Marche

The stop after Pigeon Forge on our southern road trip was Nashville, where we continued our food-adventures. By this point we were half-way through our week and were already weighed down with more biscuits and butter than could possibly be considered healthy, and I had forgotten what hunger actually feels like.

In hopes of working up a real appetite again, I bullied the others into another bout of horseback riding which was slightly more eventful than our previous experience. My horse (obviously not the brightest creature in the world) decided to run herself (and me) into trees and thick bushes on multiple occasions despite my futile attempts at steering. While she happily chomped on the leaves of said trees, I was busy beating giant spiders off of myself and trying not to scream like a girl (I admit that I did scream once - when a spider the size of a yo-yo landed on my chest).

Daniella had it even worse: she managed to pick up a tick somewhere along the way. Google for iPhone informed her that Lyme disease is indeed endemic to Tennessee, as are Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Ehrlichiosis.

After horseback riding we were in the mood for lighter fare than we had previously been enjoying, and therefore decided to hit up a place called Marche just outside of Nashville. The menu consisted primarily of sandwiches and egg products (ex. quiche and omelets).

One of the ladies at the next table had a bowl full of something that looked creamy and yummy. It ended up being a chai tea latte. I've been told that in France (and therefore also in French restaurants in the U.S) it's common for coffee items to be served in large bowls (they also do this at Balthazar in Soho) rather than in coffee mugs. Classy.

I ordered the omelette du jour as an entree. The center of the omelette consisted of cheddar cheese, bacon, and sweet onions. The omelette had a decent filling-to-egg ratio, however the egg seemed a bit over-cooked. Not that I have any desire for salmonella poisoning, but I would have preferred for my eggs to be a bit fluffier.

On the side was a mixed green salad with vinaigrette that was both sweet and tangy in flavor.

The vinaigrette was super-yummy. Normally I'm the type of person who prefers real dressing on her salads - none of this silly "healthy" vinaigrette nonsense or simple drizzling of extra virgin olive oil - and maybe it was delirium from too many meals of fried foods, but the simple salad with vinaigrette at Marche was one of my favorite things on the entire road trip.

For dessert I ordered the strawberry boston cream pie (in honor of the fact that Boston will soon be my city of residence for the next 5 years). The custard was great - not too sweet and very smooth, the cake was light and airy, and the layer of chocolate ganache was appropriately thick. My only gripe was a desire for a few more strawberries as there was only a thin layer of them under the custard and one or two chunks mixed in.

Daniella and Anna both ordered the strawberry tart for dessert. Although I didn't photograph their entrees because they were hungry and impatient to start eating, the tart was too pretty for me to pass up a photo-op.

Overall rating: 7/10