What's New: An Online Update for Frommer's Nashville & Memphis

Despite tenacious beliefs to the contrary, both Nashville and Memphis offer top-flight accommodations, dining and culture -- and they just keep getting better with new hotels and restaurants popping up all over.

Nashville

Connections to Nashville from the Rocky Mountains region got a boost this year when Denver-based Frontier Airlines (www.frontierairlines.com) announced plans to offer service to the Music City. Frontier, a low-cost air carrier, begins the twice daily nonstop service between Nashville and the Mile High City in June 2004.

Nashville's newest sushi bar appears to be a bona fide hit. Ru San's, 505 12th Ave. S. (tel. 615/252-8787) packs in a young, energetic crowd eager to sample sashimi, noodle dishes, and Pacific Rim cuisine against a backdrop of deafening techno music and splashy Japanese anime videos. This is the first Tennessee location for the Atlanta-based chain. Ru San's serves lunch and dinner in the neighborhood known as The Gulch, a hip, up-and-coming area just south of downtown that's undergoing a renaissance as a residential and retail Mecca.

Atlantis, an upscale, fine-dining seafood restaurant at 1911 Broadway, has closed after several years in business. In its place is something totally different: The Rack Room and Blue Bar (tel. 615/327-8001) is a sporty spot that blends billiards, booze, and a laid-back attitude. Open daily from 3pm, Rack Room and Blue Bar serves simple sandwiches and salads to complement its liquid refreshments.

The West End has seen several high-profile fine-dining restaurants open in recent months. These include Chu, 909 20th Ave. South (tel. 615/515-2742), a dramatically designed, two-story space with an extensive wine list, two bars and Asian-inspired menu augmented by an array of sakes. At press time, plans were in the works to begin a dim sum Sunday brunch.

Nearby, Tayst Restaurant and Wine Bar, 2100 21st Ave. S. (tel. 615/383-1983; http://nashville.citysearch.com/profile/40852060) is serving dinner nightly Tuesday through Saturday. Well-known local chef Jeremy Barlow presides over a gourmet menu that changes seasonally.

Out along Music Row, Demonbreun Street is being revitalized with new venues such as Chi-Town, 1526 Demonbreun Street (tel. 615/269-9265), a piano bar whose gimmick is dueling pianos. An eclectic menu featuring chicken, beef, and seafood dishes keeps music execs and downtown workers happy. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner seven days a week.

Another welcome anchor near the Musica statue at the center of Music Row is the Dan McGuinness Irish Pub, 1538 Demonbreun Street (tel. 615/252-1991), a quaint and friendly bar and restaurant that serves hearty meat-and-potatoes dishes along with pints of ale. Dan McGuinness' is open daily from 11am.

Memphis

A chic new bistro in the heart of downtown, Stella (tel. 901/526-4950; www.stellamemphis.com), is drawing rave reviews for chef Johnny Kirk's inventive dishes such as mushroom-crusted rack of lamb and artichoke flan. Perched right along the trolley line at the corner of Main and Monroe, Stella is open weekdays for lunch and dinner nightly except Sunday. The intimate venue includes a full bar and commendable wine list, as well as a shady outdoor patio. Reservations are recommended at dinner, when entrees will set you back about $20 or more per person.

Unfortunately, Fratelli's Market and Grill (tel. 901/685-1566; www.fratellismarket.com), the promising new Italian eatery that added some oomph to the South Main Street area downtown has relocated to the eastern suburbs. The good news is that owner Sabine Baltz still serves up her signature sandwiches, salads and killer tiramisu at the Memphis Botanic Garden, 750 Cherry Road. Overlooking the lush rose gardens, the relocated Fratelli's serves lunch from 11am to 2pm Wednesday through Sunday. Baltz also has a side business offering corporate box lunches and limited catering.

Tongues are wagging about downtown's new martini bar, Swig. A northern outpost of the San Antonio-based chain, Swig, 100 Peabody Place Tower (tel. 901/522-8515; www.swigmartinibar.citysearch.com; website under construction), is billed as a sophisticated, 1940's-style lounge. The posh digs provide a magnet for young working professionals who stop in after work to see and to be seen. Scores of flavored martinis fill the menu, along with appetizers such as stuffed, deep-fried olives. Live music is sporadic; usually, a deejay spins tunes. Swig is open daily from 3pm.

When the new FedEx Forum opens downtown at the foot of Beale Street in late summer 2004, a new hotel won't be far behind. Developers have announced plans to build a $30 million, 400-room Westin hotel directly across the street. Restaurants and retail stores are expected to follow. Actor and area native Morgan Freeman, who co-owns a fine-dining restaurant, Madidi, and blues club, Ground Zero, in nearby Clarksdale, Miss., is rumored to be among those considering opening new nightspots in the burgeoning district.

In a confusing conversion that may have travelers questioning the name of the property, the former Adams Mark at Interstate 240 at Poplar Avenue in East Memphis underwent remodeling and reopened as The Park Vista Hotel in mid 2003. Only a few months later, the entire property was stripped down to its concrete core and underwent a $12 million renovation before reopening in late spring of 2004 as the Hilton Memphis (tel. 800-HILTONS and 901/684-6664; www.hilton.com). The 27-story glass tower at 939 Ridge Lake Blvd. includes 405 units, including seven suites. Décor has shifted from pastels to retro bright greens and oranges. Public areas, including the lobby and bar, were also revamped, as was the restaurant space, now an American bistro called Rooks Corner, where Southern staples such as fried chicken and catfish are served daily. Starbucks coffee, pastries, and other grab-'n'-go snacks are available in the lobby. The entire property offers wi-fi access.

Nearby, the stalwart Ridgeway Inn (5679 Poplar Ave.) is closing. For years owned by the same company that operates the venerable Peabody downtown, the property is being razed to make way for a new office building.