Nashville Trip Highlight: Barista Parlor Coffee Shop

When traveling I always seek out local coffee shops, not only do I crave a tasty brew, but cafes also serve as a reflection of their local community. Barista Parlor, in East Nashville, has been open for less than a year but has already received accolades from both local bloggers and received national press, including an article in The New York Times. 

The praise is well earned, Barista Parlor wowed Sarah, Kyla and I from the moment we stepped through its doors. It's housed in a former garage space so the interior is open, airy and bathed with natural light even on a gloomy day. Everything from the counters crafted from hundred-year-old reclaimed wood to the aprons worn by the baristas was sourced by owner Andy Mumma from local artisans and craftsmen. I particularly enjoyed the rows and rows of single-source chocolate bars housed in vintage soda crates and a large wall mural of a sinking ship by artist Bryce McCloud. 

The quality of the coffee matched Barista Parlor's atmosphere, they utilize beans from well known American roasters including Portland's Stumptown and Chicago's Intelligentsia. Brewing methods include siphon pot and Chemex for regular coffee and a rare Slayer machine for espresso-based drinks. A row of towers, that looks a little like a science experiment, cold brews the iced coffee. On our first visit I ordered the salted caramel whiskey latte that featured a housemade syrup. It's by far the most complex espresso-based drink I've ever tasted; it had a smoky, almost savory rounded flavor, with a touch of sweetness on the back end.  On our second trip I tried the bourbon vanilla latte, it had a silky mouth feel but didn't have the same depth as the salted caramel. 

Surprisingly the best bite I had in Nashville was also at Barista Parlor, in the form of its addictive sandwich, featuring a Porter Road Butcher sausage patty and Delvin Farms strawberry jam on the most buttery, flakey biscuit I've ever had (and I grew up in the South!). Besides the sinful biscuit sandwich, Barista Parlor also offers waffles, seasonal casseroles and pastries like eclairs and cookies. 

If you find yourself in Nashville be sure to stop by Barista Parlor, 519B Gallatin Avenue, you won't regret it!

Behold the heavenly biscuits, Sarah ate the center version that featured egg and cheese. Photo courtesy of her instagram, @sazzou.

Photo courtesy of Kyla's instagram @lostandfind

Headed South to Nashville, A Birthday Road Trip

Last weekend I continued my birthday celebrations by going on a road trip to Nashville, Tennessee with my friends Sarah and Kyla in pursuit of warmer weather, tasty biscuits and most importantly, unchartered vintage and thrifting territory. Luckily one of my blogger friends, Rae of Say It Ain't So, lives in Nashville and provided me an extensive guide to her home city and I also met up with 2 other bloggers during the trip (more on that in my next entry).

It takes approximately 8 hours to drive down to Nashville from Chicago and we drove through southern Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky before hitting the Music City. Of course the feature of any great American road trip is the kooky and kitschy places that you encounter along the way-- in this case a huge outdoor store somewhere in rural Indiana that specialized in cement yard art. Of course we had to pull over and take photos!





Sarah (left) and Kyla (right) sitting pretty in a pair of hand chairs/sculptures.





Kyla riding side saddle on a buffalo.







We all agreed that the dinosaur would be the best addition to a yard (if we had one).



The foxes were really tempting!







Instead of a traditional hotel, we booked a reservation through Air BNB, Kyla and I are posing in front of "The Casita", our home for the weekend. Our accommodations consisted of a one-room cabin that had heating and a/c, beds and a desk. It was located in the backyard of a hip couple's home in West Nashville.



Sarah and Kyla outside The Casita before we headed out to The Nashville Flea Market. We only made it to the last hour of the flea market on Saturday but went back on Sunday morning so I'll share the photos of the flea in the next post.



If you're ever in Nashville, I highly recommend the iconic Loveless Cafe. It's a restaurant just outside the city that has been serving delicious biscuits, ham, fried chicken and other Southern culinary delights since 1951. The original owners' last name was "Loveless" but the cafe changed hands several times over the years. There used to be a working motel until 1985 but since then the rooms have been converted into shops and the Hams & Jams Country Market.





When we arrived at Loveless, we were quoted a 2 hour wait! To pass the time we explored the Hams & Jams market where they sold souvenirs and treats like candied pecans with bacon.






There were many opportunities for photo ops at Loveless, including this old tractor.





Sarah is sitting outside the on-site smokehouse.





Loveless is renown for its biscuits and thankfully a platter of them came with our dinner! Sarah ordered the fried chicken supper and Kyla and I shared a bbq pork plate and a fried chicken dinner. The sides, macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes, were pretty basic but the fried chicken was fresh, juicy and crispy and the pork tender and slightly smoky.



Of course we all instagrammed our trip, I was amused to see Sarah's intagram photo of her meal besides her plate. Meta!



After consuming all that delicious food we headed back to the Casita to turn in early. There are many more photos to come of the rest of the trip-- in the meantime be sure to check out Sarah's blog too for more photos and video.

Birthday Tea at Chicago's Drake Hotel

Last Friday I celebrated my 28th birthday with an English style afternoon tea at the Palm Court in the luxurious Drake Hotel in downtown Chicago. Of course my friends and I decked ourselves in our best vintage to match the opulent setting.

The Drake Hotel, founded in 1920, was once visited by Golden Era celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe as well as several U.S. presidents during its heyday. It's in a prime location, close to the Hancock Tower, Oak Street Beach (Lake Michigan) and shopping on Michigan Avenue. The ground floor of the hotel houses luxurious shops like Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Georg Jensen jewelry. It was a treat to nibble on fresh scones and revel in the history of the building in which we sat.



We opted for the special "History Tea" that included a guided walking tour of the hotel. Each of us were able to choose our tea and it was served in an individual pot. We shared a 3-tiered tray of goodies that included: banana bread and scones on the first tier, finger sandwiches of roast beef, cucumber and turkey on the second tray and French eclairs, cream puffs and assorted pastries on the third tier. While it sounds dainty, we were all full after making our way through the trays, especially since we all slathered the scones with clotted cream, lemon curd and jam!



A sweet vintage birthday card from my friend Leah.



From left to right: Robyn, Richard, Me, Sarah & Leah.



A tiered tray of treats including cream puffs in the shapes of swans.





A huge floral centerpiece dominated the room.



Toasting with tea, I told everyone to stick out their pinky finger.



Since we were consuming so many sweet treats I opted for a traditional Earl Gray tea, it was delicious as is and I opted not to put sugar or cream in mine.



We were all taken with these tarts that had glittery sugar on top of it-- inside was a caramel base and a meringue-like cream top.



The Drake was sweet enough to present me with a piece of chocolate birthday cake, the best part of the experience was having the birthday song played live on a harp by the resident musician.



Laura (far left) also celebrated her birthday on the 22nd! Throughout my life I've always had a classmate, co-worker or friend who shared my birthday.







The Drake's mascot is a dragon so the motif appears throughout the hotel including the carpet above.





Carved lion handrests on a antique chair that resembled a throne.



An old fashioned letter box near the elevator that is still functioning.



The dining room of the private Club International. It felt like a 1940s supper club in there!

















A big thank you goes to my friend Richard for organizing the outing and my friends Robyn, Sarah, Leah and Laura for attending!

If you're curious, I was wearing a pale pink 1950s dress, a 1960s coat, a 1950s floral crown and tights from Nordstrom Rack.