Southern comfort food with soul at Arnold’s Country Kitchen in Nashville

I flew to Nashville to speak at a conference held at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and in the Blind Cook fashion, I had to try some regional cuisine, namely southern cookin’ and hot chicken.The first adventure was at Arnold’s Country Kitchen in central Nashville. My friend and I arrived just in time to beat the lunch crowd. It’s one of those places serving what’s known as “meat-and-threes,” which is colloquial for meals consisting of a main meat entrée and three sides. (If you’ve never heard of this, you’re not alone—I only learned what a meat-and-three was once I was in Nashville.) Think of the Luby’s Luann Platter as a meat-and-three (if you include the side of bread).Anyway, my friend and I each ordered a meat-and-three with the understanding we’d be sharing everything. Between the two of us, we had the roast beef, fried catfish, mac-’n-chees, broccoli rice casserole, mashed potatoes, stewed vegetables, braised greens, and cornbread. As if that wasn’t enough, Arnold Jr. kept slipping us some freebies throughout our meal.“You have to try this,” he’d say and drop a small plate of pork or cake on our table.As much as I love southern cookin’ and soul food, it’s a bit much to eat at brunch time. We packed everything to go, though, and hauled the boxes back to our hotel room. Arnold’s is only open on weekdays for breakfast and lunch, so you’ll have to sacrifice by eating a large meal early on in the day. Be sure to pack some Tums.Food is cheap and full of soul at Arnold’s Country Kitchen, and the staff is incredibly friendly, eager to show their patrons true southern hospitality.There are different specials every day of the week, but the roast beef, for example, is on the menu daily. You order cafeteria style and eat on no-frills plastic banquet tables. The lighting is unflattering, and there’s no music, but that’s all part of Arnold’s simplistic southern charm.Arnold’s Country Kitchen605 8th Ave. SNashville, TN 37203Phone: +1 615 256-4455