When I was growing up, the Fifth Quarter was my family's restaurant of choice for celebrating special occasions. Indeed, I fondly remember dining there on my 18th birthday, alongside my parents and a girlfriend who was a cheerleader at David Lipscomb University. Mem-O-ries!
The Fifth Quarter was one of the first restaurants in Nashville to feature a salad bar. In fact, it was a salad bar that a man could appreciate. In addition to lettuce and chopped vegetables, the Fifth Quarter's salad bar had anchovies, bits of pan-fried bacon, pitted olives, chopped garlic, whole jalapeno peppers, balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, among other things. (Ruby Tuesday's salad bar was a bitch next to the Fifth Quarter's salad bar!)
It saddened me when I heard that the Fifth Quarter was closing. I was saddened, but I wasn't shocked. You see, The Fifth Quarter was located in an area of Nashville that, during the past ten years or so, has quickly become a Little Mexico City. In fact, I'm amazed that the Fifth Quarter stayed in business as long as it did, considering ...
The Murfreesboro Road/Thompson Lane area of Nashville was once home to a host American chain restaurants: Red Lobster, Chili's, Bennigan's, Shoney's, Captain D's, Steak and Ale, Dunkin' Donuts, just to name a few. These restaurants are long gone, and check-cashing businesses, pawn shops, and discount tobacco stores are now doing business in and around the former all-American eating places.
Furthermore, the area in question once featured the famous Peddler steak house/night club. I was a Peddler-patron just once 'round 1997; but I remember having a man-size cut of quality prime rib there, served with a half-cup-sized bowl of fresh-grated horseradish. The Peddler closed 'bout 2001 and became a Hispanic night club. Said night club didn't last very long, and now the "Peddler building" is - gasp! - a discount tobacco store.
Lest anyone think I'm being unfair or xenophobic, I'm going to post a couple of reviews soon featuring ethnic restaurants on or near Thompson Lane. A handful of quality ethnic restaurants, however, doesn't change the fact that a large area of Nashville now exists that I hardly recognize. The Fifth Quarter's closing only exemplifies this fact.
Stay tuned ...
1 comment:
I am with you. I LOVED the Fifth Quarter. I worked in the area for years and would eat there on a weekly basis. After leaving that area in 2006 I hadn't returned. My husband and I made the trek out to Little Mexico last Friday to eat at Fifth Quarter and were saddened to see that it was closed and the building was horribly run down. I remember Bennigan's also. That was a great restaurant as well. That part of Nashville has gone to hell in a handbasket!
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