It’s funny how one experience at a restaurant can unfairly influence your opinion of the restaurant for a long time. Especially when there are SO many factors that go into that one meal that is out of control of the restaurant.
A while back I had dinner at Lockeland Table and I didn’t love it. I don’t even remember what or why. It wasn’t even bad either. Maybe it just wasn’t the right night or maybe we didn’t have realistic expectations. Whatever it was, I hadn’t been back in a while. Too many times people rule a great place out due to things they shouldn’t or without truly giving it a shot.
As that memory has faded over the course of time, it has been replaced with how charitable Chef Hal is, specifically towards the children at St. Jude. I volunteer with St. Jude, and subsequently, I have been privileged to see how generous and giving he is with his time and talents, particularly in our current environment.
I have also been impressed with reports of how dog-friendly the restaurant is, and how accommodating they are of young children. Recently it jumped back onto my list of places that I need to get back and try.
Luckily it was chosen as the location for dinner last week and it was the perfect match for a safe meal out with some fabulous friends, an adorable dog, and a foodie kid.
I have to say that I was blown away in all aspects of the restaurant food, care for customers, and their safety precautions. I have dined out in the current COVID environment a number of times and this was excellent. They had diners put their mask on when the server came to the table. There were also temperature checks at the door.
Having tried many happy hour bites and entrees everything was spectacular. Typically with a large sampling like this at a restaurant, there will be a dish or two that are misses. Not here. Everything we got I would have ordered again without question.
Their happy hour or Community Hour is one of the best in town. If you haven’t been there, it’s one to put on your list. Cocktails for $6. Where else in town can you get something like that? Very few places. The bites were incredible as well. Memorable queso and the General Hal’s chicken wings are a must too!
It was so nice to see how accommodating they are to animals. The staff even knew the names of the dogs walking around the neighborhood and even brought them bowls of water. That is how you can tell they truly care about their community and their customers.
I like dining out with my five-year-old as much as I can. It isn’t the easiest because she’s very picky. I guess the foody doesn’t fall far from the tree. She gave a resounding thumbs up on the pizza and loved the wood-fire char on the bottom of the crust. The french fries were a hit too and we needed a second round on them.
There are so many reasons to love Lockeland Table and Chef Hal. If you haven’t been, I urge you to go check them out. If you have been, thank you for supporting them. Nashville is fortunate to have a restaurant and chef like this. We’re also better for having them in our great city.
