Such potential that place had. Really interesting menu. But I had a truly inedible meal there. Which is saying something, since I'll try anything. They asked why I hadn't eaten the pork in green sauce. I said that it wasn't what I had in mind, and our server said, "You probably should have gotten the red sauce." Good advice -- where was it when I was ordering?

I missed El Tejado entirely, I only wish I could say the same for Rosario's, which has given me two of the worst overall dining and drinking experiences I've endured of the past few years. Since my last time, I've just been thinking of what could go in there once it mercifully closes. They may be nice people, and have all good intentions, but it's just awful.

I think it's been closed for a while now. I tried to eat there before Christmas and found it closed on a Saturday night.

Ate there once. Not good.

Part of my affection for the place came from the fact that I ate there five times--FIVE times--before I decided if I liked it. It was so hit-or-miss, but I kept discovering things there. No one spoke much English, and each time was an adventure. I know, who has time to repeat mediocre meals, but in the case of El T, it was worth sticking with it.

Rosario's wasn't awful when I ate there, just distressingly mediocre. Alas, there are so many good places now that mediocre is the new bad, and I haven't been back. I didn't have good luck with the mole.

I just wanted to stand up for Rosario's as I think their fish tacos are fabulous - many layers of flavors.

Way to stand up there, "Anonymous."

Mole is tough since it takes so damn long to make, it really seems to be a labor of love. I think we'll see more down home Mexican joints start serving Mole as the population here grows. When I first arrived in Milwaukee 10 years ago it was unknown and soon after 10 restaurants were serving a palate teasing variety, since it can be made literally in hundreds of different ways. El Tejado was our favorite authentic place in town, so it's sad to see them go. We had good food when we visited. It sounds like the consistency issue and menu change may have killed them. Rosarios has okay Mole, but I agree everything else is aggravating.

Five times?! Yikes. That was very generous of you to go that many times...but it earned them as I recall a pretty rave review. The one time I gave a place five shots trying to find something good to say---mostly because they were independent and had good intentions,they did speak English---they ended up with a horrid review, noting the fact that I gave them 5 chances--and spent quite a bit of Scene cash. The first email I got called me out for going five times, noting that it only took the emailer one time to know it sucked. Good point. Of course, Scene policy was always to go back if the first experience was negative...but I agree with the writer, 5 times was overly-generous. If they can't get it right the second or third time.....
Maybe awful was too harsh--mediocre is more accurate, elevated to awful because both Carrington and Myers gave it such positive press...so expections were high, execution dismal. I drove by at prime dining time on a recent Wednesday night on my way to Bobby's Idle Hour, and the place was EMP-TEE. Too bad. Love the rounded patio look...which again, prompts me to fantasize about what might take its place.

kay is right. rosario's is bad.

what was the five-time place you reviewed, kay?

To clarify, I did not go to Rosario's five times. I went to El Tejado five times because I could never really get a read on what was going on there. Was it unbelievably good or irretrievably bad? Fifty-fifty. But it was cheap, and along the way I had some incredibly good tamales, mole and a beef dish that PJ is still talking about.

Ah yes, that would be the grilled beef plate. I dream of it regularly. The meat was exceptional—surprising for a Mexican joint—and it came with a side of grilled peppers and a small cheesy mole thing. Damn that was good.

A few months ago I took an out of town pal there and the menu had already been switched up. The grilled beef was nowhere to be found. “You think this place is good?” my friend asked incredulously as he pushed around his bland burrito with a fork.

“It used to be…” I answered.

Also, as a guy who eats quite a bit of hit or miss Mexican food in this town, I give Carrington props for going back five times. This wasn’t the kind of place you could go to once or twice and be thorough about it. The menu was huge and the best stuff on there wasn’t printed in English. In fact, if she hadn’t gone back that last time, we never would have discovered the “Kill-your-momma” or that fantastic grilled beef. Man that stuff was tasty.

I really liked relying on recommendations from the servers at El Tejado. As far as Mexican restaurants go, it truly was an adventurous place to eat, which for me was part of the appeal. (And their mole was indeed tasty.)

Clarification well taken. I didn't think Rosario's would take five times. As well as PJ's note. It would be great to be able to go two or three times to every place, because it is only after several visits that a place begins to reveal itself, good AND bad.... but at least when I was doing it, the Scene budget was very tight, and in fact, got even tighter in the last few years, even as prices went up, and as a freelancer, I didn't have much wiggle room. The annual budget never allowed for much more than one visit to each place, or twice if you only took one or two people each time.
And I'm not revealing the place I did five times. It was difficult enough when the review came out. Nashville's not like NY, where you can say whatever and never have to fear running into the chef/restaurateur, whatever. Immediately following one of my worst reviews ever, of an Italian (not Mario's) restaurant, I discovered that the owner's daughter and my daughter were playing on the same soccer team...it was a very long season.

well kay, if it was Valentino's - and maybe it was, maybe it wasn't - i saw you raved about them in June. But the place has once again nose-dived. i mean the decor is a joke - but putting that aside, i had one of the worst meals of my life there this past autumn. AND i brought someone from the Tennessean AND i told them i was coming AND the chef was there. it was despicably, jaw droppingly nearly inedible food.

sorry to go from mexican to italian - but i live in a tangential universe - and i have wanting and waiting to vent about this to kay...

I was an early Rosario's hater, albeit as an amateur reviewer. http://nashville.metblogs.com/archives/2007/07/refrieds_revisi.phtml

I did like the mole, but I won;t even walk there after three bad visits.

On the plus side, any progress reports on the new upscale Mexican joint where Tabouli's was? that's an even shorter walk for me.

Well-substantiated rumor has it that Los Dos Locos is a no-go, but don't know yet whether that means just for now, just for that location, or just forget about it altogether.

Forget about Los Dos Locaos altogether. Confirmed. And Claudia, it wasn't Valentino's. I had a decidedly compromised experience, in that I asked the waiter to ask the chef to cook and he did, and it was terrific. Jim Myers also had a fabulous experience there, which he documented, which is what sent me there, and subsequently several parties I sent. But I have also heard too many experiences that mirrored Claudia's. So, I cannot recommend in good conscience. Italian---City House. Where I am just home from. And sublimely satisfied.

Yes, three cheers for City House. I have been impressed with everything I've had so far.

Re: the Italian restaurant mystery, I know Maggiano's got a pretty harsh review, but that seemed like more of an indictment of the modern American chain restaurant in general than Maggiano's in particular. Plus, being owned by Brinker, Maggiano's doesn't really have an "owner" whose daughter could have been on the soccer team.

My money is on the short-lived Casa Bona downtown. Anybody remember that place? I don't remember what kind of review it got from Ms. West, if any at all, but I'll tell you what kind of review it got from me - two thumbs down.

Thanks for the hints of Sol and Lime for mole. After my trip to Mexico last month, I have been looking for a dark, squid ink colored, rich, pungent, semi-sweet, nutty and savory mole sauce like I had in Mexico. I dream of that fabulous flavor! Keep the list of good mole places coming. With so many Oaxacan transplants here, one would think there would be at least one good mole dish to be had in middle TN.

Reviewing Casa Bona would have been like whipping a two-legged dog. It didn't even deserve a review.
Many of my more negative reviews were "Eyetalyun" restaurants, much of that having to do with their interpretation of Italian food. Ugh. Which makes the arrival of City House all the more thrilling.

i've hit 'city house' 4 times - maybe 5. i think i'm going again tonight. their food makes me very happy. not every dish has been a home run but i like the way they think. too bad about the lighting but i'll keep going back again and again as long as the food holds out. coming from tra vigne in st. helena i remain very hopeful as i had a great meal there albeit 4 years ago...

if only they'd been a 'nashville original' i woulda bought all of those certificates yesterday...

They have dimmed the lighting, but the noise is still horrendous downstairs. And I like noisy restaurants. But you can give yourself a headache shouting across the table. We ate upstairs and it was quieter----we could conduct a conversation without shouting----but i miss being in the midst. Still, I love their food, their passion, their intentions, their energy so much nothing can keep me away.
You can't be a Nashville Original until you've been open a year.
Any my power was still out when the gift certificates went on sale, so I missed out entirely

Ate at City House about 2 weeks ago with a restaurant person and we were knocked out by the house-cured sausage, the homemade syrup in the old-fashioned, the bread gnocchi. Sat at the bar, where the light was too dim and I had to wear glasses. We went early, so the loudness wasn't a problem until it was time to leave. It was as if all the loud people arrived at 8.

Back in the day, Valentino's got one of my worst-ever reviews, not just for the food and service, but for the wasted potential, and at those prices.

funny - i thought the bread gnocchi was kinda hardish/denseish. not bad... just not a do-over.
i had hoped to go last night but the miserable weather kept me in my own kitchen.

i do look forward to another visit soon...

Having owned a carryout/ restaurant that went through several reviews, I've hidden in the kitchen wondering what the reviewer will write, even though I knew our food was wonderful. It takes a lot of guts to write something negative about a venture that people you know have put so much effort into as well as those you don't know.

I also wrote one of worst reviews ever on Valentino's, about 17 years ago. It changed ownership about 4 or 5 years ago, with new chef from Naples. When he is good, he is very very good, but when he is bad....
Claudia, I am with you on the bread gnocchi.

ESPECIALLY - in a town of this size... well, it's a dirty job but someone's gotta do it. right carrington?

no wonder jim kept a low profile...

re: paolo - no shit
he's way too emotional - a hot head
imagine that from an italian man

but still - he's a professional
and he is molto inconsistento
plus the place is kinda creepy
so i'm a goner never to be seen there again

it was truly a grotesque lunch - an embarrassment...

ok - there i've ranted.
thank you and goodnight.

There have been tears in our margarita's here at the Crow household over the news of the closing of El Tejado.

We experienced some amazing meals there. We also experienced some not so amazing meals there. But when they were amazing, they were truly memorable...

Our family celebrates all holidays with Mexican food, but are having a hard time finding good mexican food in Nashville. We have resorted to making it at home. What is the best mexican food in Nashville???

don't mean to be a downer - but the best mexican here is kinda mediocre everywhere else out there in the real world. la hacienda and la terraza probably rank the highest...

kay would be the one who knows and i'll be interested in her recommendations.

Yeah, Hacienda and Terraza are two good ones. Some other of my favorites are El Manjar on Nolensville Rd tucked back in a strip mall where Wal-Mart used to be, Nacho's in Franklin on Hwy 96 and Casa Fiesta on Bell Rd in Hickory Hollow.

I love the patio at Fiesta Mexicana on 4th Ave downtown, but the food's not spectacular.

I also have a soft spot in my heart for Cancun in Bellevue, since that's the Mexican food that I grew up eating so often, but really, it's not that great.

I would love to hear what everybody's favorite Mexican restaurants are - there are so many!

We like U.S. Border Cantina in Bellevue. The food is not awesome, but the lighting is sexy, the drinks are stiff, and it's close to our house.

We are looking for a true Oaxacan meal... there has to be one out there!!

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My favorite is El Arroyo, particularly when ordering off their daily specials chalkboard. I've not been in the last couple of months, but have had wonderful posole and an excellent (to my palate anyway) chicken mole in the past year. For those of you not familiar with this establishment, El Arroyo is just off the Old Hickory Blvd exit on I-24 Southbound (between the Hickory Hollow & LaVergne exits). It's probably not the best in town, but it can be quite good and has the advantage (for me anyway) of being nearby.

Sarah Crow, I am with you woman, I want a true Oaxacan meal too! If you find one, let me know.

In my opinion La Tarraza used to be good a few years ago with a few Oaxacan menu items, but I think they might have had a management, or at least a menu change in the past year or so, and U.S. Americanized the food. The funny thing is, L.T. probably changed the menu to appeal to wider audience, but L.T. has become less crowded (in my empirical data) with the menu change.

El Manjar is very, very good and authentic. I also know for a fact that they treat workers fairly and pay them a living wage. The atmosphere however is zippo. As for Valentino’s, the food I ate there was so horrible I almost cried. I’ve ranted about it so many times on this blog and am happy to tell everyone I meet how awful it is.

Had the mole at Sol the other night—a complex, smoky and lushly aromatic paste that I could have eaten spread on toenails. It was much more enticing than the Salisbury-steak gravies I usually get ladled over my food when I order mole in town. And the side of creamy tamal was a terrific accompaniment, with a texture between stone-ground grits and polenta and a sweet, lightly earthy flavor.

The service was amazing. Ask for Caroline, just like the Neil Diamond song. I've never heard such enthusiastic and evocative dish descriptions in my life.

well pink, you don't have to tell me twice if you say it like that...

plus i live closeish. big plus.

Sol is unbelievably disappointing.

I went once in January and had a very dry, and luke warm, pork tenderloin and was amazed at the lack of flavor. My wife ordered a braised short rib that had one of the largest fat layers I've seen on a short rib. A problem easily solved with proper trimming or rendering.

After reading some comments here I decided to give it another try. Well, strike two.

We ordered 5 small plates instead of the entree route to give more opportunities to impress. I am absolutely amazed at how a restaurant inspired by bold South American flavors could fall so short of the flavor mark. How do you make a bland and soggy quesadilla? A dish with habanero with no heat. A chimichurri sauce with no kick.

I'm fascinated with how this restaurant could ever get positive reviews with this poor of execution. I'm hoping the only positive that comes from this restaurant is that it moves the area closer to another place that will execute high quality Latin American flavors done well.

On a side note, City house is outstanding and a prime example of raising the bar of the food scene in Nashville.

Hmmm. The tenderloin I had was hot, mouth-melting tender and attractively fanned on the plate to boot. The small plates I tried were the seared tuna nachos—excellent, velvety tuna—the guacamole (fine; Mrs. Pink makes better), and the three salsas, which were not as hot as I like but still quite tangy. Maybe I hit them on a good night.