Loveless

Living only a short drive down Natchez Trace Road from the best southern food in Nashville Tennessee, I was able, whenever I wanted, to stuff my face with the most seasoned, decadent southern foods imaginable. From the homemade preserves and fried chicken, to the biscuits, whose recipe has remained unaltered to this day, some of my favorite memories have been created in the restaurant’s soothing southern atmosphere, conversing, while savoring every bite of my favorite combination platter.

            This little slice of heaven is located directly off of Highway 100 on the outskirts of Bellevue Tennessee and is famous for being able to put a smile on anyone’s face that walks through their doors. Having the ability, because I lived so close, to go after school, during school, or even before school probably did massive damage to my cholesterol levels, but it also allowed me to appreciate all the different faces and subtleties in the food and restaurant that, in my opinion, make the restaurant so damn unique.

            So let me start off by explaining why my favorite combination platter is the best meal selection possible at this little humble abode. First off there is an urgent need to get a combination platter because in doing so complementary baskets, upon baskets, upon baskets of steamy buttermilk biscuits are placed in front of you with not one, not two, but three choices of freshly made preserves. After ruining your appetite by eating all the biscuits you could ever possibly desire, a fried quarter chicken of white meat with creamed corn and French fries is placed in front of you, and the feast begins.

            With such a hospitable southern waiting staff, the refills of sweet tea and coffee are plentiful, and a friendly face is never that far away. Since I have been going to the Loveless Café with my family for over a decade, I have become very friendly with many of the servers and know many of them by name. While the fried chicken with creamed corn and fries is a great meal, sometimes I stop by the café for a little snack and this gargantuan meal is not suitable. In this scenario a serious evaluation of the menu is in order and at least one if not two baskets of biscuits are needed.

            One of my favorite memories at the Loveless Café was shared with my friend from high school who was on the soccer team with me. After practice one day neither of us really had anything going on and due to the fact that he lived at least 45 minutes away from school we decided to hang out before he went home. We went to the park and ended up throwing the football for a while until a brilliant idea popped into my head. I grabbed the football and headed to the car, he shortly followed grasping the idea that I wanted to leave. With Loveless closing in a half hour it was my job to get us there, and that was exactly what I did. Going one speed the whole way there, fast, we got there just in time to milk the system and get multiple baskets of biscuits for free.

As we sat down in the homey little front room we were the only people in the restaurant and got to experience something very unique. Being one of the largest tourist attractions in Tennessee due to the phenomenal biscuits and or fried chicken, it is usually packed shoulder to shoulder with at least a 45 minute wait time and we got to be the singular table being waited upon. This experience allowed me to really appreciate the unchanged nature of the restaurant, from the porch outside to the walls filled with autographed photos of southern and national celebrities, the true southern roots are very visible and one of my favorite parts of the restaurant. With a big glass of sweet tea and biscuits on biscuits my friend and I tried our best to find something on the menu to eat, but ended up stuffing ourselves with one too many baskets of biscuits. When the waitress who was serving us came over to see if we wanted anything before the chef left we told her all we needed was the check, to which she responded, “Oh ok so y’all don’t want anything to eat besides the biscuits? It’s on the house.” This small act of kindness resulted in a hefty tip for said waitress and a lifetime of support from my buddy and me.

After this experience, every day after practice my friend and I would stop by the Loveless for biscuits and sweet tea, and occasionally, dependent upon my mood, would order my favorite meal consisting of the succulent fried chicken, creamed corn, and French fries. This humble little abode has become and will forever remain my favorite restaurant.