There is always a Hispanic/Latino vibe running through the annual "Best of Nashville" issue of the Nashville Scene, and the 2010 edition is no different. But this year, we see a whole lot of food connections to Latino life in Music City, with not much else that is "best" about Hispanic Nashville warranting a mention. (For a more comprehensive take on the "best" things in Hispanic life in this city, scroll down to the HispanicNashville.com Index on the right side of this page and click on "awards" - a few dozen stories about writers, civic leaders, valedictorians, business owners, beauty queens, and other award winners can be found there.)
As for the Scene's Best of Nashville awards, clothier-to-the-stars (and role model) Manuel joins a host of food nominees in this year's Reader's Poll winners:
Best Burrito
Baja Burrito
Nuvo Burrito
Blue Coast Burrito
Best Cheese Dip
SATCO
Rosepepper Cantina
Las Palmas
Best Fish Taco
Local Taco
Baja Burrito
Mas Tacos
Best Mexican Restaurant
Las Palmas
Las Maracas
La Hacienda
Best Mobile Vendor
Mas Tacos
Izzie's Ice
Tin Can Treats
Best Margarita
Rosepepper Cantina
Cantina Laredo
Local Taco
Best Community Role Model
Karl Dean
Manuel
Patten Fuqua
There's more celebration of the Hispanic angle to dining in the Food and Drink Writers' Picks:
BEST STREET EATS GONE STATIONARY: MAS TACOS POR FAVOR
When Teresa Mason converted a '70s Winnebago into a mobile taco stand, she had high hopes, but little did she know how incredibly popular her adorable yellow-and-blue eatery on wheels would become. Now Mason has opened a stationary outpost at 732 McFerrin Ave., across from Holland House, and miraculously, she's managed to create a room that shares the 'Bago's low-key retro charm. Painted cinderblock and distressed wood walls, offbeat photos and artwork, rolls of paper towels on the tables, an awesome old-school jukebox — it's a funky space that's hard to resist. We've tried to get takeout on several occasions, but always seem to wind up eating it there. Oh, and the food! Not only does Mason serve the standards that made her truck famous — among them quinoa, chicken and (irresistible) fried-avocado tacos and, when good corn's available, delectable elotes — she's constantly experimenting with new items that the truck's confined space wouldn't allow. If they're on the chalkboard, be sure to try the tamales and the savory chicken tortilla soup. JACK SILVERMAN
BEST NEW STREET EATS: PIZZA BUDS / BUENOS AIRES GRILL
Much as we love Nashville's awesome taco trucks, we're thrilled to see some new mobile food options. First up: Pizza Buds, a trio of twentysomething buddies in a tricked-out '70s camper that says "Leisure Time" on the side (and looks more fitting for an impromptu porno). Inspired by a late-night gorge on greasy slices at Austin's SXSW, photog Jonny Kingsbury, Hannah Barberians drummer Ben Jones and all-star nice guy Kenny Gay decided free range pizza was their calling — a witches brew of all-natural sauce, homemade crust (thanks to Gay's mom) and competing sweet and savory spices (hello, brown sugar!). But we're also hooked on Argentine native Gitano Herrera's grilled choripan sausage sandwiches and homemade desserts, including an intense dulce de leche. You've got a few more weeks to try them at the Woodbine Farmers Market. TRACY MOORE & JIM RIDLEY
BEST CHEAP DINNER: LAS AMERICAS
If you're like me and stick to tacos and pupusas — delectable grilled rounds of cornmeal dough filled with cheese and either beans or pork — this Salvadoran eatery on Nolensville Road is dirt-cheap and damn good. The tacos al pastor, cubes of pork in a slightly sweet and spicy sauce, are the best. One pupusa and one taco (under $4) is usually enough, but if I'm really hungry, I'll double up on the tacos and still come in under a fin — and feel like I've had an hour-long Central American vacation in the process. JACK SILVERMAN
And then there's this Writers' picks for Music:
Fisk University's WFSK 88.1-FM was among the first HBCU stations to devote a significant chunk (six hours) of its format to Spanish-language music and culture. Sipho Dumansane's Latin Jazz (Wednesdays 7-9 p.m.) and "Super Salsa Potente" (Thursdays 7-11 p.m.) cover a wide range of Latino sounds from Cuba and the Dominican Republic, while also featuring updates, interviews and insights in both English and Spanish. Dumansane has also played congas with a variety of Nashville and Middle Tennessee Latin bands and brings an inspired mix of musical knowledge, energy, personal experience and stories to his programs. RON WYNN
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