"When International Market opened on Belmont Boulevard in 1975, it was an important addition to a city that didn’t have a whole lot of culinary diversity. Nashville restaurants have come a long way since then, but it’s still just as important as ever. Lunch is great for a quick, casual, low-key meal—steam tables line the right of the sunlit space, where Belmont students and Vandy professors excitedly pluck crab rangoon off the hotline and load up on plates of pad thai. At night, the menu changes to extra cheffy renditions of Thai classics—the pap see eiw use semolina pappardelle instead of rice noodles, and specials bring together things like sashimi-style salmon and roe with pickled garlic, fish sauce, and Thai chili. It’s a third date kind of a spot, or one you reach for when you’ve got three or four hungry friends who aren’t afraid of a little heat. " - jackie gutierrez jones 2, carlo mantuano, ann walczak
