Ri'chard's Cafe

I visited Richard's Cafe on a Saturday afternoon. I had the crawfish etouffee with fried okra and it was very authentic and absolutely delicious. Could not eat it all. As a bonus they had live entertainment from some Nashville local's that was outstanding. Ri'chard, the owner is such a charismatic guy who interacts with the guests and draws them into the fun and is an entertainer himself. This place is a treat!!!! I dare you to go and not leave with a smile on your face.

What a little surprise/paradise this is..
Absolutely adorable, casual, shabby chic, with a stage at the front of the cafe..
This little cafe sits out in the middle of nowhere... I think it's a perfect place for a date.
Nice little drive out to the country... 10 minutes from downtown Nashville, out on a country road at a four way traffic light stop.

I went here with a group of people and immediately felt the comfort and ambience.  We sat down and Craig came over with glasses of iced water and took our beer orders.. No other alcoholic beverages, but they have a nice selection of bottled beers.
There is someone sitting on the makeshift stage and singing and playing guitar.
During the course of the dinner, Richard, the owner will jump in and jam along with the singing artist.  The particular evening I dined here, he had an Australian rockabilly dude and the music was a little too loud for conversation. Acoustic would be a better fit for dinner..

Food: Some ordered salads before dinner, and many of us ordered dinners.  I ordered the blackened red fish, couple others ordered the blackened catfish, all of us opted for the fried okra, and side dishes are huge!
Saw a few shrimp and fettuccine, a couple of shrimp etouffee..
I asked one of the fettuccine eaters how she liked her dish and she said it was too cheesy, reminded her of Red Lobster.
My blackened redfish was good and it was a nice size portion.  Richard told me he gets them individually pkged and they come to him frozen, as does the tuna..
Sometimes he gets grouper.
He has a great selection of seafood - which is really nice since most of the local restaurants serve either salmon or catfish (tilapia)...
So his selections were really nice and if you have a large appetite, his portions are very large!

After dinner I ordered coffee and beignets, and  YES, if you've ever had N'awlins beignets, these will bring back good memories! doughy! hot! large plate of 4 airy, freshly made beignets...  Enough dessert on that dish to let 4 people enjoy one, each!

When the kitchen was cranking, the heat was pretty warm in the restaurant.  It was not unbearable, but if you're sensitive to warm...   wait til cooler weather.
I noticed an outdoor seating area, that would be just as romantic for a date.
I saw heaters out there, too.
So they must use the outdoor eating area frequently.

All in all, this is truly a nice little place, out in the country.  
You could email Richard and ask if you can bring along a bottle of wine with you.  Great place for a romantic date.
Counter service too!

The coffee was tasty,  dessert was huge and fresh, dinner was ample, freshly cooked, good tasting..  A solid 8 out of 10 score!

I told Richard I would be back.
For sure.

Richards is a funky, hip, out of the way place yet very close to downtown Nashville.  The food runs the gamut from divine to uh-oh, the service is friendly but if its busy can be slow.  So why did I give it 4 out of 5 stars?  ATMOSPHERE....very cool place and most of the performers are wonderful to listen to.  This is an intimate place with uneven floors and an owner (Richard) who will put on the Zydeco instrument tie and play along with the band from time to time.  Or he'll pull out a harmonica and snuggle up the mic and add tasty licks and he's no slouch at picking guitar or writing tunes either!  So once and awhile the food is off, but the atmosphere is always a hit!  Give it a try, though don't take my seat!  LOL.