Tuesday, September 30, 2008
News Cookie Remonstrance
Posted by Nicki Wood on Tue, Sep 30, 2008 at 1:00 PM
A mountain of ruined cookies—41,000 cases, to be exact—is at the center of a lawsuit filed in Davidson County Chancery court. This strikes at the very heart of a sugar hound.
Interbake, whose very name sucks all the fun and joy right out of baked goods at a speed I hadn't thought possible, is suing an area warehouse for improper cookie storage.
Perhaps you purchased cookies that turned out to be "stale, crumbly, soft and having an unusual appearance"? Interbake's suit asserts that the Cumberland Furnace-area warehouse operated by Meritex (who thinks up these names?) leaked, was moldy, and that cookies were stored in improper areas. Meritex also is accused of knowingly delivering damaged boxes, and of concealing damaged boxes inside cases of unharmed boxes.
Interbake makes cookies for private labels by contract and operates ABC Bakers, the Girl Scout cookie bakery. The lawsuit doesn't specify the identity of the cookies, but they are "specialty cookies" "distributed primarily in the months of January, February, March and April." I really hope it wasn't Scout cookies. Anyone experience substandard cookies? And can we think of a better name for Interbake?
Events Ham-tastic Fun in Spring Hill, Oct. 4
Posted by Carrington Fox on Tue, Sep 30, 2008 at 5:00 AM
If your ham's got game, why not see how it stacks up this weekend at the fifth annual John Maher Builders Spring Hill Country Ham Festival. Filled with country ham competitions, pig racing, a farmers market, kids games, craft demonstrations, balloon rides, live music, a petting zoo and unabashedly high-fat, high-sodium delights, the day kicks off 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4. on the grounds of the Tennessee Children's Home (804 Branham Hughes Blvd., Spring Hill).
Scene writer P.J. Tobia hoofed it to the 14th fastest growing town in America last year, as part of his Philadelphia-boy-explores-the-rituals-of-indigenous-Southerners enterprise, and he had this to say about Spring Hill's family-friendly salute to salt-cured pork: “Damn, y'all. It was ham-tastic.”
P.J. still can't really pronounce “y'all” right, but he did seem changed forever by what he saw in Spring Hill.
Admission is $5 a carload in the parking lot or $3 a person at the ticket booth. Kids under 12 are free. Proceeds benefit the Tennessee Children's Home.
Events Fall Fest at East Nashville Farmers' Market Oct. 1
Posted by Carrington Fox on Tue, Sep 30, 2008 at 5:00 AM
The new East Nashville Farmers' Market celebrates the fall harvest on Wednesday, Oct. 1, from 4 to 7 p.m. In addition to the regular list of local farmers and producers who set up shop every week at The Turnip Truck—including Delvin Farms, Madison Creek Farms, Paradise Produce, Timbertop Farm, D. Richardson Farms, Brunswick Beeworks, Kenny's Cheeses, P.N. Kidd Honey, Legacy Tea Blends, The Moose is Loose, Twin Forks Farm and Spring Haven Organic Farm—Fall Fest will feature special foods, craft demonstrations and kids' activities.
Peaceful Pastures and ASK Apparel will demonstrate spinning and dying natural fibers, and West Wind Farms will show how they smoke Berkshire pork. Kids can decorate pumpkins, visit a petting zoo and get their faces painted. The Howling Brothers will provide live music.
The Turnip Truck will offer tastings on the front patio and discounts in the store. For more information visit the East Nashville Market's website.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Restaurants All That Jazz
Posted by Carrington Fox on Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 5:00 AM
F. Scott's, the tony Green Hills dinner spot, will launch a catering division this fall. Zelda's Casual Catering—named for Jazz Age author F. Scott Fitzgerald's wife (pictured above)—will offer sandwiches, salads, soups and buffet items, with catering and box lunches available.
Also this fall, F. Scott's will host a solo jazz pianist Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, with happy hour specials until 10 p.m., including martini-style drinks for $5 and half-price beers.
There's some talk of a weekly “Speakeasy” promotion—if you whisper the secret Speakeasy phrase to the bartender, you'll get an additional surprise, such as a sample from chef Will Uhlhorn's fall menu, a gift certificate or a glass of champagne for $1. To keep up with the changing weekly Speakeasy phrase, ask F. Scott's co-owner Wendy Burch to put you on her email list. You can reach Wendy at wendy (at) fscotts.com.
Friday, September 26, 2008
People Chefs' Creations
Posted by Carrington Fox on Fri, Sep 26, 2008 at 10:34 AM
Pull up a couple of highchairs—there are babies in the kitchens. Ombi chef Laura Wilson and husband Grant welcomed their first child, Porter Howell (7 lb. 15 oz.), on Thursday morning at Baptist Hospital.
F. Scott's chef Will Uhlhorn was already there with wife Tamara, who delivered their second daughter, Amelia Pearl (7 lb. 13 oz. and pictured above) on Tuesday afternoon.
There's no word yet on whether Ombi and F. Scott's will be introducing kids menus. Peanut butter and pork belly, anyone?
Party Mix Snack Tray: Breads of Many Sizes and Dueling Porn
Posted by Jim Ridley on Fri, Sep 26, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Buried Lead Dept.: Way down at the bottom of Lesley's ode to the bounty of peas at the Nashville Farmers' Market—shelled peas, unshelled peas, crowder peas: PEAS!—this little tidbit is tucked away: "Also, be sure to drop by the Schrock Family Bakery stand....We took home a *mumble* as well as a loaf of fresh cracked wheat bread and a loaf of something called salt-rising bread." Boing-g-g! I've been looking for salt rising bread around here for years! The fine, cake-like artisanal bread, far less chewy than sourdough and with a milder yet richer taste, relies on the bacterium Clostridium perfringens instead of yeast as its rising agent. On cold winter mornings before school, I'd wake up and smell the buttered slices toasting in the oven while my mother cooked bacon—the bread makes simply the best BLT on earth. I now know where I'll be Saturday morning.
• "Like sex porn, gastroporn addresses the most basic human needs and functions, idealizing and degrading them at the same time. 'You watch porn saying, Yes, I could do that,' explained [porn still photographer Barbara] Nitke. 'You dream that you’re there, but you know you couldn’t. The guy you’re watching on the screen, his sex life is effortless. He didn’t have to negotiate, entertain her, take her out to dinner. He walked in with the pizza. She was waiting and eager and hot for him.' " From a stimulating 2005 Harper's article by Frederick Kaufman, who explores a comparison many have made but seldom in such detail: food porn vs. real porn. (Terrorist fist bump: Steve H.)
• If I hadn't been cruising Slashfood, I might never have learned of the existence of the flagel. No, not the squagel—the flagel, the bagel's flatter roadkill variation. "After the bagel is boiled, but before it goes into the oven, it gets flattened," sez Slashfood. "This might sound silly, but it offers its own set of rewards. Since it's thinner, it's easier to eat as a sandwich. It also means more outside bits to nibble on and less fluffy insides—much chewier." Now if they could just come up with circular Krystals....
• Of note: two of the worst restaurant write-ups I've read in some time, here and here. At least the latter has a happy ending.
News Britannia Rules the Flavs
Posted by Nicki Wood on Fri, Sep 26, 2008 at 9:00 AM
Walkers, UK maker of potato chips—or rather, crisps—is searching for the next taste sensation for its snacks. There’s a lot of money in it: 50,000 British pounds and 1 percent of future sales.
Some years back, the company rolled out a line of Great British Flavours for the queen’s Golden Jubilee. Some of the memorable entries included ketchup, marmite, roast lamb, chicken curry, steak and onion pie, Worcestershire, smoky bacon and prawn cocktail.
Now the company wants to hear your ideas. Send your new flavor idea, plus a photo or other piece of art that depicts what inspired you. Upload to www.walkers.co.uk by Oct. 8. Get crazy with it, because you never know what might catch on. They laughed at marmite flavored crisps too.
Events India Festival Sept. 27
Posted by Carrington Fox on Fri, Sep 26, 2008 at 7:00 AM
This week's review of Bombay Palace, the casually elegant Indian hole in the wall on West End Avenue, includes a preview of this weekend's India Festival at Sri Ganesha Temple. A celebration in honor of Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, the event will spotlight Indian crafts and culture, from music to henna painting—but food will be a central component.
Here's your chance to explore the wide world of Indian cuisine beyond chicken tikka masala. While CTM and other saucy North Indian staples are increasingly popular among local lunch buffets, they represent a small sliver of the palette of foods in the world's second most populous country. This weekend, five bucks buys a plate of specialties from one of the eight regions represented at the event.
A few highlights from the South include bisibelebath (a dish of rice, lentils and vegetables, from the state of Karnataka); masala dosa (paper-thin rice pancakes stuffed with spiced potatoes, from the state of Tamil Nadu); and tamarind rice from the state of Andhra Pradesh. Northern Indian specialties will include chole bhatura (spicy chickpeas and deep-fried bread made of flour).
The event is 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday. Admission is $1. If you get there this weekend, report back on Bites.
People Jessica Simpson Is Human: She Likes Fried Food
Posted by Steve Haruch on Fri, Sep 26, 2008 at 5:00 AM
So...I just got off the phone with Jessica Simpson. (It's really, really weird to type those words.) In a recent interview, the singer said she liked Nashville and, specifically, that she has eaten a lot of good food here—so I asked her about that.
Sure, she's had some rather public confusion over where certain foods come from, but in our conversation she was very clear about one thing: She likes fried food. Namely, she really likes the appetizers at Mafiaoza's, so much so that she remembers them better than the pizza. Other restaurants she name-dropped: Radius 10 ("I'm a fan of the shrimp and grits") and Watermark. Both of which happen to be close—walking distance, even—to the Scene offices. Not that I mentioned that or anything.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Events Fat Fete, Grease Gala, Lipid-palooza
Posted by Nicki Wood on Thu, Sep 25, 2008 at 1:00 PM
If you let the state fair get by without trying the fried Oreos, take heart: the Southern Fried Festival is this weekend in downtown Columbia.
Dedicated to all things battered and deep-fried, there will be so many lipidacious goodies. Confirmed so far are fried chicken and fish, fried pies, fritters, funnel cakes, fFrench fires French fries, fried cucumbers and fried candy bars. No word yet on fried green tomatoes or fried bologna.
Five Columbia chefs will match spatulas in a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich cook-off, judged by Elvis impersonator Chuck Baril.
For a touch of the surreal, Red Hat Society chapters from southern Tennessee and northern Alabama will compete in a millinery meet: hats must be made from a KFC bucket. Last year 37 people took up the challenge. Start your glue guns now.
Oh, and there will be Greek food. From East Tennessee. Y’all I swear it’s true.
Southern Fried Festival, Courthouse Square, Columbia, September 26, 27. www.southernfriedfest.com
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