Thursday, March 11, 2010

Fiddlecakes

Posted by Heather / no comments » / 12south, american, bakery, breakfast, lunch

One of the great joys of trying new food is not only to eat it yourself, but also share it with friends. I recently stopped by new Nashville bakery Fiddlecakes and, using one of the fantastic Groupons, got some breakfast for myself and picked up a selection of baked goods to share with my coworkers.

Fiddlecakes is on 8th Avenue South, in the cottage that used to house Savannah Tea Company. The owners have done some good work updating the shop; outside there’s a helpful sign noting that cars should travel only one way on the driveway that leads to the parking lot behind the store, which is much appreciated. Inside, you’re greeted with a display case of the goodies of the day, as well as a board noting other menu offerings. Seating has been updated with a lot of different options, including bar stool seating as well as regular tables. There’s a coffee-fixup area where you can add cream and sugar to your brewed coffee, and it’s helpfully out of the main traffic area, which I really appreciated.

The shop was already bustling when I got there soon after opening time. I ordered quiche ($2.95) and coffee for my breakfast, which I ate at the store. The quiche was fantastic – very flavorful and well-seasoned, and just moist enough. I’ve had my share of really awful quiche in my life and have gotten used to ordering with a degree of hesitance, but this quiche was really fantastic and had what is to me perfect texture. The coffee was very good too, with no bitterness.

On to the baked goodies. I picked up a selection of muffins, scones, and cinnamon rolls (all between $2.25 and $2.45) for my coworkers, and asked them to give me their opinions. Here are their comments:

Orange blossom muffin:  delicious – tasted like the cake from the 1950s!

Cinnamon roll: the perfect texture to have with coffee, the nuts were great, and the roll was not too sweet (which most of them are!)

Brie and date scone: delicious, with a nice balance of sweetness from the dried fruit and saltiness from the brie.

Blueberry scone: just right.

Bran muffin: the end-all.  Moist & tender, with a delicate hint of something that I couldn’t distinguish but absolutely loved.  I don’t generally like raisins in baked goods, but these were perfect. We had a bit of debate about that flavor we couldn’t distinguish in the bran muffin. Maybe it was bergamot?

If you’re driving into Nashville, Fiddlecakes’ location on the right-hand side of 8th Avenue makes it extremely convenient for a morning stop. In addition to the items we mentioned, they’ve got a great selection of cupcakes, sandwiches, and panini (for my next visit I’ve got my eye on the french toastie, which is made of  ham, brie, tomato, and blueberry mustard). We heartily suggest trying them out sometime!

Fiddlecakes
2206 8th Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37204
(615) 457-2127

Open Monday-Friday 7am-3pm
Open Saturday 8am-2pm

Photo credit Flickr user ahoy_matey

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