Dee’s Q - 7.31.08

WORD, people.  We’re back and feisty as ever.  Can’t believe it’s been a month since our last post but we’ve been pretty awesomely busy lately.  Hank was out rockin’ Los Angeles for a spell and trying to avoid the paparazzi (unsuccessfully), while Eddie and I were hunkered over the piles of paper on our desks.  Needless to say, not much Nashville ABC lunching has happened recently.  BUT, for the hundreds of you daily checking this site with baited breath…  lean back, let go and enjoy our glorious return.      

Today’s lunch was brought to us by the letter D.  And who should be the lucky recipient of our lunchtime presence and wadded up paper money?  None other than East Nashville’s own Dee’s Q, that’s who.  A clue for those of you playing along at home, the Q is short for BBQ.  Furthermore, BBQ is short for barbeque. And barbeque is short for deliciousness.      

Here is what we thought: 

Hank: This walk-up restaurant sits right off train tracks in the middle of an East Nashville neighborhood...housed in a bright yellow shack.  Walk up and order places are a gamble...but this one paid off.  I went with the brisket sandwich combo – sandwich, fries & drink.  The sandwich probably had twice the meat than a normal bun can handle...which was nice.  The fries were fries.  And the bbq sauce was actually really good as well...I just wish there was more on the sandwich.  When I asked for extra bbq sauce I was informed that it’d cost $.55.  To me...that’s kind of like charging people for ketchup at a french fry stand...not cool.  But overall...for under $7...I’m not complaining!   This place had all the charm that you miss in the big chains.  I have a feeling that the owner’s touch was on everything there...down to the hand painted menu and signage...the pieced together tin roof porch covering the order window...and the metal carport-turned-dining area...where a number of modifications were made - including screening it in, putting in doors and installing 2 floor fans into the wall as “air conditioning”.  Add that to a health score of 95...and I’m a fan.   Good food + charm/cleanliness – location = I’ll probably check it out again if I’m ever out in that area.    

Eddie: Whenever I'm eating at a BBQ joint for the first time, I always order a pulled pork sandwich.  It's like the standard by which BBQ is measured.  If a joint can't get a BBQ sandwich right, then why bother going back.  Since this was my first trip to the eastside for some Dee's Q, I stayed true to my policy and ordered the pork sandwich combo... and Dee definitely got it right.  The sandwich was awesome, the fries were those thick cut steak fries (and a generous portion too), and the drink was an ice cold Coke in a can.  Overall, a very satisfying and reasonably priced lunch.    

Frank: So today I decided to order last and get something different than Hank and Eddie, just for variety’s sake.  I got the whiting (fish) sandwich combo.  Never had whiting before.  Maybe never will again.  Not because it wasn’t delicious, because it was.  But we’re talking fried fish, which was not too much different from fried catfish, but it was fried fish all the same. There were four slabs of fish in the sandwich (read: giant) and came on white bread with hot sauce and mustard with a few onions and pickles.  Fries on the side.  I also ordered a side of wings, garlic & parmesan style, which were the highlight of the meal.  Lest I sound like a glutton, I did share then with Hank and Eddie.  Overall, I loved the low-rent vibe and the girl who took our orders was great, but sitting outdoors in the muggy, screened-in shed had me sweating bullets.  I’ll be back for sure, but next time it will be in October and I’ll be ordering the shoulder plate…

Christopher’s Pizza Company - 7.1.08

With no conflicting lunch appointments and a short work week, we decided that we should check another letter off the lunch list today.  C it was.  It always takes a bit of wrangling for the 3 of us to get on the same page about where to eat, but we ended up in Eddie's silver Exterra and headed for...  Christopher's Pizza Company.

Here's the skinny...

Frank:  When I go to a pizza place, especially for lunch, I’m looking for a spinach calzone.  I’m not into this idea of splitting a pizza because who wants to be forced to eat someone else’s topping preferences?  Most of my friends prefer meats on their pizzas while I like veggie.  Thus I order my own personal calzone.  When we sat down and looked over the menu at CPC, I was bummed (no calzones) but decided to try their 9 inch Fancy Pants pizza.   The upside:  I loved my little pizza.  Great crust - crust that wasn’t too sweet (this is the first mistake pizza places make – too dang much sugar in their crust!).  Pine nuts, goat cheese, spinach and olive oil makes for a fancy pants pizza indeed.  Bonus: the check came almost right away after we were finished.  (This is another of my pet peeves – having to wait an eternity to PAY for lunch and get on with life.)  They have nice servers as well.   The only downside: Their straws were too short for the glass and I had to keep fishing mine back out.    All in all, I like this place.        

Hank: Overall it was pretty good...it had a health score of 90...which is nice, the service was friendly and the pizza tasted good.  However, an 8” pizza for $9 + a drink for $1.50 + $2 tip = a little too pricey to become one of my staple lunch stops.  I think combo pricing is in order.  Dear Mr. Christopher - if you can figure out how to get me in and out of there for $10 for pizza, drink and tip...I’d be willing to reconsider.  THE END.     

Eddie: What's the deal with sit-down-style pizza joints and scribbling on the tables?  I don't get it.  The staff was very friendly.  The pizza was not bad, but it wasn't great either.  I was expecting something a little more gourmet, considering the price.