Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Foods / Restaurants / Retail Cupcake Clearance Sale at Christie Cookie
Posted by Nicki Wood on Tue, Jan 27, 2009 at 10:58 AM
We've been in the market for cupcakes for an upcoming birthday. Thanks to fabulous Bites readers, we got a tip steering us toward The Christie Cookie for cupcakes.
Friday night at the Christie Cookie location in the Mall at Green Hills, just four cupcakes remained: two mocha and two key lime. The clerk told us they were buy-one-get-one. We bought them all, and our total bill was $5.44.
Christie Cookie cupcakes are a strong offering in a city with plenty of good cupcakes for sale. Mocha is a fudge cupcake with coffee frosting, and lime is a butter cupcake with citrus frosting. Ingredient quality is high over all, and the cakes were nicely decorated (especially the mocha). Butter gives the cakes a firm, chewy texture, particularly the tops. It was a wonderful change from the usual spongy, fragile cake-mix cupcake texture.
So once again, Biters, thanks for the tip. My own tip is to call The Christie Cookie on Friday nights to check whether the cupcakes are on sale.
Foods / Good advice / Party Mix / Recipe File International Food 911: Help a Mother Out
Posted by Carrington Fox on Tue, Jan 27, 2009 at 9:06 AM
It's a mother's nightmare: the all-call from the PTO asking everyone to please bring an international dish to share with the school's food fair. Suddenly I need a recipe for something with global flair, that's cheap and easy to prepare in massive quantities.
Is mac-and-cheese international? Does DiGiorno count? California Pizza Kitchen?
Help me, Bites. You're my only hope. Save me from embarrassing myself (and my child--he'll be mortified by me soon enough) with a tub of Prego-dressed noodles or a clutch of HobNobs from the new Publix.
Whoever supplies the winning recipe will have my undying gratitude.
Restaurants For Starters, Check Out 360's Expanded Apps Roster
Posted by Carrington Fox on Tue, Jan 27, 2009 at 5:25 AM
Speaking of the growing trend in small plates, I visited 360 Bistro to check out Chef John Crow's recently expanded roster of starters designed to appeal to the new fiscally conservative appetite.
Our group of three ordered six starters in lieu of entrées, and we were surprised by the sheer volume of food that arrived at our table. From a stack of tuna tartare the size of a soup can, to a roll of carpaccio the size of a small tenderloin (pictured above), these beautiful plates were anything but small.
Monday, January 26, 2009
News / Tombstones Radius10 Closes
Posted by Carrington Fox on Mon, Jan 26, 2009 at 3:16 PM
Within the past hour, a recorded phone message at Radius10 was updated to announce the restaurant's closing. "It is with great regret and great memories that Radius10 has decided to leave The Gulch," the voice says. "Sadly, the level of business since the economic downturn is not sufficient to sustain our operation over the long haul."
A pioneer in The Gulch restaurant community, Radius10 opened three years ago to much acclaim, and was named Best All-Around Restaurant in the Scene's Best of Nashville writers' poll in 2007. This fall, chef-owner Jason Brumm discontinued lunch service and turned his attention to a catering company specializing in barbecue. The updated voice message did not mention the future of Riverwalk Catering Co.
Events Ox Me a Question: Chinese New Year Dinner at Golden Coast
Posted by Steve Haruch on Mon, Jan 26, 2009 at 12:28 PM
I hope you didn't wash your hair today--it is New Year's after all. (Explanation: A friend of Vietnamese extraction told me that you shouldn't wash your hair on New Year's Day because you're washing all your good luck away. Let's just say I'm lookin' pretty lucky right now.)
Last night, my wife, some friends and I took the 10-course plunge at Golden Coast in order to ring in the "Year of the Castrated Bull," as a fellow diner quipped. Ox. Year of the Ox. (Oxen are not necessarily castrati, but they often are.)
I meant to write down all 10 courses or swipe a menu, but forgot to do both. Here's what got passed 'round the table, the best I can remember, along with my score out of 10:
Restaurants First Trader Joe's--Chipotle Next?
Posted by Nicki Wood on Mon, Jan 26, 2009 at 10:31 AM
The 3,000 signatures on the "bring Trader Joe's to Nashville" petition probably weren't the sole deciding factor that management used in making its choice to put an outlet here, but they couldn't have hurt.
Now a group of people who just love the food at Chipotle have formed a Facebook-based effort to get a Chipotle in Nashville, and seemingly the effort is already having an effect.
In a Facebook post dated Jan. 23, "Bobby Shaw," identifies himself as a regional director for Chipotle. He says the company is looking to locate a single Chipotle here in the next few months.
The criteria for siting a Chipotle include urban setting, daytime traffic, 25-foot frontage, zoning to allow liquor license and adequate parking. Take a look at the photos of examples and consider that the effort has largely been conducted by people who prefer CoolSprings and Brentwood locations. To suggest another location, such as, oh, say, East Nashville or Donelson, click here.
Chipotle is the "gourmet burrito and taco" concept that went public in 2005 (ticker: CMG), and was once partly owned by McDonald's. It supports the use of small-farm pigs (and, in some places, chickens), has opened several "green" locations and taken other environmentally sustainable steps. The guacamole is real, is fresh, and is famously chunky. But is it true that, as one Facebook visitor wrote, it's better than Baja Fresh and better than Moe's? Come on--really?
Open Thread Empty Plate: Belly Up to Our Weekly Open Thread
Posted by Jim Ridley on Mon, Jan 26, 2009 at 9:17 AM
Oops. Given the climate, perhaps "belly up" is an unfortunate choice of words. But feel free to share whatever's on your mind in our weekly open forum, where you set the agenda. Try anyplace new over the weekend, or revisit an old favorite? What's the best deal you've seen, either on the shelves or the specials menu? Anyone check out the Chinese New Year spread at Golden Coast, the Where the Locals Eat signing at Davis-Kidd, or the new small-plates menu at Ombi? Spill.
Also, if you've got tips about openings, closings, chefs, jobs, behind-the-scenes drama or other tidbits, don't leave us hanging. Write cfox (at) nashvillescene (dot) com.
Retail Cheap and Cheerful Snacks at Sweet-n-Sassy Bakery
Posted by Carrington Fox on Mon, Jan 26, 2009 at 6:48 AM
Scene intern Angela Suico contributed this post.
Birthday cakes, frosted cookies and mouthwatering pastries make a colorful impression at the counter of Sweet-n-Sassy Bakery, the tiny sugary haven of baked goods on White Bridge Road. Alongside birthday cakes adorned with balloons and polka dots are legions of brownies and buttery shortbread cookies, flanked by cakes in decadent flavors of red velvet, carrot and German chocolate.
After a few minutes of careful deliberation, I settled on a cinnamon pretzel. A medley of sugar and salt, the $1.41 snack was a satisfying and economical treat on the go--though not as budget-friendly as the crazy-cheap confections on the discounted table of yesterday's treats, including slices of cake and bags of cookies.
Located at 103 White Bridge Road in the Brookwood Plaza (phone: 352-2450), Sweet-n-Sassy Bakery is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Events A Raw Deal: 'Foods That Fight Cancer' Lunch and Lecture Jan. 29
Posted by Carrington Fox on Mon, Jan 26, 2009 at 5:42 AM
Holistic Options Massage presents "Foods that Fight Cancer," a luncheon and lecture about the potential for raw foods to heal and prevent disease. Registered dietician Linda Ruff will speak, while guests enjoy an organic lunch. The event takes place at noon, Jan. 29 at the Nashville Downtown Partnership, 150 Fourth Ave., Suite G-150. Admission is $20, and guests must register in advance by calling 582-6843 or emailing pam-lmt (at) juno.com.
Friday, January 23, 2009
News / Restaurants / Tombstones Barfield's Closed
Posted by Carrington Fox on Fri, Jan 23, 2009 at 8:58 PM
Barfield's All-American Grille has closed, according to an
article in the Hendersonville Star News. A sister nameplate of Wildwood
Oak-Fired Kitchen in Bellevue, Barfield's anchored Hendersonville's Streets of Indian Lake outdoor shopping center, which debuted in March. Opened in June by owners Dave Wachtel III and Justin D. Tatum, Barfield's was touted as the flagship of a nascent chain of casual dining restaurants.
