F
Drink Strip Ma Gems
STREET VIEW: TRAFFIC CALMING IS A FLASHPOINT IN OLD HICKORY
PAGE 23 MUSIC: YOUR QUICKREFERENCE GUIDE TO RECORD STORE DAY 2026 IN MUSIC CITY
SOME OF THE CITY’S BEST, MOST DIVERSE AND MOST DELICIOUS RESTAURANTS CAN BE FOUND IN STRIP MALLS. HERE ARE 35 OF THEM.
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WITNESS HISTORY
Clint Black bought this Martin D-45 guitar, plus two other Martins, in 1990 at his friend’s Houston music store after receiving his first substantial paycheck from RCA Records.
From the exhibit Clint Black: The Hard Way on Purpose
Building icons that stand the test of time.
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Kicking off the Frist’s 25th-anniversary year, In Her Place: Nashville Artists in the Twenty-First Century highlights the central role women have played—and continue to play—in Nashville’s vibrant visual-arts community. The exhibition consists of nearly 100 paintings, sculptures, textiles and installations by 28 Nashville-based artists and recognizes the impact women have made on the city’s creative landscape for decades.
NEWS
Street View: Traffic Calming Is a Flashpoint in Old Hickory
Old Hickory homeowners wanted traffic calming measures. It worked. Then they petitioned to have them removed. BY LENA MAZEL
Looking Back on Randy McNally’s Nearly Five Decades in Office
Tennessee’s lieutenant governor — one of the state’s longest-serving lawmakers — will retire from the legislature following this session BY EMILY R. WEST
COVER STORY
Strip Mall Gems
Some of the city’s best, most diverse and most delicious restaurants can be found in strip malls. Here are 35 of them. BY SCENE STAFF AND CONTRIBUTORS
CRITICS’ PICKS
Nashville Earth Day, Albert Brooks, Bootsy Collins, Cut Worms, Mystical Book Market and more
CULTURE
Good Dreams
At Sueños Buenos in South Nashville, Ruby AlasCruz provides representation through fashion BY JASMIN ENRIQUEZ MARTINEZ
MUSIC
Vinyl Destinations
Your quick-reference guide to Record Store Day 2026 in Music City BY HANNAH CRON
DTF Toronto
Electro-psych-prog champs Holy Fuck haven’t lost the groove BY CHARLIE ZAILLIAN
FILM
On Company Time
Chatting with Nashvillian Anthony Norman, the unsuspecting star of Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat BY LOGAN BUTTS
BONNAROO RETURNS JUNE 11-14
Bonnaroo returns to Manchester, Tenn., June 11 to 14 for a long weekend full of unforgettable live music. Experience electrifying performances by Noah Kahan, Role Model, Teddy Swims, The Strokes and more. bonnaroo.com
MUSIC CITY FOOD &WINE FESTIVAL Music City Food & Wine Festival will return April
BIG GAY BRUNCH
Celebrate Big Gay Brunch on Saturday, April 25, at select city hot spots, featuring dazzling entertainment and vibrant brunch experiences. Choose from Canvas, Lost and Found, Zaytinya, Nelson’s Green Brier and Love’s Alibi. musiccityfoodandwinefest.com
WILLIAMS AT THE RYMAN Hayley Williams brings her At a Bachelorette Party Tour to the Ryman Auditorium April 25, 27 and 28, joined by With Water From Your Eyes. Experience the three-time Grammy winner and Paramore frontwoman live at the Mother Church. ryman.com
Vinh-Long; photo by Angelina Castillo
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TRAFFIC CALMING IS A FLASHPOINT IN OLD HICKORY
Old Hickory homeowners wanted traffic calming measures. It worked. Then they petitioned to have them removed.
BY LENA MAZEL
Street View is a monthly column taking a close look at development-related issues affecting different neighborhoods throughout the city.
IN MID-FEBRUARY, new white lines and plastic posts appeared on a section of Hadley Avenue in Old Hickory. These changes created “bulb-outs,” extended sections next to the sidewalk designed to slow down traffic and protect walking areas.
But a month after the bulb-outs were installed, the white posts — called “delineators” — were already removed. On March 9, District 11 Councilmember Jeff Eslick posted on his Facebook page about their upcoming removal. “Bye Bye bulb-outs!” the post reads. “The community wasn’t thrilled about the bulb-outs as part of the traffic calming measures on Hadley. The speed tables have support from the neighborhood, but the lane intrusion at 10th & 13th seems to have gone too far.” On March 12, Eslick posted that the delineators had been removed.
According to Nashville’s laws, this all happened by the book. Old Hickory homeowners asked for street calming, and the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure delivered it. Then, when residents didn’t like the way street calming played out, their local councilmember worked with NDOT to remove some of the features.
But this small interaction raises a few big questions: Who is qualified to make decisions about roadway design? Why do solely homeowners vote on design that impacts renters and people passing through? And perhaps most importantly, should a community be able to vote to theoretically make its roads less safe?
Bulb-outs are also called curb extensions. They go beyond other speed-reducing tools like speed cushions, increasing visibility of pedestrians, reducing the distance it takes to cross the road and particularly reducing speeds of drivers who are turning. Like many road safety features, they work by making driving slightly more uncomfortable: When a road feels narrower, drivers naturally slow down.
In Old Hickory, the bulb-out technically remains, though now it’s just marked out by white lines on the street. “The placement of the delineators didn’t match what the residents expected,” Eslick tells the Scene. “They made turning more difficult than necessary, and many of the residents didn’t see the benefit with the added issues.”
“The look of the bulb-outs was an issue too,” he says. “A lot of people commented about the loss of charm caused by the delineators.”
The Old Hickory bulb-outs are part of NDOT’s Neighborhood Street Traffic Calming Program, which is led by residents. When residents apply to have a safer street, NDOT scores them on a
set of criteria (including vehicle speed, traffic volume and proximity to places like schools and libraries), meets with the local councilmember, and hosts community meetings. They distribute online ballots via mailers, and any traffic calming projects need at least 66 percent approval before construction begins. The traffic calming project on Hadley Avenue received 79 percent approval.
“The Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program is one of our most popular programs at NDOT and relies heavily on communication from Nashville residents,” says NDOT representative Brendan Scully.
“This project was an extremely atypical process,” he says. “I want to state that even though one specific element was removed, the overall project has been maintained. It would take extraordinary circumstances to remove a traffic calming project, especially since the whole program is a community-led process that requires approval from residents.”
Eslick tells the Scene he wanted to see NDOT’s full design earlier, with more community meetings. Scully says the bulb-outs were proposed alongside the ballots, which is standard practice for NDOT.
Still, while this whole controversy may be an anomaly, for some it shows a frustrating side of Nashville’s road design process: communities willingly removing pedestrian safety features from their streets in favor of aesthetics or convenience, while pedestrians continue to be killed or injured by cars at an alarming rate across the city.
Winston Wright is one of the Nashvillians
concerned with pedestrian safety. He lives “three or four streets down” from the bulb-outs and passes the intersection regularly. “When I’m doing my morning walk or evening jog around [Old Hickory Village], I’d directly walk onto Hadley and I’d pass [the delineators],” he says.
Wright posted a video on Instagram after he heard about the delineators being removed, explaining why — as a neighbor and inclusive urban design advocate — he wanted them to stay.
Living in Old Hickory Village, Wright says he sees people from “all walks of life” in his neighborhood, walking to the local Dose Coffee, the Piggly Wiggly and the gas station. “It’s a very diverse neighborhood,” he says. “You have young families, you have folks who need assistance with mobility, you have folks [walking] because they want to for their health, and you have folks who walk because they have to, because they don’t have a car. I think if we’re just having an inclusive conversation about all of these different identities from a transportation standpoint in our neighborhood, we can really come together to understand, ‘OK, this is a good thing for all of us.’”
The delineator removal caught the attention of transit advocates outside Old Hickory too. Ben Vaught, a former NDOT engineer, says it shows how Nashville’s road safety process isn’t working the way it should.
“I don’t really like the concept of putting safety measures up for a vote,” Vaught says. “Safety measures are treated as a neighborhood amenity, but they’re not. They’re a safety measure. We don’t put water lines up for a vote; we just do it.”
Vaught says the city doesn’t always connect the dots: The faster Nashville redesigns its roadways, the fewer people will die in traffic-related incidents.
“We are a Vision Zero city, and we either mean that or we don’t,” he says, referencing the city’s primary road safety initiative. “I think we want to prevent traffic deaths on our streets, but we have to change how we design streets to achieve that. I don’t think our process around [changing street design] reflects either the urgency or the weight of the issues.”
Outside Old Hickory, Vaught has seen the process have real-world consequences. In 2023, a truck driver killed a legally blind woman in Germantown while she was walking her dog. At the time, her neighborhood was voting on whether to install a traffic calming project. “She didn’t get a vote because she was a renter, and she died while her neighbors who owned land were deciding whether to install a walking path,” says Vaught. “I just think that is the biggest possible indictment of that process — people are dying while we dither and go hat-in-hand to homeowners, asking permission to do what we said we already wanted to do.”
Wright tells the Scene he hopes his neighborhood keeps having a conversation about pedestrian safety, and either reinstalls the delineators or finds a suitable alternative.
Eslick tells the Scene that in place of changes like delineators, he’d like to see more traffic stops by police to help enforce safer driving.
As of this writing, 33 people have died in fatal crashes in Nashville in 2026 — 12 of them were pedestrians. ▼
PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND
HADLEY AVENUE AND 10TH STREET IN OLD HICKORY
LOOKING BACK ON RANDY MCNALLY’S NEARLY FIVE DECADES IN OFFICE
Tennessee’s lieutenant governor — one of the state’s longest-serving lawmakers — will retire from the legislature following this session
BY EMILY R. WEST
STANDING IN THE EMPTY Senate chambers of the Tennessee State Capitol on a sunny spring day in April, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally greets a visiting family from Louisiana.
“Who are you?” they ask McNally, who’s standing at the Senate podium.
The 82-year-old Republican senator smiles and proceeds to tell them who he is. McNally has come to work in this ornate room for decades.
But after 48 years in the gauntlet of Tennessee politics, the speaker of the Tennessee Senate will soon retire from one of the top leadership roles in the state.
“It was a gradual decision I made,” he tells the Scene. “I had surgery on my ankle [a year ago], and I was out for a month in January. After that, my wife and I discussed it, and we both realized that we are getting older, and our runways are short. It’s time to get back home and spend more time with family.”
A pharmacist by trade, McNally says he loves history and civics, but didn’t originally plan to be a politician. It wasn’t until a conversation with former Gov. Winfield Dunn, who led the state in the early 1970s, that McNally developed an interest in being in the room where it
happens — which is roughly 160 miles from his home in Oak Ridge.
For the past 15 years, Republicans have held a supermajority in the Tennessee General Assembly. But McNally began his tenure in the 1970s and ’80s — first in the House, and later in the Senate — when Tennessee Democrats were the ones holding that level of power.
Something McNally didn’t anticipate when he entered politics: wearing a wire for the FBI, which he did in the mid-1980s as part of Operation Rocky Top. The FBI was keeping a close watch on Tennessee politics following a clemency-for-cash scandal that took place under Democratic Gov. Ray Blanton in the late 1970s. Illegal bingo games in East Tennessee morphed into a gambling scheme, and lobbyists were attempting to bribe McNally. He began wearing a wire in 1986, recording those conversations and taking the bribe money straight to investigators. In 1989, news broke that the FBI was implicating more than 50 people in the criminal enterprise, including state Rep. Ted Ray Miller of Knoxville and Secretary of State Gentry Powell. Both men died by suicide soon afterward.
“I developed a real support of the FBI, the TBI and attorney general at that time for the state,” McNally says. “I also found out that there were good and honest legislators, and we had some who were the bad apples in the bushel.”
McNally has had successes and failures during his time in the legislature. He notes DUI legislation, tort reform and a bill allowing “good-faith exceptions” to the state’s exclusionary rule among his wins. McNally also recalls losing budgeting battles, and decisions that led to a loss of the state’s AAA bond rating.
“Most of the important issues over time, I eventually won,” McNally says.
But during McNally’s time as lieutenant governor, he has overseen a Senate that has passed controversial legislation, some of it targeting marginalized groups — including bills that have targeted transgender rights. Republicans wrote a bill in 2023 to ban gender-affirming care including puberty blockers and hormone treatments for minors. The Supreme Court of the United States ultimately upheld the law in 2025.
The Senate also stalled on passing significant legislation during a special session of the General Assembly called in the wake of 2023’s Covenant School shooting. Gov. Bill Lee set forth 18 topics for the session, but the Senate passed only three bills: one increasing funding to provide firearms locks to Tennessee residents upon request, one tightening the timeline for court clerks to provide certain criminal-case information to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and one requiring the TBI to report on human trafficking. Covenant families argued at the time that none of the legislation truly hit at the heart of why lawmakers were brought together for that August session.
In 2025, lawmakers targeted DEI initiatives at public institutions. Also that year, Republican
leadership voted to enact vouchers with Gov. Bill Lee’s Education Freedom Scholarships — sweeping legislation that allows public tax dollars to pay for private school educations. Republicans and Democrats are still quarreling this session over expanding the program.
Despite a career spent rising through the ranks, McNally says he didn’t initially imagine himself in a higher role — but he’s nevertheless served as the lieutenant governor since 2017.
“At one time, I thought I might run for governor,” he says. “I gave that idea up rather quickly. Being a governor, it has much greater management responsibility than the speaker of the Senate. Though Speaker [Cameron] Sexton and I have a lot of responsibility, it’s nothing compared to that.
“I thought that in the House, wanting more was being on the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee,” he continues. “Then it was the Senate, and when an opportunity rose, it was the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee. Then it was being the chairman of the committee. I thought that was the pinnacle, but your expectations change sometimes.”
In the past decade, McNally has faced personal strife. His health concerns started in 2023 with heart issues, and that same year he received criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike — and ridicule on Saturday Night Live — for leaving comments on a young gay man’s revealing Instagram posts. He ultimately survived a no-confidence vote from his colleagues following the scandal.
Reflecting on his nearly five-decade tenure, McNally says he considers himself a centrist Republican. In a time when politics is often a game of extremes, he says he thinks people like himself can still exist inside the Tennessee General Assembly.
“It’s just a feeling that I have,” he says. “I think things tend to try to balance themselves out, and even though there are swings sometimes — just like things like the economy — it rebalances.”
McNally won’t say who he’d like to see take his place as leader of the Senate. He says all three men who have expressed interest in the position — Sens. Bo Watson (R-Hixson), Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin) and Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) — could do the job. But he does list the qualities he believes his replacement must have, and notes that he has maintained strong relationships with former Speaker of the House Beth Harwell and former Govs. Phil Bredesen — a Democrat — and Bill Haslam.
“I think one of the most important things is the ability to listen to others and respect people with their point of view that might be different from yours,” McNally says. “Government can’t do everything and shouldn’t try to do everything. There still has to be a lot of individual freedom. At the same time, you need strong leaders who are fiscally responsible. Who the public can trust and lead the public in the proper way.” ▼
F d & Drink Strip Ma Gems
STRIP MALLS ARE more than a simple capitalistic necessity, dotting the landscape across this great continent of ours. Amid their UPS Stores, Papa John’s outposts and vape outlets, strip malls also hold cultural portals — independent establishments, from barbershops and nail salons to buffets and takeout spots, that can transport us.
Upon his death in 2018, the great Los Angeles food critic Jonathan Gold was termed “the Sultan of Stripmalls” by fellow food writer Justin Bolois. This is because Gold — who got his start at an alternative-weekly newspaper much like the Scene and later became the first food critic in history to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism — wrote more about strip mall eateries than any journalist ever had and likely ever will. Gold taught high-minded food snobs and everyday consumers alike that the best food in the world isn’t cooked solely at fine-dining, white-tablecloth establishments by chefs with degrees from the Culinary Institute of America. You just might eat some of the best meals of your life around the corner at the local strip mall.
In this week’s issue, our annual Food & Drink Issue, Scene staff and contributors have rounded up 35 of Nashville’s finest strip-mall-based restaurants. Some of them are run by first-generation immigrants. Some are run by lifelong Nashvillians. Some have earned recognition from the Michelin Guide, or are helmed by James Beard Award semifinalists. Some are cash-only. But from pho and barbecue to hot pot and tacos, they all have something special going on. Did we stretch the definition of strip mall ever so slightly on one or two entries? Possibly. Who cares. The lineup is strong.
Read on, and then go eat. —D.
PATRICK RODGERS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
SOME OF THE CITY’S BEST, MOST DIVERSE AND MOST DELICIOUS RESTAURANTS CAN BE FOUND IN STRIP MALLS. HERE ARE 35 OF THEM.
604 GALLATIN AVE., NO. 203
ALEBRIJENASH.COM
Alebrije chef Edgar Victoria describes his innovative Mexico City street food as “if Momofuku was Mexican.” Sitting at the small chef’s counter enjoying his presentations of beautifully plated small dishes, it’s not difficult to agree with that assertion. Victoria is especially proud of his masa, made from imported corn that he grinds and nixtamalizes himself. He’s also determined to introduce locals to masa-made products that aren’t just tortillas as part of a taco or a burrito. Huaraches are literally a type of Mexican sandal, but as a food dish, they are fried, oblong, thick-rolled slabs of delicious masa that allow the corn to become one of the stars of the dish, rather than just a vessel for taco toppings. Victoria tops his huarache with vibrant salsa verde, creamy queso fresco, cilantro and salsa macha, a smoky condiment made from dried chiles, crushed nuts and seeds, like a Mexican chili crisp. Take that, David Chang! CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN
PHOTO: ANGELINA CASTILLO
Anatolia Turkish Restaurant
48 WHITE BRIDGE ROAD
ANATOLIA-RESTAURANT.COM
Since 2003, long before Trader Joe’s attracted hordes to the Lion’s Head Village parking lot, Anatolia has been a destination for diners. The menu is plentiful with Turkish-American favorites. The sampler platter — with stuffed grape leaves, hummus, phyllo dough rolls and rose-petal jam — is a good way to try a number of staples before digging into the shish kabob and seafood entrées. Anatolia’s other bonus? Affordable prices at a Belle Meade address.
MARGARET LITTMAN
Back to Cuba Cafe
15568 OLD HICKORY BLVD.
BACKTOCUBACAFENASHVILLE.COM
Back to Cuba is back! After four years, this Nashville classic relocated from its small spot on Trousdale Drive to a strip in Nippers Corner, which has a lot more space. The classic Cubano is an enormous sandwich made on fresh Cuban-style bread baked in house by coowner Alejandro Martinez. It’s got two kinds of thick-sliced ham, tender pulled pork and melty cheese, topped with a thin layer of pickles, mustard and mayo. Not feeling like a sandwich? The menu is robust, featuring Cuban classics like ropa vieja, lechón asado and full fish fillets. And not only is Back to Cuba back — they’re also reproducing dishes from Mamma Mia, the defunct Italian spot that neighbored the old iteration and was owned by the same team. Thursdays feature a rotating cast of dishes from Mamma Mia’s Italian menu. ELIZABETH JONES
Taco Bamba
2708 DONELSON PIKE
BAGELSHOPNASHVILLE.COM/DONELSON
We can debate which bagels are Nashville’s best. (And heaven knows we like to debate that.) But I love Bagelshop not just for its bagels. I also love it for the kind community vibe that permeates the strip mall. I love the true mixed-use vibe of Donelson Plaza, the different chef collabs that owners Max and Kayla Palmer cultivate and the fact that I can go there for a delicious lunch sandwich on a bagel — not just a bagel. The turkey arugula on a rosemary-and-sea-salt bagel at a corner table? A workday afternoon delight. MARGARET LITTMAN
Beijing Hotpot
2000 MALLORY LANE, NO. 310, FRANKLIN
BEIJINGHOTPOTFRANKLIN.COM
Hot pot is, of course, the star of the show at this colorful Franklin restaurant, nestled in the corner of a collection of big box stores. If you can’t decide on a broth — or you’re dining with folks who are wimpy about spice — order a split pot to get new flavors out of your lineup of vegetables, noodles and proteins. Beijing Hotpot also offers an extensive menu of Chinese takeout staples and has added a dim sum menu (complete with classics like shumai and chicken feet) since opening roughly a year ago.
ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ
Cledis Burgers & Beer (Bellevue)
7648 HIGHWAY 70 S. CLEDIS.COM
Burgers do not typically occupy my mind, but the Oklahoma Smash Burger at Cledis sure does. It’s priced at $8.99, and I wouldn’t change a thing about the simple masterpiece — topped with onion, cheese, pickle and Cledis sauce. And while people may not visit strip malls in search of ambience, Cledis’ Bellevue location defies that classification. I feel at home among the ’80s and ’90s pop-culture memorabilia, which provides endless fodder for conversation — not to mention Cledis’ unmistakable Midwest vibe. (It’s a Nashville business, but owner Shane Nasby’s grandfather Cledis, for whom the restaurant was named, was from Indiana.) Cledis Bellevue is the restaurant’s second location, with the original on Elm Hill Pike and a third recently opened in The Gulch. I’m now one of the legions who have embraced this gem. HANNAH HERNER
Dear Sushi
557A STEWARTS FERRY PIKE
DEARSUSHI.US
I’m not going to pretend to be a sushi expert — I’m a big fan, but everything I like is relatively basic. (Your go-to is a crunchy shrimp roll with a few pieces of nigiri? How original!) But I have eaten a lot of sushi, and for my money, Donelson’s Dear Sushi has some of the freshest, tastiest rolls in town. Sure, it helps that it’s less than five minutes from my house, but I’d gladly travel farther to get it if necessary. With so many well-established sushi options in Nashville, Dear Sushi flies under the radar. Remedy that with a trip to the pristine eatery next time you’re in Donelson. LOGAN
Edessa Restaurant
3802 NOLENSVILLE PIKE
EDESSARESTAURANTTN.NET
I am not yet an expert on Kurdish and Turkish cuisine, but Nashville is perhaps the best place in the United States to pursue that goal. With the largest Kurdish community in the country, we are blessed to have access to establishments like Edessa Restaurant, one entry in the powerhouse selection of international cuisines that is Nolensville Pike. Start with hummus or patlican ezmesi, also known as baba ghanoush, for the table while you study the extensive menu. It’s nearly impossible to go back to grocery-store hummus after you experience Edessa’s fresh and simple offering, perfectly paired with soft pita. I suppose I’ll have to go back regularly. I’ve heard the Mediterranean diet helps you live longer, anyway. HANNAH
HERNER
FatBelly Pretzel Bakery & Deli
921 GALLATIN AVE.
FATBELLYPRETZEL.COM
Every so often I eat a sandwich that changes my life. A sandwich that, from the very first bite, you know to be unequivocally good. That’s what I experienced last year when I ate the Hamma Mia! at FatBelly Pretzel Bakery & Deli for the first time. Composed of ham, salami, mozzarella, artichoke cream, chili crisp, arugula and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar — all on fresh sourdough focaccia — the sandwich is delightfully flavorful and anything but boring. With a menu full of equally exciting sandwiches, salads and sweet and savory pretzels, there’s no shortage of options when dining at FatBelly. Housed next door to a physiotherapy office on Gallatin Avenue, its unassuming appearance makes it a sleeper pick for one of East Nashville’s best delis.
JULIANNE AKERS
2051 ANTIOCH PIKE
HAIWOONDAITN.COM
In the corner unit of a low-slung strip mall on Antioch Pike, its various businesses dotted with small green awnings, is Hai Woon Dai — a self-described “Korean soul food & BBQ” joint. There are plenty of top-tier classics here, including beef bulgogi, bibimbap and a can’t-miss lineup of spicy soups and noodle dishes. But if you’re looking for a capital-E Experience, particularly with a group of four or more meat eaters, I implore you to go the barbecue route. Select the combination of meats that most speaks to you, and your server will help you prepare it right there at your table’s little in-set grill. (If your party is big and hungry enough, go with the H Combo, which features everything from pork belly and ribeye to marinated short rib and thinly sliced brisket. If you want to skip the barbecue experience, sit at a grill-free table up front.) With many great drink options, an adorable atmosphere and very helpful servers, Hai Woon Dai is a sneaky excellent spot for double (or triple) dates and birthday celebrations.
D. PATRICK RODGERS
HoneyFire Barbeque (Bellevue)Co.
8127 SAWYER BROWN ROAD, SUITE 304 HONEYFIRE.COM
The massive One Bellevue Place development off Highway 70 has many local food options. But tucked back by the complex’s AMC Bellevue 12 theater is one of the best barbecue restaurants in the city. HoneyFire’s burnt ends in particular are a flavor explosion — double-smoked brisket with brown sugar that caramelizes in the oven, leaving a crispy exterior over melt-in-your-mouth tender bites. Don’t skip the tricolor baked beans or the banana pudding (the latter made with Nutter Butters!). HoneyFire also has a location downtown in the Assembly Food Hall, with another coming soon to Brentwood. ELIZABETH
JONES
PHOTO: ERIC
King Tut’s
3716 NOLENSVILLE PIKE
KINGTUTSNASHVILLE.COM
What’s this I keep hearing about “the Mediterranean diet”? I can only hope it involves doctor’s orders to eat at King Tut’s every day that Chef Rocky and his crew are open at their brick-and-mortar spot near the zoo. The man is such a master of flavors and techniques that he can capture my imagination with something as seemingly simple as grilled eggplant. Whenever we have time, folks in my circle like to just let him work his magic on whatever he’s cooking that day via the rotating mezze plate, but if you’re in need of a bite on the go, the falafel plate elevates the humble cake of fried chickpea batter to rarified heights. Plus, despite the beautiful covered patio being located on the back corner of a horseshoe-shaped shopping center, sitting there on a nice day feels like taking a vacation. STEPHEN
TRAGESER
Lemongrass Thai
73 WHITE BRIDGE ROAD, NO. 107 LEMONGRASSNASHVILLE.COM
You have to be careful if you invite a friend to dine with you at Lemongrass Thai. It’s a common name for Thai restaurants, and there are others in Brentwood and Murfreesboro — plus there used to be one in Bellevue. So when I ask my friend to join me, I say, “It’s the one in the same strip mall on White Bridge as J. Alexander’s.” This is a very intentional choice of phrasing for me, because I’ve always admired how J. Alexander’s has managed to remain so dependably excellent through the years, no matter which location I visit. Is the food transcendent? Not usually, but it’s solid and stolid and delicious. That’s also how I feel about Lemongrass Thai. With a menu of Thailand’s greatest hits (among Westerners) plus some deeper cuts and a few Japanese options, there’s something for just about everyone to love on the menu. CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN
Miss Saigon
5849 CHARLOTTE PIKE
MISSSAIGONTN.COM
Miss Saigon got me started on Vietnamese food. This Old Nashville staple, opened in 1998, has converted my naive taste buds. It’s a great quiet place to have a deep conversation (to talk to a potential date, or to ensure that folks with hearing challenges can hear you). It’s also a great pho spot, but I am partial to the soft spring rolls and the cold vermicelli noodles served with chicken and an egg roll. Miss Saigon lives in a powerful strip on Charlotte Pike that also includes beloved international grocery store K&S World Market. I love shopping at K&S, but I leave preparation of delicious Vietnamese dishes to Miss Saigon. HANNAH HERNER
PHOTO: ANGELINA CASTILLO
Mozzarella Pizzeria
3912 LEBANON PIKE, HERMITAGE MOZZARELLAPIZZERIA.COM
There’s true joy in discovering a hidden gem in a strip mall — locating a new favorite in an unassuming spot. Mozzarella Pizzeria is the latest dose of that for me. This particular strip mall parking lot and Mozzarella’s neighbors don’t scream “delicious restaurant.” But when you get hit with that mouthwatering aroma upon entry, you’ll know you’ve found the right place. If I’m craving pasta, Mozzarella Pizzeria’s chicken Alfredo has become my top draft pick. The pizzas are great too — order a supreme or the House Favorite (pepperoni, sausage and mushrooms), and you won’t be disappointed.
LOGAN BUTTS
8121 SAWYER BROWN ROAD NINKI-NASHVILLE.COM
When the venerable strip mall Belle Meade Plaza was demolished, I worried about the future of my go-to spot Ninki. The Japanese hibachi and sushi mainstay has risen from the rubble and made the leap to One Bellevue Plaza (not far from the aforementioned HoneyFire), adding Korean barbecue grills at the new location. I’ve never had a bad night witnessing a hibachi performance, but the restaurant’s regular table service (sans fire) is still a vibe — and one with close proximity to the hibachi. In addition to the traditional chicken hibachi dish, I love the Dancing Girl Roll if I’m in the mood for sushi — and the classic house salad with ginger dressing and miso soup hits every time. Plus, the new location near AMC Bellevue 12 makes it an easy dinner-and-a-movie date locale. From one strip mall to another, Ninki remains a favorite west of the Cumberland River. HANNAH
HERNER
701 PORTER ROAD
NOKONASHVILLE.COM
How beautiful is it that one of Nashville’s most popular fine-dining destinations — and the readers’ poll winner for Best Restaurant in the Scene’s 2025 Best of Nashville issue — is located in a strip mall? (That is, so long as you consider East Nashville’s Shops at Porter East a strip mall, which for the purposes of this far-ranging roundup we most certainly do.) From bluefin tuna crudo to a decadent 42-ounce tomahawk ribeye and one of the more addictive coconut cakes I’ve ever tasted (blame it on the addition of wood-charred pineapple), founder Jon Murray, managing partner Wilson Brannock, executive chef Dung “Junior” Vo and their team have been perfecting their wood-fired, Asian-inspired dishes for three years now. And they’re doing it at a relatively high volume, in the space formerly home to Italian restaurant Pomodoro East. Murray and company put an unusually high priority on service, hoping to send diners on their way with warm memories and full stomachs. This makes Noko a prime choice for special occasions. D. PATRICK RODGERS
Noodle Essence
5539 EDMONDSON PIKE NOODLE-ESSENCE.COM
If you go to a place called Noodle Essence, it’s imperative that you get a noodle dish. The Lanzhou beef noodle soup is the signature option — the soup’s namesake Chinese city is where Noodle Essence’s chef learned to make hand-pulled noodles. Select your favorite from five noodle shape options (I’m partial to the thin, wide, flat noodle), and your soup is completed with beef bone broth, braised beef, radish, cilantro, garlic chives and chili oil. Recently rebranded from Evergreen Express in the same location, Noodle Essence has some Chinese takeout classics, but the noodle soup is the star, and is best enjoyed in the dining room. And a dry cleaner, a nail salon, a Great Clips and a UPS Store in the same strip offer elite errandstacking options when you’re through. HANNAH HERNER
21 WHITE BRIDGE ROAD
NOOSHPERSIANCUISINE.COM
Across the street from Anatolia (White Bridge Road has a lot of strip malls) is Noôsh, a newer addition to the area that opened last year. Owner Naz Kiani’s Iranian food has quickly become a Nashville essential. Friendly and knowledgeable staff are available to guide diners who are not familiar with Persian cuisine, but there’s hardly a miss on the menu if you want to go it alone. Highlights include the vegetable kebabs as part of the three-course “Feast,” saffron ice cream and fesenjan, a thick stew of walnuts and pomegranate.
MARGARET LITTMAN
Ollè Korean Eats
70 WHITE BRIDGE PIKE
OLLEKOREANEATS.COM
It’s just best practice not to shop at Trader Joe’s when you’re hungry. After fighting the old Lion’s Head Village parking lot on White Bridge Road, dodging fanatical Raising Caniacs making their second pass around the pickup window, you’re too weak to make good choices at TJ’s. (The whole store is basically one big impulse buy with wine, after all.) Fortunately, now you can quash the hunger pangs at Ollè Korean Eats just a few doors down from the home of the (recently increased) 23-cent banana. The attractive Korean cafe features a well-stocked takeaway case filled with Korean staples and banchan, as well as sweet baked goods. The menu offers classic dishes like fried cutlets and sweet/spicy/ savory bibimbap, but the dish I return to is the jeyuk kimbap. This seaweed-wrapped rice roll is stuffed with spicy marinated pork, pickled radish, crunchy veggies and egg. It’s delicious and also protein-rich, in case that’s your current obsession.
CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN
Osh Restaurant & Grill
216 THOMPSON LANE
INSTAGRAM.COM/OSHRESTAURANTGRILL
Phat Bites
2730 LEBANON PIKE PHATBITES.COM
Situated as Phat Bites is next to a Donelson hardware store — with a patio that looks over a parking lot, towering bags of mulch and Lebanon Pike — you wouldn’t think from a glance that it would be big on atmosphere. But Phat Bites is something uniquely its own on the inside, part dive bar, part hippie hangout. The all-day joint offers dishes with punny names and a deli menu featuring unusual combinations, such as a caprese with sunflower seeds. The Hummus Envy, a sample platter of different varieties of hummus with warm pita, is a reliable answer to late-night hunger pangs. MARGARET LITTMAN
I’ve never been to Uzbekistan — one of just two countries in the world that are doubly landlocked, which means they’re entirely surrounded by nations that are also landlocked — and I won’t claim fluency in its cuisine. But Osh Restaurant & Grill, tucked along Thompson Lane, is my family’s current favorite dinner spot. My 9-year-old orders the lamb kebabs without hesitation. They are seared and juicy, and far more flavorful and nuanced than typical children’s menu fare. My favorite is the lagman — a dish of noodles, broth, lamb and vegetables — which, on paper at least, seems like an unusual arrangement. But I’ve never tasted a better version of comfort food. The savory broth is rich without heaviness, and the hand-pulled noodles are tender and elastic. A side of Uzbek bread flecked with sesame seeds is essential here to soak up any leftovers.
Pho Ann
7073 HIGHWAY 70 S. PHOANNTN.COM
In a Bellevue shopping center home to a UPS Store and a Sally Beauty, Pho Ann is just about the epitome of a hidden strip mall restaurant gem. Since I moved to Nashville more than a year ago, I’ve been on the hunt for the best pho in town — and Pho Ann ranks near the top of my list. I truly believe a bowl of its ribeye and brisket pho on a rainy day could heal the deepest of wounds. I like to eat mine, in the words of my Southern family, “doctored up” with the provided hoisin sauce, bean sprouts and herbs. This paired with their red Thai milk tea with boba makes for a perfectly spent Sunday. JULIANNE AKERS
Prince’s Hot Chicken
5814 NOLENSVILLE PIKE, NO. 110 PRINCESHOTCHICKEN.COM
Newer arrivals to Nashville might not know that we came this close to not having Prince’s Hot Chicken in our lives. Through the decades, the Prince family — the originators of a dish that is now internationally popular — fought the idea of operating multiple locations, preferring to move from chicken shack to chicken shack like a hermit crab inheriting a new shell. Despite numerous opportunities to expand as far away as Dubai, Prince family matriarch André Prince Jeffries resisted until a close family friend convinced her to open a second outpost on Nolensville Road at Old Hickory Boulevard. And it’s a good thing too, because not long afterward, we were back down to one Prince’s location after a car crashed into the first strip mall location and closed that restaurant forever. (They now have several locations, including Assembly Food Hall and the Tanger Outlets in Antioch.) Even though the Prince family has chosen slow growth over accelerated growth — unlike Dave’s Hot Chicken, which grew to 300-plus locations and sold for $1 billion — when it comes to Nashville hot chicken, I still believe that Prince’s will always be the first, the best and the one I suggest! CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN
Sam’s Kabab Gyro
7114 HIGHWAY 70 S., NO. 110 SAMSKABABGYROTN.COM
One of the things I miss most about living in Bellevue is popping by Sam’s to grab a gyro while chatting a bit of soccer with the staff. Gyros are like pizza — everyone’s local spot is their favorite. But what makes Sam’s stand out is the friendly atmosphere. Excitedly discussing Egyptian soccer superstar Mo Salah while waiting for my food always puts me in a good mood. So whether you try the stuffed-to-the-brim gyro sandwich or the well-balanced gyro platter, just make sure you do two things: 1. Make the time to talk with whoever is working behind the counter; 2. Order a side of their perfectly seasoned fries. LOGAN BUTTS
MARGARET LITTMAN
By Chef Deb Paquette
Two globally influenced concepts by award-winning chef Deb Paquette. Join us at all three locations for lunch and dinner, and for weekend brunch at our newest location in Franklin.
ETCHRESTAURANT.COM | ETC.RESTAURANT
St. Pete-Clearwater’s arts scene shines like a kaleidoscope—bold murals, world-class museums, vibrant galleries, theater, and live music. And now, with the destination’s dining scene featured in the MICHELIN Guide Florida, the avors are just as inspiring.
explore St. Pete-Clearwater’s vibrant arts & dining scene.
Shotgun Willie’s BBQ
SGWBBQ.COM
1500 GALLATIN PIKE S., SUITE 104
The second of the wonderful triumvirate of restaurants at 1500 Gallatin, Shotgun Willie’s BBQ is the magnum opus of Bill Laviolette, a Texas transplant who says he still roots for the Houston Oilers — not the Tennessee Titans (née Oilers) or the Houston Texans. The dearly departed Houston Oilers. That’s how devoted he is to his Texas roots, and ever since he quadrupled his cooking and dining space by moving from Inglewood to Madison, his brand of Lone Star barbecue is even more acclaimed, earning a coveted recommendation from the global Michelin Guide. Laviolette is proud of that, but not as proud as he is of his USDA Prime brisket plate cooked in the legit Hill Country style with simple seasonings and plenty of oak smoke coming out of barbecue pits the size of spent NASA rocket boosters. CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN
SINDOORE.COM
457 DONELSON PIKE
Nashville has a strong Indian food scene, and this small restaurant — sharing a parking lot with Jimmy John’s and a vape shop — bolsters it with solid takeaway staples like chicken tikka masala and paneer saag. Don’t forget to add a hearty order of garlic naan or veggie samosas. ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ
music city, let
s brunch
s brunch! music city, let
Serving all your Southern favorites with the creativity and technique that only James Beard Award-winning and Michelin-recommended Chef John Currence can bring to the table.
PHOTO: ANGELINA CASTILLO
Sonobana Japanese Restaurant
40 WHITE BRIDGE ROAD
SONOBANANASHVILLE.COM
How many times can we remind our readers that Sonobana Japanese Restaurant on White Bridge Road is a Nashville treasure? Hey, what’s one more! Open for decades and remodeled just last year, Sonobana offers some of Nashville’s best fresh sushi. From nigiri to sashimi to maki, the West Side strip mall fixture offers sushi combos and sashimi specials that mix and match classics like tuna, yellowtail, octopus, salmon and eel. Of course, you can take a tour through the lineup of rolls, which venture into hedonistic territory with offerings like the Sunflower (avocado, cucumber, roe and dry-roasted sunflower seeds along with crab, salmon and yellowtail) and the Sweetheart (strawberries, shrimp, salmon, avocado, cream cheese, honey mango sauce … the ingredient list on that one just keeps going). But why gild the lily when the fish itself is so good? While you’re at it, pop by the delightful Sonobana Japanese Market next door.
D. PATRICK RODGERS
Taj Indian Restaurant
412 HARDING PLACE
TAJNASHVILLE.COM
A good indicator of a proper strip mall restaurant is the naming convention of Name/Food Type/“Restaurant.” Or sometimes just Nation/“Restaurant,” as in the case of one of my old favorites off Murfreesboro Road, Honduras Restaurant. At Taj, the encyclopedic menu reads like a culinary tour of India’s different foodways, and the kitchen manages to maintain incredible quality and consistency while pumping out plate after plate of dishes that represent the various cultural specialties of more than a billion people.
CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN
TashTea Cafe
5372 MT. VIEW ROAD
TASHTEA.COM
Why wait for the transformation of the former Hickory Hollow Mall site to dine in Antioch? The area already has restaurants like TashTea, Ilyas Bakla’s friendly and homey spot that offers fantastic Kurdish and Turkish cuisine with an emphasis on breakfast. You’ll find a tantalizing array of sweet and savory baked goods as well as phenomenally flavorful spreads and dishes of seasoned meats or eggs. The best way to get a taste for the menu is to order the appropriate sized TashTea meal for your party, which will bring you a sampling of delights including cheeses and olives, a filled phyllo roll called börek, your choice of meat and/or egg options and plenty of delicious bread (which I tend to eat until I’m stuffed, and then pocket the remainder of for later, like a bespectacled raccoon). Also don’t skip a pot of Kurdish tea, served with a separate pot of water to dilute to your preferred strength.
STEPHEN TRAGESER
PHOTO:
Vega Shawarma
1500 GALLATIN PIKE S., SUITE 103 VEGASHAWARMA.COM
Can you really call it a strip mall if the only tenants are all restaurants? That’s the question with the row of three businesses on the side of the parking lot where Eastside Bowl is the anchor tenant. I vote yes, because all three of the businesses have the same address but different suite numbers. (See also Shotgun Willie’s above — and I would have included the very worthy Daddy’s Dogs as another strip mall standout, but the location I tend to frequent is a stand-alone address.) The first time I visited Vega, I was proud of myself for surmising that the restaurant’s name came from the brightest star in the constellation Lyra, chef-owner Hrant Arakelian’s other East Nashville restaurant staple. My astronomy nerdhood aside, I needed help from chef Arakelian’s wife Elizabeth to choose my new favorite from the menu. She steered me toward the arayes, a griddled spicy ground lamb patty served in a pita with mint and pickled red onions alongside a labneh dipping sauce. I haven’t bothered looking at the menu since. CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN
Viet Tea Cafe
5694 NOLENSVILLE PIKE VIETTEACAFEE.COM
My Scene colleague Elizabeth Jones put it perfectly in our 2017 Love Issue when she extolled the virtues of South Nashville’s intersection of Nolensville Pike and Old Hickory Boulevard: This sprawling confluence is a strip mall paradise, holding everything you might need. Viet Tea Cafe is a newer addition to the quarter that includes a Lowe’s and Sichuan Asian Hot Pot (whose sleeper hit is its top-notch regular Chinese takeout, including my favorite General Tso’s Chicken). But Viet Tea already feels indispensable with its excellent bubble tea options, pho, spring rolls and noodle bowls, as well as its rock-solid banh mi selection. You can get a standard version or go for Chinese char siu pork — or what has surprisingly become my favorite, the one featuring tofu grilled to perfection. STEPHEN TRAGESER
PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND
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Vinh-Long
1061 MURFREESBORO PIKE
VINH-LONG.RES-MENU.NET
Before it shuttered in 2020, there existed a camera store named Dury’s on Murfreesboro Pike where I’d often find myself mid-errand and hungry before some big day. On these occasions, Vinh-Long would beckon to me from across the parking lot. I answered the call and noticed that most diners at VinhLong opt for bowls of the same gigantic, deep-red stew. Ever a follower of trends, I would order the same, and that’s how I was introduced to my reigning Top Soup: the house special Bò Kho, a beef and carrot stew. This is a soup that will open your heart and your sinuses alike, vigorously flavorful and with a warmth that transcends both its temperature and its pepper content (though both are significant). Thirteen years after I first discovered Vinh-Long, an appliance store has moved into the old Dury’s storefront, but beautiful red bowls still reign across the plaza at Vinh-Long. Cash only. ANGELINA
CASTILLO
VN Pho & Deli
5906 CHARLOTTE PIKE
CMKCHILI.COM/PAGES/VN-PHO-DELI
It’s gotten to the point that I’ve forgotten what sorts of businesses used to fill the slots in all the strip malls up and down Charlotte before the onset of vape shops. I do remember that there was apparently a lot of demand for pagers and tanning beds back in the day, but VN Pho & Deli has been the reason I frequent that particular block for more than a decade. Don’t get it twisted: The banh mi at VN is one of the finest in town, with the perfectly crunchy outside/pillowy inside French bread roll to stand up to the juicy pork or chicken inside and crunchy pickled accoutrements. But it’s the pho that has my heart at this family-run, cash-only establishment. At the first hint of chilly weather, I just have to head there for a steaming bowl of velvety bone broth piled with all five cuts in the special beef pho — steak, meatballs, flank, tendon and tripe. Why should you have to choose?
CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN ▼
SPRING INTIMATE DINNER SERIES
Features by Chris Chamberlain
ALL THE DETAILS ON THIS MONTH’S SPRING INTIMATE DINNER SERIES | APRIL 21 – 23
As part of the fantastic Music City Food & Wine Festival coming up April 24 through 26 in Centennial Park, the festival is also presenting a preamble of sorts with a series of Intimate Dinners planned across the city in the days leading up to the festival. From fun collaborations to special wine dinners to a visit from a world-renowned chef, these dinners will be once-in-a-lifetime experiences. We’ve finally reached the point where it’s neither too early nor too late to make plans to attend at least one of these special evenings — it’s exactly the right time. So read on and make good choices!
SCAN THE QR CODE TO MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS
TUESDAY APRIL 21
WEDNESDAY APRIL 22 +
AN EVENING OF LAND AND SEA HOSTED AT PRIME + PROPER
If you haven’t checked out Prime + Proper, the new luxury steakhouse that fronts Broadway on the ground floor of the Grand Hyatt, they’re offering a special progressive fixed-price menu on two nights to help make a proper introduction to the neighborhood. Showcasing their seafood program and outstanding dryaged meat options, Prime + Proper will take guests on a culinary ride from crab beignets and King Ora salmon through a family-style presentation of a Cowboy Ribeye and two versions to wagyu, crescendoing to dessert duo flourish. Along the way you’ll also enjoy a salad and side dishes along with a rhubarb sorbet to clear the palate before the beef arrives.
BUT FIRST, READ THE DETAILS ON OUR TEN INTIMATE DINNER OPTIONS
WEDNESDAY
WEDNESDAY APRIL 22 WEDNESDAY
AN EVENING WITH GATHRE HOSTED AT GATHRE AT HOTEL FRAYE
THE NEW SCHOOL WINE DINNER HOSTED AT MARSH HOUSE
AN EVENING WITH PHILIPPE CHOW HOSTED AT PHILIPPE
CHOW
It’s pretty much a rule that you can’t be a great hotel restaurant without serving a great burger to salve the souls of hungry business travelers looking for comfort at the end of a long workday. GATHRE at Hotel Fraye has that covered, and they’re leaning in with a playful Burgers & Wine dinner, where they’ll offer à la carte burger options that run the gamut from down-home Southern to internationally inspired. The helpful staff will have great wine pairings and cocktails from Tito’s Handmade Vodka ready to suggest for a fun evening, plus you get to sleep in your own bed afterwards!
Many people know that Marsh House is an excellent destination for coastal cuisine, but it should also be recognized for its excellent wine program, featuring a cellar of both domestic and Old World banger bottles. For its Intimate Dinner, Marsh House presents a special ode to California wines, specifically to smaller producers who share winemaking sensibilities with their European counterparts. Pay one price for four courses of West Coast-inspired fare prepared with Marsh House’s flair, plus five wine pairings.
World-renowned Chinese chef Phillipe Chow will visit his eponymous restaurant in Cummins Station in honor of MCFWF to offer a seafood-centric tasting menu for the evening. And if chef Chow is in the house (or really, anytime the restaurant is open), you know that the signature Peking duck will be available as an option, carved and served table side. Optional beef upgrades and wine pairings will also be available, so you should take a serious look at those.
PHOTO: ROBIN FORMUSA
PHOTOS: MARSH HOUSE
PHOTO: GATHRE
WEDNESDAY APRIL 22
SPRING WINE PAIRING DINNER HOSTED AT V MODERN ITALIAN
Reservations will be available all evening at V Modern Italian, and the standard menu will be on offer, but you lucky readers will be in on the skinny. In addition to their regular fare, V Modern Italian will offer a special ode to spring menu that evening, featuring highlights like Spring Stracciatella, a refreshing Peach Salad and an indulgent Vodka Rossa entrée, all paired with premium wines from LUX Portfolio Wines. Do I know what “Red Vodka” is? No, I do not, but color me intrigued.
THURSDAY APRIL 23
UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN HOSTED AT CULACCINO ITALIAN RESTAURANT AND BAR
While the original location of Culaccino is in Downtown Franklin, this is the Music City Food & Wine Festival, not the I-65 Exit 71 Food and Wine Festival, so this Intimate Dinner will take place at Culaccino Nashville. You can certainly get a great meal at either outpost, but Nashville Yards is the place to go for a six-course Italian feast paired with the outstanding wines of Banfi, a celebrated producer based at the historic Castello Banfi estate in Montalcino, Tuscany. The pairings will run the gamut from spirited white wines to big, bold reds, and the food will be specifically selected to stand up to the wines.
THURSDAY APRIL 23
FIRST TASTE OF SPRING HOSTED AT DEACON’S NEW SOUTH
They will be celebrating spring at Deacon’s New South with a special multicourse dinner featuring a selection of seasonal dishes, including a chilled spring crab cake, spring strawberry salad with burrata and arugula, bourbon-glazed short rib and airline chicken, along with additional menu options for guests to choose from and pairings from Nelson’s Green Brier and Hedges Wines. To be clear, “airline chicken” doesn’t mean it fell out of the sky or that you’ll have to wait hours to be served. It’s just another name for a breast that is cooked with the wing drumette still attached. The more you know ...
THURSDAY APRIL 23
ROOFTOP CRAWFISH BOIL
HOSTED AT KIMPTON AERSTON NASHVILLE ROOFTOP, WOODLEA
If you’ve ever been fortunate enough to enjoy a trip to The Rabbit Hole, the intimate four-seat table hidden away in the kitchen at Henley, you know how the kitchen loves to have fun with their guests. While that may be one of the most “intimate” dinners in town, for MCFW, Henley has invited their friends from The Shack & The Skillet to throw a crawfish boil and hootenanny to kick off the weekend. The Roux du Bayou Cajun band will perform while the cooking team boils up crawfish, corn, potatoes and sausage, all served on tables covered with butcher paper as God intended. Your ticket includes a welcome pint courtesy of Bearded Iris plus tequila tastings from G4 tequila. Aiyee!
THURSDAY APRIL 23
SUPPER CLUB SERIES HOSTED AT NELSON’S GREEN BRIER DISTILLERY
The team at Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery will be celebrating all things honey as they celebrate the release of their special Honey Cask whiskey with their Intimate Dinner offering. From a Grapefruit-Honey Bourbon Spritz welcome cocktail through four courses of honey-inspired food and drink, with highlights including a grilled NY steak with black garlic glaze, housemade farm cheese w/ fresh honeycomb and spring peas, fermented garlic honey spread on spent grain foccacia — they definitely hope you’ll “bee” sweet and attend their dinner.
THURSDAY APRIL 23
TAILOR’S CHAMPAGNE DINNER HOSTED AT TAILOR
Really, any meal at Tailor is an “intimate dinner” and a special occasion, as chef-owner Vivek Surti welcomes guests into his restaurant like participants at a cheerful dinner party at his home, regaling them with stories of what inspired each course. The chef is also known for his love of bubbles, and he has created a special menu paired entirely with Champagne and Champagne cocktails. If you’re lucky (and Vivek’s insurance agent doesn’t read this article), he might even pull out the old saber for a dramatic bottle opening!
AT CENTENNIAL PARK
APRIL 24
SOUTHERN FRIED HOOTENANNY TASTING EVENT
APRIL 25
GRAND TASTING EVENT
APRIL 26
FOOD FAIRE MARKET AND GOSPEL BRUNCH
Savor unlimited bites and sips from Nashville’s best restaurants, enjoy chef demonstrations, unlimited libations, live music and fun all weekend long!
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SATURDAY, APRIL 18
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NASHVILLE EARTH DAY
If you’d like a free tree this weekend, Centennial Park is the place to be. There will be 1,500 of them ready to go to their new homes. While you’re there, why not stick around for Nashville’s official Earth Day celebration, produced by the Centennial Park Conservancy? There will also be some free helmets, an electric car show, a free yoga class and a parade for kids to participate in. Turnip Green Creative Reuse will have craft supplies to share, and an artisan market will feature small businesses offering local options for recycled, reused, up-cycled and natural products. In all, there will be 75 exhibitors and vendors, plus food trucks and adult beverages. Like any good Nashville event, Earth Day at the Centennial Park Bandshell will feature live music, with The Watson Twins, Phillip-Michael Scales, Rico Del Oro, Alex Wong and Bonner Black. Having recently watched that movie in which Ryan Gosling has to partner with an alien to save the planet, I am feeling invigorated and ready to celebrate Earth Day. HANNAH HERNER
11 A.M. AT CENTENNIAL PARK
2500 WEST END AVE.
THURSDAY
/ 4.16
BOOKS
[GIRL ON FIRE] EMMA STRAUB AUTHOR EVENT
Emma Straub is every reading woman’s girl crush. She has a thriving writing career, a vibrant wardrobe and an indie bookstore in Brooklyn. Basically, she’s the evolved version of Meg Ryan’s character in You’ve Got Mail Somehow, despite raising a business alongside two kids, she has written seven books. The only explanation for this level of output is pure dedication and talent … and maybe some magic. Her latest release, American Fantasy, is about a middle-aged woman rediscovering herself on a 1990s boy band cruise. Sold! Thursday night, Straub will be joined in conversation by local author and Parnassus book buyer Lindsay Lynch. The quality that makes Straub the most crushworthy? She doesn’t seem at all pretentious, so this event will feel like sitting down with your best friend. TOBY ROSE
6:30 P.M. AT PARNASSUS BOOKS
3900 HILLSBORO PIKE
MUSIC
[DOTS AND DASHES] MORSE CODE
East Nashville multihyphenate Korby Lenker seems to do a little bit of everything. He’s an accomplished singer-songwriter known for issuing confessional, power-poppy Americana like the tunes you’ll find on 2021’s Man in the Maroon. He’s an actor and filmmaker whose TV pilot Morse Code provides a fictionalized, heartfelt and playful depiction of what it’s like to struggle in the trenches as a journeyman performer and songwriter in Nashville. And he’s the host of an East Nashville-based podcast, also called Morse Code, in which he shares intimate, humorous long-form chats with musicians like Aaron Lee Tasjan, Bre Kennedy, Lera Lynn, Jerry Pentecost, Erin Rae and Will Hoge, as well as local journalists and media personalities including WNXP’s Celia Gregory, comedian Andi Marie Tillman and occasional Scene contributor Craig Havighurst. Unlike a lot of what some might call “chatcasts,” Morse Code isn’t dull or self-indulgent. It’s a far-ranging show about art and culture with a host who knows when to guide the conversation and when to stay out of the way. On Thursday, Lenker will celebrate the 100th episode of Morse Code with a special
live show at The 5 Spot, featuring performances from Lenker and the aforementioned Kennedy and Tillman, as well as Leah Blevins, Tim Easton, Paul McDonald and others, not to mention an interview with author Tyler Merritt. Be there to help Lenker celebrate a big accomplishment.
D. PATRICK RODGERS
6 P.M. AT THE 5 SPOT 1006 FOREST AVE.
THEATER
[STRESSED
AND DEPRESSED]
THE THEATER BUG: STUCK IN YOUR HEAD
The Theater Bug first introduced its youth writing program The Playground back in 2022, offering a perfect way to amplify young voices while honoring its commitment to new works. The year-round program provides a host of creative and educational opportunities, plus professional mentorship and an annual shortplay festival. Each year, one young writer is selected to develop their idea into a fully staged production. You can catch The Playground’s latest installment, as the Bug presents Stuck in Your Head this weekend at the 4th Story Theater at West End United Methodist Church. Penned by James Walker, Stuck in Your Head follows a “self-conscious high schooler, steered by conflicting voices in her head — including a hyper-stressed Angel Clown and a depressed Demon Bear.” A senior at Renaissance High School in Franklin, Walker is an 18-year-old multimedia artist with a real passion for writing, music and storytelling, and Stuck in Your Head promises to be a thoughtful and wildly imaginative script. The always reliable Leslie Marberry directs a terrific young ensemble, who will be joined by established actor and Nashville favorite Jon Royal. Audiences can also look forward to set design by Diana DeGarmo and costumes by Melodie Madden Adams. AMY STUMPFL
APRIL 16-19 AT THE 4TH STORY THEATER AT WEST END
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
2200 WEST END AVE.
SATURDAY / 4.18
MUSIC [THAT’S MINT] SPENCER CULLUM’S COIN COLLECTION 3 ALBUM RELEASE
Some folks collect things for the status they confer, or perhaps the knowledge or simple satisfaction gleaned from having them. It’s a bit different for Nashville musician Spencer Cullum, a U.K.-born singer-songwriter who’s also long been an in-demand steel player. The conceit of the run of solo LPs he started in 2021 is that his friendships with talented musicians are like rare coins he’s collected, and he shares them in light that lets them shine. Listening to a new Coin Collection LP for the first time is a fun trip, exploring the latest iteration of Cullum’s patchwork quilt of English folk-influenced pastoral psych and finding out where instrumentalists and songsmiths like Erin Rae, Allison de Groot, Annie Williams and Cullum’s Shrunken Elvis bandmates Rich Ruth and Sean Thompson fit in. He announced that the third installment, released March 27, will be the last. This time, Cullum is reflecting on the current painful state of humankind, including our disconnection from and sometimes wanton disrespect for the natural world, sometimes using a folk-horror perspective: “I made my own A24 horror film,” Cullum says, quoted in the liner notes. Come join him for one last Coin show, featuring Annie Williams and Rich Ruth.
STEPHEN TRAGESER
7 P.M. AT RANDOM SAMPLE
4904 CHARLOTTE AVE.
BOOKS [SPELLBOUND] MYSTICAL BOOK MARKET
A little more than a year ago, Shadowed Pages Bookshop arrived on the bookish scene in Nashville. Owned by attorneys Britney Kennedy Pope and Summer Owens Robinson, the mobile bookstore was born from a desire to share the love of all things fantasy, romance and spooky. Since then, Shadowed Pages has
popped up at fairs, breweries and bars, and is now hosting its own Mystical Book Market to celebrate the store’s first anniversary. Pop into Rosemary & Beauty Queen to pick up a new book, and also enjoy tarot readings and other local vendors. Some of the goodies you can expect: Literary Roots with indoor plants for sale, artwork from Amanita Art, clothing and stickers from Minor Inconvenience, baked goods from Sassy B’s Bites and vintage pieces from Lost & Local. If you’re looking for bookish goods, make sure to stop by Clay & Clover Earring Co. for book-themed jewelry or pick up some soap from The Village Makery. The event is free and kicks off at noon. TINA DOMINGUEZ
NOON AT ROSEMARY & BEAUTY QUEEN 1102 FOREST AVE.
BOOKS [NEVERMORE]
THE RAVEN BOOK LOUNGE GRAND OPENING
Part cocktail lounge, part bookstore, part event space, The Raven Book Lounge promises to be the new bookish destination in Brentwood. The lounge, owned by Danniele Reeves, has been teased since the fall via TikTok, but will officially open its doors on Saturday. The concept came to Reeves after the untimely death of her husband in 2025, and was created to bring folks together through a shared love of literature. Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, the lounge has curated vintage touches and plenty of bookshelves around the space. Guests can enjoy a drink at their full liquor bar, plus mocktails and coffee options, and a small tasting menu. Stop by the grand opening party to enjoy a glass of wine and a new book, and stay for giveaways and door prizes throughout the day. Make sure to follow the store on Instagram at @theravenbooklounge for news of future events, including local author signings. TINA DOMINGUEZ
2 P.M. AT THE RAVEN BOOK LOUNGE 330 FRANKLIN ROAD, BRENTWOOD
[KEEP IT CLEAN]
COMMUNITY
EARTH DAY IN THE HOOD
A clean home is a happy home — and that applies to the home that every human being shares, our planet. Nashville could also use some love and care. For the third straight year, local nonprofit Recycle & Reinvest is taking a weekend to clean up overlooked Black and brown neighborhoods in Nashville with its Earth Day in the Hood event. Get ready to get up early Saturday and meet at one of three locations across town (one in South Nashville, one in North Nashville and one in East Nashville). The goal is to restore public spaces and learn what building community is all about. Not only will you get to clean up the place you call home, but you can also pull up to the Nashville Public Library’s Pruitt branch for the main event. Earth Day in the Hood will continue from 12:30 to 5 p.m., sharing resources and eco-friendly activities, and throwing a sustainable fashion showcase and hip-hop performance. The weekend concludes Sunday with a private screening of B.4.L: The Environmental Justice Army — a documentary
about how hip-hop, environmental justice and grassroots organizing connect — at the library’s Bordeaux branch. For meet-up locations and more, visit events.humanitix.com/earth-day-inthe-hood JASMIN ENRIQUEZ MARTINEZ APRIL 18-19 AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS
ART [DOWN LOW] LOWBROW-ISH
Here, in the metamodern present, gallery spaces no longer limit themselves to the paintings, drawings and sculptures that once made up traditional fine-art presentations in the 20th century. Nowadays crafts, fashion, performance and forms from popular culture might all be found in commercial galleries and institutional spaces. Several years ago, Rock Wall Gallery’s Ryan Rado founded Lowbrow — an annual exhibition highlighting a who’swho of Nashville’s local tattoo artists. After a recent pause, the event returns to Rock Wall this weekend with Lowbrow-ish, a display featuring Rachael Cunningham’s exquisite blackwork botanical designs, Trevor Tuck’s vintage Americana tats and more than a dozen of Music City’s best ink-slingers. JOE NOLAN
OPENING RECEPTION 6-9 P.M.; THROUGH MAY 31 AT ROCK WALL GALLERY
438 HOUSTON ST.
ART [RETURNING HOME]
METANOIA:
A CHANGE OF HEART/ MIND
Middle Tennessee-based artist Katelin Schutt’s oil paintings on canvas capture rites and rituals performed by female figures swallowed by shadows and lit by fire. These works swirl with chiaroscuro mysteries and campfire smoke between dancing, crouching and gesturing characters in narratives that evoke ancient recollections of caves and firelight, and the birth of religion and creative consciousness. Schutt is largely self-taught and smartly leans into a style that might resemble an Italian comic book from the 17th century. I’m calling it Baroque ’n’ Roll. The works themselves are titled with alchemical terms, elemental references and names from the Greek pantheon. Schutt’s dramatic compositions and historical references combine in a show that feels simultaneously timeless and up-to-theminute, reminding viewers that our individual struggles with personal growth and change are also our most human and universal.
JOE NOLAN
OPENING RECEPTION 7-9 P.M.; THROUGH MAY 16 AT ELECTRIC SHED
254 MORTON AVE.
FILM [LIFE ON MARS] SCIENCE ON SCREEN: THE MARTIAN
The folks who run the Belcourt’s Science on Screen series must’ve known that the Ryan Gosling space odyssey Project Hail Mary would be a monster hit. As the film continues to kill at the multiplexes, the local arthouse will close out this year’s series with the 2015 sci-fi dramedy The Martian, adapted from Project Hail Mary author Andy Weir’s 2011 novel. (Both films were also adapted by Cloverfield/World War Z screenwriter Drew Goddard.) After confusing
STUCK IN YOUR HEAD
ROUNDS FOR HOPE
A BENEFIT SHOW FOR HOPE ON THE ROW FEATURING HIT SONGWRITERS
RYAN HURD, JIMMY ROBBINS, SUMMER OVERSTREET & MORE
7 PM DOORS • 8 PM SHOW
THURSDAY 4/16
4/17
4/22 FAETOOTH with LATTER, SOAP BOX DERBY
the fuck outta everyone with his Alien prequel Prometheus, Ridley Scott went the kinder, gentler route with his next space opera. In this one, Matt Damon is the charming-ass white dude far away from home, and an all-star cast (Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Donald Glover, Kristen Wiig) works together to get him back to Earth. As Scott Wilson wrote in these pages, this “conspicuously expert display of high Hollywood tech … finds ample dramatic heft in leveraging will, teamwork and ingenuity against fear and unforgiving science.”
Calhoun Community College technology instructor Chris Crumbly and aerospace engineer Tracie Prater will be around for a post-screening discussion. CRAIG D. LINDSEY 2:30 P.M. AT THE BELCOURT 2102 BELCOURT AVE.
Men’s Rugby World Cup and the 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup, this matchup could be a test for the city’s excitement level. LOGAN BUTTS
2 P.M. AT GEODIS PARK
501 BENTON AVE.
COMEDY
[BORN TO BE WILD] ALBERT BROOKS
SUNDAY / 4.19
FILM [PUNCH PAIRING]
WEEKEND CLASSICS: SPIELBERG: MINORITY REPORT & RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
APRIL LINE UP
4.19 Dixieland Delight: Hotter Than a Hoochie Coochie 90s Country Tribute
4.21 Buddy’s Place Writer’s Round w/ Preston James, Meg McRee, Patrick Murphy
4.22 Adam Hood, John Baumann
4.23 Flat River Band
4.24 Melodies For Miracles: A Benefit for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital w/ George James, Chloe Lawson, Shelby Lee Lowe, John Pate, Dan Minogue, Sofia Nargentino, Tae Wright
4.25 Jeff Hyde
4.30 Bryan White WRITERS’ ROUNDS
Steven Spielberg is good at conjuring a lot of things — awe, wonder, even terror. It’s why he’s arguably cinema’s GOAT. But something he does better than just about anyone else, even though it’s brought up less than some of the other skills on his résumé, is directing action sequences. Spielberg knows where to move the camera and how to block the scene so that the audience always knows where everyone is and what the stakes are. Think about the dazzling opening of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom or the visceral Omaha Beach sequence in Saving Private Ryan. Those skills are on display throughout the 1981 instant-classic action-adventure romp Raiders of the Lost Ark and the 2002 tech noir Minority Report — two movies that are, essentially, one set piece after another, strung together at a breakneck pace. Catch them in a rip-roaring doubleheader on Sunday as part of the Belcourt’s Weekend Classics: Spielberg series. Both films are screening multiple times over the next week (visit belcourt.org for showtimes), but Sunday is your sole opportunity to catch them back to back. LOGAN BUTTS
MINORITY REPORT AT NOON, RAIDERS OF THE LAST ARK AT
3 P.M. AT THE BELCOURT
2102 BELCOURT AVE.
SPORTS
[IN THE SCRUM] MUSIC CITY RUGBY SHOWDOWN
The rugby scene in Nashville is on the rise, which is why Major League Rugby chose Geodis Park to host a showdown between Eastern Conference rivals the Chicago Hounds and the New England Free Jacks on Sunday. The inaugural Music City Rugby Showdown features the Hounds seeking revenge for last season’s one-point conference finals loss to the three-time defending champion Free Jacks and reigning MVP Paula Balekana. It will be the first non-soccer sporting event hosted at Geodis and the first Major League Rugby match to take place in the state. With Nashville on the short list of potential host cities for both the 2031
If I were going to compare the writer, actor, comedian and filmmaker Albert Brooks to a rock ’n’ roll musician, I might say he’s similar to Randy Newman. Like Newman, Brooks is a Los Angeles native who comes from a showbusiness family, and they share a deadpan approach and a mastery of humor. In other words, Brooks makes me laugh immoderately, and his early work — check out his 1975 track “Phone Calls From Americans,” from that year’s album A Star Is Bought — helps define the 1970s and ’80s as a post-countercultural era. Brooks turns the utopian dreams of the ’60s on their head in his 1985 movie Lost in America, in which he and co-star Julie Hagerty hit the road in search of the thrills they can’t find as well-compensated professionals in L.A. Lost in America includes a classic scene between Brooks and Garry Marshall you won’t want to miss. I admire all of Brooks’ films, and he’s funny because he’s so reasonable in the face of absurdity. As he told Letterboxd writer Mitchell Beaupre earlier this year, “I like the idea of making mistakes. I like to show that in the movies.” Like all great comedic writer-directors, Brooks has created his own universe in his films — sometimes mistakes are the best. Brooks will appear with guest host Kevin Pollak as part of the Nashville Comedy Festival. EDD HURT 7 P.M. AT THE FISHER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 2020 BELMONT BLVD.
MONDAY / 4.20
FILM [BYE FELICIA]
MUSIC CITY MONDAYS: FRIDAY
The Belcourt will celebrate 420 Day with a Music City Mondays screening (in glorious 35 mm!) of Friday, the 1995 stoner classic that proved that it isn’t all drive-bys in the ’hood. Some funny shit happens, too. (The movie even beat the Wayans brothers’ spoof/mouthful Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood by nearly a year.) Star/cowriter Ice Cube began his pivot from scary-ass rapper/actor to comedy figure with this flick, as he and then-rising comic Chris Tucker play South Central buddies just sitting on the porch, literally smoking the day away as they interact with the crazy characters in their neighborhood. While Cube would go on to drop two buckwild sequels (with comedian Mike Epps replacing Tucker as Cube’s damn-fool cousin), Friday is still the outrageous OG. And am I the only one who thinks this lowbrow laughfest is basically Waiting for Godot in the Hood? Hit the pen before the screening and see if you get the same vibe.
CRAIG D.
TUESDAY / 4.21
MUSIC
[ROGER, WILCO] CUT WORMS
The songs of Brooklyn’s Max Clarke — who releases albums under the name Cut Worms, a reference to William Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell — are more than the sum of their parts. Plenty of contemporary artists make country-tinged indie folk with thoughtful, introspective lyrics, but few have Cut Worms’ knack for intoxicating melodies and careful ear for balanced arrangements. Clarke found a kindred spirit in fellow folk songster Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, who produced Cut Worms’ latest, Transmitter, at Wilco’s Loft studio in Chicago. Tweedy’s influence is clear on Transmitter tunes like “Walk in an Absent Mind,” with its shades of Being There, and the upbeat “Long Weekend,” which is more spiritually indebted to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Transmitter, Cut Worms’ fourth longplayer for stalwart indie label Jagjaguwar, never lulls across its 10 tracks, and is sparing with its flourishes. (Am I the only one who hears echoes of The The’s “This Is the Day” in the accordion outro of “Evil Twin”?) But it makes an impression, and will no doubt sound first-rate in The Basement East on April 21, when Cut Worms will appear with support from Liam Kazar. D. PATRICK RODGERS
8 P.M. AT THE BASEMENT EAST
917 WOODLAND ST.
MUSIC
[THE NAME IS BOOTSY, BABY!] BOOTSY’S BACK — BUT HE NEVER LEFT!
Following the release of his debut album Stretchin’ Out in Bootsy’s Rubber Band in 1976, former James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic bassist-vocalist William “Bootsy” Collins stepped into the spotlight and never looked back, funking his way into popular music history. Known for his monster bass lines and comic vocals, Collins is one of the pioneers of funk. In honor of the 50th anniversary of Stretchin’ Out in Bootsy’s Rubber Band, the National Museum of African American Music is hosting an intimate conversation with Collins on April 21, moderated by Marcus K. Dowling and titled Bootsy’s Back — but He Never Left. Originally scheduled for Jan. 29 but postponed because of the winter storm, the conversation will cover Collins’ groundbreaking career, enduring influence and ever-evolving artistry. Interestingly, Collins’ first session with Brown was in Nashville in 1970 at Starday-King Studios on Dickerson Pike, where they recorded the seminal funk track “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine.” In addition to the moderated conversation, there will also
be a one-night-only display of Collins’ iconic stage wear and a curated playlist from DJ Smoke featuring music from across Collins’ career, including new tunes and a post-event reception. To keep the setting intimate, the event will be limited to 200 guests. DARYL SANDERS
6 P.M. AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC
510 BROADWAY
[LET’S BE BAD!]
THEATER
SOME LIKE IT HOT
It’s never easy to offer a fresh take on a true classic. But the Tony Award-winning musical Some Like It Hot — which arrives at TPAC April 21 — manages to do just that, with delightfully entertaining results. Based on the iconic 1959 Billy Wilder film starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe, the musical’s action still centers on a pair of Chicago musicians forced to disguise themselves as women and make a run for it after witnessing a mob hit. But beyond all the goofy, door-slamming humor, this new adaptation offers a decidedly modern exploration of identity and self-discovery. The updated script from Matthew López and Amber Ruffin adds real depth to the characters, while touching on themes of empowerment and friendship. There’s a jazzy score from Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (the crackerjack team behind Hairspray), including songs like “Take It Up a Step,” “Let’s Be Bad” and the title song. And keep an eye out for some gloriously glitzy tap-dance numbers, courtesy of director and choreographer extraordinaire Casey Nicholaw. AMY STUMPFL
APRIL 21-26 AT TPAC’S JACKSON HALL 505 DEADERICK ST.
ART [NO STONE UNTURNED] THE FIRE CYCLE: STONE SUTRA
You probably know Clay Steakley as a Nashville-born writer, musician and actor. But last year, this prolific creator was named an artist-in-residence with the PBS-affiliated arts platform ALL ARTS, enabling him to produce a new film — The Fire Cycle: Stone Sutra. As with previous Fire Cycle offerings, Stone Sutra takes us on a mysterious journey, blending poetry, music and dance with striking visuals. Codirected by Steakley and frequent collaborator and choreographer Becca Hoback (with cinematography by Tyler Dunning Evans), the film stars Steakley and Hoback, along with Denise Eason, Spencer Grady, Frannie Melancon, Asia Pyron, Amanda Reichert, Phylicia Roybal and Alex Winer. And you can experience it all next week, with a premiere celebration at The Forge. It’s sure to be an engaging evening, with a screening of the new film, a retrospective and panel discussion led by folks from Defy Film Festival, a cool costume and props gallery, a silent auction and tasty bites from the Clean Plate Club. Plus, you can check out a new, expanded edition of The Fire Cycle book.
AMY STUMPFL
APRIL 21 AT THE FORGE
217 WILLOW ST.
CUT WORMS
Tennessee Flavors is back!
Join us for an unforgettable evening celebrating Nashville’s vibrant culinary scene while supporting the Nashville State Community College Foundation. This annual tasting event brings together many of the city’s top restaurants, chefs, and beverage artisans for a night filled with exceptional flavors and Tennessee sourced products. Every dollar raised directly supports our students!
Tuesday, May 19 • 6-8pm Nashville State Community College Southeast Campus 5248 Hickory Hollow Pkwy Antioch, TN 37013
www.tnflavors.org
M
ay 1, 2 & 3
Fri & Sat 10 am –6 pm Sun 10 am –5 pm NASHVILLE’S
FREE KIDS’ ACTIVITIES AND LIVE DEMOS FREE ADMISSION, PARKING AND SHUTTLE
This 55th annual spring community event boasts 200+ juried regional fine artists and a place where you can purchase directly from artists while also learning more about their craft. You’ll discover live demonstrations and hands-on kids’ activities. There is even free shuttle service available on Saturday and Sunday with wheelchair accessibility. Join us as we celebrate craft!
TENNESSEECRAFT.ORG/EVENTS/CRAFT-FAIRS/2026-CRAFT-FAIR/
LEFT: Lester Jones (Best of Show, Spring 2025) ABOVE TOP TO BOTTOM: Nicholas Ricaurte, Robin Baskin, Michael Roe
CULTURE
GOOD DREAMS
At Sueños Buenos in South Nashville, Ruby Alas-Cruz provides representation through fashion BY
JASMIN ENRIQUEZ MARTINEZ
Sueños Buenos Saturday and Sunday 12:30 to 5 p.m. 4015 Travis Drive, Suite 104 suenosbuenosshop.com
Name: PANTHEA Age: 9 yrs. Weight: 8 lbs.
MEET PANTHEA! The perfect mix of playful and cuddly. She loves short bursts of fun and is always ready to jump back in for another round, but she’s just as happy snuggled up to her people! Currently in foster, Panthea settled in quickly and has proven to be easygoing and adaptable. With her sweet personality and balanced energy, she’ll make a wonderful companion in her forever home!
Call 615.352.1010 or visit nashvillehumane.org Located at 213 Oceola Ave., Nashville, TN 37209
Adopt. Bark. Meow. Microchip. Neuter. Spay.
WHEN RUBY ALAS-CRUZ was a child, the moment she received the Bratz doll she’d been begging for, she started experimenting with its clothes. Her fascination with fashion has stuck ever since.
She remembers visiting a boutique with her mom and being drawn to the clothing and accessories.
“One day, I’m going to work in here,” AlasCruz told her mom.
In 2024, she opened Sueños Buenos, a clothing shop in South Nashville, in hopes of creating a community. Since then, she has organized multiple events centered on re-creating the feeling of community she experienced while visiting Los Angeles around 2022.
Sueños Buenos is tucked into the corner of a hair and nail salon on Travis Drive, the smell of acrylic and the sound of a nail file echoing in the space. Artwork by Latino artists is displayed, and a large metal net decorated with ribbons and photos sits against a wall. The clothing racks carry a variety of curated pieces — vintage-inspired athleisure and streetwear.
Alas-Cruz opens only on weekends; she gets her shop ready, organizing her clothing racks and cleaning. She plays a mixture of hip-hop, Mexican music and reggaeton to create the right vibe, and sets good intentions for the day.
Alas-Cruz was born in Los Angeles to a Mexican mom and a Salvadoran dad. She
moved to South Nashville around age 3 and later attended Glencliff High School, which has a very diverse student body — the school’s website says more than 37 nationalities and 27 languages are represented. Still, Alas-Cruz never found a space like the one she wanted to create.
“What I like to do is bring in a lot of people together and give South Nashville the representation that it needs,” she tells the Scene. “I feel like we’re overseen a lot, and people are always like, ‘There’s no community in Nashville.’ But we’re here. You just have to find us.”
In the beginning, Alas-Cruz did wonder if she would get any customers. But since Sueños Buenos opened, customers have thanked her for creating a space for the Latino community. She remembers a teenage girl walking into her shop, looking through the clothes and telling her that Sueños Buenos makes her feel seen and proud of her skin color.
“I was like, ‘This is why I do it, and I have to keep going,’” she says.
Before she started Sueños Buenos, AlasCruz launched a limited kids’ clothing line with art drawn by her 11-year-old son. She also organized a modeling shoot, with her son’s friends showing off the clothes.
But designing and screenprinting take dedication, and she found that sourcing clothing to sell in a boutique was a better fit.
“There’s a difference when you actually create your own clothing, where you screenprint, do the art and all that than actually having a boutique,” Alas-Cruz says. All clothes at her shop are sourced from vendors in California. Alas-Cruz tries to find pieces that fit her style and are different from what other boutiques carry.
Alas-Cruz remembers being considered the weird kid at school because of her unique fashion choices. Now she enjoys experimenting with all styles, but likes to draw inspiration from her culture.
But she knows she’s outgrown her space, and wants to provide more resources for her community.
“I do want a place that has like a backyard situation so I can host events, markets and all those things,” Alas-Cruz says.
As she continues to grow, she finds it rewarding to accomplish all of this despite being told she couldn’t.
“It’s rewarding to feel like I came out of Glencliff … and now I have my own little business, and I bring community together and I help a lot,” she says.
She encourages other Latina women to remain 100 percent authentic and pursue their businesses and callings without discouragement.
“Be you,” Alas-Cruz says. “’Cause there’s nobody like you.” ▼
RUBY ALAS-CRUZ AT SUEÑOS BUENOS an independent bookstore for independent people
UPCOMING EVENTS
PARNASSUSBOOKS.NET/EVENTS FOR TICKETS & UPDATES
THURSDAY, APRIL 16
6:30 PM EMMA STRAUB with LINDSAY LYNCH at PARNASSUS American Fantasy
SATURDAY, APRIL 18 10:30 AM
SATURDAY STORYTIME with DASHKA SLATER at PARNASSUS Good Night, Escargot
6:30 PM
THURSDAY, APRIL 16
YOUTH POET LAUREATE READING with ZOE WARD & MARCUS ROBINSON presented with SOUTHERN WORD at PARNASSUS
TUESDAY, APRIL 21 4:30 PM
KATE MILFORD with KRISTIN O’DONNELL TUBB at PARNASSUS Rialto
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22 6:30 PM WILLY VLAUTIN at PARNASSUS The Left and the Lucky
THURSDAY, APRIL 23 6:30 PM JORDAN RITTER CONN with BETH RITTER CONN at PARNASSUS American Men
3900 Hillsboro Pike Suite 14 | Nashville, TN 37215 (615) 953-2243
Shop online at parnassusbooks.net
@parnassusbooks @parnassusbooks1 @parnassusbooks @parnassusbooksnashville
Mouth with Blondeme - A Blondie Tribute
Chris Lindsey, Joe Fox with Mae Estes + Elliott Prather
World Turning Band "The Live Fleetwood Mac Experience" with Sam Mullens
Bluebird on 3rd featuring Adam Hambrick, Caylee Hammack & Justin Klump with Jack Rice + Piper Madison
The Time Jumpers DAYA: Til' Every Petal Drops Tour with Claire Brooks
Morton Plumbing
DTF TORONTO
Electro-psych-prog champs Holy Fuck haven’t lost the groove
BY CHARLIE ZAILLIAN
HOLY FUCK FORMED in 2004. The group has explained that they took their attention-catching moniker from a common expression heard around Toronto, where they came together from a disparate cross-genre collection of bands. It would be just as plausible if they’d said the phrase simply indicated the reaction they hoped people would have to seeing them play or hearing their records.
To a significant extent, that has happened. The quartet has developed and continues to build on a signature sound that is driven by synthesizers, but is unabashedly alive — experimental electronic music fleshed out over the bones of a live rhythm section and eschewing now-common tools of live electronic performance like laptops and samplers. Co-founders and multi-instrumentalists Brian Borcherdt and Graham Walsh, bassist Matt McQuaid and drummer Matt Schulz have kept at it with remarkable consistency. New Holy Fuck records seem to arrive, like clockwork, every three or four years.
Whether you’re aware of it or not, you’ve likely heard their music before. The band’s percussive post-rock epic “They’re Going to Take My Thumbs” was immortalized in a tense scene from the first episode of Breaking Bad’s game-changing second season. Like peers who’ve also often had sync placements — such as Khruangbin, Tycho and Bonobo — the group
has made it through leaner times thanks in part to countless film, commercial and even video-game musical cameos. If none of that rings a bell but Holy Fuck’s name does, perhaps you caught them on tour at some point with M.I.A., Wolf Parade, Foals or another Aughts notable. Most impressive, though, is how loose and inspired Borcherdt, Walsh and company come off on their sixth and latest long-player Event Beat, released last month. They sound much more like a young, hungry band on the verge than a middle-aged one deep into its career. They’ll perform live this Saturday, April 18, in the main room at Eastside Bowl.
In its nascent period, Holy Fuck had company, sonically, with contemporaries sharing their rhythmic, creative dance-music slant while putting equal emphasis on atmospheric keyboard excursions as on guitar, bass and drum freakouts. Personal favorites of mine among that cadre include Sacramento’s !!! and Out Hud, NYC’s Battles, Ireland’s Twinkranes and Oaklanders-via-Minnesota Clipd Beaks. This was, and is, music you could tune into with your head, or just as easily tune out to with your feet.
These acts mostly either petered out or disbanded, yet Holy Fuck has proven itself to have the requisite stubbornness and confidence to cross the 20-year threshold. In early interviews, members pointed out that their defiant streak came in part from being underwhelmed by ’90s techno artists who made killer records but whose gigs felt akin to paying to watch a moving CD onstage. Today, it’s a welcome anachronism in a landscape littered with generative A.I. slop, where bands of human beings — especially electronic-music types — feel increasingly rare.
To record Event Beat, the band went to rural Nova Scotia — Borcherdt’s stomping grounds as a youngster — for the first time since their debut. The result is an assured, propulsive and quintessentially slippery 11-song collection. Try playing “spot the influence” and this LP will outsmart you. That said, over the course of Event Beat’s taut 40-minute runtime, I heard shades of Can’s ’72 psych classic Ege Bamyasi in the snaky rhythms and alluringly mysterious vocals of “Broken Roots.” “Elevate,” meanwhile, with its clanging guitars and house-music tempos, conjures U2’s oft-misunderstood Clinton-era Zooropa and Pop material. Best of all: centerpiece track “Gold Flakes,” a seamless marriage of post-punk tension and krautrock calm.
Could this album liberate Holy Fuck from the limbo status of being so consistently good they’re too often taken for granted? That’s unlikely. Still, a half-dozen LPs over 20-plus years — all of which can be put on at random and promise a solid listen start to finish, alone or with friends — is no small feat. I have a particular affinity for Event Beat’s 2020 predecessor Deleter, a hard-grooving, entrancing antidote to that year’s crushing bleakness. Where that record was the soundtrack for lockdown living-room dance parties, this is one deserving of being enjoyed collectively — cerebrally or viscerally, your choice — in person. ▼
Playing 8 p.m. Saturday, April 18, at Eastside Bowl
Saturday, April 18
SONGWRITER SESSION Wyatt McCubbin NOON · FORD THEATER
Sunday, April 19
MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT Gena Britt
1:00 pm · FORD THEATER
Saturday, April 25
SONGWRITER SESSION Mark Irwin NOON · FORD THEATER
Saturday, April 25
FILM SCREENING AND PANEL DISCUSSION The Palomino with Tony Booth, Rosie Flores, James Intveld, and Scott B. Bomar 2:30 pm · FORD THEATER
Sunday, April 26
MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT Deanie Richardson
1:00 pm · FORD THEATER
WITNESS HISTORY
Saturday, May 2
SONGWRITER SESSION Wil Nance
NOON · FORD THEATER
Saturday, May 2
MUSIC AND CONVERSATION Woody at Home Exploring Woody Guthrie’s Home Recordings with Special Guest Jesse Welles 2:30 pm · FORD THEATER
Sunday, May 3
MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT Sav Madigan
1:00 pm · FORD THEATER
Saturday, May 9
SONGWRITER SESSION Caroline Jones NOON · FORD THEATER
Locals Kids Always Visit Free Plan a trip to the Museum! Local youth 18 and under who are residents of Nashville-Davidson and bordering counties always visit free, plus 25% off admission for up to two accompanying adults.
Table Cloths & Napkins Table Cloths & Napkins able
ON COMPANY TIME
Chatting with Nashvillian Anthony Norman, the unsuspecting star of Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat BY
LOGAN BUTTS
WHAT WOULD YOU do if you found yourself in a real-life Truman Show scenario? Twentyfive-year-old Anthony Norman recently had to answer that question.
Born and raised in Middle Tennessee, Norman was chosen out of more than 10,000 applicants to be the star of Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat, the second season of the Amazon Prime show that features an unsuspecting individual dropped in an extraordinary (and scripted) situation, surrounded entirely by professional actors. In 2023, Season 1 took place during a fake jury trial, with unwitting “juror” Ronald Gladden at the center of the action. Season 2 centers on a fictitious family-owned hot-sauce business’s company retreat.
Norman was “hired” as a temp worker for the fake company — Rockin’ Grandma’s Hot Sauce — assisting the company’s head of HR. In actuality, he was presented with a (mostly) scripted series of increasingly zany and often stressful problems to overcome and circumstances to navigate.
The Scene recently spoke with Norman by video call. We discussed his once-in-a-lifetime experience making the show, whether he wants a future in show business and his thoughts on local sports.
There were a couple of moments in the show where you actually commented on the crazy events going on around you. But were there any times when you questioned how much responsibility they were giving you? No, because I think that was my job. I was there to assist in any way that I could. But one moment where I was like, “Y’all want me to do this?” was when [pop star] Sia came. They
asked me to go help her. I was like, “Out of all people, y’all want the temp that’s been here for a handful of days to go help Sia?” That was one moment — not that it was a lot, but it did kind of raise the hairs on my neck a little bit.
It was a cool experience. She’s such a sweet lady, she’s funny, and just being around a star like that, it’s always exciting.
There were obviously a lot of things that made sense once you found out it was scripted, but was there one thing that stood out once the puzzle pieces fell into place? The most prominent one that I think about all the time is — the jobs that I was doing, they didn’t need somebody from Nashville to do those jobs. I was like, “Really, y’all brought me out here just to assist on a retreat?”
But I wasn’t asking too many questions; it was a great opportunity, and I was happy to get it, so I was ready to jump on.
It seemed like you were incredibly close with the cast by the end of the show. Are you still in contact with everybody? Yeah, absolutely. With me being from Nashville, it’s kind of hard, but every time I’m in [Los Angeles], I meet up with at least one of them.
So is this it for you when it comes to TV and film work, or is that something you want to pursue? I’m a ball player, so I would like to retire, build a facility and just coach and allow the kids and the environment that I grew up in to thrive. But I’m not against any opportunities that may come. I never dreamed about being a movie star or anything like that.
Since you were a college baseball player at nearby Cumberland University, I have to ask you about the Dodgers jersey you were wearing in the show. Was it a Mookie Betts jersey? There was no
number on it. I’m actually a Yankees fan. I just thought the jersey was super cool, and that’s why I’m glad it just says Los Angeles across it. The only Dodgers part of it is that there’s a D on the side.
If I did get a Dodger jersey with a name, it would definitely be Mookie. My first job, I worked at a bowling alley. It was Tusculum Lanes, and [Mookie, who was a state champion bowler at Overton High School] and his mom used to come up there all the time. My boss knew I was a big baseball fan, so anytime I could go over there to help him out and kind of pick his mind about ball, he was always happy to chat, but I didn’t like to bother him too much.
Since you played for the Donelson-Hermitage Warriors youth football team as a kid, I have to ask if you’re a Titans fan. Actually, crazy enough, I’m a Chargers fan. My options were the Titans or the Cowboys. I couldn’t pick either team, so I had to go off on my own. At the time, the Chargers had Philip Rivers, [LaDainian Tomlinson], Antonio Gates. How could you not love them?
Is there anything else you want to say about Nashville? Shout-out the whole city, man. Nashville’s home. I love it. We’ve evolved for sure, in good ways and bad, but Nashville will always be home. ▼
ANTHONY NORMAN (RIGHT)
BACK OF THE BOOK
ACROSS
1 Game point?
7 Settings for “Nurse Jackie” and “The Pitt,” in brief
10 Mideast’s Gulf of ___
14 “Das Lied von der Erde” composer
15 Camper’s foldout
16 Natural hairstyle
17 Celebrity supercouple of the 2000s
18 Incredibly committed
20 Slowly, in scores
21 Second-most-populous city in the U.S.
22 100 nanojoules
23 Citrus portmanteau
25 Sticks around for a demo?
26 Doraphobe’s fear
29 Bookings for a D.J.
32 Did very well on the final, say
34 Star of a three-time World Cup champion team
36 Classic ’60s muscle car
37 Rejoices
TO
38 Sultanate that once controlled Zanzibar
39 Stand for a portrait
41 Snippet
42 Slip-on or slide
44 Hullabaloo
45 Collectible frames
46 Rest period
47 Get right down to business
49 Sports great Ernie known as “The Big Easy”
50 Funny
52 Half a score
53 Work on a picture, perhaps
56 Some double-headed drums
58 Camper’s craft
60 Turpitude
63 Setting for “Quincy, M.E.,” on 1970s-’80s TV
64 Operating system developed at Bell Labs
65 Toeholds
66 Get positioned
67 Lush hair’s quality
68 Caribbean music genre
69 Abundance
about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/ wordplay. Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/ studentcrosswords.
DOWN
1 Saunter
2 Like black opals vis-à-vis diamonds
3 Move to pass, perhaps
4 Touched down
5 Symbolize
6 “Folklore” or “Evermore,” for Taylor Swift
7 Guitar pedal effect
8 Comedic takedown
9 Mad scientist in a 1964 Kubrick title
10 Natural fluid containers
11 What a drone might be mistaken for
12 Carry the ball in volleyball, e.g.
13 Actress Kravitz
19 Step in rehab
21 “Whole ___ Red” (2020 Playboi Carti album)
24 Activist/scholar known for her work in the prison abolition movement
26 Heavenly outcast … or a hint to something found three times in this puzzle
27 Up to
28 Barely speaks
30 Hawks
31 “Such a shame”
33 Stanley of “Conclave”
34 Group surrounding a star
35 Item in a drafts folder
40 Text tweaks
43 Make right
48 Cry for more
51 Hurricane or mudslide
54 Be important 55 Things to bare
56 Hot
57 Disney heroine who builds her own palace
59 Tchaikovsky’s “Letter Scene,” e.g.
60 Trivia night locale
61 Shout in a card game
62 Purge
63 Do some lawn work
PUZZLE BY JOE MARQUEZ
FORECLOSURE SALE NOTICE WHEREAS Dowling Capital Investments LLC, a Tennessee limited liability company, executed a Deed of Trust dated May 1, 2024, of record at Instrument No. 202405030032429, Register’s Office for Davidson County, Tennessee (the Deed of Trust”) and conveyed to “ Smith.Sholar.Milliken.PLLC, as Trustee, the hereinafter described real property to secure the payment of certain indebtedness (“Indebtedness”) owed to Timothy W. Burrow (referred to as “Lender”); and WHEREAS default in payment of the Indebtedness secured by the Deed of Trust has occurred; and WHEREAS David M. Anthony (“Trustee”) has been appointed Substitute Trustee by Lender by that Appointment of Substitute Trustee of record at Instrument 20260325-0023722, Register’s Office for Davidson County, Tennessee, with authority to act alone or by a designated agent with the powers given the Trustee in the Deed of Trust and by applicable law; and WHEREAS Lender, the owner and holder of said Indebtedness, has demanded that the real property be advertised and sold in satisfaction of said Indebtedness and the costs of the foreclosure, in accordance with the terms and provisions of the loan documents and Deed of Trust. NOW, THEREFORE, notice is hereby given that the Trustee, pursuant to the power, duty and authority vested in and imposed upon the Trustee under the Deed of Trust and applicable law, will on Friday, April 24, 2026, at 11:00 o’clock a.m., prevailing Nashville time, on the steps of the historic Davidson County Square, Courthouse, Nashville, 1 Public Tennessee 37201, offer for sale to the highest and best bidder for cash and free from all rights and equity of redemption, statutory right of redemption or otherwise, homestead, dower, elective share and all other rights and exemptions of every kind as waived in said Deed of Trust, certain real property situated in Davidson County, Tennessee, described as follows: Legal Description: The real property is described in the Deed of Trust at Instrument 202405030032429, Register’s Office for Davidson County, Tennessee.
Being Lot No. 11 of Black A, on the map of Crolywood Subdivision, Section I, as of record in Book 1130, page 65, Register's Office for said County, Beginning at a point in the Southerly margin of West Bend Road, the common comer of Lots Nos. 11 and 12; thence with the line between said lots, Southerly 153.5 feet to a point, the common corner of said lots and of lots Nos 3 and 4; thence with the line between Lots Nos, 11 and 4, Easterly 70 feet to a point, the common corner of Lots Nos. 4 and 5; thence with the line between Lots Nos. 11 and 5 and 6, Northeasterly 77 feet to the corner of Lot No. 10; thence with the line between Lots Nos. 10 and 11, Northwesterly 160.1 feet to the Southerly margin of West Bend Road; thence with the margin of said road, Southerly 30 feet to a point, and continuing with the same, Southwesterly around a slight curve, 30.24 feet to the point of beginning.
in said Deed of Trust, certain real property situated in Davidson County, Tennessee, described as follows: Legal Description: The real property is described in the Deed of Trust at Instrument 202405030032429, Register’s Office for Davidson County, Tennessee.
Being Lot No. 11 of Black A, on the map of Crolywood Subdivision, Section I, as of record in Book 1130, page 65, Register's Office for said County, Beginning at a point in the Southerly margin of West Bend Road, the common comer of Lots Nos. 11 and 12; thence with the line between said lots, Southerly 153.5 feet to a point, the common corner of said lots and of lots Nos 3 and 4; thence with the line between Lots Nos, 11 and 4, Easterly 70 feet to a point, the common corner of Lots Nos. 4 and 5; thence with the line between Lots Nos. 11 and 5 and 6, Northeasterly 77 feet to the corner of Lot No. 10; thence with the line between Lots Nos. 10 and 11, Northwesterly 160.1 feet to the Southerly margin of West Bend Road; thence with the margin of said road, Southerly 30 feet to a point, and continuing with the same, Southwesterly around a slight curve, 30.24 feet to the point of beginning.
Being the same property conveyed to Dowling Capital Investments, LLC, from William M. Bentley and Ruby J. Bentley, by Warranty Deed filed of record on May 1, 2024, in Instrument No. 20240501-0031653, Registers Office for Davidson County, Tennessee.
Map/Parcel No: 091-13-0-197.00
Street Address: The street address of the property is believed to be 407 West Bend Drive, Nashville, Tennessee 37209, but such address is not part of the legal description of the property. In the event of any discrepancy, the legal description herein shall control. Other interested parties: Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson County – 413; BFS Group, LLC (20250714-0055233); Claudia P. Hile (20250904-0070573); Douglas Coomer; Hailee Long Coomer;
J 0
Experienced Construction, LLC (20250909071956); Maximillian Potter Dowling.
THIS PROPERTY IS SOLD AS IS, WHERE IS AND WITH ALL FAULTS AND WITHOUT ANY REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER, WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, AND SUBJECT TO ANY PRIOR LIENS OR ENCUMBRANCES, IF ANY. WITHOUT LIMITING THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING, THE PROPERTY IS SOLD WITHOUT ANY REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, RELATING TO TITLE, MARKETABILITY OF TITLE, POSSESSION, QUIET ENJOINMENT OR THE LIKE AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, CONDITION, QUALITY OR FITNESS FOR A GENERAL OR PARTICULAR USE OR PURPOSE.
0
Maria Leon; Brigette Diaz; Francisco Diaz Ortegel; Daniel Ramirez Pina; Experienced Construction, LLC (20250909071956); Maximillian Potter Dowling.
Being the same property conveyed to Dowling Capital Investments, LLC, from William M. Bentley and Ruby J. Bentley, by Warranty Deed filed of record on May 1, 2024, in Instrument No. 20240501-0031653, Registers Office for Davidson County, Tennessee. Map/Parcel No: 091-13-0-197.00 Street Address: The
ad-
to
is
of
Nashville, Tennessee 37209, but such address is not part of the legal description of the property. In the event of any discrepancy, the legal description herein shall control. Other interested parties: Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson County – 413; BFS Group, LLC (20250714-0055233); Claudia P. Hile (20250904-0070573); Douglas Coomer; Hailee Long Coomer;
THIS PROPERTY IS SOLD AS IS, WHERE IS AND WITH ALL FAULTS AND WITHOUT ANY REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER, WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, AND SUBJECT TO ANY PRIOR LIENS OR ENCUMBRANCES, IF ANY. WITHOUT LIMITING THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING, THE PROPERTY IS SOLD WITHOUT ANY REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, RELATING TO TITLE, MARKETABILITY OF TITLE, POSSESSION, QUIET ENJOINMENT OR THE LIKE AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, CONDITION, QUALITY OR FITNESS FOR A GENERAL OR PARTICULAR USE OR PURPOSE. As to all or any part of the Property, the right is reserved to (i) delay, continue or adjourn the sale to another time certain or to another day and time certain, without further publication and in accordance with law, upon announcement of said delay, continuance or adjournment on the day and
As to all or any part of the Property, the right is reserved to (i) delay, continue or adjourn the sale to another time certain or to another day and time certain, without further publication and in accordance with law, upon announcement of said delay, continuance or adjournment on the day and time and place of sale set forth above or any subsequent delayed, continued or adjourned day and time and place of sale; (ii) sell at the time fixed by this Notice or the date and time of the last delay, continuance or adjournment or to give new notice of sale; (iii) sell in such lots, parcels, segments, or separate estates as Trustee may choose; (iv) sell any part and delay, continue, adjourn, cancel, or postpone the sale of any part of the Property; (v) sell in whole and then sell in parts and consummate the sale in whichever manner produces the highest sale price; (vi) and/or to sell to the next highest bidder in the event any high bidder does not comply with the terms of the sale. Substitute Trustee will make no covenant of seisin, marketability of title or warranty of title, express or implied, and will sell and convey the subject real property by Trustee’s Quitclaim Deed as Substitute Trustee only. This sale is subject to all matters shown on any applicable recorded Plat or Plan; any unpaid taxes and assessments (plus penalties, interest, and costs) which exist as a lien against said property; any restrictive covenants, easements or setback lines that may be applicable; any rights of redemption, equity, statutory or otherwise, not otherwise waived in the Deed of Trust, including rights of redemption of any governmental agency, state or federal; and any and all prior deeds of trust, liens, dues, assessments, encumbrances, defects, adverse claims and other matters that may take priority over the Deed of Trust upon which this foreclosure sale is conducted or are not extinguished by this Foreclosure Sale. This sale is also subject to any matter that an inspection and accurate survey of the property might disclose. As of July 1, 2025, notices pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated § 3 at 5-5-101 et seq. are posted online https://foreclosuretennesa third-party internet see.com by posting company. THIS 2nd day of April, 2026.
Opry Mills Mall
implied, and will sell and convey the subject real property by Trustee’s Quitclaim Deed as Substitute Trustee only. This sale is subject to all matters shown on any applicable recorded Plat or Plan; any unpaid taxes and assessments (plus penalties, interest, and costs) which exist as a lien against said property; any restrictive covenants, easements or setback lines that may be applicable; any rights of redemption, equity, statutory or otherwise, not otherwise waived in the Deed of Trust, including rights of redemption of any governmental agency, state or federal; and any and all prior deeds of trust, liens, dues, assessments, encumbrances, defects, adverse claims and other matters that may take priority over the Deed of Trust upon which this foreclosure sale is conducted or are not extinguished by this Foreclosure Sale. This sale is also subject to any matter that an inspection and accurate survey of the property might disclose.
title or warranty of title, express or implied, and will sell and convey the subject real property by Trustee’s
Quitclaim Deed as Substitute Trustee only. This sale is subject to all matters shown on any applicable recorded Plat or Plan; any unpaid taxes and assessments (plus penalties, interest, and costs) which exist as a lien against said property; any restrictive covenants, easements or setback lines that may be applicable; any rights of redemption, equity, statutory or otherwise, not otherwise waived in the Deed of Trust, including rights of redemption of any governmental agency, state or federal; and any and all prior deeds of trust, liens, dues, assessments, encumbrances, defects, adverse claims and other matters that may take priority over the Deed of Trust upon which this foreclosure sale is conducted or are not extinguished by this Foreclosure Sale. This sale is also subject to any matter that an inspection and accurate survey of the property might disclose.
As of July 1, 2025, notices pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated § 3 at 5-5-101 et seq. are posted online https://foreclosuretennesa third-party internet see.com by posting company. THIS 2nd day of April, 2026.
As of July 1, 2025, notices pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated § 3 at 5-5-101 et seq. are posted online https://foreclosuretennesa third-party internet see.com by posting company. THIS 2nd day of April, 2026.
David M. Anthony, Substitute Trustee EXO LEGAL PLLC P.O. Box 121616 Nashville, TN 37212 david@exolegal.com 615-869-0634
David M. Anthony, Substitute Trustee EXO LEGAL PLLC P.O. Box 121616 Nashville, TN 37212 david@exolegal.com 615-869-0634
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Please be advised that production on “9- 1-1: Nashville” Season 1 wrapped on 02/04/26. Any creditor claims must be made by 04/30/26 to the following: Chris Chan 500 S. Buena Vista St., MC 4242 Burbank, CA 91521
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LOCAL ATTRACTIONS
Health Care Service Corporation seeks Sr Delivery Consultant (Nashville, TN) to lead major/complex crossdivisional & entrprs-wide implmnttn IT projects. Provide project leadership from idea phase through completion, coordination & implementation of projects.
REQS: Bach + 5 yrs exp, or alternly, Master’s + 3 yrs exp. 100% Telecommuting/working from home prmttd. Pay: $113,651 - $152,300/yr. Benefits: https://careers.hcsc.com/tota lrewards. Email resume to hrciapp@bcbsil.com & ref R0049047
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Centennial
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David M. Anthony, Substitute Trustee
EXO LEGAL PLLC
P.O. Box 121616 Nashville, TN 37212
david@exolegal.com 615-869-0634
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Maria Leon; Brigette Diaz; Fran-
cisco Diaz Ortegel; Daniel Ramirez Pina;
