Stephanie "@AgentSteph" C.'s Profile

I've never eaten so well. Or so much! Mangia is a totally unique dining experience. By day, it's a southern meat + 3, but on Friday and Saturday evenings it turns into a 13-course fine dining Italian marathon. And from what I understand, under completely different staff and ownership.

My friend Cat had read about this place in the Nashville Scene. She referred to it as "gorilla style."  It took her MONTHS to get a reservations for our party of 8. Walk-ins are not welcome. All the parties in the restaurant had at least 6 in their group. Because everything is served family-style, I suspect a group is required, but I'm not positive about that.

I completely devoured every single one of my THIRTEEN courses. Highlights included: fried stuffed olives, cipollini reduced onions, lemon risotto cakes, mozzarella carrozza, two salads, two pastas, veal osso buco, rosemary chicken, mussels, and two dessert courses. It  took us over THREE HOURS to complete the courses. Each one was better than the prior! Amazing really.

The cost is $45 per and there is a $5 corkage fee for BYOB. The atmosphere is casual. The staff sings, dances, and encourages the diners to do the same. You really do have to stand up every now and then, else you'd pop! They are even running The Godfather on the tele!

The only thing missing was good coffee to accompany desert. But they aren't losing a star for it. Just a suggestion.

I can't recommend this place highly enough. I understand that an expansion is in the works and I can't wait to go back!!!

I've just checked out the new Firehouse Subs in my neighborhood. I can't decide what my final opinion is. The decor is cute and prices are reasonable as compared to the nearby Jersey Mikes - which is a regular stop for me.

My husband had a cheddar/brisket sub with bbq sauce. It tasted WONDERFUL but the meat portion was far too small. I had the chicken salad sub which was only okay taste-wise. It was bland, but the meat portion was really generous. I can say that I really did like the texture of the whole-wheat bread.

I will definitely try Firehouse again and report back. I see on their menu that they specialize in Cherry Limeade like Sonic (love!). Somehow I missed this, but I will be trying that next time fo' sho'.

I just had a pleasant-enough experience at McDuffee. In fact, the customer service was great. But I paid $179 per tire for my Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max (plus $60 labor) where they are plainly $133 - $150 at most other vendors online... Walmart, Sams, etc.

I had asked while in the store if they had a price-mach guarantee, but they don't. Of course, I was already there with a flat tire so I wasn't going anywhere else.

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Update: Mr. McDuffee called me today after hearing my voicemail. He didn't offer a credit, but he did talk with me about the tire business and the benefits of his services (free lifetime rotation & balance, etc.).  He explained that most of these other tires retailers must order tires which comes with additional hidden shipping costs.

While I'm still annoyed that I feel as though I over-paid slightly, I can't fault the McDuffee customer service philosophy. I've gone from 2 the 3 stars.

Is it lame to review a Burger King? It must not be because I keep going back. They have this very basic burger called a "stacker" that I just can't get enough of.

You can get the Stacker as a single, double, or triple. I think they are running a special now for $1, $2, and $3 respectively. These burgers aren't huge. I like the double and my husband prefers the triple.

Here's the idea: bun, meat, cheese, bacon, and special sauce (aka tangy thousand island-y sauce). There may be some ketchup on there too. That's it. Well, plus that canned charbroil taste they spray on there.

At any rate, it's terrible for you, addicting, and amazing. Sometimes in the summer I sneak an ICEE in there too. Shhh.

Sadly, I just learned that the honey-almond cream cheese is no longer being served. I'm so totally bummed!

I will stick with the four stars because I love the atmosphere and the fun flavored coffee concoctions, but I sure hope they have a change of heart!

As a Realtor I've been referring my business to Rudy Title and Escrow as long as I've been in the game - since 2003. I love that Rudy Title offers aggressive pricing for both Buyers and Sellers. But mostly, I love taking my clients to the beautifully restored historic home with period furniture where Rudy is located in Hillsboro Village.

In my experience on the Buyer side it isn't so much the actions of the title companies, but the speed of the Buyer's lender that makes the difference. A title company just can't do their job until the lender sends them the lending package. But Rudy has a large enough staff to pull together a settlement statement very quickly on those hectic closings where the documents don't show up until 5 minutes before settlement time. Unfortunately this seems to be the norm anymore in mortgage lender. But that's another topic altogether.

On the Seller side of a deal, I love that I can get an almost instantaneous quote for title insurance (and reissue credit) with one quick email. I've never had an issue with getting my HUD1 late because a closer was too busy.

Rudy will also travel all over Nashville for closings if you have a busy professional who can't get off work. They also give clients the choice of paper or cd format for their closing doc copies. Oh, and red or white wine as a gift.

Kudos to Mary Frances Rudy for putting together such an efficient organization in such a lovely setting.

I live in Berry Hill/Melrose and Athens is a frequent stop. I love their Greek cuisine as well as their American dishes. And the breakfast, which is available all day (and night) can't be beat. Plus the price is definitely right.

Now, the decor leaves something to be desired. I think this was once a Captain D's. I had considered giving 4 stars because of the look of the place, but the food is so darned good, and isn't that what it's all about?

Kudos to Athens for their recent feature on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." No one deserves it more.

One note I would mention is that this place isn't good for groups. We once went with six people and boy were we crammed in there.

As a Realtor I've been referring almost exclusively to Nashville Property Consultants for a few years now and they've never failed to meet and exceed my expectations.

I've never seen a more professional and organized home inspection service. For starters there is Donna who sets, schedules, and confirms appointments so you don't have to play phone tag with an out-of-pocket busy inspector. She communicates the process, the pricing, and sets everyone's expectations via well thought out emails so your client knows exactly what to expect.

Houston Prewitt is a wonderfully thorough, courteous, and detailed inspector. His reports are delivered quickly in an online PDF format using HomeGuage with full color and ample photos. As an agent, I am thankful for the summary section which helps in my repair negotiations immensely. See sample on their site.

Their pricing is competitive, though home inspections are truly a service where you get what you pay for. There is nothing worse than an inspection from a carbon copy template which may or may not have photos. Agents, have you ever had an inspector email photos as separate attachments without labels? It's the worst!

As a professional, I can't tell you how impressed I am with this business!

Yazoo is right across the street from my real estate office. I thought they would never finish with construction; it seems like it took forever! I was sure I would be a frequent visitor because I love the Dos Peros, but the odd business hours make it difficult to schedule a visit.

There beer is great, and the atmosphere is so-so. But who really cares about the setting when you've got an alcoholic beverage in your hand?!?

Yazoo is an outstanding place for an business event. I was recently at a meeting of the Nashville Social Networking Club and it was a great space for networking. I've also seen a few showcases at this venue.

Yes, Yes, I love the food at B&C. I would have given 5 stars if their dining room were better. Instead, B&C is nearly always a take-out dinner for me.

For starters, the BBQ is quite affordable. I think we pat $7 each for 1 meat, 2 sides, and cornbread to go. I love the pulled pork with sweet sauce, but my husband like the brisket with mustard sauce. The meat is dry - you add one of ?six? sauces. The meat portion is quite generous.

The real stand-out for me are the sides though. The macaroni is some of the best I've had. It's made with white cheddar and it's ultra-creamy. I can also vouch for the sweet bbq baked beans and the green beans. I think the grits are a little dry, but my husband loves them. Each day they offer regular grits as well as grits of the day like garlic-cheese or "hot".

There was a Groupon a few months ago. $7 for $15 worth of food. I sure hope they do it again!