Nashville Foodies

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2010-01-31T19:55:00.001-06:00

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Nuvo Burrito

2010-01-24T18:06:00.020-06:00

Nashville is simply overrun with fast food burrito chains. Am I saying this food is no good? Do I just not enjoy the assimilated Mexican cafeteria line? Not at all. Admittedly it's all simple, quick, and filling, but West End alone has at least 3 chains that come to mind where I can get essentially the same thing. A lot of hype has recently been given to Chipotle's arrival last year, which obviously already had an loyal following in town. All of these restaurants feature the same format - construct your burrito from a standard set of ingredients. Luckily in Nashville, we have a more inspired alternative, Nuvo Burrito.

The style is overflowing from this place. Everything seems about the restaurant seems to have careful creative thought behind it from the simple eye-catching logo, the metallic tables, and the interesting cycle of videos running beside the pick-up window highlighting different aspects of the menu. The dining area is somewhat small with at least one mounted flat panel TV within eye's view of every seat.

The menu is very well rounded with a wide range of ingredients. On the beer side, there is no Corona to be found. Instead there is a unique selection of beers including Dale's Pale Ale and La Fin du Monde. Clever titles populate the menu such as the Plymouth (ground turkey burrito) and the Over the River and Thru the Hood ques-idea (don't try to pronounce that last word in Spanish).

There are both traditional options if you don't want to stray to far from your habits (Lonestar or Ozark) and the more imaginative Heart of Dixie with sweet potatoes, caramelized onions, and bacon. The Lonestar has chock full of juicy shredded beef and all the traditional fillings as well as those with that Nuvo premium touch like the sliced jalapeños. The overt sweetness and smooth texture of the Heart of Dixie may turn some off, but the pop of bacon and crunch of coleslaw make this a well-rounded wrap. It was at last year's sweaty Tomato Art Festival that I enjoyed this gem and really became enthusiastic about Nuvo.

Are there any drawbacks? The dining space is somewhat cramped and at busier times it can be difficult to navigate through the madness to get beverage refills. Also, since each item is made to order, there is no instant gratification of food delivery upon paying as with chain restaurants. Yet, the service has always been efficient, even at busy times. Tortilla chips are free with entrees but there is a charge for salsa.

On my visit this weekend, Nuvo was obviously thriving. Half the restaurant was booked for a birthday party. I had my first ques-idea. This of course is not a quesadilla, as in bland meat covered in cheese between two tortillas. This is Nuvo's version of a sandwich style entreé. The tortillas are crispy and freshly pressed like a panini. The OTRATTH is a grown-up B.L.T ques-idea in a satisfying portion size full of crunch romaine and flavorful tomatoes. It has motivated me to move toward the middle of the menu upon returning.

Megan had a special brunch burrito, the Santa Monica, which had eggs, roasted red pepper, onion, black beans, and hash browns. She happily dug in to the well presented burrito, but was turned off by spicy the potatoes were. It seemed they were cooked in chili sauce that added a strong kick. I found it all quite tolerable, but then again, I always make good use of the hot sauce wall. It would still be nice to have a warning on the product description.

I really recommend this place as it is an oasis for burrito lovers. But watch out for that pesky $79.99 rebasketing fee.

Nuvo Burrito

1000 Main St. #103

Nashville, TN 37206

http://www.nuvoburrito.com/index.htm

Kobe Asian Restaurant

2010-01-21T10:00:00.001-06:00

As Emily and I scouted for a local place to catch a quick meal on the Southside of the airport, we practically squealed our brakes as we caught the red-lit sign for Kobe Asian Restaurant. Being somewhat familiar with the area, I was not optimistic about our chances without heading back down Murfreesboro towards the imperial and intriguing New Orleans Manor and some of the local dives back toward I-24.

Kobe Asian Restaurant is located just a couple of blocks off of the intersection of Donelson and Murfreesboro Road, away from town on Murfreesboro. It is not easy to catch. You have to keep your eyes peeled to the right, and if you miss it, be prepared to u-turn on busy Murfreesboro. We rambled through the parking lot and felt like we were walking into a film noir location in the early evening, and our experience on the inside was as intriguing as the smoke-filled streets of private eye mischief.

Inside the restaurant is a huge interior, bringing to mind images of industrial-strength capacity as the seating would be capable of holding two bus loads. If you've got a huge group this is the place for you - especially needed near the airport. The sushi bar spans the length of the long rectangle of a restaurant, and I enjoyed the beautiful framed shots of nature behind the sushi bar while I tried to ignore the news emanating from the flatscreens. On our early evening - around 5:30 on a Thursday, we were one of a few couples dining in this vast space, with an older member of the family relaxing at the laptop computer in the dining room corner.

We wondered why more people were not there. They are right down the road from Dell, so they may focus on a lunch crowd. Their menu is extensive, and surprisingly spans both Asian fare and Thai dishes. Their menu carries a full compliment of about sixty sushi rolls, which averaged at about $7 or $8, but ranged from $3.50 to $16.00 for the Tuna Lover. There is a full Bento box menu with over thirty options, priced around $9.00 for lunch and $13.00 for dinner. Thai options included sesame chicken, several curries, Pad Thai and known cohorts Lard Nah and Pad Kea Mao, each for $8.00. Most intriguing were the House specials for $13.00 - with the Sizzling Talay calling very loudly for a chance to show off. We wished we could have been more exploring with our brief visit, as these wealth of options dared us to push the hybrid style of Asian fare and Thai to the limit.

Despite these expressive options, we were pressed for time, and needed to be in and out, so we gave them simple and quick choices. Emily chose the California roll and I chose the Pad Thai. Our waitress took on the challenge, and to our indescribable shock had our dishes out within about three minutes. I know you're wondering how they did it too, but you'll be really shocked to hear how well they did with it.

The California roll arrived with more styling than I've ever seen given to the well-known sushi staple. It came on a half-shell ribbed plate, which is not extraordinary when compared to slightly elevated wooden slabs elsewhere, but it did make a nice impression. So what made it special? These rolls came with two rows of four toppled on top of each other like fallen dominoes, and elegantly encased with roe. They perhaps took their inspiration from some logo designs where the smallest grid unit of square dot-per-inch slowly transforms itself from solid to light - that reminded me of the gradual ascent the red roe made from the side of the roll to the top. Both Emily and I were quite impressed, and we enjoyed the flavorful rolls.

My Pad Thai was also a success. The noodles arrived with their usual accompaniment of peanut-themed flavors, and the addition of fresh cut green onions made a lasting impression as the noticeable addition to the classic Pad Thai option. This version included a flat noodle, but did not include any side-item additions such as extra chopped peanuts or slices of red onions. If you preferred hot sauce additions, several styles were available on the table. We were pleased, and although it did not have the flare of the sushi, it made a positive impression. The dish was gone in an instant, as Emily and I had to make our getaway.

With the attention to detail given our simplest selections, it speaks well of what this restaurant can give its signature dishes. Most importantly, if you're waiting at the airport and need an option, consider slowing down that airport parking meter charge and stop in here. They certainly had us in and out within our time frame. The Donelson-side extended airport parking lots are also right there, so if you're looking for a foodie exit before a flight, this may be a good option you haven't considered before.

Kobe Asian Restaurant

1609C Murfreesboro Pk

Nashville, TN 37217

(615) 360-8313

Located at Norton's Corner across from High Way Patrol and Dell

Allium

2010-01-18T08:00:00.001-06:00

Nashville Originals Restaurant Week has come and gone, and it's time for reflection on the meal we had. We tried out Allium, sister restaurant to Germantown Cafe. Here's a spoiler: we weren't impressed. Here at Nashville Foodies, we don't make negative reviews lightly. Half of what we want to accomplish by writing this blog is to highlight the talented, hardworking, creative people in food in Nashville. But the other half is to give our advice on where to spend your hard-earned money on food in Nashville. And we can't recommend Allium.

We were excited to try out Allium, and Restaurant Week has been good to us in the past as a way to try out what a restaurant has to offer. Usually along with the prix fixe format comes smaller portions, but we are all for that. In our minds, Restaurant Week is most successful when you think of it as making a small investment in some restaurants you haven't tried before. You don't spend quite as much for a full restaurant meal, but often the payout is great for all involved, especially in motivation to return for a full meal (at full price) later on.

Maybe our first sign that Restaurant Week was a little different at Allium was the online menu. While the Restaurant Week webpage noted that a three-course meal was available for $20.10 a person, this wasn't clear from the menu, where regular prices are listed for all items. With some investigation we were able to find out that the three courses were house or Caesar salad, entree, and dessert, with the entrees being the same as what is on the regular menu. That seemed a bit much for Restaurant Week, as most full-service restaurants were doing a smallish tasting menu or two courses, but on we went.

The restaurant is beautifully located with a great view of downtown, and the underground parking was nice for the cold evening. We were warmly greeted and taken to our table, and for all we're about to say about the food, we do think the service was great. Nothing to complain about there.

We each ordered the house salad for the first course, and it was okay. That's all we really have to say about it. It wasn't memorable.

For entrees, I ordered the herb crusted skate over sundried tomato risotto, with lemon-caper-brown butter, usually $18. It also came with a few stalks of asparagus. To me, the best feature about the dish was the sauce. The skate was unremarkable and the risotto actually gloppy and cool. Josh ordered steak frites with peppercorn demi-glace and fries, usually $19. He liked the fries alright, although to me they were cold and had a strange aftertaste, as though the oil they were cooked in was a bit old. But he was very disturbed by the large amount of gristle in his steak.

For dessert, I ordered a slice of apple tart, which came with vanilla bean ice cream. The tart was cloyingly sweet, although the flavor of the apples was good. Josh was very excited about his dessert order, a chocolate-pistachio cake, but he thought the chocolate flavor was weak.

Overall, we were underwhelmed by our meal at Allium. Others have reported that Allium's strength lies in its starter menu, and I have to say that I was tempted to order from it instead of the entree menu. And after ordering just two entrees it's difficult to say for sure, but at least mine seemed very much like something I would expect to eat at Germantown Cafe, and I was hoping for some obvious differentiation.

I'm sure that forming up menus for Restaurant Week is very tough. The year-as-price plan is a nice one for bringing people in, but that can probably place a significant strain on margins. I think Restaurant Week is done best when restaurants give smaller portions that really highlight what a restaurant is really capable of. Given that what we got during Restaurant Week is exactly what's on the regular menu, we can't recommend Allium.

Allium
501 Main Street
Nashville, TN 37206
615.242.3522

Manny's House of Pizza

2010-01-11T11:11:00.000-06:00

In yet another testament to the power of Twitter, we recently became aware of Manny's House of Pizza. Somehow we've missed this little gem and never heard of it until a few weeks ago! But we're so glad to have found it.

Manny's is a little pizza place tucked into the Arcade, between 4th and 5th Avenues. The shop itself is tiny and no-frills, and it's clear that the focus is on getting good food out quickly. As you watch people come and go, you'll notice that there are the regulars who know what they're doing, and then there are the first-timers (like us on the day we went!) who aren't exactly sure how the system works. And that's what we're here to help you with.

I suggest taking a look at the menu before you go, so you'll know what to expect. You can order whole pizzas, pizza by the slice, "rolls" (pockets of dough wrapped around fillings and served with marinara on the side), calzones, pasta, subs, salads, even cannoli. I also suggest stepping back away from the counter when you enter if you plan to peruse the on-site menu and specials of the day and give the regulars room to come and go.

We'll get to the food in a moment, but one thing I must mention is how active Manny's House of Pizza is on Twitter. You can find them as @MannysHOP; they have frequent drawings via Twitter for free lunches as well as posted info about daily specials. The day we visited, we hadn't yet seen any info on daily specials. I tweeted to the shop, asking if there were any going on, and they quickly replied just five minutes later! They're a great example of using Twitter for your business.

On to the food. The day we visited, I grabbed the aforementioned Twitter special: spinach roll and drink for $5.75. It was fantastic. The roll was full of flavor, even starting with the dough of the roll, which can so often be bland and tasteless. The roll was stuffed generously with spinach and mozzarella, and the marinara sauce was tangy and delicious. Josh got the meatball calzone. He's not a guy of many words, but when I asked him what he thought about it, his response? "It was just perfect." There you go.

Another feature I like about the menu is that tax is included in the prices. Why doesn't everyone do this?

You can take away your items or eat at the location. You should know ahead of time that at Manny's, you're not paying for ambiance. The eating area is somewhat dim, and I'd venture to say even shabby, but the focus here is on food, and we did not feel that the environment detracted at all from our enjoyment of the food.

We highly recommend that everyone try Manny's, and at the very least you should sign up to follow them on Twitter! You might be the next lucky winner of a free lunch.

Other writeups on Manny's: Lannae's Food and Travel

Manny's House of Pizza
15 Arcade Building
Nashville, TN 37219
(615) 242-7144

Mon-Fri: 10am-6pm
Sat: 11am-5pm
Sun: Closed

Lulu's Coffee House

2010-01-07T08:00:00.001-06:00

Have you ever been to nearby Watertown? No? Well, here's a reason to go: Lulu's Coffeehouse. Lulu's is the kind of place I wish we had in my little suburb of Nashville: a coffee shop with character, dedicated to making good local food and cultivating a community. A work friend introduced me to this gem and I'm so glad I stopped by one afternoon this fall.

Lulu's is located in Watertown's town square. When you enter the shop, you'll notice the very eclectic interior with an obvious set up for live music nights. Apparently Watertown is a hub of music - who knew? The shop is committed to fair-trade coffee and features drinks made from Nashville's own Bongo Java beans. The sandwich menu is just right, in my point of view: lots of variety, but not too many items that can end up being overwhelming. I tried the black bean burger ($5.45), which as the menu says is "served on whole wheat bun with Swiss and Cheddar cheese, cilantro mayo or regular mayo, spicy mustard or yellow mustard, leaf lettuce, tomato and red onion." It was very substantial and flavorful, and I didn't miss the meat at all. While I was there, someone did order a meat burger and the server went out back to a separate freezer to get the beef. Apparently they get their meat from a local farm source.

For me, the highlight of my time at Lulu's was sitting back and watching the people come and go. Or I should say, watching the locals come in and interact. The staff was courteous and friendly to me, but it was clear that locals are first and foremost here. Almost everyone was greeted with a hug by the proprietor, and there was rapid chit-chat about how so-and-so was doing, what plans were being made for the upcoming holidays, etc.

I also like how Lulu's menu is informative. If you check it out online, you'll notice that the coffee descriptions are complete: you're told that every drink comes with two shots of espresso, an Americano is an espresso with hot water, etc. Hilariously, their regular drip coffee is described as "just a friggin' cup of coffee." Having grown in up a town where the word "cappuccino" often brought up for most people images of gas station fare, I appreciate that Lulu's is giving its clientele clear descriptions of the classic espresso-based drinks they offer.

I'd love for a Lulu's-like spot to open up in my town, but for now, it's nice to know that I can drive out there when the mood strikes. I hope you'll try it out sometime!

Lulu's Coffee House
120 East Main Street
Watertown, TN 37184-1419
(615) 237-0065

Nashville Originals 2010 Restaurant Week

2010-01-04T17:52:00.002-06:00

Mark your calendars for Nashville Originals Restaurant Week! The local restaurant consortium will offer prix fixe menus for $20.10 or $30.10 during January 11 through January 17.

Brunch at Miel

2010-01-04T08:00:00.003-06:00

Have you read Adam's previous post on dinner at Miel? After reading it myself, I knew I had to go. With good timing, a $50 gift certificate soon came up for purchase for $25 on groupon.com and off we went for Sunday brunch.

When we arrived at the restaurant we were immediately greeted by a friendly, cheerful host (but thankfully not too cheerful! It was Sunday morning, after all.) We were led to our table, a cozy three-sided banquette which I later found out is "Table 10." I highly recommend asking for that table. From it, you get a good view of the activity of the restaurant but are not directly in the walk path of anyone.

We began our meal with a large French press of coffee ($7) and the three cheese plate ($10). Although there was a mishap with the press, the error turned out to be an introduction to the amazing service you'll get at Miel. Our server was very thoughtful and attentive. After discovering the error, the server immediately corrected it and all was well. The cheese plate came with a nice selection of cheddar, gruyere, and a soft cheese, which I unfortunately cannot remember. We also soon received some very delicious, yeasty rolls which came with butter and I believe peach preserves. They were hot out of the oven and very good.

Soon our entrees arrived - crab cake with biscuit and bernaise sauce ($14) and braised beer short ribs ($14). The crab cake came with poached eggs as well, although they were unadvertised. Unfortunately, the crab cake was way too salty for my taste. I would have loved it otherwise. Josh's short ribs came with hashbrowns, poached eggs, and bernaise sauce, and he loved the meal.

I've got to say, however, that the high point of the meal was the side order of bacon ($4) we ordered. Our server informed us that it's made by the restaurant and I believe smoked on-site. Goodness, that bacon was a full half a centimeter thick. It was very chewy and very good. We're now on a mission to see if Miel will sell it by itself for home cooking.

With the exception of the salty crab cake, we really enjoyed our meal at Miel. It looks like many other people grabbed those Groupons as well, so we hope you are looking forward to your meal and enjoy it!

2010 Cooking Classes at Marché Artisan Foods

2010-01-01T15:20:00.002-06:00

Marché Artisan Foods will host monthly Monday night classes throughout 2010, offering instruction in topics such as braising, preserving, and preparing harvest-themed side dishes. Below is the tentative schedule; call 262.1111 to sign up or do so in person.

February 1 - Sweets - $30
March 15 - Braising - $30
April 19 - Bread - $25
May 3 - Brunch - $25
June 14 - Fish - $30
July 26 -Salads - $20
August 30 - Preserving - $20
September 27 - Harvest Side Dishes - $25
October 25 - Hors d'oerves - $25
November 8 - Pies - $30
December 13 - Cookies - $20

Miss Saigon

2009-12-28T08:00:00.003-06:00

It's time to meet Miss Saigon, for those of you who haven't had the pleasure. Thanks to a delightfully inspired suggestion by foodie friends, we decided to try out Miss Saigon.

Miss Saigon is right next to the K&S World Market on Charlotte. For those of you who haven't been able to catch K&S through the maze of signs on that stretch, it's just a couple of blocks past the Kroger on your way out of town. Maybe a minute drive from White Bridge. (By the way, if you're looking for really cheap groceries, check K&S out).

Miss Saigon had been hailed as a place to go for great noodle and soup dishes served by people who really know their Vietnamese stuff. Another attraction was the draw of the price; we heard that it was great but very cheap. As evidence of the low cost, our friends told us that you'd go in, look around, notice it looks like they hired a drunk college freshman to decorate, and then you'd try to ignore the TV on the wall. Sounds like the place for us, we thought, as that usually gives some sort of clue that what these people know best is their food.

Given the Charlotte area and the bewildering fact that there are three other Vietnamese restaurants within a block, we wondered how customers choose between them. Miss Saigon holds the spot immediately adjacent to the World Market, so perhaps people select by familiarity. The exterior is certainly nothing to get excited about, as they are currently doing some reconstruction to the parking lot right in front of the grocery.

Once you walk inside, however, it feels entirely different. Inside we found beautifully-rich orange walls that conveyed an Oriental theme, along with darkly polished wood framing, benches, and tables which complimented the well-chosen wall hangings to create a natural and earthy feeling. Lighting was similarly sufficient and interlaced with the decor, as well as some touches of greenery.

What happened to our hole in the wall we had expected? Where was the TV? (gone) Where was the dive decor designed by the drunkard? (destroyed) All good things to get rid of, however, it had me wondering what the new-found beauty would do to our prices? (hard to say) Our friends hadn't been back in a while, but they'd been regulars for about nine years.

We sat down with our friends and saw they already had a surprise available for us. Knowing that we're always looking for that interesting item, they had ordered for us an atypical selection: a french-bread sandwich with Vietnamese sauce, thinly sliced and shredded beef, and perhaps carrot match sticks inside. Whatever was in it really didn't matter to us because it tasted so good. The rich sauce reminded me of a Thai sauce I love that is dark brown, slightly spicy, and comes with beef dishes like pad ka prow.

As I was knee deep into our sandwich, our waiter joined us and made a good impression. I'd say he had a reserved but welcoming nature...and he liked my jokes. It's amazing how much that helps. We ordered another suggestion of our friends - shrimp rolls for an appetizer. Two rolls appeared which were in the soft-white flexible rice paper wrapping that sometimes comes with spring rolls. The white-pink of the shrimp showed through the translucent wrapping, and revealed shrimp which the chef had arranged with militant precision in the rolls. The rolls came with a dipping sauce that was mellow and perhaps inspired with peanuts, but regardless the collective impression was fetching.

Next up was the difficult decision about what to order. This is tough because, apparently, your first choice will be the last you will ever voluntarily select. Our friends had been for years, and one of them had been so well-hooked by his initial selection that he could not force himself to change. He's a pshychiatrist by day - you'd think he'd catch on after a while.

Emily went with our addicted friend's choice of a Vermicelli noodle dish with shrimp (It's #27 on the menu, I think, but the original language just looks too scary to reproduce here). I was trying to recreate my fabulous experience for a few days in a Vietnamese community in Mississippi, so I knew I wanted pho. This would also allow me to contrast it with current pho champ PS Noodle Pot in Antioch. I struggled to decide between all the options because they had several that appealed to me. On weekends they have a special: spicy pho, which I need to try. They also have several versions of pho which are described with the somewhat off-putting term "rare" beef. That threw me. Usually, medium rare is what I go with in steaks, but...without asking, I'm just not sure how far they go when they mean rare...and this place is really going for the authentic feel. I went with the well-done beef pho. Wimp.

Our meals arrived and, in retrospect, I laugh at my own reaction. My friends caught me in some sort of foodie-induced, slack-jawed trance. I wish I were exaggerating. You see, I saw Em's dish arrive with a ring of luscious firecracker red shrimp which topped and encircled the remaining noodles and goodies beneath it. I then sat transfixed as I learned that the dish came with the broth on the side, already seasoned, and ready for you to pour into your dish to generate the liquid accompaniment. Fabulous. I worried about how much spice was on the shrimp, but it didn't hit me at all when I stole a half-shrimp. I recovered around the time my dish came.

My own pho arrived. Pho is a soup dish that focuses on the broth, and includes whatever item you have ordered, like beef or seafood or vegetarian tofu. You then add whichever side ingredients you'd like: full bean sprouts, entire stalks of basil, cilantro, and limes to be juiced. The effect is powerful and integrated with all the components added. Our waiter asked if I could handle the dish with chopsticks, which I assured him I could, and went at the thing like a bear going for honey. Swapping between chop sticks and the deep spoon became fun, and I attempted to make conversation as I navigated the dish, wondering if I was making noodle-assisted impressions of a rabid walrus.

Fortune cookies finished us off for the day. Our friends departed early, as the little one was making some hay, and the staff handled it well without too much fuss, only asking for a closer eye when needed. Some younger children appeared to be connected to the staff, so I'd imagine families are welcome. Our meal ended up being about $25 for Em and I, which is not bad for a weekend lunch excursion plus double appetizers.

Next up, we'll try the specials or the rare pho. That means we're coming back. See you soon, Miss Saigon.

Cinco de Mayo

2009-12-21T08:00:00.002-06:00

We finally made it to Cinco after embarrassingly mistaking it for another Mexican place. As a part of our continuing quest to find the best local food in town, you'd think we would put the appropriate effort into finding the right recommended restaurant. Alas, not all is perfect in foodieland.

I thought we had it covered - we had friends tell us Cinco de Mayo was on the corner of White Bridge and Charlotte. Sadly, there are two Mexican places vaguely on the corner of Charlotte and White Bridge, and we just turned into the first place we found. If you run into the same problem, try and remember it's right on the corner. Anything beyond 75 feet away from the corner is the wrong place.

Our friends who recommended Cinco are regulars, and gave specific praise such as "it's not like other Mexican food places" and "the meat is always moist, tender, and never dried out," or "anything is great, you can't go wrong" and "the staff loves everyone." Now, we all know we get that from various friends from time to time. And then we go someplace and it doesn't live up, and we wonder if perhaps they would give glowing reviews to the local gas station if they served dinner. Our friends, however, had the ultimate trump card: they are Chilean and love everything about Cinco. [Shout out to Leslie and Havier, our foodie friends who recommended Cinco!! The couple is getting hitched in Chile right around now. Congrats guys!]

Arriving at Cinco you'll notice a red banner outside indicating that they've been voted Best Mexican in Nashville. Similarly auspicious is the television at the bar which broadcast soccer. The archway-laden interior wall lines a row of booths in the main seating area and partitions the regular tables off from the bar. Strong ambiance points for feeling open and uncramped.

The menu and chips arrived and we both remarked on the quality of the salsa. Extra chips were provided throughout the meal. My biggest gripe of the whole time was the initial ice-nature of the staff. I could have spent several minutes trying to generate some sort of reaction out of my waiter, but I would have been wasting my time. Ahh, good memories of bad waiters at several local Mexican food places came rushing back. There are some places I go just to enjoy the bad service and get mistreated. It's kinda like seeking the anti-foodie experience - a memorable adventure. Things turned around here pretty quickly, however, and didn't become an issue.

With the arrival of the food we got a sense of why this place is better than most. Nothing came out that wasn't freshly prepared. Nothing arrived that failed to include fresh ingredients. That made all the difference.

Emily chose the crispy Tilapia for $7.50 that had her pleasantly surprised, even beyond her usual "very tasty" (aww, she's blog-shy... so cute!). Her fried Tilapia had her very satisfied. My Tacquitos Mexicanos for $8.25 were lightly fried rolls stuffed with chicken, and the chicken inside was perfectly prepared to remain moist -unlike the dry servings we get at most places. There was a freshness to the ingredients and lightness to the crispy layering that made an impact far beyond the usual fare. My dish came with four rolled helpings of the fried tacquitos, with each radially pointing in the four directions, which made me grateful that I had made an appetizing selection. Both dishes were presented with a flair and an attention to plating I don't remember seeing at similar locations, and the side items completed our pleasant experience. Actually, this meal bested Rosepepper's version of a similar item, and was far less expensive.

You might be wondering how we got away with such cheap specialty meals. Well, that's because Cinco serves lunch seven days a week. We could have gone with non-specialty items for even less than we paid, but most meals ranged between $6 and $10. Regular margaritas will set you back $5. We just weren't ready to pour down at that time yet on a Saturday, so we can't report on the quality.

When all is said and done, if you're looking for a Mexican place that's several cuts-above the average fair, you won't go wrong with this place. Just make sure you find the right place. That's Cinco de Mayo, right on the corner of Charlotte and White Bridge.

Cha Chah

2009-12-14T08:00:00.002-06:00

Have you signed up for coupon alerts from Groupon? If you haven't, check it out. Because Nashville Foodies is signed up and is taking advantage of some great discounted coupons that is allowing us to try out some of Nashville's best places at reduced prices. We hope you will too! And even if you're not interested in their deal of the day, check out the recent deals. If a coupon isn't sold out, you can still get one that was offered on previous days.

Anyway, armed with a $50 coupon to Cha Chah that we scored for $25 through Groupon, we visited the restaurant for the first time on a recent weekday evening.

The menu is filled with classic tapas. Our experience has been (and waiters seem to suggest) that it's best to order a few things at a time to see how full you get, and how quickly. We started our meal with house-cured olives ($4), potato chips with truffle and cheese ($3), and mushrooms and garlic ($5). While he doesn't report on this site much, Josh loves to order house-made potato chips wherever we go and he deems Cha Chah's to be very good, and I concur. Josh also ate the mushrooms and garlic on his own. He was impressed that at the mellow level of the garlic flavor in the mushrooms. I ate the olives, and while I wish I had known they would come with pits, I enjoyed them.

We went on to order two entrees: barramundi with parsnips, mushrooms, and asparagus ($17) and braised short rib with kale, charred pear, and onions ($16). Josh loved the barramundi dish. He reports that it wasn't "fishy fish" and apparently really liked it, because there was pretty much nothing left on his plate! I had the braised short rib. I appreciated that the entree was piping hot when it arrived at the table. The rib itself was very meaty, albeit a little salty, but that was foiled nicely by the charred pear.

A nice feature of Cha Chah is the selection of fair-trade teas ($7). When you order these items, you get the tea steeped in a French press along with a bowl of dehydrated honey. I enjoyed my rooibos tea on that chilly night, although I felt the price was a bit high.

For dessert we shared the chocolate option. It was divine. It came with a pot of hot chocolate, thick and decadent. You pour the hot chocolate into little tea cups, in which are generous slices of homemade marshmallows which have been lightly roasted. It's really a fantastic dish and one that I think could be recreated easily at home.

The night we were there, Cha Chah was running a special for buy two tapas, get one free (although the free tapas wasn't deducted from our meal - maybe it was because we were using a coupon?). They appear to be running this and similar specials often, and we'll try to notify readers via Twitter when we hear of them.

We greatly enjoyed our meal at Cha Chah, especially the helpfulness of our waiter in helping us make our selections. Good service seems to be a hallmark of Arnold Myint's restaurants, and we appreciate it.

Cha Chah
2013 Belmont Boulevard
Nashville, TN 37212
615.298.1430

Dose.

2009-12-11T08:00:00.001-06:00

By now the word has gotten out that Portland Brew on Murphy Road is now Dose Coffee and Tea. We stopped by on a weekday afternoon to check out the changes.

In short, the changes are great! The old Portland Brew always felt like a study hall area to me - stark surroundings, not a lot of lighting. Maybe a lot of it had to do with the clientele, but the atmosphere was almost always silent. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it was always like that.

The new owners have added some very welcome aesthetic changes, such as task lighting in the booths and a subtle but welcoming paint color update. There's a long table stretching across the front windows which appears to be made of reclaimed wood. It's a nice touch, although it could be improved by smoothing and finishing the wood. The surface is a bit rough for pencil-and-paper writing. The coffee and tea is pretty good too, and we greatly appreciated that prices are listed with tax included (why doesn't everyone do that?). Parking was always an issue at the old Portland Brew and continues to be so, but that can't be helped.

We think you'll like the new Dose.

Open 7am-7pm Monday thru Saturday
Dose Coffee and Tea
3431A Murphy Road
Nashville, TN 37203
615-457-1300

Special Events at Chipotle's Second Location

2009-12-08T16:49:00.003-06:00

Here's some info we received about Chipotle's new second location. Check out the specials available to some local students!

Before officially opening to the public on Friday, Dec. 11, Chipotle will give away its critically acclaimed gourmet burritos at its new location at 3900 Hillsboro Pike (at the intersection of Hillsboro Pike and Abbott Martin Rd.) on Wednesday, Dec. 9 and Thursday, Dec. 10:

Wednesday, Dec. 9: Free dinner from 5–8 p.m. for all Hillsboro High School students with school ID
Thursday, Dec. 10: Free dinner from 5-8 p.m. for all David Lipscomb students (K-12 & University students) with school ID

The official grand opening on Friday, Dec. 11 will include a drawing for free burritos for a year and the first 100 people to purchase a burrito at 3 p.m. receive a free T-shirt and burrito buck good for a free burrito.

We don't usually blog about chains, but we were impressed to learn the following:
Chipotle’s Food With Integrity philosophy to serve the best food from the very best ingredients is changing the way people think about and eat fast food. This means the new Nashville location will serve naturally raised chicken, pork and beef, coming from animals that are raised in a humane way, never given added hormones or antibiotics and fed a pure vegetarian diet, cheese and sour cream free of the synthetic hormone rBGH, and 30 percent organically grown black and pinto beans.

Have you considered signing up for a Community Supported Agriculture share plan?

2009-12-07T08:00:00.000-06:00

It's been cold and rainy here in Nashville and while summer produce might not be on your mind, now is a good time to make plans for joining a Community Supported Agriculture group. Many farms are taking subscribers now for summer programs, and you might even be able to jump into a winter program already in progress. It's easy to look up what's available at Local Harvest. Here, we'd like to detail our experience with two great local CSAs.

We've been with Avalon Acres for a year now. It has been run for five years by Tim and Jennifer Bodnar, who started the farm because they were tired of the "rat race," as they call it, and wanted to be together instead of going to separate jobs. Their initial venture has grown to over 750 shares delivered in the summer and 200 in the winter, and they employ over a dozen people to help in the operation in the summer. A unique feature is that while they raise chicken, eggs, pigs, and sheep on their farm they partner with other, smaller farms for beef and all the produce offerings that come in your share. Additionally, they've recently added locally-made fresh pasta, breads, and spaghetti sauce. We recently purchased one of their free-range turkeys for Thanksgiving and were very pleased with it. And we got our first free-range chicken of the winter CSA, along with a dozen eggs, for our winter subscription. Avalon Acres is still taking signups for the winter so be sure to check them out.

Another great CSA to check out is Doe Run Farm. It's operated by John and Judy McGary, two of the nicest people you'll ever meet. Their CSA focuses on produce and the summer program runs 18 weeks, May 9 through Sept 10. They are also taking signups for their summer CSA so be sure to take a look.

Conveniently, most CSAs offer a payment plan, although it definitely helps the operation when you pay up front. This can take a bit of planning, but is well worth it. When my husband and I first signed up for a CSA we budgeted for months to be able to pay the fee upfront, and we benefited immensely from our membership. We hope our readers are able to check out a program or two!

Announcing the winner of our Red Pony Desserts and Skirts Giveaway

2009-11-30T19:23:00.004-06:00

Our second commenter, Robyn, is the lucky winner! Congratulations, Robyn! Please be sure to email us at nashvillefoodies at gmail dot com within 48 hours (by 5pm on Wednesday, December 2) with your full name and address info. We'll pass it along to the nice folks at Red Pony and you can pick up your tickets at the event. Be ready to confirm at the door that you're over 21 by showing ID.

Thanks to everyone for entering! And thanks to Red Pony for sponsoring the giveaway. We hope that many of you will try out the Desserts and Skirts event to get a taste of Red Pony (or its sister restaurant, SOL) for yourself!

Giveaway! Desserts and Skirts at Red Pony

2009-11-23T08:00:00.004-06:00

Franklin Restaurant Red Pony is hosting a great tasting opportunity on Thursday, December 3, 2009. Executive Chef Jason McConnell is pairing three cocktails (white chocolate martini, vanilla bean martini and tawny porto), and three desserts (vanilla bean crème brulee, chocolate demise and white chocolate cranberry bread pudding). Tickets cost $15 per person, which includes tax and gratuity. Additionally, patrons will receive 15 % off on all food purchases at Red Pony or sister restaurant SOL through December 17, 2009. The event will begin at 6:00 p.m. Reservations are not required but are encouraged and can be made by calling Red Pony at 615-595-7669. It's a great way to try out a new restaurant (or two, if you use the discount later at SOL.)

Excitingly, Red Pony is offering a pair of tickets to the event to a lucky Nashville Foodies reader! To enter the giveaway, comment below. [note: if you're reading us through Facebook, you'll need to go to our actual blog page to comment.] The drawing will be open until November 30. On that day, we'll randomly draw a name and contact the lucky winner! Please note that this drawing is open only to those 21 and up. You'll need to show identification at the restaurant to claim your tickets.

Sophia! Foodies Interview on Chocolate Tastings

2009-11-19T08:00:00.005-06:00

I’m sitting here finishing off a cup of hot chocolate on my back porch (with Mexican spice accents and farmer’s market whole milk – I am such an elitist), and I’m thinking about how the holidays usually come more quickly than I’m expecting. Thanksgiving is only a week away, shopping is upon us, and I’m determined to enjoy this holiday season, and I hope to pass that determination on to you. Slow down, salivate, and get ready for an event with true foodie charm.

This event promises to indulge you as you slowly savor impossible-to-find and exotic chocolate morsels, right from the comfort of your home. I have found this treasure for you: a chocolate tasting with Nashville’s own chocolate goddess, Sophia Contreras. Sophia graciously sat down with Nashville Foodies recently to describe her craft and the chocolate tasting experience.

Sophia boasts a resume that would have us thieving scraps from her kitchen in the hopes of learning through sheer osmosis. Her family has been on the front line of cuisine for generations, with highlights as follows: her Greek grandmother began a restaurant on Route 66; her cousin ran the top-rated Santa Fe Farmer’s Market; her uncle first placed a breakfast burrito on a menu 30 years ago (you may have seen it around now); and her family’s restaurants have connections that run all they way to the White House. She’s traveled the world, worked in kitchens and restaurants owned by parents and family members, and has a supernatural knack for discerning what foods people crave. The universe beat in rhythm when she decided to follow her passion and become a professional chef. Need proof? She never advertises, has no website, posts no phone number - and yet Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Leeann Rimes all found her and scooped her up full time for a collective six years.

Of all her culinary delights, Sophia is most passionate about chocolate. She engaged the study of chocolate much like a wine connoisseur studies wines, learning about its history and components, and traveling to the regional epicenters of chocolate wisdom across the continents. I had no idea where these places were, but Sophia tells me that Spain, Italy, Guatemala, and Williams-Sonoma (wait, that last one may not be right) represent the deepest, darkest corners of chocolate knowledge. While you, my foodie friends, may not be able to make those trips quite yet, Sophia brings her passion and knowledge to us right here in Nashville. (This is an appropriate moment to pause and give thanks that you live in Music City.)

Let’s clear up what some of you may be thinking – this is no wax-infused chocolate fountain event where you’re getting bottom of the barrel quality and all-you-can-consume gorging. This is the real deal, where you’re satiated not by the volume but by the discovery of the complexity in each unique offering. This is a revival of the slow food movement, where people take their time to prepare and enjoy food, as they concentrate and savor each flavor. Chocolate has hints, notes, and tones provided by the various ingredients that supplement the cacao. Much like a supplemented wine tasting, Sophia produces the matching ingredients (vanilla, coffee, etc) for your taste buds to recognize as you encounter each piece, bringing out the subtleties so even the weakest palate can identify the constituent catalysts.

Like any good conductor, Sophia knows how to orchestrate the entire experience. She begins by taking you through a brief history of chocolate, where it came from, how it was

discovered and its stages of evolution. Then you begin your trek through the different sweetness levels: milk, white, semisweet, dark, and bittersweet. Appropriate dessert wines accompany these stops, with the most interesting being the Russian-inspired vodka splash to mix with the strongest bittersweet morsel – producing a counter-intuitive mix of extremes of bittersweet and sweet to mesh and settle your experience in the center of the spectrum.

Sophia ensures that the participant receives tastes of the most elusive, hard to find, and exotic chocolate which is simply inaccessible to those without the knowledge. These are items you can’t get anywhere else, and Sophia often recruits friends who are traveling as her primary couriers. (I learned that Italian chocolate became her most recent acquisition after traveling friends found the hidden location she directed them to.) For those who want to flex their investigative muscle, Sophia will also provide samples of chocolates which are difficult to find for the average consumer, but not impossible if you make the right effort. These chocolates will usually be collector’s pieces available through small internet gateways that can be delivered to the Nashville area. Not forgetting the local talent, Sophia also promises that the best local chocolates are included, ensuring that Nashvillians can find their way to the right local artisan after they’ve been dazzled by Sophia’s tasting.

This is one event we have fiendishly dared to dream about. It is the kind of slow-food experience which will help you remember that it really is the holidays and you can sit back, relax, and indulge yourself without regret. It doesn't hurt to be guided through this journey by an escort whose blood courses with culinary tradition.

Now, it took begging and pleading to convince Sophia to consent to this post. She is a talented, extroverted hostess with a carbonated personality sure to make everyone comfortable, but she does like to fly beneath the advertising radar. Don't believe me? Just try finding her info somewhere else. After several months, and all I could muster about the benefits of blogdom, we have done it. For us, she has permitted this exception to her rule, and she is willing to bring her talents to our Nashville foodies. (Yes!)

As you can imagine, acquiring the chocolate is an extensive process, so make sure to plan your event as early as you can. Parties from 6-12 are best, but 20 is the max. She brings her wares to the venue of your choice, including homes. Cost will vary depending on the number in the party, the chocolates themselves, and the guests' choice of wine pairing (biggest variable), and Sophia provides estimates upon request. Paired teas may be substituted for dessert wines for those who prefer a non-alcoholic experience.

Yes, you have found the golden ticket, Charlie, and it's right here in Nashville. Claim your prize by calling this number: 615-496-1513 or inquiring at sbcontreras@comcast.net.

Your input: where are the best tacos in town?

2009-11-12T07:45:00.002-06:00

We're on a mission to find the best taco spot in town and looking for recommendations of places to try out. Soon, we'll take a little progressive dinner of several spots and report back with our favorites. But we need your input on what places we should try out! Comment below with the names and locations. Keep your recommendations locally-owned!

Image source Flickr user cathleenemily

Sonobana Japanese Restaurant

2009-11-09T08:00:00.001-06:00

Emily and I were starving after a light breakfast and a day full of errands around Charlotte Ave, so we decided to stop in Sonobana for lunch on a Saturday. Sonobana lives in the shadow behind the Daltz on White Bridge Road, and is about a block away from the big Target. Long term Nashville foodies will recognize the venue as on the same strip as the old Q-Zar laser tag. We noticed that Sonobana also has an affiliated Japanese grocery attached to it, but it has a separate entrance so we didn't get to check it out.

Sonobana's entryway carried a huge whiteboard with specials, but I couldn't really notice any specials because of the twice-listed and bolded instructions to "Please wait to be seated." As it turned out, this was an appropriate warning because no hostess was available. This experience repeated itself for other customers during our meal. Although we were seated almost immediately, one other party (from NY) found it necessary to wander and find the host/hostess with as much fanfare as they could muster. And who, do you think, they would be seated next to? You guessed it. Us. More on them later...

There is a slightly dusty whiff in the air - just barely noticeable - and not so bad that someone would mind. Allergic foodies, however, might want to go elsewhere. The main seating area was very large, had many booths, and expanded into a second seating area just out of view. The sushi bar was extensive and had seating for about fifteen. Also, bring a jacket. I had to give mine to Emily because she was cold inside.

Our softspoken and kind waitress greeted us and didn't take the opportunity to push appetizers or drinks, even with ample opportunity. Emily and I had trouble understanding the visually-challenging menu, and we had to spend a few minutes asking about the Bento box options before we knew what we wanted. I discovered that the Bento box comes with a California roll but can be switched out for another sushi option for various prices. What really threw me was that the sushi selection I wanted (Crab Bomb) was one dollar more than the California roll on the menu, but would cost two dollars more in the Bento box. Our waitress explained that the Bento box California roll didn't have smelt roe. This made sense - and that minor detail put me back on pace.

Emily ended up going with her favorite sushi orders: eel and tuna rolls. She had plenty of options to choose from; just the take-out menu had 56 sushi varieties. Prices ranged from about $3.00 for the simple rolls to $13 for the most advanced (Big John # 2 with tuna, yellowtail, salmon, white fillet, crab, lettuce, avocado, cucumber, and roe outside). Most options were $4 to $6. A couple of ones that caught my eye were: Rebecca roll - deep fried California roll, no roe, topped with baked shrimp in spicy mayo; Subway roll - asparagus, smelt roe, crab, flounder, avocado, cheese, spicy sauce, broiled, and bonito flakes.

Let's get to the food. We were very pleased. Emily and I shared the Miso soup and orange dressing salad that came with my Bento box ($8.00). And here's where you can tell a good place sometimes: the quality of the orange dressing. We thought the orange sauce was one of the best we've sampled. Similarly impressive was the Miso soup. This was no ordinary Miso soup - ours came with small slices of tofu and mushrooms and were plentiful enough to make an impression. Sometimes these things can make the meal, and we were on our way to being pleasantly surprised.

When my Bento box arrived, we were ready to set up permanent residence. I ordered the Sushi and Shrimp Tempura box. The box arrived - and the tempura must have been resting about six inches above the box. The two straight shrimp tempura towered above the rest of the meal, with a wingspan of about three inches, and came bolstered by the underlying vegetable tempura. The wingspan came from the batter which, somehow, had managed to stay on to the thin shrimp. The light batter appeared slightly off-white, not the darker yellow-brown I've had at some locations. The shrimp tempura became a double success upon tasting - not only was it visually appealing but also attracted the tongue. The accompanying vegetable tempura was not as flamboyant, and included a half-circle onion, green pepper, and sweet potato. Each were quite good, but didn't separate themselves from the other tempura options around town.

The box also included double-portion sized ginger and wasabi for my California roll. Roe was not included, but they had added a layer of sesame seeds on the exterior instead. Nice touch. I noticed my avocado standing out in the taste, which is rare for me, even though I've had my fair share of California rolls. Orange slices, carrots, and broccoli also arrived, along with white rice.

And remember that party from NY? They had been seated right next to our small table for two, even when there was a perfectly-available table a safer distance away. They helpfully intruded and identified the last arrival in my box: a fried chicken wing! The wing was crunchy and moist, and I couldn't believe it had come along with the rest of my fine meal. As for the interruption, well, I reacted (internally) a bit like Det. Adrian Monk reacts to a coughing child.

We'll be back. Come check this place out. Focus on the food, and just ignore any minor ambiance setbacks.

Sonobana Japanese Restaurant

40 White Bridge Road

Nashville, TN 37205

sonobananashville.com

Tayst

2009-11-05T12:00:00.001-06:00

We were lucky enough to snag a Nashville Originals gift certificate to Tayst during the last sale. Tayst is the first and only (so far - we hope there will be more!) green-certified restaurant in Nashville and we happily used our gift certificate for an evening meal. And what a treat it was.

We made a reservation for two and were warmly greeted upon arrival. I was very impressed with the seating layout of the restaurant. There was ample seating and while we were seated in a fairly busy area, the positioning of the table made it so we still felt placed away from everyone else and could have a quiet conversation to ourselves.

After we were seated, staff began swooping in to help us place our orders. First, we were offered a wine menu. Frequent readers of our blog may notice a lack of mention of wine on my posts. To be honest, Josh is allergic to most alcoholic drinks and I don't have much stomach for them myself. Sometimes when we visit a restaurant and turn down the wine menu we feel that that choice sets a negative tone and service can be lacking. However, I really appreciated the way that it was handled by the Tayst staff. The menu was offered to us in the form of a question: "would you like to see our wine menu?" And our turning down of the offer didn't seem to bother them at all. However, if you do like to imbibe you will find the wine list at Tayst to be very, very extensive and each menu item is accompanied by a carefully chosen wine. I thought it was nice that you can order wine in increments of 2 oz (about one-fourth of a glass, I believe), 4 oz, 6 oz, and 8 oz, which means that if you want to try just a bit (or want to conserve some money) you can enjoy the great care the chefs have made to choose the accompanying wines.

The menu is set up in sections of "first tayst" (appetizers), "second tayst" (salads), and "main tayst" (entrees). The evening we dined the menu also had an insert of the chef's playful "Value Menu", two prix fixe combinations and a tasting menu. We decided to focus on ordering two entrees and two desserts.

We'll describe our entrees here, but don't expect to ask for the same menu items if you visit Tayst yourself. The menu changes constantly, based upon what local food items the chefs can acquire at that time. Josh ordered the evening's trout dish ($23), which came with a tiny grilled cheese, a baked apple, and salted caramel sauce. It was a very interesting combination, in a good way. I had the evening's pork dish, which was made up of a pork chop ($21), dark wild rice, and cranberry coulis. The pork chop was cooked perfectly, still very juicy, and I loved the rice. My only complaint with the dish was that I could not detect the cranberry flavor of the coulis, but this could have been because other flavors were crowding it out.

For dessert, Josh had a slice of chocolate terrine with crème anglaise ($7). Wow! It was fantastic. I tried it as well and we agreed that it had the truest chocolate flavor we'd ever tasted in a dessert. I chose the pumpkin ricotta doughnuts ($7) and they were fantastic as well. They came piping hot, dusted in cinnamon sugar, and were accompanied by a dollop of thick chocolate mousse, the texture of which was divine.

The service at Tayst was excellent. Our waitress gave helpful suggestions on what to order and kept us apprised on the progress of our meals when there was a slight delay in them coming out from the kitchen.

Overall, we very much enjoyed our meal at Tayst. It's clear that an astounding amount of work goes into the restaurant's operation, from the sourcing of the ingredients to the restaurant and menu design to the helpfulness of the staff. We should note that it's not a place to go if you're looking for large quantities of food (or dining with people not open to new food experiences). Tayst is a place you should go to learn about new flavor combinations, taste your food carefully and slowly, and appreciate the great craftsmanship that goes into your meal.

Tayst
2100 21st Ave S Nashville, TN 37212-4318
(615) 383-1953
Open Tue-Thu 5pm-10pm; Fri-Sat 5pm-11pm

Nana Rosa

2009-11-03T19:35:00.003-06:00

We went to Hendersonville for the first time ever (seriously) a few weeks back solely to go to Nana Rosa. It's a small Italian restaurant and we were eager to try out a more homey restaurant when Josh's mother, who adores Italian food, visited town.

My overall impression is that Nana Rosa has bit of an identity crisis which could keep someone from trying them out for a meal. If you go to the website, it's not clear that the business actually includes a restaurant. The home page has listings for biscotti, and yet there is a large photo of cannoli. There is no clear mention of a restaurant. This led to a bit of confusion on our part as we were preparing for our visit. However, the menu can be found here after a bit of search on the home page.

The location itself was difficult for us to find in the dark. Rest assured it truly is at the southeast corner of W Main and Walton Ferry Road, next to a knitting shop in a strip mall. I wish I'd known that as we were trying to find the restaurant. We're probably the last people in the US to not have a GPS system.

The inside of the restaurant is homey and pleasant, and we were greeted by a kind waitress. We were given sliced Italian bread with olive oil for dipping, but when I asked about where the bread was made, things began to get dicey. My inquiry was met with, "oh, it's great, isn't it!" which really felt like an attempt to avoid the question. Nevertheless, we placed our entree orders. All of our entrees came with a salad which was not too special, just chopped romaine with a few scattered tomatoes and olives. Josh got a special entree of the evening, garlic-sauteed shrimp on pasta, I got the veal and sage ravioli with half marinara and half alfredo sauce, and Josh's mother got the mascarpone cheese ravioli. And I have to say that everything was just okay, not really interesting. The mascarpone cheese ravioli was made with a purple-tinted pasta dough. I asked the waitress what might be in the pasta to make it that color and she said she had no idea. The bread and the pasta color descriptions (or lack thereof) make me suspect that a lot of the food is coming from frozen sources and is not made fresh on site.

And that's the main issue for me. When I'm choosing where to dine, I like to know where the food on my plate is coming from. It's nice to support local businesses, but to me, if the food that is served comes from food service companies, it's not that much different than eating at a chain restaurant. But maybe I just went on an off night and asked too many questions. And despite our opinion of the food, we really appreciate the excellent service we received at Nana Rosa. And like Nashville Restaurants reported, it appears to be a good place to take kids. We just can't heartily recommend Nana Rosa when you're looking for good-quality, authentic Italian dining. The reviews on places like Urbanspoon are enthusiastic, but when the commenters are raving about the "red gravy," you have to question what they were looking for in the first place.

Nana Rosa
109 Walton Ferry Rd
Hendersonville, TN 37075
M-F 11am-9pm
Sat 8am-9pm

Miel Restaurant

2009-10-29T12:01:00.002-05:00

If you're a true Nashville foodie and you haven't tried Miel, stop reading this and call this number: 298-3663. Tell Paul when he answers that you need a table at their earliest convenience...then sit back and enjoy. Reply to this post when you want to say thanks.

Emily and I finally got around to experiencing Miel, and we will be back soon. It was all-around one of the most enjoyable experiences we've had for dinner. As much as I love what East Nashville has to offer, West Nashville has a true contender that foodies should flip over.

So where is this place? Miel Restaurant hides itself behind the immensely popular Bobby's Dairy Dip off Charlotte Ave. One can get a glimpse of the tasteful logo by looking just beyond the neon power of Miel's older neighbor while driving down Charlotte. Miel regularly sends a team to the local Sylvan Park farmer's market, where they offer free samples of some double-chocolate desserts. Needless to say, they drew our attention and we had been hoping to try this place for some time. The City Paper and the Scene gave them strong reviews during their opening months, so we made an effort to drop by for a special occasion.

That special occasion was Emily's birthday. Lest that image stir up memories you've repressed with professional help (anyone thinking O' Garden birthday moments, or intrusive Mexican hats and trumpets?), I usually aim on the side of caution and do not inform the restaurant that we are there for a birthday celebration. There are some things that just aren't worth the worry of how the restaurant will respond, and a romantic dinner for two is one of them.

When I called to make reservations, my amateur self was blown away by the treatment my call received. My call was answered by Paul, who is a manager, and he made several inquiries that had me raising my eyebrows. First, Paul inquired about whether my party had any food allergies that the staff should be aware of. Nice touch. Indeed we do, and I explained them, (sulfites in wine sometimes give Emily a headache). Then Paul asked if we were there to celebrate a special occasion. Great touch. Why yes, its a birthday celebration. Would it be ok, Paul asked, if we placed a candle in her dessert? That would be just fine. So now I'm really looking forward to what they have to offer, knowing that there will be an extra touch on the evening - without the churning confusion of what they will do to us knowing its birthday related. RIP nightmarish interruptions at the O' Garden and random Mexican place!

I really suggest making reservations. On the Saturday we chose to visit all the regular times were taken by 2:00 pm. We were hoping for a later evening anyway, so we got in around 8:15.

The parking lot is literally just behind the local Krystal's. As we walked in towards the restaurant, we could see the drive-thru (no, not through, thru...come on now) ordering placard and tried to forget that the dime liquor store was across the street. I reflected on the current fate of my friends who used to swear by Krystal's. I'm sure they've moved beyond most of their diagnosable delusions.

The hostess greeted us at the front door, and I was surprised to see the kitchen clearly visible from the entrance. If you haven't been there, think of the space normally reserved for a bar and it's about the same set up. There is a high black counter top where the kitchen crew places their finished works of art. More on that later.

Our small table was well-spaced away from our neighbors, and a dark wood pew from a historic courthouse served as the back-rest for our table and the adjacent one. Wine glasses were not already placed on the table, unlike several other French style restaurants. If you don't get wine there, you feel like you're being robbed of an experience while the waiter whisks your empty glasses away. Not here. No pepper was present, but sea salt was available. Encouraging.

Our blue dress shirt clad waiter said hello and asked us if we had any allergies that they should be aware of. Oh shit. Did they get the message about the birthday? I tried to drop a heavy hint. "When I made the reservation this afternoon, I mentioned a few things..." Poor guy didn't hear me. Just go with it. To save you from the suspense, no, the message had not been conveyed, but I did get the chance to let them know later on, and they came thru. A small serving of homemade coffee ice cream with a candle in it. Beautiful.

Our waiter checked in with us about how to handle our allergies we mentioned and brought out some free starters for us. They have their own farm down the road, called Miel Farm, where they get a good share of their ingredients. Our starters were bread and butter pickles fresh from the farm. Bread and butter usually aren't my favorite, but for a starter it worked great. (Theme alert: things that aren't favorites turn out great here). Fresh baked rolls arrived soon afterward and were too hot to handle immediately. Homemade butter came along with them. Now, if there is someone out there who does not like homemade, sesame-topped rolls fresh out of the oven with authentic butter who is reading this - - why are you reading this?

The menu is small and very French. You will find your eyes lingering on the appetizer selections of frogs legs/escargot, or foie gras wondering if those or the cheese plate should be your chosen starter. I'm not expansionist by nature; I'm a southern boy at heart. Emily took some liberties with her birthday evening, however, and ordered the frogs legs/escargot for us both. Miel's menu says "No splitting, no autographs." Our helpful, courteous and fun waiter explained that splitting plates causes the artistry of the dish to be lost, but sharing is no problem. The menu also states that the wait staff can help with detailed explanations of wine pairings with your meal. Indeed they could, as our waiter spun us around with logic we could not follow, but for wine connoisseurs I'm sure this would be no problem. One criticism - I did feel like the wine had been pushed a bit. Keep your head about you on that score. Wines won't break your budget, as they range from $7 to $15 by glass and $30ish by bottle, but still, heads up.

Hesitations cast aside, our sense of adventure was rewarded. Frog legs are a lot like a chicken wing, and came fried. Two legs were delicately placed over six escargot. I thought the legs were nicely and lightly breaded, but could have used a sauce to add some flavor. The escargot were not fried, but lightly simmering in what appeared to be a garlic-butter base as they arrived. We were already enjoying ourselves immensely and we had just hit our appetizer. Appetizers range from $7 to $15.

We took forever to order our meals because we just couldn't decide. Be sure to ask if you need direction. Vegetarians have a few options, but you're really going to enjoy what you order if you step outside the box a bit. Grouper, veal, venison, steak, and bouillabaisse are all options that looked worth entire evenings themselves. I chose the venison at $34. Most meals were in the $20 range.

As I had noticed the kitchen on the way in, and emboldened by the successes of cracking the frog-leg space/time continuum, I wondered if it would be appropriate to watch the meals as they were made in progress. I asked the server who was filling our water glass if it would be an imposition to watch. She was entirely encouraging. "That's why they're there, feel free to go up at anytime. Bring your wine. It's a tranquil Saturday so they should be able to talk." So Emily and I gathered our wine glasses and went up front. We had a blast watching the dishes come to fruition in front of our eyes. Our water-filler turned out to be the better half of the ownership team of the restaurant. She is, in a word, charming. This was hosting in the sense that foodies will hope for: just an owner talking to an interested couple. We watched, drank, and talked as we enjoyed this spontaneous intermission to the meal. Our waiter had refolded our napkins and had them ready for us upon our return. We successfully coordinated our return to the table with the arrival of our entrees because our waiter warned us a few minutes beforehand that our meals were coming. I felt totally comfortable.

It's in the details of the venison that Miel really begins to shine. The venison apparently comes from a large reserve in Texas where the deer are totally free range. They are actually hunted with bow and arrow, and come incredibly fresh. They didn't bother to ask me how I wanted it cooked, which I took as a very positive sign. Personally, I love medium-rare in my steaks, and that's the way it came. Onion slivers came artfully placed above the thyme-seasoned venison, which curled itself into separate concentric circles, requiring only a few strokes of the knife to reach bite-size pieces. The tender, light meat creates an instant impression, followed by the hit of the onion and seasoning.

While the venison was the focus of the meal, it was by no means the focus of the plate. The rectangular plate had four separate divisions of offerings: the venison on the right, venison sausage on the bottom, purple pureed cauliflower underneath fingerletts of a German dough on the left, and brussel sprouts and chestnuts on top. An apple spread meant for use with the sausage appeared in a streak on the lower left. It created the type of impression that you just wanted to look and not disturb the thing. Miel's website boasts attention to artistry as important to their pursuits, and those efforts were not lost on a casual observer. Each offering was just as impressive to the palate as the visage it generated. The soft bounciness of the German dough contrasted with the smooth cauliflower puree, as did the surprising brussel sprouts and chestnut combination. Each had something different to offer, and choosing where to place the fork next became a matter that took a bit of brainpower.

Helping us loose a bit of brainpower were the well-matched wines. Emily had a white to go with her cream sauce gnocchi dish. (Emily found the gnocchi dish "light and fluffy and very tasty"). I had a red to go with my venison. Both had a depth to them that spoke of quality. We spent so much time trading forks that we had hardly dented our meal by the time our waiter rotated around to check on our progress. Seeing that I had yet to dent some parts of my vast entree, he redirected himself and chose to check on us a bit later. A nice aspect of the service is that there aren't enough tables to make the wait staff flustered and paced, so they can be present for each table they serve.

Dessert was on its way and we headed back to observe. Our hostess spent more time with us, as we discovered their plans to support the local community through a youth cooking program. The kids grow everything themselves and learn about great nutrition. Apparently they invest themselves so thoroughly that they get excited about their beet harvest. Adult volunteers are welcome. Emily also noted that the kitchen spends a little extra to avoid aluminum pans - which is one more chemically-conscious element to the Miel experience.

As we enjoyed our conversation, we examined our developing dessert selection. The creme brulee is inverted - it seemed like some sort of engineering degree is required to make it. I smiled as the chef really took the time to make it a work of art. When she was finished, we gave a small victory hurrah which was seconded by the artist's own hurrah and smile. A curved berry spread compliments a semi-hard caramel streak which run underneath the base of the brule. The caramelized sugar forms the casing for the creme, and it is one of the best I've ever had. Additionally, they brought out the candle and ice cream, (which was homemade coffee), as well as two chocolate truffles encased in a small box with white string for Em's birthday, for us to enjoy later.

As if that wasn't enough, every meal at Miel ends with a spoonful of honey. Miel is French for honey, is pronounced Mee-elle, and a little honeycomb resides in the center of the small dab of honey. It is a great way to finish the experience.

This evening is one Emily and I won't forget. It's difficult to find a place like this anywhere, let alone in Nashville. Foodies, be proud of our friends at Miel. Come and enjoy what they offer.

Miel Restaurant

343 53rd Avenue North

Nashville, TN 37209

615-298-3663

www.mielrestaurant.com

The Artist Corner: Crossville, TN

2009-10-22T08:33:00.009-05:00

A few weekends ago we spent some time in Crossville, TN. It is a nice weekend trip because it is only about 2 hours outside of Nashville. A brief description of Crossville is in order so our readers can fully appreciate our finding of this little cafe.

Crossville is a small size town, based around golf courses and mostly known for the numbers of people who decide to retire there in order to settle down in the mountains and experience 4 seasons. There are few restaurants in the town, chain or otherwise, so finding a good cup of joe was quite the adventure.

By sheer luck, we stumbled upon this tiny gem of a place in the middle of the historic downtown area. We were looking for a place to warm up in between jaunts to local antique shops, as it had been raining all day. I believe we came around 2:30 on a Saturday, so we were in fear that they might be closing and not serve us, however we were warmly welcomed. The first sight we saw upon entering the cafe was a couple engaged in a game of chess. They seemed completely relaxed and 'settled in' as their activity had been chosen for waiting out the rainy weather.

We found that The Artist Corner offered a full "Barista Menu," with lattes, espresso, chai, various teas, smoothies, and even beer! Among the group, we sampled the homemade ginger tea, a macchiato, and the dragon well tea. We were overall very happy with our choices, and I was particularly impressed that the tea was not bagged or even in a tea ball, but brewed before being served to me!

The homemade ginger tea proved to be too overpowering for our tastebuds, but I have a feeling that tea made with fresh ginger is still maybe just something that American palates must acquire a taste for.

The next (and to me the most exciting thing) that we discovered is that this cafe is owned by an artist who has not only decorated the walls of the restaurant with his works, but he has painted the concrete floors of each room with his interpretation of a famous work of art! Strangely, we walked through the 3 rooms saying things like, "look at this part" and "this piece was done in 2004," all while admiring the floor!

The kitchen was unfortunately no longer serving food at the time we visited, so we plan to return on another trip to sample the cuisine. The Artist Corner serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and the whole menu is available on their website, which is a must visit for art lovers. It has various links to artist's works and features some of the work of the owner, Eric Buechel. The Artist Corner is owned by an artist, and therefore this cafe also functions as a location to buy art supplies, as well as an art school and gallery.

The food menu includes these tempting offerings: Eggs Hassarde (Canadian Bacon, Poached Eggs, Tomatoes, Sliced &Kept Warm English Muffins, Split & Toasted, with Hollandaise Sauce, Marchand de Vin Sauce and Cayenne Pepper), International Burgers (Swiss, French, Spanish, and Arabic) and Duck a l'Orange.

If you're in the middle of enduring the long drive down I-40 across Tennessee, The Artist Corner is a nice break to take in the journey, even if you only want a nice cup of coffee-- you'll experience visual delights.

The Artist Corner

52 N. Main St.

Crossville, TN 38555

(931) 456-3636

Closed Sundays and Mondays

Tues and Weds 8am-5pm

Thurs and Fri 8am-8pm

Sat 8 am-3pm

www.theartistcorneronline.com

Multiple ways to follow Nashville Foodies

2009-10-16T08:00:00.001-05:00

We know many of you follow us through RSS feeders, but we want to alert you of a couple of other options:
1. Follow us on Twitter. You can see our tweets to the right of our blog page, or you can add us to your Twitter feed. We have an RSS feed of our posts going to Twitter so you can get your Nashville Foodies updates there too.
2. Follow us on Facebook. Check out the widget to the lower right of our blog page and you can add us from there. Our posts are also pulled into Facebook via RSS.

Greek Festival!

2009-10-15T12:01:00.001-05:00

When I last went to the Greek festival, I was about ten years old. It was high time to return this year, as we went with some friends who boast Greek roots. The other half of the intrepid foodies team was down for the count dealing with some flu issues - which all foodies should know, the best cure for the flu in town is Noshville's matzo ball soup. Its curative powers are equivalent to penicillin.

The three day Greek festival is an annual activity hosted by the Greek Orthodox Church on Franklin Road in mid-September. It borders Franklin Road and Tyne Boulevard, and is easily reached from the Harding Road exit off of I-65, just five minutes south of downtown. Helpful parking volunteers guide you to an appropriate parking spot on the hillside lawn, and you walk up to the festival goodness on the top of the small hill. Did I mention admission is free? If you want a great date without spending a dime, plan on hitting the Greek festival next year.

There's something magical about a festival like this. We arrived on a Saturday night to the band playing a number that had the dancers shouting Opah! as average Nashvillians gave up their inhibitions and joined the ever-growing circle of dancing. The great thing about dancing here is that everyone just holds hands and gives it a go, whether they know what they are doing or not. Kids are usually just jumping up and down in the center as the adults swirl around them. Movement seemed to be generally counterclockwise, with a few spurts of inward steps and backward steps. Two men who really knew what they were doing were the leaders on the outermost circle, but it was so unpretentious that one of them didn't bother to remove his cooking apron. People who wanted to join in just wandered into the circle and had at it, which is just what you're looking for at a festival.

Tables encircle the dance floor and had people eating the homemade meals which were purchased at the side vending locations. We looked around for the best option, and encountered an oddity: Greek salad sold at the Greek festival with - gasp - lettuce! What!? We were so shocked we didn't know what to say. They made it right there in front of you, and we felt a little awkward in deferring to another vendor. How do you get out of that gracefully? I didn't pull it off, but I tried.

We saw options for grilled chicken, gyros, souvlaki, and roast lamb for a full dinner, and we went with the roast lamb, thinking of our time in Greece (where we literally knawed at the remaining fat left on the bone. We were embarrassed. Go to Agios Konstantinos one day, and get the roast leg of lamb from around the church square, and THEN judge us.) Sides were pre-selected, divided plate size helpings of whole red potatoes and green beans. Both came full of flavor if you could pull your eyes away from the dance floor long enough to concentrate on the meal. The roast lamb tasted a lot like roast beef, and was easy enough to divide with the plasticware. Extra kudos for the mini-cup of Greek salad, which, blessedly, did not include lettuce. And it was a pleasure to be served our meal by a young man that looked to be about seven years old. While I wondered if my cafeteria tray would reach me unscathed, it was so much fun for both him and me that I wouldn't have skipped it for the world.

We watched the dancing as we ate our meal, and tried hard not to think about inhaling the local homemade pastries we had picked up. While most meal vendors are outside, the inside holds the crown jewels of the festival: the pastries. You will likely have to wait in line for about ten minutes before you pass by the first pastry section. Welcome distractions while you wait include eyeing the craftsmanship of the jewlery and reading the covers of some religious books. Once you get far enough along, the prices and options are visible...and then you loose your composure. We first hit a refrigerated aisle of mouse-looking whipped dessert (Kok) that was attended to by one of many kind Greek grandmothers, the kind of person who would make you cry if they offered to teach you everything they knew about cooking.

After winning the internal battle to keep looking, we then passed the homemade sweet bread loafs and garlic loafs, which (thankfully) you can sample on your way. The bread was light and flaky, and slightly honeyed in the sample I had, if slightly dry. That's probably due to being cut and left out for sampling.

Next came the army of pastry offerings: Baklava, an almond cookie called "Amglydota", a rolled filo dough creation that's dipped in honey and walnuts called "Diples", and Baklava drizzled with chocolate called "Flogeries". We chose baklava and flogeries, which were the best I've ever had. Even in Greece, I wasn't a big fan of baklava, but they made me a fan here. Flogeries were my favorite because of the chocolate addition. Each of these delectable items were coming out of the back fresh from the ovens as we stood there. I lost all sense of sanity when I saw a raspberry filled sugar cookie tray come right out, hot, at my exact spot in line... and immediately purchased two. I considered it divine intervention. Thank God I have the metabolism of a cheetah.

All this won't break your budget either. Dinners range from $6 to $10 for the roast lamb, and the pastries range from $1.50 to $3.00. Baklava is $1.50, as are the Flogeries. Good luck controlling yourself, foodies, this is a place for real fun, great eats, and a safe escape.

On the word "foodie"

2009-10-12T18:32:00.003-05:00

Last Sunday's Tennessean included an article on the front page of the Life section entitled, "Foodie: Does the label still fit?" We'd like to take a moment to weigh in on why we've chosen the term as a part of our food blog name.

We call ourselves "Nashville Foodies" for three simple reasons: we love Nashville, we love food, and we're most of all passionate about food in Nashville and want to share what we learn with everyone. Few things excite me more than when friends or acquaintances try out a recommendation I've given them; just this past weekend some friends drove up from Chattanooga simply to try out two of Nashville's finest coffee shops (Crema and Ugly Mugs, although there are many other good choices out there!)

Maybe we're giving away our age here, but the word "foodie" has for us none of the negative connotations mentioned by the article, and it doesn't seem to for our peers. To us, it's indicative of our desire to eat well, whether it be cooking at home with local ingredients or outside of the home in restaurants. Personally, our feelings about the word are summed up by Kate Bellos, manager of the East Nashville Farmers Market, who is quoted at the end of the article: "I'm a foodie because I like to eat." Well said.

Suzy Wong's House of Yum

2009-10-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Suzy Wong's House of Yum is a new restaurant from Arnold Myint, who also owns PM and ChaChah. We recently visited the place on a weeknight.

When we walked in, I was immediately impressed with the design of the restaurant. The seating is varied, with sections of regular tables and chairs, tables with booth backs and short chairs, a cozy circular pod, window seating, and a bar area, but everything is purposeful and works together. There is a stretched fabric instillation on the ceiling reminiscent of a paper fan. The lighting is low but supplemented by table votives. At each table there are plates waiting for your group to share food with them. A nice punch is the pop-art style "YUM" on the top plate at each table.

Suzy Wong's focuses on Asian-inspired tapas-like items. Our server, who was extremely helpful, suggested that we order a few items at a time to keep from getting too full too fast. Everything is prepared quickly, so you can order like this and not worry about there being a lot of time before food is brought to your table. We started out with the vegetable gyoza pot stickers ($6), sesame steak yakitori skewers ($7), and steamed barbecue pork bao bun ($3). Everything was delicious. The pot stickers were satisfying without having to resort to meat, and the steak was very tender. The pork but was a little mushy on the inside, perhaps needing to be steamed a bit longer, but overall was very tasty. I added a small side of picked cucumbers ($2) and it was just right for cleansing the palate between items, which were all full of strong flavors.

We progressed on to the "Yum Bowls", which are meant to be served family-style. We first tried the garlic and holy basil egg noodle "lo mein" ($9), which if I remember correctly is indeed in quotation marks on the menu. And for good reason, because this is not your MSG-laden lo mein found in Chinese restaurant buffets. The noodles are coated with a thick sauce, and the entire dish is permeated with lots and lots of garlic, albeit roasted so as to not be quite so pungent. We decided we had a bit more room so we finished our meal with the pineapple red curry shrimp ($9). It was delicious; the pineapple was very, very sweet and a perfect contrast to the red curry, which was full of spicy warmth. We added white rice ($2) in order to sop up as much of the tasty sauce as possible.

Our server was extremely helpful as we built our meal, making good suggestions as we discussed with her what our likes and interests were in food. We also would like to point out the helpful notes on the menu: many items at Suzy Wong's are vegetarian or vegan, gluten-free, or have a soy-alternative available. Those with these dietary concerns or preferences will feel welcome at Suzy Wong's.

I think what impressed me most about Suzy Wong's is the attention to detail. It's evident everywhere. The restaurant is thoughtfully laid out, the food items are interesting and varied, and even the containers for table water have purpose: they're empty wine bottles instead of restaurant-supply plastic carafes (as a side note, I appreciated having lukewarm water instead of ice water. A small detail, but it mattered to me.) It's a nice place to visit if you're wanting some small food dishes, a full meal with lots of variety, late night dining, or a new food experience with helpful servers to make suggestions. We recommend that everyone try Suzy Wong's!

Suzy Wong's House of Yum
1515 Church Street
Nashville, TN
Mon-Tues 5pm - 11pm | Wed-Sun 5pm - 4am
615.329.2913

Zumi Sushi

2009-10-01T08:00:00.001-05:00

If you've been wandering around Hillsboro Village recently you may have crossed the path of newcomer Zumi Sushi on Belcourt Ave. It's brightly-colored umbrellas attract your eye as you walk by the elevated, outdoor porch located in between McDougals Chicken and The Dog of Nashville.

First up is, of course, parking. You get lucky in the area if you find a spot during lunch that's not a couple blocks away. Belcourt Ave is notoriously parked up, as is most of the Village. One day - yes, one day - they will make the Village a walk and bike area only! It would be nice to brick up those skimpy lanes that always back up with SUVs. But I digress.

The first thing I noticed as I walked up to the front porch is now nice the outdoor location seemed. It's vibrant orange umbrellas make a perfect accompaniment to the wood and light metal decor, and we all know how little outdoor seating there is in Nashville. I also found the directions posted for first-timers helpful. The interior is spacious, with a light wood and black molding ambiance that produces a clean lined, oriental-simplicity feel. The tables are well spaced inside, and there are two circular half-bench, half chair tables that would be perfect for a party of five or six that are set apart from other tables.

Clientele could be an issue if too much Vandy Candy arrive and take over. At lunch, I was luckily spared from a full dose of the typical upscale sunglass-clad shocker. Most people were work types out for a business lunch, but not in suits. The menu included thoughtful sushi offerings, only one of which I recognized as standard fare (crunchy shrimp). Prices ranged from $5 to $10 for sushi, and each item's description had been tailored which spoke well of its creative effort. Besides sushi, the menu features a helpful kid's menu, and almost all entrees are under $10. The most intriguing item is the Basil Mango Curry. Other offerings include nigiri and sashimi.

I planned a trip because I had heard through the grapevine that they had organic sake. What's organic about sake, you ask? The way the rice is produced. Saki is also known as rice wine...and is made from the fermentation of the rice starch. Not being a sake drinker normally, I can't say I have the palate to critique it, but for those foodies interested in organic sake, they do have it. A large bottle that is approximately the size of a glass bottle of beer runs a hefty $12. They have them sitting in ice right in front of the Satco-reminiscent ordering location.
Because I worry whether a sushi roll will fill me up, I went for a more substantial offering: the Veggie Noodle Bowl. When I asked if it was worth ordering, I got a total blank from the cashier who appeared to be thrown by my question. I'm always one to try and connect with someone, but I'd label this exchange uncomfortable. As a newcomer, I had to ask how things worked, and got a mildly derisive feel as the response. This got even better when that annoying credit card trick came into play. You know those places that train their staff not to give the card back until you sign? Just give me my card back, you're not the federal reserve, I'm not going to run out of your restaurant without signing. I imagine this must be a problem in the Village.

I chose to eat outside and took my number to plug into the wire stand at my table. Zumi offers partial service so they will bring your meal to you and bus the table when you're done. You need to get your own drinks, silverware, etc. from inside. My meal arrived in about five minutes and I was pleasantly surprised. My noodle bowl was liquidless, and had beautifully grilled tofu and long, bright slices of red pepper over a bed of wheat-colored noodles. The tofu was perfectly grilled and soft, and flavored with flakes of red pepper. The entire dish had a mild/medium spicy kick to it which I found appetizing, and probably arose from the thin slices of jalepeno and pepper flakes. The snow peas also added to the freshness. The overall dish was a success; the flavors combined together well, and I left full but without that heavy draining feeling. For vegetarians not interested in spicy flavoring, however, I would look for other options.

During lunch a few of the tables around me ordered sushi, and I thanked myself for my earlier hesitation. The sushi appeared the size of most ordinary rolls, and had a creative presentation from what I could tell. The large sushi rolls and artistry of Sushiyobi were not present on this occasion, but there really did seem to be effort and heart in the design. If you're looking for a light lunch, this would appear to be a great option. One salad looked entirely skippable from a nearby table, so I would suggest aiming for a sushi platter and see what you think.

This is a great location and concept. The Village needed an addition like this, and this will be a place I look forward to dropping by again when we're around the Village scene.

Zumi Sushi
2119 Belcourt Ave
Nashville, TN 37212

Canning

2009-09-28T14:49:00.007-05:00

We started Nashville Foodies with an emphasis on dining out locally, but as we've learned and grown over the three years we've developed an appreciation for all things local food in Nashville, and that includes purchasing foodstuffs locally and cooking at home.

I grew up watching my mother and paternal grandmother can food items, or "putting up" as Mamaw would call it. Unfortunately, it's not a skill I picked up, because I would always be shooed away from the kitchen because of safety reasons when Mamaw would can (mostly low-acid vegetables, which require pressure canning). And my mother thought that if I ever made it in this world I'd not have to spend time canning and housecleaning.

And yet, now that I guess I've "made it" (whatever that means) I find myself wanting to spend time in the kitchen, creating foodstuffs with my hands to nourish myself and my husband and our friends, and to preserve the summer's bounty for the cooler winter times. For the past few years I've frozen a lot, but this year I wanted to try canning and the entire Nashville Foodies group got together to do so a few weeks ago.

We purchased tomatoes at the Nashville Farmer's market, a bushel of canning tomatoes ($12/half bushel) and a half bushel of romas (not sure of the price). We spent about eight hours on a Sunday canning and came up with jars of whole romas, salsa, and tomato sauce. We even pulled together a batch of zucchini relish and froze some bags of roasted tomato soup.
It was quite an endeavor and pushed the limits of my small kitchen, but we were successful! And it was especially a great time to be together with friends and focus on a project involving food.

A week later I was given a half peck of apples from Carthage and turned them into apple butter on a weekday evening. I've also made raspberry jam with good results.

I'm glad to have picked up the skill of canning. My grandmother passed away earlier this year and I have a treasured jar of half-runner green beans which she canned and gave to us the year my husband and I got married. I know it will eventually go bad but just seeing the jar in my pantry, with her handwriting on the lid identifying its contents, is comforting to me and I feel like I'm continuing on a tradition. I encourage you to try canning yourself! Once you are informed about safety measures and buy a few key items, you'll be well on your way to preserving Nashville's bounty and enjoying it all year round.

Resources
I've found a few resources that have been very helpful to me in learning about the process of canning. Doing it correctly is of utmost importance because terrible things can happen (i.e., botulism), if you do things incorrectly. To get started, you'll want to get a waterbath and a starter kit which will include funnel and magnetic stick. I canned my first batch of pint-sized raspberry jam in a large stock pot with jar rings used to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot, which will do in a pinch, but you'll need the waterbath if you want to can in bigger vessels.

Be sure to read up carefully on safety, and make sure your info is up-to-date. Apparently there's a lot of scientific research that goes into safe practices and methods are updated often. You can usually get a brochure from your county extension office. In general, low-acid foods should be canned in a pressure canner, and high-acid ones can go in a water bath.

The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving: Over 300 Recipes to Use Year-Round This book has fantastic recipes and instructions for canning and preserving small batches of food - perfect for picking up some items on a Saturday morning at the farmer's market and having it preserved by mid-afternoon. We made our zucchini relish, tomato sauce, and salsa from this book, and I made apple butter a week later. I find it to be a great resource when I want to preserve items we get from our CSA.

Food in Jars A canning blog by Marisa McClellan, a former editor at Slashfood. Beautiful photos of canning processes and helpful ideas.

Williamson County Extension Office I went to a class here earlier in the summer and it was pivotal in helping me get started, learning the lingo of canning as well as safety concerns.

Thai Kitchen

2009-09-21T12:01:00.002-05:00

Having seen the great reviews on other websites, I wanted to check this place out. I went in with high expectations, but I left in disappointment. My experience was just poor all around.

Thai Kitchen has been around Nashville for a long time, as evidenced by the signed photographs that line the back wall of the ordering area. I was a bit surprised to see the pictures of meals above the ordering location like a typical take-out Chinese place. The proprietor told me that they have been here for about sixteen years, so I was looking for an authentic dish and experience. When I ordered, I noticed that the woman was more interested in the television over my head than looking at me, so it took me a moment to realize she had actually asked me if I wanted something. I asked if the peanut sauce was spicy, and she said a little, but not very much. This was exactly what I was hoping for.

As a comparison, the peanut sauce with fried tofu at Jasmine's in Cool Springs is excellent and worthy of the trip. It is thick but not gloppy, and I hoped to get something like that here. I ordered the vegetables with peanut sauce and white rice and looked forward to seeing what they could put together.

At 5:30 on a weekday evening there were a few other people in the restaurant. I was on my way to an appointment, so I needed it to be fast. This meal arrived within five minutes, just like I was told it would, and they passed with flying colors on two measures: speed and price. Most of their comprehensive menu was under $5.00, even for dinner, which means this place is a great choice for the budget minded foodie. There is ample space for seating as they have approximately fifteen tables available for dine-in. A goldfish tank is placed along the wall next to the table I selected.

When my meal arrived, I noticed a problem. It was chicken. If I had been a vegetarian, that would not have been welcome. Luckily, I am not vegetarian, but was disappointed in other respects. The peanut sauce was very liquidy, almost runny. It did not have much noticeable seasoning in the peanut sauce. I know when I attempt this dish at home, this liquidy state can result from adding too much coconut milk too late in the process and not giving the peanut butter time to meld with the spices. The chicken slices did not impress me one way or the other. With my scoop of rice had come block lettuce in large chunks and carrot slices that looked like they had come straight from the Sisco truck and fridge. That was the entirety of my vegetables - with the caveat that they probably thought I ordered chicken with peanut sauce. I have no guesses as to what caused that confusion. Given the lack of attention I received while ordering, however, confusion was not surprising. Overall, I had received a bland meal.

There were a couple of small things worth mentioning: the TV was tuned to some sort of animal-attacks-prey program which did not make for an appetizing experience. On the positive side, I noticed the person behind me ordered in some other Asian language, meaning that service is provided bilingually. On my way out, I noticed that person had some excellent-looking fried appetizer plate - which I could not identify but was intrigued by.

Alas, I cannot add my name to the list of satisfied customers that seem to color the experience of other reviewers.

Thai Kitchen
(615) 385-9854
738 Thompson Ln
Nashville, TN 37204

Saying Hello

2009-09-18T10:32:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! Thanks for the warm welcome, Heather. Emily and I are excited about adding our voices to the mix. I can't say enough about how important food has become to our lives. As with most things that excite the soul, I can't wait to see what's next for our culinary landscape.

Like Heather, we are delighted to see the culinary variety that Nashville has come to offer. We hope to see independent restaurants grow and prosper in this area, and we want to be involved in the effort and help where we can. So, hope you'll join us for the journey. Happy hunting!

Welcome to our new contributors!

2009-09-17T12:53:00.001-05:00

With our third anniversary comes the addition of two new Nashville Foodies, Adam and Emily! We're so very excited to have their contributions to our blog. We think you'll find them to be great people, passionate about eating locally in Nashville and excited to share with you what they find and learn.

Happy Anniversary to us!

2009-09-15T07:00:00.003-05:00

Three years ago, on September 15, 2006, we started this little blog. I had planned out in my mind a big long post for our third anniversary about why I blog about food in Nashville. And unfortunately life happens and things get busy, so this post is spontaneous and short but I hope not any less heartfelt.

Nashville, you've been so good to me. I visited you a lot when I was younger; Opryland was the perfect vacation in my parents' minds so we visited about every other year. We didn't venture past Briley Parkway, though (and it still took my dad awhile to not ask if everywhere I went after I moved here used Briley as a route). And now I wonder what we were missing out on when we ate out.

Nashville, I moved here for graduate school in 2003. And school was tough. I spent most of my time slaving away on homework sets and running Big Important Expensive lab equipment. Returning to my apartment and cooking dinner became an escape - a time to use a little bit less of my brain and a bit more of my hands as I spent time cutting, chopping, rolling, kneading. And using more of my senses in general, as I learned to really taste and smell food in its whole form - unprocessed and pure, in basic, simple preparations. It was during this time that I also began to venture out into coffee shops and other little eateries. Fido, you became one of my first trusted escapes. I knew I could bring a couple of tough homework problems and settle in with a latte and while I might not figure them out in that couple of hours, the noise and the bustle and the caffeine would help me get my head on straight enough to keep going. And in general I began venturing out to Nashville's excellent independent food scene and learning a lot, slowly but surely.

Nashville, I had to move to Knoxville for a year during graduate school, and how I missed you! I never did find quite the same level of food choices in my temporary home. Every time I drove back to you for experiments and meetings I welcomed the chance to stop for coffee or a meal at one of my growing list of favorite places. I missed not only the food in Nashville, but the community. The best thing about Knoxville was in my mind that we inexplicably got free cable so I gobbled up episodes of Barefoot Contessa.

Nashville, when I moved back in 2006 after that year in the chain restaurant wasteland that is Knoxville (sorry, Knoxville) I was so excited to be back in the land of good local food options that I started this blog to share what I learn and find with others who are interested. Others who may be wanting to branch out from the old safeties of chains and into the vibrant local food scene. Others who want to eat well at good prices. Others who want to invest in the people who make eating and drinking in Nashville such a pleasure.

So now I'm (finally) out of grad school (having celebrated my dissertation defense with a meal at Fido, appropriately) and have a Real Job and eating well is still just as important to me. I'm still learning new things all the time and am the better for it. I'm lucky to have a husband who's turned into a foodie as well (and can now make incredible desserts himself) and friends who love food too and joined us on this blog (take a bow, Megan and Wes!)

And on our third blog anniversary, I want to say thank you to all who have prepared or served me a meal or drink. And thank you to Nashville for awakening my senses and inspiring my love of all things epicurean.

On the Road (and Guest Post): Las Vegas, Part 6

2009-09-13T15:32:00.009-05:00

Heather's note: As summer comes to a close, Sarah and Cary offer their final installment of their food adventures in Las Vegas. You can start with the beginning of the series here.

Our final stop during our tour of Vegas was none other than the Vegas location of Chef Thomas Keller’s Bouchon. Bouchon is a typical French Bistro offering delicious takes on simple country food, presented splendidly. We found out Chef Keller had restaurant in Vegas simply with the realization that the French Laundry wasn’t too far away, and that it was conceivable that a Chef of his stature might have opened a restaurant in Vegas during the building boom of the past few years. Luckily, a quick check of his website proved us right, and this meal turned out to be a pleasure.

The meal started simply, with fresh pistachios and fresh baked bread. Tasty, and a good start, plus the butter wasn’t your typical store bought butter, but a creamy, tangy, European butter that rarely shows itself on US tables.

Being that we knew we were going to indulge ourselves later on, we chose a sampling of 3 cheeses, which I think included a goats milk cheese, a cow’s milk (tangy and pungent with a little hint of cheddar), and something similar to parmesan, but much more intense.

We also thought we’d try the French onion soup, which proved to be a bit of an adventure, as neither of us are huge fans of onions, but we thought, if we ever try it, this is the place. Nevertheless, while the aroma and the crusty gruyere cheese on top were delicious, the bread mixed in the broth and the overwhelming power of the onions were a little too much for both of us. Either way, we’re both glad we can say we gave it a try.

After that, it was on to the main courses. My dish consisted of the cap end of a rib eye, seasoned very simply, and then cooked in Sous-Vide method, which yielded an immensely concentrated and pure beef flavor, along with a tenderness you can almost cut with your fork. The steak was placed on a concoction of rice and red beans that had been cooked to an almost risotto-like consistency, with a smattering of morel mushrooms and baby corn for texture. In all, this dish was phenomenal and not something you’d find at most fine dining restaurants, with the seamless melding of taste, texture, and presentation, it was a treat.

Sarah’s dish was equally delicious, with what, if I remember correctly, was roast lamb and various veggies, which were extremely tender and flavorful. I guess I don’t remember so much of hers since I was obviously concentrating on my own dish.

We were finally ready for dessert and had lots of choices. Sarah ended up choosing a take on bananas foster, shown below, while I got 3 mini molten chocolate cakes topped with homemade ice cream.

Once again, I was mostly focused on mine, so I can’t say much for Sarah’s except that it was good. My dish on the other hand, featured a scoop of homemade vanilla, peanut butter, and mint ice cream on top of mini brownies, each of which contained a little dollop of still molten chocolate. Not overly sweet, but each part of the dessert featured its main ingredient subtly and simply, with no one flavor ever overwhelming the rest.

In all, treating ourselves to a meal like this isn’t something that happens very often, but when you do, you want to do your homework. By doing a little searching online, and following a few celebrity chefs, blogs, and reading from a newspaper outside of your hometown, you’ll find some amazing places to eat. Whether they’re fine dining places like Bouchon, or burger joints like In-N-Out, anywhere you go you can turn a great sight-seeing adventure into an adventure for your other senses. Hopefully you’ve gotten a little bit out of our adventures, and maybe, down the road, we’ll get to tell you about some other places we try.

On the Road: Seattle

2009-09-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, we posted on Twitter and here that we'd be heading to Seattle and asked for your recommendations. Now that trip is over and we'd like to update you on where we ate, but most of all, say a big thanks for your recommendations!

Twitterer @RyMB tipped us off to Serious Pie and Vivace Coffee. Wow, are we glad we tried those out! My mouth still waters when I think of the pizza my friend and I shared at Serious Pie. It was a simple pizza margerita, but what blew me away was the attention to detail and the intensity of flavors, even down to the underside of the crust, which was seasoned just as well as the upper side. I think about that pizza often. And the dessert of blueberry-buttermilk gelato was just as good.

Seeking out Vivace led me to the new-to-me area of Capitol Hill, where we found the coffee shop along with another gem, Poppy. The coffee and atmosphere at Vivace were just what we needed for getting a little work done while on our trip. Poppy serves thali meals; each option gives you a pickled item, a salad, a main dish, a soup, etc. but the variations are amazing.

What I liked best about Poppy was the interesting combos of flavors. My thali meal, seen above, had combos like a cantaloupe salad and cool green gazpacho with cucumber and mint. And we especially appreciate our kind server's clear and helpful descriptions of everything.

Commenter Delaney Mae suggested we try out Black Bottle, which turned out to be another great restaurant. We inadvertently went pretty olive-heavy on our choices. The menu descriptions leave a lot out; our $9 "grilled lamb and sumac hummus" turned out to be a full plate full of hummus, lamb kabobs, slices of cucumber - really enough for a full meal on its own. We also got the brie leek french-country pesto flatbread (which came with more olives!), Spanish fried olives, and caprese skewers. With all that, we were stuffed but everything was really delicious.
A repeat for me (but new to my friend) was Macrina Bakery, where we had lovely lattes and delicious baked goods. I had pine nut tart, similar in form to a chess pie, while my friend had a bran muffin with "exploding" raspberry filling.

With a little pre-planning, my friend suggested that we eat at Salish Lodge and Spa, and we had very good brunch there. The lodge is a very doable short drive east of Seattle, and you can hike around the Snoqualmie Falls area to work off a bit of your food. Here, my friend Shea is very excited about our brunch of croque madame and huevos rancheros.
A serendipitous find was La Creperie Voila, which we found as we were getting ready to go into the nearby movie theater (we snuck in Nutella with chocolate and sweet chestnut spread with crème fraîche crepes to the movie we saw. It would have been perfect if that movie had been Julie and Julia, but weirdly, it wasn't playing!). And of course we stopped at the Pike Place Market and loaded up on cherries and other lovely fruits.
All in all, it was a lovely trip: time with my good friend, great weather, and fantastic food. The restaurants were busy but not overly crowded. Every time I go to Seattle I'm always impressed with how friendly and helpful the people in the food industry are. They seem eager to answer any questions you may have and take pleasure in your interest in their work.
Thank you again for your fantastic recommendations, and we hope everyone is able to try out dining in Seattle sometime!

Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint

2009-09-07T09:56:00.004-05:00

They're not even open today, but for some reason it feels right to blog about Martin's BBQ on a holiday. We tried out the place a few weeks ago and are happy to share our good experience here.

We ate at Martin's on a Friday night. I was expecting it to be packed, but business was comfortably buzzing along. As with many small food spots, it's helpful to know ahead of time how to maneuver through getting a table and ordering your food. I recommend checking out the menu before you go, but if you're not able there are paper versions you can read through once you get there. When you arrive, have one member of your party grab a couple of menus while the rest of your group gets a table. Then, together as a group, make a list of what you are ordering. My family and I were dining together the night we went and we got different variations of the barbecue sandwiches, which come with one side and your choice of sauce, all around $6-7. Write down your options in terms of meat-sauce-side. We ordered pulled pork and beef brisket sandwiches with Sweet Dixie Mild and rib sauces and slaw and baked beans. Write down everyone's drink orders too. Then send one person up to read out the order to the guy behind the counter, and he'll give you a number. Get that one person to get the fountain drinks and sit back and wait for your number to be called. Help cut down on traffic by sending one person to get the food.

We really liked our food. The sandwiches were generously stuffed with meat, and the sauces were tangy and sweet at the same time. I felt the portions to be just right for the price, and the sweet tea was moderately sweet - which can be difficult to find in barbecue joints.

My parents always compare barbecue to Ridgewood's, which is hard to not do when you live where they do. So my mother specifically asked me to relate to our Nashville Foodies readers that "the baked beans are not as good as Ridgewood's, and there should be more sauce on the sandwiches," but overall she liked it very much.

Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint
7215 Nolensville Road
Nashville, TN 37135
615.776.1856
Hours: Tuesday - Friday: 11 AM-8 PM
Saturday: 11 AM -till the music stops
Sunday: Closed for Church and Titans
Monday: Closed

Taste of Russia

2009-08-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

Taste of Russia stands on its own in Cool Springs. It's technically in Franklin but in a standoff-ish location on the opposite side of I-65 from the bustle of the Galleria area. The heavily tinted windows also lend an air of anti-socialness to the restaurant, but we stepped inside on a Saturday for lunch to see what they had to offer.

The menu offers a wide variety of Russian dishes, from pierogi to blintzes to borscht. As the Nashville Scene suggests, it's probably best to treat your dining there as a tapas experience, ordering a lot of little things that add up to the chance to try a lot of different dishes.

During my visit I was the only diner in the restaurant, and the waitress gave me her full attention, helping me look through the menu and decide what I wanted. I chose a potato piroshky and little beef dumplings, along with Turkish coffee. The piroshky was a downer, warm on the outside but still cold on the inside. But I loved the dumplings and would have been full after eating just them. They came with a tasty accompaniment of sour cream and fresh chopped dill.
The Turkish coffee was very thick and rich and went well with the cheese blintzes I ordered for dessert, which came with a topping of sour cherries.

Overall, I really enjoyed my meal at Taste of Russia, and it was nice to get away from the hullabaloo of the businesses on the west side of I-65. Be sure to check them out!

Taste of Russia
101 Shingle Way
Franklin, TN 37067-1727
(615) 472-1432

Open Mon-Sat 10am-10pm; Sun 11am-9pm

Monell's - The Sunday Meal

2009-08-27T08:00:00.002-05:00

If you're looking for a home cookin' eat-until-it-hurts restaurant, Monell's is the way to go. We visited Monell's on a Sunday afternoon to partake in the SUNDAY MEAL. The restaurant is located in Germantown, in a historic brick victorian-style home. The outside is beautifully landscaped with numerous flowers, a goldfish pond, and comfortable seating, since you run the risk of a long wait. But good things indeed come to those to wait in this case. As a point of reference, we arrived at the restaurant around 12:30, and had to wait about 30 minutes to be seated.

We came to eat with a group of 8 people, which is actually perfect for Monell's, because they seat everyone at long tables of 12. If you're an extrovert, you could arrive with only a party of 2, however I think to get the fullest experience, you should bring a group of friends. There is no menu, as the family style menu is set by the day,The long tables are pre-set with plates, flatware, dessert, and water. The middle of the table is equipped with a large lazy susan, which allows the entire table to share the endless pitchers of fruit tea and unsweet tea. I was famished by the time we were seated, and so quickly filled my plate with broccoli salad and went to work on the fruit tea. When the main entrees were delivered, I realized that I had made a huge mistake. So my advice--pace yourself!

The Sunday dinner on our visit consisted of the following:

2 Salads: broccoli and pea, and coleslaw
Bread: biscuits and cornbread
Stewed fruit compote
Breakfast hash (eggs, sausage, and cheese)
Mashed potatoes
Macaroni n'cheese
Green Beans
Roast Beef with vegetables
Barbequed Pork (with vinegar based sauce)
Fried Chicken
Dessert: Pecan Pie

This list may vary according to season and popularity of side dishes, because we noticed that as they were setting the next table for diners to begin, the salads were changed to a cucumber & onion and a pea salad. The southern smorgasboard proved to be overwhelming, even to a group of 12. My favorite element was the pork barbeque with what I can best classify as a western North Carolina-style vinegar based sauce. I could have eaten one plate of the pork combined with the thick-as-butter mac n' cheese and been a perfectly happy camper. There was really no dish that was less than great but the pecan pie seemed a bit out of season for a mid-summer's meal.

Monell's is defintely a difficult place to accomadate vegetarian diets, mostly because the southern style cooking featured at a restaurant like this usually seasons all the vegetable sides with meat. Therefore, Megan had some difficulties finding a full meal, however she loved the green beans, as she claimed, "they taste just like my grandmother's." Strict vegetarians should probably look elsewhere, unfortunately, because it is likely that everything from Monell's kitchen has been touched with a meat or dairy product. The price per person was around $18 with tax.

1235 6th Ave N

Nashville, TN 37208

Lunch: Mon-Fri 10:30-2:00

Dinner: Tues-Sat 5:00-8:30

Country Breakfast: Sat 8:30-1:00 and Sun 8:30-11:00

Sunday Meal: 11:00-4:00

http://monellsdining.ypguides.net/

Jerusalem Restaurant

2009-08-23T15:00:00.004-05:00

Jerusalem Restaurant is a Middle Eastern restaurant in the heavily food trafficked area between Vanderbilt and Baptist Hospital. We stopped there on a weekday to try out their lunch offerings.

We had the buffet, which included abundant tubs of hummus and various dishes such as rice, lamb meatballs, and stuffed grape leaves. Overall, we were very much underwhelmed and a little sensitive to the flavors the food presented. The lamb especially tasted a little old and the falafel was very dry.

Overall, Jerusalem Restaurant is somewhere we just can't heartily recommend.

Jerusalem Restaurant
1805 Church St
Nashville, TN 37203

On the Road (and Guest Post): Las Vegas, Part 6

2009-08-10T12:36:00.003-05:00

Heather's note: Sarah and Cary continue their guest series on eating in Las Vegas. You can catch the beginning of the series here.

After our trip over the hill and through the casinos the night before, we knew we needed to take things easy for our last full day in Vegas. We had big plans both for lunch and dinner, as well as some other things we hoped to do, so believe it or not, we stopped at the Monte Carlo’s buffet for breakfast. Now don’t worry, this isn’t what this review is about another buffet, but simply to say that sometimes you don’t always need to go to most interesting, world-renowned, or most expensive restaurant to get your fill, sometimes the one you have a 2-for-1 coupon to is just as good. It just depends on what you need. Since we knew our lunch and dinner would be special, we opted for the simple and surprisingly tasty offerings at the buffet. Sometime you don’t need to be fancy to get what you need, you just have to stay aware of things like that when you’re traveling.

What this review is about is our stop for lunch at Hubert Keller's Burger Bar, a restaurant where a classically trained French Chef put his spin on the humble American staple, the burger. The result that Chef Keller and his partner came up with is truly wonderful and unlike any other burger either Sarah or I had had before. The restaurant is half sports bar (the front part) and half French bistro (the back-kitchen), and the results are pretty easy on the eyes, pocketbook, and definitely pleasant to the palate. In fact, we even went so far as to buy the "Burger Bar Cookbook" , which made us even bigger fans of Chef Keller with his belief that the home chef doesn’t have to do anything other than experiment and create tasty food.

We of course both opted for burgers of the beef kind, with Sarah choosing the Kobe Beef burger with only cheddar, and my choice being the Black Angus burger with Swiss and bacon. Sarah’s was extremely tender and very juicy, while the Black Angus had a meatier taste than I think I had ever had with a burger - something akin to sirloin steak on a bun.

While the focus of the restaurant is squarely on the burger, the toppings were fresh and bread ample enough to support everything on it. The sweet potato fries were tasty as well, almost like candy, but excellently crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Still, Burger Bar is a perfect example of why quality makes a huge difference and simplicity has its place when dining out, as sometimes the best finds just focus on a few things, and do those things well.

Sarah and I had never heard of Chef Keller before coming to Vegas, and possibly never would have had we not decided to make the trip, but we’re certainly glad we did. In fact, anyone can find world-renowned chefs by following certain cuisines or food fads. Burgers are the popular thing right now (surely you’ve seen Bobby Flay on FoodTV talking about them by now), so a search of best burger in Vegas might bring up a gem. Next might be fish tacos, or even Cajun/Creole (and everyone knows that Emeril isn’t the only chef in New Orleans), so do some research on where you’re going and what food fads are going on now (as always, the NY Times is a great place to start), and you’ll end up with a gem.

Next time we’ll regale you with tales of a (possibly, but hopefully not) once in a lifetime experience, and how, if you do your research (and save a little) ahead of time, a world-class restaurant can be within reach during your travels.

Foodies on the Road: Duke's BBQ (Walterboro, SC)

2009-08-05T22:22:00.009-05:00

My travels to Edisto Island, SC luckily took me through Walterboro, SC where I stopped for dinner at Duke's BBQ. The format is an all-you-can-eat buffet that is exactly $9 with tax. It's completely no frills. Walk up and pay, grab some disposable plates and forks, and serve yourself (including drinks). There is no bread on the actual buffet, but once you pull your salivating face away from the buffet, you find loaves of white bread scattered around the tables. What this place lacks in style in presentation, it more than makes up with the quality in every dish.

The two main events on the buffet are the pulled pork with mustard barbeque sauce and fried chicken. There were several variations on the sauce, most prominently a spicy version, but I stuck with the original. Even though this is a BBQ joint, the fried chicken was still excellent and juicy down to the bone. Somewhat of a specialty (and still mysterious to me) was the BBQ hash, slow cooked pork chunks in a sweet sauce intended to be eaten over white rice. There are lots of vegetables, but few truly vegan items since this place is quintessentially Southern in style. The green beans and stewed tomatoes were my top picks on this trip. On the first pass through the buffet, I dismissed the amorphous fried items I first thought were popcorn shrimp (and a complete throwaway compared to all the other masterpieces on the buffet). But instead they were awesome corn fritters. There were at 2 large trays of desserts at the end of the line but I only saved room for the banana pudding which rivaled some of the best grandma made recipes I've had. There were no vanilla wafers or artificial banana flavorings. This stuff was definitely from scratch and worth saving some room.

I was fascinated with the drive thru at this place. I didn't get a good look at the menu, but I believe you could drive by and order items a la carte from the buffet. The hours posted were weekend only so you may want to call ahead to make sure they are open. This location is an easy stop off of I-95 and I very highly recommend it.

Duke's BBQ
949 Robertson Blvd
Walterboro, SC 29488
(843) 549-1446

Noodle House Thai Restaurant

2009-08-03T09:56:00.008-05:00

A reader's comment suggested we try out Noodle House Thai Restaurant in Lavergne, and we are so glad we did!

We visited the restaurant on a hot Saturday evening. The AC was out in the restaurant, but our hostess warmly greeted us and made sure we were comfortable. While "Thai" is in the name, this restaurant seems to focus on general noodle offerings than just Thai ones. We tried two of our favorite meals, chicken lo mein and beef pho, as a way of getting to know Noodle House Thai Restaurant and comparing how they do up against our other Nashville favorite noodle spots.

Josh ordered the chicken lo mein ($8.25) and was very happy with it. It had good flavor and appeared to made to order. I had beef pho ($7.95) which had great depth of flavor. I was especially pleased by the generous amount of herbs that came with the dish. At most Nashville places you just get some sprigs of basil, but my pho came with a generous sprinkling of cilantro on the dish and the garnish plate had handfuls of basil and mint. I've never seen mint included before in Nashville restaurants for dishes like this and it was nice to have the trio of herbs in my already delicious pho.

Noodle House seems to have a large number of lunch specials which would be great for those working in the Lavergne area. They also offer two-for-one specials for $14.99 for dinner from a select number of entrees on the menu.

We appreciated our good meal and the friendly service at Noodle House Thai Restaurant, and hope to return soon.

Noodle House Thai Restaurant
5270 Murfreesboro Rd # B
La Vergne, TN 37086
(615) 793-4848

Open Mon-Wed,Sun 11am-9pm;
Thu-Sat 11am-9:30pm

Sweet CeCe's

2009-07-30T08:00:00.005-05:00

If you have even stopped in Knoxville in the commercial wonderland of Turkey Creek, you might have grabbed yogurt from a small chain called Menchie's. Certainly Sweet Cece's gained inspiration from this brightly colored self-serve format.

Seeing how crowded this place can get later in the night, I got there about 6:30 to find I was the only person in line. Soon after, the crowd started rolling in. Two outgoing, but not ditzy, young girls were very helpful and seemed to know quite a bit about their products when I hit them with several questions. They gladly provided cups for as many samples as I wanted, but I imagine this arrangement could be inefficient if there are busy times.

There are 8 flavors available, including one non-dairy option (mango sorbet), and one tart option. In a confusing twist, all samples are nonfat unless marked "low-fat."The pricing is by weight as you would find at Yogurt Oasis, but the quality of the yogurt seems much better. The amount of toppings including candies, cereals, and fruit to calorically enchance yogurt cup is staggering at first. You may even want to browse their website to get an idea of what you want. I had a huge cup of delicious Snickerdoodle (probably a transient flavor - I hear butter pecan is also good but wasn't there on this trip), a bit of chocolate yogurt, cookie dough, and raspberries.

According to their website, strawberry, raspberry, and pecan praline are coming within a week. And I think a raspberry-pecan-butterfinger-banana cup is in my future.

4322 Harding Pike, Suite 103 (beside Belle Meade Publix)
Nashville, TN 37205
Monday -Thursday: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Friday & Saturday: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm
Sunday: 12:00 - 9:00 pm

Mona's

2009-07-27T07:21:00.005-05:00

I stopped at Mona's one day, hoping it would fit into that illustrious category of great food finds off the beaten path. A surprise comment on our blog this weekend from the former owner of Mill Creek Foods reminded us of just how much a joy it can be to find a new place that offers good food and careful service away from the bustle of Nashville's busier areas.

But alas, it was not to be for Mona's. While the interior was pleasant, with lots of sunshine from the big front windows, the menu was full of items that were pulled straight from food service stock. I did get a little excited when I saw an espresso machine (maybe there's a local place for coffee in Smyrna again!), but knew I was about to be disappointed when the cashier seemed thoroughly confused that I didn't want any flavorings in my latte.

The "latte" came back nothing like a latte. It was just awful - no foam at all, with a burnt taste. My fried chicken salad looked like it came straight from a bag, and the honey mustard sauce had the viscosity of mayonnaise.

I had such high hopes for this place, but unfortunately was deeply disappointed.

Mona's
3714 W Jefferson Pike
Murfreesboro, TN
(615) 217-0337

Your Seattle Food Recommendations

2009-07-25T11:15:00.004-05:00

One of us is planning a trip to Seattle in the near future. We've been once before but that was when our interest in good food was just ramping up. Favorites from the last visit include Macrina Bakery, the Crumpet Shop at the Pike Place Market, and a bakery on Bainbridge Island (the name of which I can't remember). We'll be sure to return to these favorites, but we want to check out some new places, off the beaten path. And of course, there's the question of where to get the best coffee in Seattle. What are your recommendations?

Flickr image courtesy of manwhoyells

On the Road (and Guest Post): Las Vegas, Part 5

2009-07-23T08:56:00.006-05:00

Heather's note: Sarah and Cary continue their guest series on eating in Las Vegas. You can catch the beginning of the series here.

After restive experience at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill we headed back for some rest at our hotel to get ready for exploring the south end of The Strip that night (Titanic exhibit – for real!). After exploring some at Mandalay Bay (scouting out the next day’s lunch spot), and moseying around the Luxor for a bit, it was fairly early evening, sunset was just starting and we were ready to head towards the Bellagio/Caesar’s Palace/Venetian area for dinner. We didn’t feel like being picky, knowing what we had to look forward to tomorrow, so we took our time. Then, we got the bright idea to walk to the other side of the strip, go into MGM Grand to see the lion habitat, and follow the complex to the newly completed and highly touted Las Vegas Monorail. So we wouldn’t have to walk up the strip a mile or so. In the heat. Past all the crowds of crazy people. Bad idea.

Seriously folks, the hotel was AT LEAST two (that’s 2) miles deep! Not kidding, no exaggeration, it was a two-plus mile deep casino, hotel, shopping mall, den of thieves, Turkish bazaar, whatever.... We walked, and walked, and walked, and walked, until finally we found the monorail station, bought a ticket and finally sat down. Once we rode the monorail we had to walk back though another (2-Mile deep!) hotel to finally get to the strip, where half of the restaurants had already closed, or had a dress code, or for some reason or another weren’t worth the additional walking. It was there we found our savior, in none other than the Paris hotel, a little bistro that taught us one lesson, do one thing and do it well.

The bistro was Mon Ami Gabi, which claims to be an authentic French Bistro. It really does only one thing, and that is Steak & Frites. Steak Classique, Steak Au Poivre, Steak Bordelaise, Steak Roquefort, Steak Béarnaise, etc., etc., etc. I can’t even remember exactly what we had, but it was good, buttery, and (surprisingly) not too expensive. They started us off with a baguette and some bread….

Which quickly progressed to some herbed cheese w/ fingerlings and toasted baguette slices……

Moved on to a steak (I think one was Au Poivre, the other Classique) with crispy fried frites. Only one picture here, I didn’t give Sarah time to look at mine, but the steaks were simply seasoned and the sauce didn’t skimp on butter, so we’ll give them a thumbs up……..

And by then we were feeling replenished enough to move on to some dessert. Which ended up being a bananas foster crepe with ice cream in the center: decadent, sweet, and satisfying enough to push us on back to our hotel….

In all, while my feet still hurt just thinking about all those miles we walked, the night ended with a positive. So, one good rule of thumb to keep in mind, any time you’re tired, worn out, ready to give up, don’t go for fancy. Go for something simple, easy, especially a place that really only does a few things. Pizza stands in NY, hot dog stands in Chicago, and apparently steak bistros in Vegas all go hand in hand. Next time, we’ll discuss the fine art of burger making, and get ready for out big night out with none other than some Thomas Keller goodness…….

Pesto Ristorante Italiano

2009-07-20T08:00:00.005-05:00

We continue our Lebanon series with Pesto Ristorante Italiano, located just off Main Street on N. Greenwood. We've been there twice for lunch so far and are happy to recommend it for good dining in Lebanon.

Each time I've been I've tried panini sandwiches. My first visit I had the Italian BLT ($7.99), which is made of pancetta (where on earth do they get pancetta in Lebanon?), arugula, and fresh local tomatoes (yellow on the day I visited). The sandwich is made with focaccia bread and spread with a fantastically delicious layer of pesto and balsamic vinegar glaze. I ordered my sandwich with the side of pasta salad (although you can get chips if you prefer). I liked the pasta salad alot; it was very flavorful, with nice olives in it. I would go back again just to have this sandwich, I thought it so good. On another visit I had the Olive and Genoa Salami panini ($6.99), which was also very good, although I prefer the BLT.

On my different visits my dining companions tried things such as the fettucini alfredo, lasagna, and meatball sub. Everyone like their dishes very much. I tried a few bites of the fettucini alfredo and thought it was very good, of standard preparation but with good quality ingredients.

Each time I visited the service was very friendly and helpful, which we appreciated. The restaurant is set in up an older home, and has tables set up from two to six (and maybe eight, depending upon chairs) people. And we appreciate the appetizer of breadsticks with marinara sauce for dipping.

We enthusiastically suggest that you try out Pesto! Take note that there's extra parking behind the restaurant.

Pesto Ristorante Italiano
123 N. Greenwood St.
Lebanon, TN 37087

Hours:
Mon - Fri: 10:30AM - 2:30PM (Lunch)
Fri - Sat: 5:00PM - 10:00PM (Dinner)
Sun: Closed

The Cuckoo's Nest

2009-07-16T08:00:00.001-05:00

In the smaller suburbs of Nashville there can be good local food options, but they can be a little hard to find. The Cuckoo's Nest is one of those, in Lebanon, TN. I stopped there recently on a weekday for lunch. It's a breakfast-and-lunch kind of place with a feel similar to Bridges Cafe but in a smaller town.

I feel like my experience there was a back-and-forth of things I liked and things I found bizarre. When I first drove up to the restaurant, I was pleased to see that it was located in a converted older home. But then I walked in and found that the decor was stuck in the early 90s: sponge-painted walls in teal and pink, dated hotel-type dining chairs with the vinyl still on them.

I was seated at a table and given a menu. I noticed that the tables were decorated with a bizarre combo of fake flowers in vases filled with coffee beans. But then I was given fresh bread that was quite tasty. However, the bread plate was placed by the server on top of a large candle holder (to warm it up?). The accompanying compound butter was tasty with its incorporation of orange rind, but it was served in a chipped votive candle holder.

The menu had great depth but some oddly-titled menu items: ravioli with "seafood" sauce (no indication of the type of seafood) and beef and potato casserole with confetti topping (confetti of what?) were among the oddities. There were many of the usual salad and sandwich offerings, as well as meat-and-three combos (but the "-and-three offerings" were more like Southern potluck items, like congealed salads). I focused on the inserted daily special menu and ordered the Cuckoo's Cuban and a side salad of what the menu called "asian" cole slaw. I added fruit tea to my meal as well.

I truly enjoyed the food. While the Cuban wasn't pure in its form it was a satisfying combo of sliced pork loin, Gruyere cheese, and whole mustard. The side "salad" included cabbage, carrots, and ramen noodles and was actually okay too. I really liked the fruit tea, which the server described as a combo of strawberries, pineapple, and apples. But then I noticed that it was served in dime-store plastic glasses.

Overall, I had a good lunch at The Cuckoo's Nest, and for its price (less than $9 with tax) I went away pretty happy. However, I get the feeling that this place might be one of those small restaurants that caters mainly to the owner's friends, and thus hasn't had a discriminating eye towards decor and customer experience. When I was there, there was a large contingent of mothers eating and their children were walking around everywhere. It was as though the restaurant was an arranged location by the owners for a mother's day out. And when you read this, I want to be very clear in the fact that I really like children (and mothers!) but the entire time I was eating, a child kept walking over and staring at me and was never asked to come back to the group. I of course have no clue if the mother's group was directly associated with the owners, but the whole scenario felt just a little too casual and homey. At times I felt like I was eating in someone's home dining room, having been accidentally invited to come over to eat when the host had a group meeting there of some sort.

I do plan on going back to try out the breakfast menu and the dessert offerings. My overall feeling is that this restaurant has some very good food offerings, unique ones that should be played up. However, it could use a good external critical eye to sharpening up the decor, maybe do some purposeful marketing in the Lebanon area, and maybe have a weekend where someone comes in and paints over all the sponge painting in a solid color, trains the staff on professionalism, and neatens things up a bit. The Cuckoo's Nest has a lot to offer the Lebanon area and should play up on its strengths!

The Cuckoo's Nest
120 North Greenwood Street
Lebanon, TN
Open Monday-Friday
Breakfast 7am-10am
Lunch 10:30am-2pm
615.444.1398

On the Road (and Guest Post): Las Vegas, Part 4

2009-07-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Heather's note: This is part 4 of our travel series from Sarah and Cary. You can find the beginning of the series here and follow it through the other posts. Enjoy!

Day # 2 for us continued with much walking, some shopping, and gawking at the extravagance and gaudiness that is Vegas. Needless to say, it left us hungry (again) and in need of a drink to wind down from the sights and to maybe get some rest before going out again that night. Like most big cities, Vegas has its share of celebrity-chef owned restaurants, and we thought, why not give one a try? The most well known, and the most convenient for that day ended up being Bobby Flay’s Vegas outpost of Mesa Grill. While we could have tried one of Wolfgang Puck’s or Emeril’s offerings, it just seemed right that we were in the southwest and had the opportunity to try his take on southwestern fare, which admittedly neither of us have much experience with. Restaurants like these are easy to find; just take a look at Food Network before you’re on your way to a major city and that will give you plenty of ideas. As a bonus, FoodTV is never shy about shilling for one of its Chefs, as Flay is now opening a string of restaurants that focus solely on his love of burgers. Anyway, we started with a drink while we waited for a table, and while I don’t branch out much (just a good bourbon for me), Sarah’s prickly pear margarita was refreshing and slightly sweet, without being overwhelmed by the tequila.

Mesa is quite the striking restaurant, with real attention to design and a visually appearing layout. Mr. Flay (and his investors) certainly didn’t scrimp when it came to designing the place as well.

With our drinks in hand and the relaxing vibe from the restaurant, a small plate of several breads was brought to the table while we looked over our options. The breads were tasty, nothing special, and included some sort of pepper, blue corn, or other “southwestern” ingredient. We ended up settling on a white bean hummus quesadilla that was drizzled with Mexican cheese, truffle oil, and a roasted red pepper sauce that is one of chef Flay’s signatures.

The quesadilla was a wonderful mixture of textures, from the creamy hummus to the crisp tortillas. Sarah was not as much a fan of the hummus portion of the dish, but the mixture of crunchy tortilla, creamy hummus, and an almost parmesan like cheese made for a tasty appetizer, at least for me.

For the main course, I settled on the “Cuban burger”, while Sarah went with the build-you-own shrimp tacos that came with three salsas/sauces. If you’re a fan of the Food Network show “Boy Meets Grill” you might have seen this burger before. Basically, it’s a roughly half pound burger, swiss cheese, ham, pickles and a few other toppings pressed together into a meaty, cheesy, crispy mess like a traditional Cuban sandwich. The burger itself had a nice flavor, without any other spices to overpower the beefiness of what tasted like ground sirloin. The combination of ham and swiss cheese was a nice topping, however a relish of sweet peppers was a little overpowering and had to be scraped off eventually. Cuban sandwiches and sweetness just don’t go together. The fries were dusted with an ancho chili powder that was neither too strong, or too light, but the flavor was very subtle. The aioli dipping sauce was creamy and tangy and helped make up for the flatness of the fries (which were fried to a perfect crispy golden brown and not greasy at all, by the way).

Sarah’s tacos were simplicity on a plate. Two skewers of perfected seasoned shrimp along with a light slaw and 3 salsa’s/garnishes to choose from made for a very satisfying, but light lunch. The highlight of the lunch for Sarah was the guacamole, which is best described as buttery, creamy, tangy, and quite possibly the perfect offset to the slightly more pungent shrimp that had been drizzled with red pepper sauce.

Guacamole of the god………

In all, we left Mesa Grill with a newfound respect for Bobby Flay’s recipes, and most of all, a few ideas for what we might be able to do on our own at home. The flavors that are used complement one another very well, and make me wonder what combinations Sarah and I could come up with in our own home. In our next installment, you’ll hear why it pays to plan some things well in advance, and why sometimes variety is definitely NOT the spice of life!

Thida Thai

2009-07-06T20:54:00.007-05:00

Thida Thai is a brand-new restaurant in Smyrna, specializing in Thai and Lao Cuisine. They've been open only a week, but we are impressed with the new place.

The restaurant space used to house a restaurant that was trying to be Greek but wasn't really successful and had a frantic persona to us. The new space is welcoming and peaceful and a great place to visit after a long day. We started our meal out with the spring rolls ($3.00) which were pretty typical but very good. They had a lot of cilantro in them, which I liked. I added the Thai iced coffee to my order - really reasonable at $1.95 and delicious. Our server commented that they brew it fresh in-house.

For our entrees we ordered khaeng massamun (yellow curry, $9.95) and thida thai ba mee (lo mein, $8.95). The yellow curry was listed as the mildest of the curries they had available, and I ordered it mild to get a sense of what mild meant to this restaurant. And it truly was mild - there was warmth from the curry, but the dish wasn't overly spicy. I think I could comfortably move up to the medium spice level and my very southern taste buds would be fine. The dish itself was delicious - full of chicken, onions, and tender potatoes - and felt really nourishing after a long day. Josh enjoyed his lo mein, which was pretty standard but still delicious and obviously made to order.

The menu at Thida Thai is extensive, and we appreciated the many pictures that were included in the printed menu to help us decide on our order. Of note is their "weekend specialties" menu, which contains several items, none of which are over $10. Thida Thai also offers bubble tea, and an express lunch menu during the week. With this special you can get an entree, rice, and egg roll for $7.95.

We're excited about the appearance of this restaurant in the southeast of Nashville and encourage you to try it out. It's just a short ride down I-24 from Antioch and up I-24 from Murfreesboro, and is conveniently located close to the interstate.

Thida Thai
721 President Place
Smyrna, TN 37167
615.220.7573

Monday-Thursday 11:00-2:30 (lunch), 4:30-9 (dinner)
Friday-Saturday 11:00-2:30 (lunch), 4:30-10 (dinner)
Sunday 11:00-2:30 (lunch only)

The Perch

2009-07-06T09:41:00.005-05:00

In another testament to the power of Twitter, we have been drooling over The Perch in Brentwood, TN, particularly the staff's updates about their crepe offerings and finally made it out to visit on a Friday early afternoon. The tiny shop is located just south of the big intersection of Franklin Road and Old Hickory Boulevard, on the right if you're coming from downtown.

Two of us had individual entree-type crepes. I had the ham-and-muenster, and Josh had the chicken and spinach crepe. Each were delicious. The crepes are folded into a triangle and the eating process is not unlike eating a slice of pizza, except everything is inside and the "crust" is a tender crepe.

We split the dessert s'more crepe. My goodness, it was so good! We liked that it stuck to tradition in some ways; the interior was filled with marshmallows, graham crackers, and a Hershey's bar. But the outside was drizzled with a chocolate that was definitely NOT Hershey's syrup. The barista was nice and showed me what chocolate sauce they use; the name escapes me now but suffice to say it was very good.

For a drink, I tried the orangesicle (candied orange and white chocolate) iced coffee and while it was a little too sweet for my tastes, I liked the idea of it and there are other interesting combos I'm definitely wanting to try out.

As others have mentioned, seating is a little tight, but if you can choose to go at off-rush hours, this shouldn't be a problem. We went just after lunch hours and had no problem grabbing a table.

We really loved our meal at The Perch. The last time we were in St. Louis, eating at a creperie, we thought, "wow, someone should do a crepe place in Nashville." And they have, and it's even better. The creperies in St. Louis tend to overstuff their crepes, but the offerings at The Perch are just right. We highly recommend that you try them out!

117A Franklin Road
Brentwood, TN 37027
(615) 661-9008
Open Weekdays 6:30am-5pm; Sat 8am-4pm

Bits and Bites

2009-06-29T08:00:00.002-05:00

This year was the first I headed out to the Purity Martha's Ice Cream Crankin' where Purity finds inspiration for a new flavor every year. It's really best to get there early so that you can enjoy the flavors at peak texture. It takes a real Crankin' veteran to know how to properly store the stuff to fight Nashville summer heat.

There is a lot of madness at this event and more flavors than can possibly be sampled so I prowled around looking for some standouts. I never even saw Purity's pick for its new product, Chocolate Raspberry Truffle! Past audience favorites proudly displayed their ribbons and this made it easier to pick some real gems. My sleeper favorite was Icy Hot, which was a great idea incorporating Red Hots into ice cream, but had a little too much cinnamon kick to be widely appealing.

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Savannah Tea Company, the preferred site for the Nashville Foodies to take tea, has moved to 707 Monroe St. in Germantown. It is located in a large historic house behind the farmers' market. The food and service remain the same.
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As if I have to further promote Bobbie's Dairy Dip, this remains one of the best places for a sweet summer treat. Of course if you go as the weather is now and order a cone above the size of small, it will drip, soak your napkin, and create a wicked messy good time.

Apparently there is this happenin' little yogurt joint beside the Belle Meade Publix that is open and attracting hordes of young female followers. We will be reviewing Sweet Cece's soon.

On the Road: Back Porch Restaurant and a no-name barbecue joint (Townsend, TN)

2009-06-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but the busy side of Pigeon Forge holds no attraction for me. When I go to the area, I try to stay on the peaceful side of the Smokies in Townsend, TN. Not only are the lodgings quieter (and more reasonable in cost - I recommend Bear Ridge Cabin Rentals) but there are also some quiet, delicious places to eat.

On a recent trip we tried out Back Porch Restaurant for breakfast. Everything there was tasty - of note was the country ham I got with red-eye gravy. It's been a long while since I've seen that offered anywhere.

We grabbed barbecue from a roadside stand in Wears Valley and were very impressed. The barbecue itself was good, but what really caught my attention were the cole slaw and black bean salsa (yes!) The cole slaw was made of hand-chopped cabbage and even included freshly chopped dill. While I intentionally ordered the cole slaw as a side, the black bean salsa was a pleasant surprise. It came automatically with the barbecue and seemed out of place for Wears Valley (and really, Tennessee in general). It had a good smoky flavor, I'm guessing from cumin, and was a delightful addition. Sadly, there was no obvious sign to give the name of the place, but I'd place it on Route 73 about halfway between Townsend and Pigeon Forge. It's part of a little roadside stand that also offers fresh vegetables and kettle corn. You can eat your food immediately at the picnic tables, or take it back home.

Nashville Originals Restaurant Week 2009

2009-06-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Mark your calendar for Nashville Originals Restaurant Week 2009! It's June 29-July 5 this year. Participating restaurants and menus are up at the Nashville Originals website. Most prix fixe meals are $20.09 or $30.09 (although there are a few oddballs). Be sure to take note of which restaurants recommend reservations when planning your dining outings!

417 Union

2009-06-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

We've got to be honest - 417 Union was not on our list of places to visit until we joined Twitter and the folks there posted a friendly challenge to us to try it out. Somehow we just didn't know about the restaurant. So in a testament to the power of the microblogging service, we visited the restaurant on a weekday morning to try out their breakfast menu. (Note that 417 Union also offers lunch every day, and dinner by reservation.)

Heather's view:

To be fair, I should note that I always compare breakfasts to my personal gold standard, Hell's Kitchen in Minneapolis (it's worth ordering their homemade peanut butter to be delivered to your home). I look for inventive breakfast offerings in a casual but efficient atmosphere - a place I can get in and out of quickly if needed but also can seek out for an above-and-beyond breakfast.

That said, the breakfast menu at 417 Union is pretty standard. There are combos of eggs, pancakes, grits, toast, sausage, bacon, and other breakfast standards. I decided to focus on these standards and got combo #2 ($6.29), which includes two eggs, bacon (but one could choose sausage), grits, and toast. It was a solid combo, and my eggs were cooked to my liking. The grits were a little thick but eatable. Nothing really wowed me, but I didn't go away too disappointed. In fact, I was so full I wasn't hungry by the time lunchtime arrived later in the day.

I don't know if I would seek out 417 Union for breakfast unless I were already in the downtown area. For those who might be visiting Nashville, 417 Union is very close to many of the downtown hotels, like the Hermitage Hotel and the Sheraton, and its convenient location would make it a good place to get a local breakfast. The service was pretty efficient and friendly. However, it's difficult to complete with the more inventive and fresh breakfast offerings of places like Marché.

Wes's view:
The inside of the restaurant is decorated with antiques a la Cracker Barrel with an emphasis on Nashville businesses and war memorabilia. There is a lot of brick and it has a dusty old town bar feel to it. This doesn't really lend to an up and at 'em feel during breakfast.

There is really nothing out of the ordinary on the menu so I sprang for one of the "house specialties," the caramelized banana pancakes. As you can see, three or four slices of banana are dropped into the pancakes which are topped with powdered sugar. The come on a plate with a combination of fresh fruit and potatoes. The pancakes came as a very large portion but were not that memorable. They were served with what the menu calls a "house vanilla maple blend" but the syrup looked like typical the typical corn syrup based stuff. The cantaloupe and red grapes were very flavorful. The potatoes are skin-on and appear pan-fried with onions and bell peppers. They were the real highlight of the meal, but I had to eat them first to separate the savory from the sweet.

I have to write for Megan in this section but let me suffice to say that she loved the potatoes. The veggie omelette was huge and made with at least three eggs. Unfortunately it was undercooked and runny in the middle.

On the website, there is currently a special of buy-one-get-one-free breakfast Monday through Thursday in June. The waitress didn't volunteer the special. You actually have to ask for it when you pay your check. This was a bit annoying but the manager was happy to provide the discount.

417 Union
417 Union Street
Nashville, TN 37219
615.401.7241
Open 7am-3pm M-F, 8am-3pm, Sat/Sun
Breakfast until 11am weekdays, 1:30pm weekends

Nashville Foodies RSS on Twitter

2009-06-20T09:51:00.002-05:00

You can now get Nashville Foodies blog post RSS feeds through Twitter - just add @NashFoodiesRSS.

On the Road (and guest post): Las Vegas, Part 3

2009-06-18T08:00:00.002-05:00

Heather's note: This is part 3 of a travel series written by our friends Sarah and Cary. You can find part 1 here, and part 2 here. This one certainly has my mouth watering!

Day 2

Well, we made it through our first day. We saw were up at 4am Nashville time, saw the Hoover Dam, drove up and down the Strip in a rented lawn mower (or at least that’s what the motor from our rental car sounded like), ate some tasty burgers, and finished it all off with a delightful water show from the Bellagio fountains and some beautiful views from the top of the Eiffel Tower. After our lackluster, but filling experience at the Paris buffet the night before, we needed a pick-me up and boy did we get it.

Our first stop of the day was Payard patisserie in the Caesar’s Palace casino, the Las Vegas outpost of the New York bakery of the same name. Payard was actually two restaurants in one, a quick serve coffee shop with pastries and other small bites and a smaller, more intimate sit down restaurant, which we chose. The restaurant’s menu featured a continental breakfast buffet, several al la carte options, and of course a selection of wonderful pastries. After ordering our coffee, we quickly realized this place was notch or two (okay, several notches) above most other breakfast places, mostly because I don’t think either of our coffees ever went below half-full without a refill by the very attentive staff. This did have one side effect, namely we were so hyped up on caffeine for the rest of the morning that we were running around like hummingbirds looking for our next fix, but the coffee was very good.

While I’ve never thought of getting an appetizer for breakfast, after looking at the things coming out of the kitchen we couldn’t pass on the selection of pastries, which included a chocolate filled croissant, an almond pastry that resembled a bear claw, and a muffin/panettone that was dusted in powdered sugar. Now, when I mentioned earlier about how much butter could be fit in a pastry, what I really meant to say was, how could a pastry chef make something oh so light and oh so rich at the same time? The almond pastry and the croissant were both light and crisp, with subtle flavors of almond and lemon in the first, and butter and not so subtle chocolate in the second. The muffin was good, but after the croissant and the almond pastry I think Sarah is ruined for pastries for the rest of her life, and we’ll either have to take a trip to New York or find out if Payard ships to equal this experience.

You might be thinking after our experience with the pastry selection we might be let down, but not at Payard. Sarah chose a quiche, that I believe had broccoli and cheese and I chose the eggs benedict, which were served on one of those delicious toasted croissants. The quiche was light, but substantial, and came with a baked tomato and a small salad. While you might think the salad an odd pairing for breakfast, the crisp greens mixed well with the fluffy cheesy goodness of the quiche, which as you can see, had a well broiled top which gave the dish a delicious consistency of smooth, creamy, and crispy all at once.

My eggs benedict was like nothing I’ve had before. The toasted croissant gave a crispy crunchiness to every bite that English muffins lack, and also provided an excellent tool for sopping up the egg yolk and remaining hollandaise. The hollandaise was creamy, tangy, and lemony, which was quite a surprise considering the other examples of this dish I’ve had. The tanginess added a different level of flavor, while the ham was almost, but not quite a country style ham, or it might have just been really good Canadian bacon.

In all, our trip to Payard was a wonderful surprise, and easily found by a quick Google search for best Vegas breakfast. Simple searches like that don’t always steer you to a worthy list of great places, but if you dig a little deeper, read reviews, and find out a little about these restaurants, you can come away with a great experience. Another tip to consider is that whenever you might be visiting a big city be sure to check and see if any other well known chefs have opened outposts wherever it may be. People like Emeril, Wolfgang Puck, and Mario Batali all have multiple restaurants in multiple cities, and often, these guys are smart enough to realize that not everyone can drop big money on any meal and often set up their menus and restaurants to fit with the more budget conscious traveler. Another planning tip to consider is that most every city has a free newspaper or blog like Bites, so a little searching will help you find what the locals like or don’t like and maybe pick up a few tips so you can avoid the tourist traps.

After this great start to our day we were well fueled (and bouncing around like drunk monkeys from the coffee) for the rest of our day. When you hear from us next, we take a trip to Venice and back to Rome just by crossing the street, finally talk about that FoodTV star, and admit that no matter how much planning you do, sometimes you just have to take what you can get!

The Local Taco

2009-06-14T08:04:00.001-05:00

The opening of The Local Taco has not been without some bit of controversy for the Nashville area. Our food blog colleague Lesley has reviewed them, and there is a long string of comments at the Nashville Scene's Bites writeup.

We've now had the chance to try their offerings in several sittings, and aim to report on those here.

Heather's experience:
My first tasting of their tacos was at the Second Harvest benefit a few weeks ago. They offered their Korean beef, barbecue, and pulled pork tacos. The station was Josh's favorite out of all the restaurants there at the benefit. I liked them pretty well too. While they weren't spectacularly flavorful, like Mirror or tayst's dishes, they were good enough and we look forward to trying them out at their home restaurant.

I stopped at the actual restaurant on a weekday afternoon, about 1:30pm, hoping to grab a bit to eat during a busy afternoon. My goal was to get in and out as quickly as possible but still have a nice, flavorful, filling lunch. I drove up and found a parking spot immediately, although valet parking is available. The interior of the restaurant was packed, but there was only one couple in line ahead of me. I ordered two tacos (buttermilk fried chicken and carnitas [although one should note that these names might not be exactly correct - the restaurant's website doesn't list their menu and my memory is failing me]), along with a side of rice. The tacos are individually $2.50 each, but with the rice the combo is $6.50. Although I was worried about time constraints on my schedule, my food arrived to my spot on the patio about five minutes after ordering.

I liked the tacos a lot. The carnitas taco was very juicy, although I would have liked a stronger presence from the pico de gallo with which it was topped. The buttermilk fried chicken taco was a nice contrast. However, the rice was definitely not worth the extra $1.50. It was fairly dry and flavorless. I added sweet tea to my meal, and the total was around $9. I think that was a pretty good value for a quick lunch (although next time I'll skip the rice), but I can see how the price would quickly increase (as Lesley found out) with add-ons, and I wonder how packed the place is at true lunch hours.

Wes's perspective from a visit this past weekend:
We first visited The Local Taco on Cinco de Mayo, the second day they were originally open. I already took notice of how small the portions were, including the $5 tiny margaritas they were peddling that evening. They got a mulligan on this visit for being new.

Upon the revisit of the past weekend, I noticed that the revered Korean taco has made it permanently on the menu, there is a complete beverage menu on the back (margaritas $5.50) and the controversial chips are still a la carte. We went with five different friends and separately we accumulated 3 orders of chips, two with guacamole, one with salsa. I'll come back to that later. Also during ordering, Megan inquired about what came on one of the salads. The cashier replied that there were "lettuce mix, and, uh, tomatoes, that's it." Of course to get beans you had to shell out another $1.50. Surprisingly the salad showed up with cheese, tomatoes, red onions. Not a nice surprise for someone who does not eat dairy.

There are lots of "waiters" walking around but their primary job seems to be to bring your food. They have pushed the brewed tea to the corner and now will ask you to serve yourself. If you want a fountain drink refill, it is still unclear to me if you are supposed to ask one of the "waiters" or take your glass to the front because they are tucked away closer to the kitchen. Very awkward.

There was some clear mixup about getting all the chips to our table and we received two baskets, with two bowls of guacamole, and two salsas. One of the salsas is traditional mild and seemed a little too sweet, and the other was a spicier tomatillo. One cocky "waiter" wandered over asking if we got all of our food. He asked how many chips we ordered and I explained 3 people had placed orders. Instead of immediately bringing out some more chips he belabored the point and asked: "Well do you feel like you need some more chips?" I later realized this guy was really into his job when the next time he appeared he was walking through the outdoor tables talking on his cell phone.

And as Heather noted, the dishes aren't that bad. They're flavorful, somewhat inventive, and served quickly. But they seem to spawn from forcing two types of food together (here deliciously smoked brisket, jump in that corn tortilla and you will be come an enchilada) instead of thoughtfully creating fusion dishes. Seeing that at least 75% of the tables were loaded up with margaritas and the food was still lackluster, I think Lesley nailed it on the head that this place is all about drinking and being seen.

The Local Taco
4501 Murphy Road
Nashville, TN37209
615.891.3271
Monday - Saturday 11am to 10pm
Sunday 11am - 7pm

On the Road: Dallas

2009-06-10T21:37:00.007-05:00

Wes continues our summer travel series with a report from Dallas.

I got into the city about 10:00 p.m. after flying into Love Field airport. My friend Adam took me to a vibrant 24 hour coffee house called Cafe Brazil. The place was incredibly lively at this hour filled with mostly twenty-somethings having a late night bite. Southern Methodist University is in the middle of the city, along with many other colleges and this lent itself to the vibrancy of the area. For a flat price you get a coffee cup and can treat yourself unlimited brew at the coffee bar. Unfortunately, most of the types of coffee they had dessert-type flavorings which turned me off. Nevertheless, I succumbed to a French roast which was OK, enjoyed a hearty plate of pancakes topped with peanut butter cups. The menu was overwhelmingly huge, sporting lots of Tex-mex breakfast items, crepes, sandwiches, etc. Oh. But they managed to charge me $1.49/egg for those two eggs over easy on the side. Must be why that a la carte egg price didn't show up on the menu. There were lots of interesting choices here and I would give them another go to try out the rest of the menu.

The next day I insisted we visit the original Sonny Bryan's for some brisket BBQ. If you've seen a special on the Food Network or Travel Channel, you have likely seen this place. There are many locations now, but the original is a small building where you walk right into the line to order and the seating consists of old school style desks mounted along a continuous ledge so that you have to wedge yourself in for dining in. Good luck getting back up after finishing up a full plate with super dense mayonnaise potato salad and beans. The brisket sandwich is simply one of the best I have had - don't even think about the pork. You are in Texas, and, when in Texas.... Pick up some tangy sauce in a used Corona bottle from the homemade warmer by the door and pour it all over your sandwich, but maybe have a spare shirt just in case. Just watch the hours if you want to check out the original on Inwood. We got there right before 3 on Saturday and they graciously let us in to order.

Lastly, I want to highlight what seems to be a semi-chain, but regionally specific enough to be included here: Freebirds World Burrito. All burrito chains seems to have their plus and minuses about adding extras, including sides, etc. The first thing you notice here is that there is a choice of burrito sizes and flavors of tortillas. I chose a large size (monster) which required the biggest tortilla they had, yet there was still a size bigger than this on the menu! The monster was already bigger than the standard size of burrito you would get at a chain like Qdoba or Moe's. There were lots of good ingredients to customize, including fajita peppers and onions. There were a few salsas after the line and the customized by chicken burrito with some BBQ sauce. The burrito was really excellent, the decor was interesting (feel free to craft your burrito wrapper into art and leave it behind), and the environment lively with modern rock playing through the stereo system. The only complain I have is that if you wanted sour cream or guacamole, you got hit with more charges.

There's still some time left for Nashville Originals gift certificates!

2009-06-10T07:06:00.006-05:00

edit (8:30am): all sold out now, sadly!
edit (7:45am): as of now, all the $50 gift certificates are sold out.

Nashville Originals gift certificates are still available as of 7:07am this morning here. If you're an early bird, click over to see if there's any left for your favorite restaurants!

Bits and Bites, Repeat Visits

2009-06-08T08:00:00.001-05:00

We've tried out a new place and an old favorites lately, and here's an update!

We've visited Copper Kettle before and recently we went to the new location in SoBro, just a few addresses down from Crema. At the earlier visit I liked everything I ate, and this time around was no different. The main improvement was just in having a larger space. We were happy to be there on coconut chicken day, and both of us enjoyed meat-and-three combinations ($8.25) and topped off our meal with the available condiments of pineapple salsa and cranberry apple chutney. Our chosen sides of mashed potatoes, fried okra, macaroni and cheese, and green bean casserole were delicious.

Things were busy at 11:30am, but not crazy busy enough to deter one from grabbing a quick lunch in the middle of a work day. At the new location there is plenty of seating. A low bar area allows for taking in views of the Cumberland River as you eat. How to join the food line is a little more obvious too at the new location, so newcomers should feel confident that they won't hold up things.

Everything was delicious - my one disappointment was that the coconut chicken was a bit dry, but taking the bites with salsa or chutney helped this issue and otherwise everything was very good.
-------------------------

I had mixed feelings about my visit to Fresh Blends. I stopped at the Belmont location and tried the "Raza Ma Tea" smoothie, which is a combo of green tea, raspberries, mangoes, bananas, and honey. Maybe my taste buds are too used to high fructose corn syrup, and maybe the lack of it left me feeling like the drink was a bit bland. That's probably my own fault and I should work on that. The ingredients were fresh and healthy, and that's a good thing.

On the Road (and guest post): Las Vegas, Part 2

2009-06-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

Heather's note: This is part 2 of a travel series written by our friends Sarah and Cary. You can find part 1 here. The series continues at part 3.

Our 1^st day in Vegas was a whirlwind of airports, driving, national landmarks, and general excitement. After finally checking into our hotel and resting up a bit, we were ready to do some sight-seeing, and take in our first meal on The Strip. We had decided early on that we wanted to try at least one of the “legendary” Vegas buffets, and had settled on the buffet at the Paris Bistro for its individual cooking stations, somewhat international fare, and the ambience we had read about online. In recent years many Vegas buffets have replaced the steam table and greasy fare with fresh ingredients and a greater attention to detail, so we came into this experience with open eyes. The best way to find info on the buffets really seemed to be to check out message boards such as www.chowhound.com or the various travel sites, such as www.tripadvisor.com. The reviewers are generally honest, but you never can tell if a 3-star to them is a 0-stars to you, or vice versa, so read with care.

Unfortunately, we were let down. That’s not to say the food wasn’t tasty or the quality good, it just didn’t live up to the quality one can get at a restaurant where a chef works on each plate individually, rather than churning out large amounts of average quality food. The number of people trying to butt in line was annoying as well, but we can get past that. Alas, the prime rib was good, the veggies appeared fairly fresh, and the attempts at classical French dishes such as coq au vin and others were good, just not good enough. In other words, if it’s a dish that usually takes a good deal of experience, time, and patience to produce, leave it to the professionals, not the harried cook who’s trying to steam mussels, cook pasta, and not drop the desserts into the salads all at once.

In the end, we decided that buffets can have their place, just not if you’re looking for high quality in every bite. If you’ve been on your feet for several hours and walked who knows how far, something filling and comfortable can be just what you need, if what you need is plate after plate of decent (not outstanding) prime rib and leg of lamb. That said, we probably wouldn’t go back for dinner, but the Paris casino offers amazing views from its Eiffel Tower observation deck and a great view of the Bellagio water fountains directly across from the hotel/tower.

When we meet again, we’ll discuss just how many sticks of butter can be fit in a single, delicious, life-changing pastry, whether or not salads can be a breakfast food, and quite possibly find the two greatest breakfast dishes of all time, as well as just how many cups of coffee it takes to propel two southerners in Vegas up and down the strip far, far too many times!

Toast of Music City

2009-06-03T08:46:00.005-05:00

The Tennessean is holding its Toast of Music City poll again. You may remember that last year's results for best food were atrocious, with places like the Olive Garden making into the top three for Italian restaurants.

The webpage for voting is awkward and time-consuming, but if you can stand to navigate through it be sure to vote for your favorite local places to eat.

Image from Flickr user kalpita under Creative Commons license

Twitter search now working

2009-06-01T12:14:00.001-05:00

You can definitely find us on Twitter now by going to http://www.twitter.com and searching for "nashfoodies." Or be quick about it and add us using the gadget to the right!

Generous Helpings Benefit

2009-06-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Last week we attended Second Harvest's sold-out Generous Helpings Benefit (details in our previous post here). We had a fantastic time!

The event was held at the Farmer's Market, and tables were set up in a three-sided rectangle (with some side wings). Small plates were available for trying out food from each vendor. The atmosphere was fun and everyone seemed really excited to be there.

The benefit was a great way to try out offerings some restaurants we haven't yet been able to visit as well as try out dishes from some old favorites. My favorite dish for flavor was from Mirror: chicken and duck confit nugget with rhubarb barbecue sauce. We've not been there since they changed their menu over, and this dish was definitely motivation to go back. Josh's favorite stop was The Local Taco table, which he visited multiple times. Our favorite stop for most interesting dish was that of tayst, where they had a root beer braised pork bread pudding with sasparilla cream and sea salt. The combo was totally unexpected but very, very good.

There was an entire side wing devoted to desserts, seen above. There we enjoyed mini-cupcakes from Sweet 16th Bakery and delicious ice cream from Pied Piper Creamery (I had the Mexican Hot Chocolate, which was a yummy mix of cool chocolate and warmth from chili powder).

In terms of choosing carefully where your dining dollars go, we think benefits like this are an excellent way to stretch your money and use it for a good cause at the same time. For the price of an extra-nice dinner out ($40 a person), you get to sample all sorts of Nashville's best dining and help out the mission of Nashville's Table.

Avalon Acres CSA still has open spots!

2009-05-31T21:38:00.003-05:00

Avalon Acres still has spots for their summer CSA program. Details are here. Last week's boxes included delicious turnips, tender lettuce, strawberries, and peas!

On the Road (and guest post): Las Vegas, Part 1

2009-05-29T11:37:00.008-05:00

Heather's note: Our friends Sarah and Cary recently traveled to Las Vegas, and I think their trip is a great example of how to plan a trip around food. They did very careful planning ahead of time and mixed a variety of food experiences. At Nashville Foodies, we like to emphasize that people of everyday experiences and means can enjoy great food, whether at home or on the road, and their write-up (full of great food descriptions and practical advice) is a great example of how to do that! The series continues with part 2 here.

With our recent trip out west to Vegas, and the ensuing culinary adventures that we experienced, Heather asked us to do a guest post on all the wonderful (and not so wonderful) culinary adventures we undertook while in the desert, as well as how anyone can find great places to eat when they’re on the road. Along the way we’ll stop at a west coast burger institution, a world class patisserie, a restaurant of one of Food Network’s biggest stars (or Media Whore, whatever you want to call it), and to cap it all off, a taste of some Thomas Keller-inspired greatness, along with some helpful hints on how to find great food in unknown places, and what to look out for in the great unknown.

Day 1 of our mini-vacation began at the crack of dawn for an early morning flight to Vegas which left us jet lagged, unable to check into our hotel for several hours and looking for something to do and something to eat. After a quick visit to the Ethel M. Chocolate Factory (which provides some excellent specialty chocolates), we stopped at west coast burger institution In-N-Out Burger, for an early lunch and a taste of the famous In-N-Out Secret Menu. Want to find a local place like this next time you travel? Just subscribe to the RSS feeds of blogs like Hamburger America and A Hamburger Today, as well as the New York Times’ dining blog, Diners Journal, as well as Al Dente or Serious Eats. All three of these are full of links to blogs, reviews, restaurants, and other local dining options most of us never see when passing through on the interstate. Our very own local blog Nashville Scene’s “Bites” also does a good job of highlighting dining destinations (just be sure to read the comments).

Always the adventurer, I had to try something off the secret menu, and ordered a 3x3 animal style, with no onions (that’s 3 patties, and 3 slices of cheese, with their spread – like thousand island dressing but not as thick) as well as an order of fresh cut fries animal style as well. Sarah went for the basic cheeseburger and an order of regular fresh cut fries, which did not fail to disappoint, but the fries were a little thin for both of our likings. My chocolate shake rounded out the meal well, while the 3x3 proved to be a messy, tasty mouthful from the spread that was a little hard to contain to the fresh veggies on the burgers, as well as the “mustard-grilled” beef patties that added a kick to the burger you don’t get when you just put the mustard on a bun.

Overall, In-N-Out proved to be a real winner and gave us just what we needed, something to power us on for a trip to Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon, and our first exposure to dining on “the Strip”. In our next installments, we’ll talk about whether those “upscale” buffets are all they’re made out to be, where to get possibly the best breakfast you will ever have, and the answer to that time honored question “can those Food TV chefs actually cook when they spend all that time in front of a camera?”

Second Harvest's Generous Helpings

2009-05-23T08:42:00.003-05:00

Second Harvest Food Bank is hosting Generous Helpings, a food and wine tasting event, to benefit Nashville's Table. Generous Helpings will offer taste-size portions from more than 40 independent restaurants including tayst, Miel, Mambu, Mirror, The Standard, Monell’s, Chappy’s on Church, City House, Ombi, Eastland Cafe, Yellow Porch, Zola, Tin Angel, Miro District, Marché and more. Many of the chefs have teamed up with local farmers to serve up bite-sized portions of their signature appetizers, entrées, desserts and wine.

Generous Helpings is presented by Kroger and benefits Nashville’s Table, a perishable food rescue program of Second Harvest Food Bank. The event is 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, May 28 at the Nashville Farmers’ Market. Tickets are $40 in advance, $50 at the door or $125 for patron-level private seating and bar.

Nashville's Table works to gather excess foods from area establishments and distributes it to over 100 partner agencies. If you aren't able to attend the event, be sure to check out Nashville's Table's website to see how you can get involved in this great cause.

More info about the event can be found here.

Bridges Cafe

2009-05-18T08:00:00.002-05:00

Update 6/16/2009: this restaurant has been closed.

Bridges Cafe is a ladies-who-lunch kind of place on White Bridge Road, just across the road from Target. We stopped by on a weekday for lunch.

The inside is bright and clean, with booths and tables for ample seating. The service is cheerful, and on the day we were there the place was packed by the noon hour.

The menu seemed pretty standard for this type of restaurant - soups, sandwiches, salads. The restaurant also features a meat-and-however-many-vegetables-you-want option. I picked the standard soup and sandwich combo of the lemon artichoke soup, which is served every day, and half a chicken salad sandwich. The combo left me underwhelmed. Chicken salad is so pervasive that if you're going to serve it, it's got to have a memorable note to it. This version had nothing. The soup was more of a sauce more suitable for a topping for chicken than for soup; it was very gloppy. At $7.95 for the pairing, we felt that the portion size was much too small for the price; filling it out with an additional small side would have been a better offering.

Megan fared better with the four vegetable platter ($7.50), shown above. She chose pasta salad, a fruit cup, green beans, and sweet potato fries. The latter was a favorite of both of us; the fries were crisp and sprinkled with sesame seeds and were very flavorable. Everything else was just standard.

We both topped off our meals with the house fruit tea, which was nice with its touch of mint, but not really worth $2.50 per serving. In all, each of our meals cost about $13-14 when tax and tip were included, which seemed a bit pricey considering what we received. We'd prefer seeing more generous portions on the soup and sandwich combos and maybe some more inventive variations on the menu's very standard offerings.

We noticed a sign that the restaurant is running a buy one breakfast entree, get one free special, which could be worth checking out.

Bridges Cafe
85 White Bridge Rd
Nashville, TN 37205
615.353.5707

Share our Strength's A Tasteful Pursuit

2009-05-13T09:10:00.003-05:00

Share our Strength's touring dinner series will be in Nashville at the end of this month. The series, which has made stops this year in New York City, Palm Beach, and Washington, D.C., aims to raise funds to end child hunger in America. Participants enjoy a fine meal by local chefs and bid on various auction items.

This year's Nashville event is to be held May 31 at the Hermitage Hotel, and Executive Chef Tyler Brown of The Capitol Grille at the Hermitage Hotel will host. Other participating chefs include those from Zola and City House, two of Nashville's finest restaurants.

More details can be found at Share Our Strength's event site, and you can order tickets directly there. What an excellent way to enjoy some of Nashville's finest food offerings for a great cause!

Catfish House

2009-05-04T08:00:00.002-05:00

Having grown up in the south, I don't each much seafood this far inland, except for catfish. Catfish House is a restaurant specializing in catfish, with four locations. We visited the Smyrna, TN restaurant on a weekday night.

Catfish, of course, is front and center for the restaurant's menu. You can find a few other items like chicken fingers and hamburgers, but there are lots of catfish options. We selected the blackened catfish and fried boneless catfish from among the many choices, including a catfish salad.

We were caught off guard by the large amount of side dishes brought to you with your meal. The menu mentions that you get "white beans" (I'd call these "soup beans"), cole slaw, and hush puppies with your meal, in addition to your choice of sides. We appreciated vinegar- and mayonnaise-based options for the slaw. I ordered the turnip greens, which were excellent, but inexplicably the restaurant did not offer regular or apple cider vinegar to go with the greens, just malt and hot sauce vinegars. Josh ordered standard fries, which were not especially noteworthy but just fine. Fried okra also came in addition to all this, making for a huge assortment of family-style vegetables to pass around - except there were just two of us. We ended up bringing a lot of food home with us.
We very much enjoyed our meal, but would have rather had the option of choosing fewer sides for perhaps a lower meal price. Together with drinks, tax and tip, our $11 entrees added up to about $35.

The atmosphere was bustling at the restaurant and lots of families were enjoying their meals. Our one off note to mention is that the sides were delivered to our table about ten minutes before the catfish came, which allowed them to get cold. But otherwise, if you're in the mood for catfish, Catfish House is an excellent option.

Catfish House
Locations in Smyrna, Clarksville, Bowling Green, and Springfield

We're on Twitter!

2009-05-03T19:00:00.000-05:00

Nashville Foodies has joined Twitter. Look us up under "NashFoodies."

Update: Apparently it takes up to 24 hours after your first tweet to show up in Twitter's search for users. So we should be findable by Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, you can add us by clicking on the Twitter widget to the right.

Update (5/3/2009): Twitter says that profiles created "in the last 8 weeks" aren't being indexed by search. They're aware of the problem and are working on it. In the meantime, you can add us by going to our homepage and clicking on "follow me on Twitter."

Repeat visits: Marché Artisan Foods

2009-04-27T16:32:00.007-05:00

We had a lovely lunch mid-April at Marché Artisan Foods, and look forward to seeing what the May menu brings!

Humboldt Fog Cheese and Apple Butter Plate

Goat Cheese and Leek Tart, Lamb Kabobs

Chocolate Blood Orange Strata

Icons

2009-04-24T17:42:00.001-05:00

Thanks to friend and Flickr user Ameria for our new icons for Twitter and Urbanspoon!

Sunset Restaurant (Lebanon, TN)

2009-04-23T18:27:00.007-05:00

We're blessed with several good Southern food joints in Nashville, but do you ever feel like they're often too commercial? I do. I want to eat my turnip greens and pinto beans without feeling like I'm part of a production or tourist commercial.

It's worth the drive to try out Sunset Restaurant in Lebanon, TN for truly Southern food with no pretense. I was lucky to be taken there for my birthday and was so glad to try it out. The menu is quite extensive but I was immediately drawn to the meat-and-three offerings (just under $7). I chose sugar cured ham, turnip greens, pinto beans, and fried okra. I appreciated not having to ask for vinegar to go with my greens, which is often the case around Nashville. The meal was delicious, the fried okra especially so. One bite into them and the okra just dissolved - yum. I'll admit that my coworkers heard me "mmmm"-ing as I ate.

When it's your birthday, you get a free piece of pie at Sunset, and I ordered the chocolate meringue. It's become very difficult to get a fully homemade pie in restaurants, but this one was, from the crust to the filling (which wasn't completely homogeneous, but that was okay by me) to the billowy meringue topping.

There are lots of choices to the menu at Sunset, and my fellow diners enjoyed meals of salads as well as other variations on the meat-and-three offerings. We ate around noon and the place was very busy with people of all ages, a good sign. Take note that the restaurant takes only cash and checks in payment, but an ATM is available as well.

We heartily recommend that you try out Sunset Restaurant! It's easy to access right off exit 238 on I-40.

Sunset Restaurant
640 S Cumberland Street
Lebanon, TN 37087
615.444.9530

Request: Desserts in Antioch

2009-04-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

We find ourselves time and time again at P.S. Noodle Pot, wondering where to get some dessert afterwards. And we come up with nothing. Readers, do you know of any good places to grab a dessert in the Antioch/Bell Road area? We're looking for a bakery-type place in particular.

Los Rosales

2009-04-13T08:00:00.001-05:00

Update 8/27/2009: This restaurant has closed.

We finally made it out to Los Rosales, a Mexican restaurant in the Bell Road area which was fraught for awhile with re-opening troubles. For our first visit, we tried the $6.99 lunch buffet. The offerings included salad, fresh fruit, quesadillas, fajitas, refried beans, rice, and enchiladas. The accompanying tortilla chips were freshly made, but the salsa seemed a little flat on flavor. Overall, we enjoyed our meal.

We overheard discussion at a nearby table, where one of the group members was impressed that the restaurant had ceviche on the menu and that he had not been able to find it elsewhere in Nashville. While we can't verify that claim, it's nice to know that the restaurant has some unique menu items.

Los Rosales feels completely different than Nashville standards such as Las Palmas, or even more unique restaurants like Las Americas. The atmosphere at Los Rosales is calm and the furnishings neat with tidy tablecloths. We appreciated the quiet surroundings in which to eat our meal.

Los Rosales Mexican Restaurant
1307 Bell Road, Suite #103
Antioch, TN 37013
615.331.7577

El Jaliciense (Charlotte Pike)

2009-04-09T15:44:00.004-05:00

Our fellow food bloggers at Nashville Restaurants have reviewed El Jaliciense before, with great descriptions of the regular menu items. I stopped at the taqueria recently to find that they've added a lunch buffet.

For $4.99, you can build your own taco and sample enchiladas, taquitos, and all sorts of other delicious items. My favorite was the chicken and potato taquitos, which were fantastic and sizable.

I was a little disappointed with the salsa that came with chips as soon as I sat down; it tasted as though it was made with canned tomato sauce. But I guess it's tough to make anything good with tomatoes out of season. I'd suggest picking up some pico de gallo and cheese sauce from the buffet to eat with your chips.

With a drink, my meal came to $7 even. Service was very fast, and it's easy to get in and out on a busy workday. The clientele was varied, including girl friends with a group of children, men in business suits, and others just out for a good lunch. We encourage you to stop by and try El Jaliciense!

El Jaliciense
6345 Charlotte Pike
Nashville, TN 37209
615.354.5600

Sylvan Park Restaurant

2009-03-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

Sylvan Park Restaurant is a greasy spoon-type diner tucked into Sylvan Park. We visited on a Saturday for lunch.

The restaurant is tiny and feels as though it hasn't been changed (and maybe hasn't been cleaned thoroughly) for decades. The place was pleasantly bustling but not crowded. When you arrive, grab your own seat and wait for the server to hand out menus. (Note: I was unsure of whether to wait to be seated or grab a table, so I waited until someone finally told me to seat myself. And the four parties who arrived after me did the same thing. Maybe a sign should be put up to help newcomers?)

I ordered a three-vegetable plate with rolls, along with sweet tea. The sweet tea was perfect. The rolls might have been food-service. My three vegetables were turnip greens, "fried" corn (really creamed corn), and fried eggplant. The greens and corn were good, but the standout was the fried eggplant. It came in strips; the eggplant had cooked down to a buttery consistency and the combo was delicious. My meal came to $4.95 for the vegetable plate, plus $1.50 for the tea.

My only regret is that I didn't do my homework beforehand or else I would have ordered pie, which seems to be their standout menu item. I'll just have to go back.

Sylvan Park Restaurant
4502 Murphy Rd
Nashville, TN 37209

Twin Forks Artisan Bread

2009-03-14T18:29:00.005-05:00

Eating local is not just about choosing local restaurants - it's also important to seek out local food vendors! Today we picked up a loaf of bread made by Twin Forks Artisan Breads. We purchased our 1.5-lb loaf of country bread at The Produce Place on Murphy Road (look for it carefully - it was in their main bread display on the end of the central aisle, but tucked among other name brands.) I brought the loaf home and Josh immediately remarked, "wow, that's some mighty bread." And it was. The texture was very dense but moist. We topped our toasted slices with butter (and I added some marmalade) and that little snack filled us up! And the rest of the loaf will go wonderfully with the corned beef and cabbage we're having tomorrow.

You can find Twin Forks bread at The Produce Place, Lazzaroli's Pasta, and Whole Foods in Franklin, among other places.

Repeat visits: Germantown Cafe and F. Scott's

2009-03-12T08:00:00.001-05:00

We recently revisited two of our favorite Nashville restaurants, in search of seeing what their late winter offerings might involve.

One visit was to the Germantown Cafe. We enjoyed their delicious bread (is it deep fried?) and well-tossed salad. But we were disappointed to see that the menu had not changed much in the 14 months since we had last visited. I tried the special of the day, a fish dish with blackberry sauce. The blackberry sauce was fairly bland, but the accompanying greens were delicious and perfectly seasoned.

We also have recently revisited F. Scott's and found some very delicious menu items. We enjoyed an appetizer of pumpkin ravioli topped with crab. Josh chose as his entree a dish involving scallops, gnocchi, and Meyer lemons, while I combined a salad with the appetizer of braised short ribs for my entree. Everything was very delicious, and we topped off our meal with Nutella ice cream and a chocolate terrine with cherry coulis. Fantastic! As always, remember that you can dine for half price at F. Scott's after 9pm.

Road trip

2009-03-05T17:56:00.004-06:00

We recently traveled to the beach in Florida (don't get too jealous; it was in the 50s and cold the entire time we were there) but we did eat fairly well.

First we stopped at Niki's West Steak & Seafood. It's easy to access off of I-65 in Birmingham. The website doesn't seem to mention it directly, but Niki's is a old-style cafeteria place, much like Piccadilly was when I was young and used to go there with my grandparents. Everything we sampled there was delicious, and highlights were the slightly sour fried green tomatoes and the homemade cherry pie. It seems like ages since I've had real homemade cherry pie in a restaurant, and it was delicious. A meat-and-three platter was around $12 for our evening meal.

Firefly in Panama City Beach was another dinner destination. There, we sampled the purported house specials of she-crab soup and hydroponic butter lettuce salad with strawberries, goat cheese, and warm butter pecan dressing. Both dishes are good ideas but were made extra sweet with the addition of sherry, at the table by the waiter, to the soup and honey on the salad. I left feeling as though I'd had dessert instead of dinner.

We ate brunch at Another Broken Egg, which is a regional chain of breakfast/brunch type offerings. They appear to be opening in Tennessee soon, although the details of where are not apparent. Our meal there was very good, except for a broken Hollandaise sauce that I was served. But the waitress noticed and immediately brought me another bowl of sauce, which I appreciated.

As for strategy for choosing places to eat, we consulted Yelp.com, which led us to Firefly. We used Jane and Michael Stern's book Road Food to find Niki's. An attempt to gain information from a checkout person at Publix went nowhere.

Community Supported Agriculture

2009-03-01T19:10:00.002-06:00

Have you signed up for your Community Supported Agriculture membership yet? Subscriptions are filling up, so be sure to sign up soon if you intend to. You can find listings here.

In the past, we've been very happy members of Doe Run Farm's program and highly recommend it. A regular share was more than plenty for two of us to eat from during a week, and we also were able to freeze lots of good things and share some with friends. This year, due to a job change and the effect on pickup locations, we're changing over to Avalon Acres, which we've heard great things about. No matter who you go with, it's great to know that you're supporting local agriculture and eating well.

New web address

2009-02-01T10:56:00.001-06:00

You can find us now at http://www.nashvillefoodiesblog.com! (nashvillefoodies.blogspot.com will still work as well).

Not all apple ciders are created equal

2009-01-30T08:00:00.000-06:00

Megan recently reported on the great apple cider she had at Fido. She and I went back a few weeks later. I arrived before her and ordered the apple cider and got, well, basically lightly-spiced hot apple juice. She arrived later, apparently had a different barista prepare her order, and got the apple cider she loved so much on her earlier visit. The visual proof:

l - the last sip of my apple cider, served in a paper cup. r - Megan's apple cider, with frothy goodness.

We asked a Fido worker about the difference, and he was surprised but recommended that when ordering apple cider, ask specifically for it to be made with a bit of chai, and that should ensure getting the apple cider on the right. He asked if I wanted a re-do cup of cider, but even though I said no he graciously still remade one. We appreciate the thoughtful service! And now you know how to get the great apple cider at Fido.

Shout outs: Marché Artisan Foods

2009-01-26T08:00:00.004-06:00

Enjoying food in Nashville is not just about trying out new places all the time, but also about returning to favorites to enjoy new items on the menu. In addition to reviewing new places we'll also begin "shout outs" to highlight menu items we enjoy at our favorite haunts.

Case in point: we recently went to Marché Artisan Foods for Sunday brunch and had a fantastic meal. Highlights were:

A delicious cheese plate, with three types of cheeses, cranberry chutney, and very nice toast.

A trout pasta dish:
Other delicious items included corned beef crepes, croissant French toast, and of course lattes. We can't guarantee that you'd get the same items if you go to brunch there, as the menu changes often, but you're sure to find something absolutely delicious.

Thanks to our friend Jessica for taking the photos!

Update on Los Rosales

2009-01-21T08:25:00.002-06:00

We earlier reported that Los Rosales on Bell Road would be closed for remodeling until January 12. Last night we were in the area again and noticed that their new opening date has been revised for the first week of February.

Bits and Bites

2009-01-20T15:11:00.003-06:00

A few things of note that have come to our attention:

1. The Sugar is Art Gallery, on March 8. Details we received include...

Experience the art of sugar on an entirely different level, "Glitz, Glam, and Gumpaste" style! Bask in the sights, smells, and sumptuousness of gourmet confections, cakes, candies, and chocolates, created by talented sugar artists, cake designers, chocolatiers, and pastry chefs. There'll be an amazing Dessert Bar for sampling, beautiful custom sugar art displays for perusing, a boutique decorating station for creating, the Gallery "gift shop" for indulging, and so much more. Sugar demonstrations by top pastry chefs and live art entertainment will add to the festive atmosphere. Artists and crafters have joined in the celebration with amazing sugar art-themed originals. Satisfy your sweet tooth and every one of your senses in the sweetest, most luscious way possible. Parking is free, and you can help support our cause of feeding Nashville's hungry by donating non-perishable food items to our food drive at the door.

Check out the website for more information.

2. The folks at Dino's Bar and Grill in East Nashville want you to know that they're now open for breakfast, 6-11am Monday through Saturday. Be sure to check them out!

Dino's Bar and Grill
411 Gallatin Ave
Nashville, TN 37206
(615) 227-8998

3. We posted a few week's ago about our reader's inquiries into food and dining circles in Nashville; the Scene followed up with a posting about where to find some of them.

Openings and (Temporary) Closings

2009-01-08T08:00:00.002-06:00

While in Green Hills this past weekend, we noticed that Shalimar has reopened after being closed for awhile for remodeling work.

Los Rosales Mexican Restaurant (on Bell Road) appears to be temporarily closed until January 12 for remodeling.

DrinkHaus Espresso + Tea

2009-01-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

DrinkHaus Espresso + Tea is a lovely hot drink spot in the Germantown area of Nashville. We visited on a weekday morning to try out its offerings.

We were a little confused upon entering the store - the layout of the register area and the menu boards made it awkward to fully take in everything that was available without completely blocking the entryway. But we were happy to see almost equal treatment for coffee and tea offerings. The store's website mentions that food items, including panini, are available, but the selections were not obvious.

The interior of the store is very modern but still cozy. There are sunny spots to sit along the window front, and a cozy corner in the back with a couple of tables tucked in.

We ordered a vanilla latte and cafe mocha for our first visit. These were okay. The vanilla syrup tasted a little synthetic and our drinks were lukewarm, but we look forward to going back and trying other offerings, such as the different selections of tea and the house hot chocolate, which features marshmallow creme.

DrinkHaus is a nice place to visit if you're looking for local coffee and in the Germantown area. Ample parking is available just across the street.

DrinkHaus Espresso + Tea
500 Madison Street # 103
Nashville, TN 37208

Barbecue: Whitt's versus Stroud's

2009-01-01T08:00:00.001-06:00

This is not to be a discussion about who has the very best barbecue in Nashville, or the country, for that matter (nothing will ever top Ridgewood in my mind). This is a comparison of two very similar barbecue joints in Nashville, and in particular, their pork barbecue sandwich.

Each has simple interiors: an ordering window, board with menu items and prices, simple tables at which to eat. Each has a drive-thru window. Each has a Wednesday pork barbecue sandwich special for less than $2, and the sandwich is topped with cole slaw and a pickle slice.

For me, the difference is in the taste of the food and the running of the business. Stroud's (seen above) barbecue is heavy on the vinegar, as is the cole slaw. The sweet tea is so sweet, it makes me grimace. On a recent visit, we were so flummoxed by the chaos of the ordering line we actually thought about leaving.

My vote goes with Whitt's for the better barbecue sandwich and service. There is more depth of flavor, and the cole slaw has a better balance of mayonnaise and vinegar. The sweet tea is right on for my Southern tastes, and the service direct and quick.

Whitt's Barbecue
several locations

Stroud's Barbecue
several locations

Happy new year!

2008-12-31T17:26:00.002-06:00

(Vanilla-peppermint marshmallows we made for Christmas gifts, pre-slicing/dusting with corn starch and powdered sugar)

Happy New Year's Eve (or Happy 2009, depending upon when you read this!) We want to wish everyone a very good 2009. Our posting has still been slim the past few months, but a new year brings a new job for one of us and hopefully more time for investigating Nashville's food scene.

In the meantime, we encourage you to go out and enjoy your favorites. We had an absolutely delicious meal at Marche Artisan Foods yesterday, including their seasonal butternut squash bread pudding and chai-infused creme brulee, all reminding us of why we love to eat in Nashville.

Dining Circles in Nashville

2008-12-21T12:17:00.001-06:00

We've gotten several emails over the past few weeks asking if we know of any dining circles in Nashville. Unfortunately, we don't, but let's use this post as a clearinghouse of information or as a way to connect people with that interest.

Comment below if you know of any that are accepting new members, along with contact info. And if you're just plain interested, post your info here as well and feel free to contact others with shared interest.

The Quest for Apple Cider

2008-12-11T21:18:00.005-06:00

Recently, the blustery weather has given me a hankerin' for a nice mug of apple cider. The challenge is that even though popular, I have found that not many restaurants carry it.

Although this blog is about local restaurants, I must confess that I ended up at Starbucks looking for cider. I asked the cashier if they had cider, to which he responded "Yes!"

Unfortunately, what I received was a cup of steaming hot apple juice. That's right, not even a sprinkling of cinnamon! Who can call that cider?

I am happy to report that I did finally locate the perfect cup of cider at Fido, a restaurant we have reviewed here before. But I must communicate the wonderfulness of this cider. It came to me in a large mug, brimming with broth and topped with a cinnamon stick. It was not overly sweet, but had a nice tartness. The spices were a nice combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves that made me feel as though I were at home in front of the fire. This cider definitely hit the spot!

I will continue my searches around Nashville for more cider locations, but Fido will be hard to beat!

Bits and Bites (and our 100th post!)

2008-11-17T08:00:00.001-06:00

This marks our 100th post on Nashville Foodies! Exciting!

Saturday was a fun food day for us. We went to...

CREMA, for a coffee tasting class. The owner of the shop, Rachel Lehman, brewed several selections from local roaster Drew's Brews and walked us through tasting them, explaining a lot about the origin of the beans, the grading process, and the roasting process. We also learned about roasting levels, flavors to look for, and what level of roasts go best with milk or cream. I enjoyed the casual atmosphere and came away feeling a little more knowledgeable about coffee (and somewhat in awe of the work that goes into all the steps of preparing the beans!). It was all very interesting and I'm now planning to get a French press for home brewing my coffee.

Cafe Coco's Italian Market for supper. The Italian Market was bought a few months ago by the owners of Cafe Coco, and I was interested to see what the new management brought to the store. A few things have changed - there's no longer an antipasto bar, at least not on Saturday nights. But there are still delicious panini, pasta, and pizza selections, along with Italian grocery items and a gelato station. We shared the chicken parm panini, which was definitely enough for two people. There was an Italian conversation group meeting at the time, which was nice. There seems to be expanded seating towards the back of the store. The shop now has free wi-fi, so it could be a nice alternative location for settling in with yummy food and getting some work done. And Josh reports that the bathrooms were exceptionally nice - startlingly so!

CREMA
15 Hermitage Ave
Nashville, TN 37210
(615) 255-8311
7am-6pm M-F
8:30am-3pm Sat

Cafe Coco's Italian Market and Kitchen
411 51st Ave. North
Nashville, TN 37209
10am - 8 pm Monday - Thursday
10 am - 10 pm Friday and Saturday
(615) 783-0114

Rudino's (Pleasant Surprises on Bell Road, Part 2)

2008-11-14T17:16:00.004-06:00

The same friends who told us about P.S. Noodle Pot also had us over for pizza one night, pizza they acquired from Rudino's, two or three doors down from the noodle place. We have since learned that Rudino's is technically a chain, with locations all over North Carolina that seem to be reaching over into Tennessee. It's not Pizza Perfect-local, but it's not Pizza Hut or Papa John's either.

Our pizzas (pepperoni and sausage) were delicious. The pie is cut into squares, which is a nice change. Best of all was the sauce. It was noticeably different than what I've tasted before, somewhat sweet but still zingy. We really liked it! And hope to go back and sample the rest of the menu, which includes grinders and calzones.

Rudino's Pizza and Grinders
1307 Bell Road
Antioch, TN 37013
615.781.0001

P.S. Noodle Pot (Pleasant surprises on Bell Road, Part 1)

2008-10-23T08:00:00.004-05:00

Tuesday was a 12 hour work day for me. Towards the end of it, Josh called and suggested we go to P.S. Noodle Pot, a place in the Antioch area, recommended to us by friends. A quick call confirmed that they were open until 9pm on weekdays, so off we went.

It was just what I needed after such a long day. I had classic pho, served in a big, steaming bowl with a side dish of bean sprouts, basil, and iceberg lettuce. Josh had lo mein, which tasted excellent with its obviously freshly-made sauce that might be possible to recreate with a little legwork - not MSG-laden as it can be in so many restaurants. The service was quick and attentive.

I liked the atmosphere at P.S. Noodle Pot as well. They're open until 10pm on weekends, and it's nice to have a locally-owned restaurant for good food in southeast Nashville with later opening hours.

Their menu had lots of variety. I was especially in the mood for pho so I didn't look at the menu too carefully, but spotted lunch specials for $6.95. My pho was just $8.95.

We also liked the location. It's near the intersection of Bell Road and Blue Hole Road, less congested than other sections of Bell Road. The restaurant is located in a nicely laid out strip mall, which is easy to exit onto Bell Road via a stop light.

We look forward to returning often!

P.S. Noodle Pot
1307 Bell Rd
Antioch, TN 37013
(615) 445-4990

Star Bagel

2008-10-23T08:00:00.003-05:00

Our recent move to the Sylvan Park area has provided many exciting benefits, with Star Bagel being our most recently discovered.

On a lazy Saturday morning we ventured the 5 blocks to the restaurant and were surprised by the number of people rushing this place for lunch/breakfast. We even had trouble finding a parking space. This was a good sign...

We were both in the mood for breakfast, but upon examining the menu, Wes became enticed by the chicken salad sandwich, and went for the soup/sandwich combo. I 'stuck to my guns' and ordered a breakfast bagel sandwich with spinach and mushrooms (no cheese). Although they did have trouble with my special order, (one sandwich was prepared with cheese) I was finally delivered a steamy hot sandwich.

We were both delighted with the taste and quality of our food. The bagel was chewy, but not tough. The chicken salad was different, with less mayonnaise and a innovative texture. We also tried the fruit tea, which is reminiscent of the fruit tea at Calypso Cafe.

Our plan is to head back to try out some other sandwich/wrap choices. There are 2-3 vegetarian options on the menu (quite a few for Nashville!) however I will have to update when I have tried one of them.

We noted that this restaurant has won the best bagel award by "Where the Locals Eat," our favorite guide for eating in Nashville.

The only complaint I would have about Star Bagel is its similarity to so many other restaurants, both chain and non-chain. For example, its cranberry bread sandwich with turkey is similar to Provence. I wish that they could find one thing to really innovate and make their own. This would make this restaurant really exceptional!

Star Bagel Company
4502 Murphy Rd
Nashville, TN 37209

Mon-Fri 6:30am- 6:00pm
Sat 7:30am- 6:00pm
Sun 7:30am- 3:00pm

Bits and Bites

2008-10-20T08:00:00.001-05:00

More bits and bites from our recent food outings.

Recently, we visited Nashville's Ten Thousand Villages for their "One Scrumptious Chocolate Celebration." We enjoyed sampling the very good chocolate goodies all made with fair trade chocolate, and printed copies of the recipes were available for taking home. I look forward to making the pumpkin chocolate brownies!
While in the area, I stopped at Chinatown, right next door to Ten Thousand Villages, for a quick lunch (picture above). Chinatown is definitely standard American Chinese food - not especially spectacular or note-worthy - but of note is their service: friendly, kind, just right. And a quick lunch is $5.50.
After our visit to the opening of Ugly Mugs, I've been on the lookout for my own setup to make iced Vietnamese coffee. My goal was to find the items in town and not order online. I found the coffee at the International Market, and the filter (sans top, but oh well) at K&S World Market on Nolensville. Now I need to figure out how to store an unfinished can of sweetened condensed milk.

Chinatown
3900 Hillsboro Pike # 8
Nashville, TN 37215
(615) 269-3275

International Market
2010 Belmont Blvd
Nashville, TN

(615) 297-4453

K&S World Market
4225 Nolensville Pike
Nashville, TN

(615) 832-8881