Producer/Songwriter/All-American Rejects guitarist Nick Wheeler is from Oklahoma and currently lives in Nashville. I am from Long Island and I currently live in Los Angeles. We both miss people and actual physical locales. We decided to discuss top tier coffee shops, restaurants, bars, and venues in each city.
Nashville:
- Coffee – Retrograde
SW: I feel that Nashville is an underrated coffee city.
NW: Absolutely. And speaking of underrated, coffee from Arkansas is even more underrated.
SW: Wait. What?
NW: Well, Scott, Nashville’s Retrograde gets its beans from Onyx in Arkansas.
SW: Mind blown.
NW: There are a lot of incredible coffee shops in Nashville, but many of them are loud and crowded. Retrograde is chill and delicious.
- Restaurant – Burger Up
SW: Speaking of food, you talk about Burger Up about twenty-six hours a day.
NW: And I won’t stop!
SW: And you yap about their truffle aioli twenty-seven hours a day.
NW: And I won’t stop!
SW: The pimento cheeseburger sounds to die for.
NW: Once I took my bulldog here for her birthday and we shared a plate of truffle fries.
SW: Speaking of adorable, this speakeasy limits its attendees so everyone could be comfortable and seated.
NW: The drinks are fucking great and the presentation is even better!
SW: I’d go anywhere that has an old fashioned menu. Seriously. What the hell.
NW: And it rotates monthly!
SW: Stop the presses.
NW: Newspapers for sale!
- Music venue – The High Watt
SW: Hope that the price on said paper isn’t too high!
NW: Haha. The High Watt has a great beer selection and it also sells earplugs.
SW: Very necessary for such an intimate room.
NW: Everyone has a good vantage point in this clean venue. I don’t often use that word when describing a rock and roll room.
SW: I can’t wait until I can see a show again.
NW: Sidebar: Another one of my favorite venues was destroyed by a tornado earlier this year. Basement East, I cannot wait until you return.
Los Angeles –
- Coffee – Verve
SW: I cannot wait until you return to LA.
NW: Yeah! Verve may be the first stop that I hit.
SW: I’ve never had a bad cup of coffee at the WeHo location and the people watching there is quite excellent.
NW: I was at the downtown locale. I wasn’t paying attention to the people because I was geeking out at the automatic pour over machines.
SW: One day we will become obsolete.
NW: Only if the machines start drinking the coffee too!
- Restaurant – Café Stella
SW: Speaking of coffee, let’s go to a French restaurant.
NW: I guess I judge a restaurant based on whether my dog will eat there or not.
SW: Don’t tell me…
NW: Yup. Once I took my bulldog here and we shared a charcuterie tray.
SW: STELLA!
NW: CURED MEATS!
- Bar – The Woods
SW: Served on a wooden platter.
NW: (in a Dave Coulier voice) Is it made of (pauses and shakes head) wood?
SW: Probably. Anywho, this bar makes all other dive bars jealous.
NW: And they have a really good jukebox.
SW: What did you just call me?
NW: (ignores him because he is having an epiphany) It’s like camping in a strip mall, which is the B-side to “Club At The End Of The Street”.
- Music venue – The Troubadour
SW: I heard that Elton John got his start here.
NW: The piano man!
SW: I’ve seen so many shows here and I’ve played so many shows here.
NW: I played there twice. Jon Bon Jovi was there. Steven Tyler was there too but he left before we went on.
SW: Crazy. That’s amazing.
NW: I was cryin’. I also got to see The Cure at the Troubadour. And Toad The Wet Sprocket. It was a separate affair.
