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Made-from-scratch sips, scoops, and sweets are at the heart of Milk & Honey, which debuted four years ago in Chattanooga. When Mike and Taylor Monen brought the brand to Nashville late last fall, they broadened its scope. Sure, you can get their signature sorbets and gelatos, luscious churns that dazzle like a rainbow: blueberry-buttermilk, salted caramel, fresh mint-chocolate chip, summer strawberry, and, of course, milk and honey. But, the Gulch venue is also an all-day café, offering your heart's desire, breakfast through dinner.
Milk & Honey taps in to the casual spirit of an Italian osteria. You can walk up to the espresso counter, order a cappuccino, and perhaps fall prey to the display of muffins, scones, macarons, cupcakes, and tarts, all baked onsite. For full service, find your place at a café table in the dining room. Or, slide on to a stool at the bar to order a craft beer or one of the clever specialty cocktails, such as 'Milk Money.” (That heady milk punch combines Maker's Mark bourbon, St. Remi brandy, and milk from the local Hatcher Family Dairy.) Just as appealing is the sheltered outdoor patio, where you can take your meal while observing the Gulch's rumble and thrum.
Breakfast begins at 6:30 a.m., rewarding early birds with a terrific selection of grain bowls, stuffed biscuits, egg dishes, and specialty toasts. Head baker Ben Morgan makes an excellent sourdough loaf, which becomes the tangy foundation of Green Eggs and Ham toast. Grab your knife and fork, and dig in to its layers of tomato, pesto, Benton's country ham, white cheddar, and sunnyside-up eggs.
At lunch, that same bread is key to many good sandwiches, like the Ham & Turkey club, a triple-decker stack of house-cured bacon, roasted turkey breast, Benton's ham, sharp cheddar, avocado, and a healthy slather of whole grain honey mustard.
What we're most psyched about are the wood-fired pizzas and handmade pastas.
Fine '00” Caputo flour and sourdough starter comprise the naturally leavened dough of the pizza crust, which achieves distinctive 'leopard spotting” in the 850-degree oven. Order the classic Margherita, and content yourself with the delicious simplicity of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil. Or break tradition: Get the Hot Hawaiian, because the fiery sweetness of chipotle-glazed pineapple dotting the pie makes a perfect companion to the salty-sweetness of speck, the spice-cured smoked pork from northern Italy.
Fresh pastas are available at dinner only, in five tempting variations. We love the tortellini, delicate earthy cones stuffed with roasted mushrooms and ricotta, cradled in sherry-cream sauce. And we'd never throw shade on 50 Shades of Lasagnathat's fifty whisper-thin sheets, layered with ricotta, béchamel, mozzarella, marinara, and Bolognese sauces.
214 11th Ave S, 615-712-7466; milkandhoneynashville.com