Nashville restaurant round-up: It's getting hot in here edition

J-P and I have been eating at home a bit more often since we gifted ourselves a new gas grill. That said, we've still had some restaurant meals, good and bad, worth mentioning.

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For my birthday lunch earlier this month, J-P and I had our first taste of Bobbie's Dairy Dip. And LOVED IT. I am such a sucker for an old-school drive-up-style burger. Bobbie's cheeseburger was perfect. Not too big, not too small, tasty fries alongside, and they even mixed me a proper black and white milkshake (that's vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce). We sat at a picnic table in the shade and enjoyed the fifties-era doo-wop blaring from the loudspeaker. Perfection.

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Then, for my birthday dinner (how lucky am I to get not one but TWO celebratory birthday meals?) we drove out to the 'burbs to finally check out Peter's Sushi and Thai. We had planned to just try the sushi, but our neighbor's penang curry looked and smelled so good we couldn't resist. The curry was excellent, quite possibly the best we've had in Nashville, and the nigiri sushi compared favorably to that at Ichiban, which is our more-accessible source for quality sushi. The downside to Peter's, though, is its location. Never mind the twenty minute drive down I-65 -- it's the soulless suburban strip-mall location and its Stepford-esque denizens that will keep us from going back. Strangers in a strange land, indeed.

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At last, there is an East Nashville brunch option other than Marche. Don't get me wrong, I don't have any problem with Marche, but it's nice to have options. Enter Sky Blue. Yes, there can be waits on the weekends, but just as often, there's not. Yes, the service can drag, but what better way to savor a morning cup of joe than in that comfortable, sunny space? Plus, when I asked for the eggs in my benedict to be very soft and runny, Sky Blue's kitchen complied admirably. Other breakfast standouts include the (positively gluttonous) breakfast bowl and the spinach omelette, and I quite enjoyed the veggie melt, served on thick, crusty bread slices, from the lunch menu.

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I ended up (and I say "ended up" because it certainly wasn't by choice) at Cantina Laredo for lunch a few weeks ago. You've heard of Cantina Laredo -- it's the new "upscale" chain Mexican in the Gulch. Think of it as the Mexican P.F. Chang's or the Mexican Carrabba's. And then subtract anything you might like about P.F. Chang's or Carrabba's. And that's about it. Without wasting too much bandwith, because it hardly deserves it, the food was bland, not even remotely authentic, and way overpriced. I had the spinach enchiladas, and much prefer the same dish at the humble Las Maracas. The table-side guacamole service was mildly entertaining, but at $10 for just one-and-a-half avocados, I could easily make three times that at home for half the price. And I haven't even touched on the service. Without going into a blow-by-blow, our waiter was distracted and brusque at the best, surly and argumentative at the worst. Needless to say, I won't be going back unless dragged by my earlobes.

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In trying to brainstorm a final entry for this roundup, I realized to my SHOCK! and HORROR! that I have somehow neglected to write about City House, not that there is too much I could add to the many accolades the restaurant has already received from other quarters. That said, it's good. So very, very good. Without question, my favorite restaurant in Nashville. The food is excellent -- more on that in a minute -- but one of City House's strongest suits as the adaptability of both its menu and its atmosphere. I've been there for happy hour-esque hors d'oeuvres and cocktails, for dinner a deux with J-P, and for a raucous extended dinner with a bunch of food-loving friends from New York and, in each instance, City House impressed. As for the food, the kitchen produces pizzas with the perfect combination of crispiness and pliancy; standouts include the belly ham pizza and a special clam pizza, although even the straightforward margarita is an oasis in this pizza-deprived town. The kitchen also does wonders with tripe, especially the Roman-style tripe stew. A salad featuring tender leaves of kale gave me and my companions a new appreciation for raw kale, and the homemade pastas are cooked perfectly al dente and thoughtfully sauced. Also not to be missed are any of the house-made pork products, including the ham antipasta and the sausage entree. Unfortunately, the only dessert I've tried is the baked ricotta, but that's only because it was so good the first time that I couldn't pass it up on a successive visit. If you haven't been yet, go. Just go.