Nashville Food Friday: The Post East

In a residential neighborhood not far from the bustle of 5 Points, The Post East is the newest coffee shop/smoothie/juice bar on the scene. The few steps off the beaten path make this place more of a neighborhood hang out rather than a hot-spot destination. There are only a handful of places like that on the East side any more, and The Post is a welcome addition.

The inside of the shop is clean, with polished concrete floors and wood accents. The large windows let in a nice amount of natural light, adding a warm glow to the wood. There is a couch area and a good number of tables. I even peeped around and noticed a fair amount of plugs for those who plan on bringing a laptop. The atmosphere was relaxed and fairly quiet; the perfect place to have a conversation or knock out some work.

For my coffee I went for one of the specialty drinks, a blueberry lavender latte. At first sip, I was impressed and obsessed. This was the most unique and delicious coffee concoction I've had in a long time. (I have a tendency to order the craziest coffee drink on the menu and I'm usually disappointed.) The blueberry flavor was prominent, but the lavender was meek. Personally I would add a tad bit more lavender, but nevertheless, this was awesome.

For breakfast we ordered two of their already prepared foods. I don't know if they have the capability to cook fresh food like scrambled egg biscuits or the like, but if they do that would greatly enhance the breakfast offerings. I ordered the bullseye biscuit with peppers, spinach, fresh basil, feta and a whole egg on top. While this muffin looked beautiful, it was slightly underwhelming. The biscuit was was very dense and I couldn't find the feta. I must say that the biscuit dough was very well seasoned and had a nice flavor to it. And you know me, you can't really go wrong with a whole egg on top of anything. That golden yolk was the best part! Steve ordered the quiche of the day, which contained spinach, tomato, and a few others. The egg was light and very fluffy, but the overall flavor was bland and could use a bit more salt.

While the savory items might have not been the best in the world, the sweets at The Post were delicious. After looking at the case of beautifully prepared treats, we had to order something. We chose the lemon ricotta muffin and it was light and fluffy and gently broke into pieces because of all the little air bubbles inside. It had a strong fresh lemon flavor and the icing was nice and sweet. In addition, I came back another day and was able to try their chocolate babka, and was very impressed with that as well!

The Post is also a juice bar, so I had to sample some. Since I'm not really a fan of beet juice I asked for a recommendation of something with beet that would help me like it. I went with the Feel the Love which has beet, grape, strawberry, bell pepper and rainbow chard. While this drink still tasted like beets to me, it was more drinkable than any other beet juice I had tried up until this point. The grape and strawberry adds a much-needed sweetness to the earthy beet. But at over $5 a bottle, this juice is a bank breaker. Perhaps I would order it more often it was a tad bit easier on the wallet.

I have to say that the staff of The Post is the best part of the experience. On both of my visits everyone was very friendly! I was able to talk, ask questions and get recommendations. It is the staff that really made my experience special.

Overall, I really like The Post East and I'm happy they are in the neighborhood. Their coffee is delicious, their sweets are great and the space is beautiful. But the best part is the staff! If you are on the East side go a few minutes out of your way to grab a juice or coffee at The Post.