Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Foods Be Thankful for the Sides at the Downtown Turnip Truck
Posted by Jim Ridley on Wed, Nov 24, 2010 at 2:42 PM
In her dining column this week, Carrington Fox finds brand-name fare at steam-table prices at the newly opened Turnip Truck Urban Fare on 12th in the Gulch:
At owner John Dyke's long-awaited Gulch expansion of his popular East Nashville market, the culinary brand names in question are Laura Wilson — the chef at the bygone Ombi, who recently helped launch Holland House Bar & Refuge — and Sam Tucker — the onetime pastry chef at Watermark who recently helped launch Burger Up. And the delicious discount for the discerning diner is the $7.99-per-pound price tag on Wilson and Tucker's ever-changing array of comforting and contemporary cuisine.Located in a former warehouse across the street from the venerable Station Inn, The Turnip Truck Urban Fare boasts 9,200 square-feet of gleaming, high-ceilinged space, outfitted with café tables fashioned from wood salvaged from Union Station. Grocery shelves are loaded with organic, gluten-free and local ingredients, flanked by meat, seafood and cheese counters, a gift section and a vast selection of microbrewed beers. ...
On French day, there were coq au vin and vegetarian bouillabaisse. On taco night, there was chili con carne made with textured vegetable protein. On other days, options have included flank steak with vegetables, chicken-and-vegetable skewers, roasted brussels sprouts with wild mushrooms, vegan pad Thai, chicken-fried Eden Farms pork loin and shrimp and grits. (Hint: The plump de-veined shrimp pair nicely with the pad Thai noodles.)
We walked in yesterday morning just as Chef Wilson was making the rounds with a sampler tray of her corn pudding — one of the many Thanksgiving sides crowding every square inch of the Turnip Truck's kitchen. It's my favorite thing my sister-in-law makes every year, and the one we tasted at the Turnip Truck was bliss — fluffy, custardy, with plump buttery kernels popping in each bite. I understand the hot bar (through tonight) has selections from the store's Thanksgiving menu, and I'm tempted to fill a to-go box with all the corn pudding I can carry.
