ve lived in Nashville with my wife for 10 years now, having moved from Atlanta in 2008. We have two boys, 7 and 4, who keep us busy and constantly challenged to make them eat more than cereal and waffles.
We moved to Nashville right at the beginning of the recession, several years before the great restaurant explosion throughout the city. At the time, the Gulch consisted of Watermark and Sambuca. The few restaurants in 12 South included Mafiosoza’s and 12 South Taproom. I think Open Table had about 30 restaurants available for reservations. Hot spots like Josephine, 404 Kitchen and Bastion were well off into the future.
As I’ve slowly come out of the early days of fatherhood–where the closest thing I got to fine dining was Chick-Fil-A on family night–my wife and I have begun venturing out again.
On top of that, I’m cooking all the time, usually 3 to 4 days a week. I can’t say it’s always on point, but I will tell you I cook one helluva steak–medium rare is the only way to go.
So, with that, I want to welcome you to the Nashville Food Dude blog.
I’m going to explore restaurants, grocery stores, and my own kitchen to have a little fun with dining, food, and all that goes with it. I might do some traditional restaurant reviews, but I also want to think outside the norm of food writing and see where it takes me.
I wish I could give you some kind of vision statement or the 5 pillars of the Nashville Food Dude “brand.” But, from my experience blogging, I usually figure these things out as I go. You can expect around a post a week or so to start as I figure things out.
So let’s do this.
See you around Nashville!
Follow me on Twitter @robertbruce76 and Instagram @nashville_food_dude (pay attention to the underscores!)
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