When stopping in or passing through Gallatin, TN, be sure to take a little while to go to the city's square. Not only is it a quaint square with a feel of old, small town America, it's also home to Larriviere's Restaurant. Owner Rene Larriviere is originally from Louisiana and brings that Cajun taste to Tennessee in a big way.
I came to know Rene when I was still in high school at Hunters Lane in Nashville. During my junior year (13 years ago now) I started to work at Cici's Pizza in Madison, TN. Rene and his brother Andre were the owners of that restaurant at the time. It was the first CiCi's in middle Tennessee and, for the next few years, the best. The brothers were wonderful owner/managers who never betrayed our trust or acted in a hypocritical way. They always had the highest standards of our conduct and professionalism, even though most of us workers were quite young. They rewarded us and led us to be good workers for them.
I can see by the way that Rene's current employees talk about him and their experiences at the "new" restaurant that he has continued with that same great philosophy. All of the workers and manager had nothing but good things to say about him. The restaurant itself was very clean and tidy. The food on the lunch buffet looked hot and tasty. However, I decided to order off the menu. I had originally gone there just to talk to Rene, but he had left about 10 minutes before I arrived--that's what I get for not calling ahead and making plans. So, I decided just to give him my business for lunch.
There were two separate menus given to me when I asked to see them. One was the lunch specials, the other was the full menu. I decided to eat a lunch special. It didn't disappoint. I ordered the Shrimp Etouffee (also available in crawfish). I haven't had a good etouffee in quite a while--since about 2001 when the New Orleans' style restaurant Copeland's had a couple of places around Nashville. I was sure that this would be different, though. It was! The food was great. It had just the right amount of spice that I felt the heat, but it wasn't overwhelming. The taste was great, and the shrimp could be tasted, but not in that gross "I taste the ocean" kind of way. Anyway, next time you're in Gallatin, TN, you should go try it out. You can tell Rene, if he's there, that I sent you, but it won't change your price or my wallet in any way. I just thought you should all know that I'm not getting paid for this rave review ^_^.
Here's a link to his website for anyone interested: http://www.larrivieres.com/
Also, while I was in Gallatin, before going to my old friend's restaurant, I stopped by a little jewelry store called Thomas Jewelers. I met Thomas a few years ago while I was dating Kim. He's an awesome guy: very genuine, a true craftsman, and all around good guy. He makes these really cool rings that used to cost just a few hundred dollars. However, with the price of gold and palladium skyrocketing, the price has obviously risen as well. The ring looks like woodgrain and is a mixture of different metals. I don't know if he really wants me sending new business his way or not, but you should at least check out his site to look at his jewelry. He told me today that he has more business now than he ever really wanted to have.
Tom used to have a couple of big-time jewelry stores in New Jersey and shut them down many years ago for a couple of reasons; mainly, he was working more than he cared to be. Now, he's getting to the same situation, which really just goes to show how great of a craftsman and honest businessman he is. Before I got a chance to chat with him today, he was helping another lady. She was looking at a 14K white gold ring with baguette diamonds in it. He's selling it for $550 because that was the fair price when he got the ring. Many of his jeweler friends have told him he should raise the price since gold and diamonds cost more today than they did when he first got the ring. However, he's such an honest guy that he doesn't want to rip off his customers in order to make a few extra bucks! How's that for customer service and honesty? I can't think of many places that would do the same as Tom. So, anyway, check him out if you're in the market for any really nice, hand-crafted pieces, or just nice jewelry in general. If you're looking for something less expensive, just talk to me and I'll point you in the right direction. Again, like Larriviere's Restaurant, you can tell him that I sent you, but it won't change anything, except maybe the conversation.
Thomas Jewelers website: http://www.thomas-jewelers.com/
Well, I hope everyone is having a great day. I planned to upload pictures of Larriviere's Restaurant but the phone to computer upload isn't cooperating at the moment. I'll update this later to include some pictures.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
I came to know Rene when I was still in high school at Hunters Lane in Nashville. During my junior year (13 years ago now) I started to work at Cici's Pizza in Madison, TN. Rene and his brother Andre were the owners of that restaurant at the time. It was the first CiCi's in middle Tennessee and, for the next few years, the best. The brothers were wonderful owner/managers who never betrayed our trust or acted in a hypocritical way. They always had the highest standards of our conduct and professionalism, even though most of us workers were quite young. They rewarded us and led us to be good workers for them.
I can see by the way that Rene's current employees talk about him and their experiences at the "new" restaurant that he has continued with that same great philosophy. All of the workers and manager had nothing but good things to say about him. The restaurant itself was very clean and tidy. The food on the lunch buffet looked hot and tasty. However, I decided to order off the menu. I had originally gone there just to talk to Rene, but he had left about 10 minutes before I arrived--that's what I get for not calling ahead and making plans. So, I decided just to give him my business for lunch.
There were two separate menus given to me when I asked to see them. One was the lunch specials, the other was the full menu. I decided to eat a lunch special. It didn't disappoint. I ordered the Shrimp Etouffee (also available in crawfish). I haven't had a good etouffee in quite a while--since about 2001 when the New Orleans' style restaurant Copeland's had a couple of places around Nashville. I was sure that this would be different, though. It was! The food was great. It had just the right amount of spice that I felt the heat, but it wasn't overwhelming. The taste was great, and the shrimp could be tasted, but not in that gross "I taste the ocean" kind of way. Anyway, next time you're in Gallatin, TN, you should go try it out. You can tell Rene, if he's there, that I sent you, but it won't change your price or my wallet in any way. I just thought you should all know that I'm not getting paid for this rave review ^_^.
Here's a link to his website for anyone interested: http://www.larrivieres.com/
Also, while I was in Gallatin, before going to my old friend's restaurant, I stopped by a little jewelry store called Thomas Jewelers. I met Thomas a few years ago while I was dating Kim. He's an awesome guy: very genuine, a true craftsman, and all around good guy. He makes these really cool rings that used to cost just a few hundred dollars. However, with the price of gold and palladium skyrocketing, the price has obviously risen as well. The ring looks like woodgrain and is a mixture of different metals. I don't know if he really wants me sending new business his way or not, but you should at least check out his site to look at his jewelry. He told me today that he has more business now than he ever really wanted to have.
Tom used to have a couple of big-time jewelry stores in New Jersey and shut them down many years ago for a couple of reasons; mainly, he was working more than he cared to be. Now, he's getting to the same situation, which really just goes to show how great of a craftsman and honest businessman he is. Before I got a chance to chat with him today, he was helping another lady. She was looking at a 14K white gold ring with baguette diamonds in it. He's selling it for $550 because that was the fair price when he got the ring. Many of his jeweler friends have told him he should raise the price since gold and diamonds cost more today than they did when he first got the ring. However, he's such an honest guy that he doesn't want to rip off his customers in order to make a few extra bucks! How's that for customer service and honesty? I can't think of many places that would do the same as Tom. So, anyway, check him out if you're in the market for any really nice, hand-crafted pieces, or just nice jewelry in general. If you're looking for something less expensive, just talk to me and I'll point you in the right direction. Again, like Larriviere's Restaurant, you can tell him that I sent you, but it won't change anything, except maybe the conversation.
Thomas Jewelers website: http://www.thomas-jewelers.com/
Well, I hope everyone is having a great day. I planned to upload pictures of Larriviere's Restaurant but the phone to computer upload isn't cooperating at the moment. I'll update this later to include some pictures.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
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