Hoosier Burger Boy: Brown's Diner

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Brown's Diner - Nashville, TN

Brown’s Diner in Nashville, Tennessee is another recommendation from Hamburger America. When we showed up at Brown’s, we were glad to see it was open. An unassuming double-wide tacked onto an old bar, Brown’s definitely does not bring the folks in for its beauty.

We entered the dark dining room and took a seat at one of the booths made up of a parquet wood table top and a slatted, pew-style seat. Mom was not that up for a burger and asked about the chicken sandwich. “It’s okay if you like Tyson frozen chicken.” Our server said this purely objectively and without judgment. “But you really should get the cheeseburger.” So we did. I ordered the cheeseburger with fries ($4.75) Mom got the hushpuppies as her side.

We had arrived around 11:30 am, so the place was only about one-third full, by the time our burgers arrived 10 minutes later, Brown’s was almost full. All walks of people rolled in; contractors, business people, a grandfather and teenage granddaughter and every other demographic one could think of.

Our burgers were very minimalist and classic. The patty was thick and griddle-fried, just like my Mom used to make on the farm. A toothpick pierced the basic white bun, holding in place three pickle slices on top. I had gotten my onions grilled. They sat on top of nicely melted American cheese. Lettuce, tomato and mayo nestled under the patty.

The first bite transported me back in time to all those handmade fresh burgers of my youth. The burger was cooked medium-well as we had been told, but the thicker patty kept it juicy. Everything balanced nicely together and Mom and I both really enjoyed the burger.

I guess I love Brown’s the most because like all my favorite burger joints it is just about the burger. No gleaming 50s retro theme, because it really existed like it is now in the 50s. My guess is that Brown’s will outlast all the chains, mega burger places and national gimmicks and be serving their burgers on the same parquet tables for years to come.