Cha Chah

It has been awhile since I've blogged! If I'm not blogging it means I haven't been dining out or eating anything exciting lately. Due to a new early morning work out regimen, my alarm goes off at 5am every morning. This means quick, easy, and sometimes boring dinners at home since my new bed time is around 10pm!

However, I recently made plans to have early drinks and tapas with a great friend of mine at Cha Chah. Located in an old house turned restaurant in Nashville's Belmont neighborhood, Cha Chah is a small, open air restuarant that's always inviting and great for an affordable and delicious meal. Cha Chah is owned by Arnold Myint, one of Nashville's celebrity chefs who was recently on the hit television show, Top Chef. Of the three restaurants owned by Myint, Cha Chah has my favorite menu. The menu consists of Spanish style tapas, perfect for sharing. I absolutely love tapas because you get to try a little bit of everything!

To start the night off right, I ordered one of my favorite drinks in town, the Sweet Basil Gimlet. Comprised of gin (I substitue vodka), lime, basil, simple syrup, and soda, this drink is delicious. If there is ever a drink with basil and lime, you can pretty much count on me ordering it.

After a yummy cocktail and some good conversation, we decided on a few tapas. First, to much on, we ordered the Mediterranean Tapenade. I've had this yummy stuff before and it's always great. 

A light spread of red peppers, artichokes, olives, and some other Mediterranean goodies, it is served with yummy homemade pita chips and fresh cucumber. My kind of snack for sure!

Next, we ordered another favorite, and something I crave regularly, the Brussel Sprouts. Let me tell you about this little salad! Served warm, the brussel sprout leaves are separated, tossed in some tangy smoked vinegar with garlic, red onions, and almonds, then topped with thinly sliced cheese. Tangy, spicy, crunchy... just amazing. I get this dish every time I go, so you really need to try it!

We also ordered the Roasted Cauliflower. I hadn't seen this on the menu before, but I love cauliflower so we gave it a shot and it was a amazing! Served in a small white dish, these huge heads of cauliflower were perfectly browned, topped with capers and grated cheese. It was so pretty I almost didn't want to eat it! And yes, it tasted as good as it looks.

How awesome does that look?

So, next time you're in need of a quick bite that won't cost you a ton of money, go to Cha Chah. They have an amazing full dinner menu as well, but I like to stick to the tapas so that I can taste everything Arnold has to offer! So go for either snacks or dinner(and definitely drinks) soon, but either way, just go! And don't forget the Brussel Sprouts!

P.S.- GM Ross Powells is an awesome guy and always around so be sure to say hi! And he's got a great Australian accent to boot.

ChaChah
615.298.1430
www.chachahnashville.com