Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Restaurant openings Kay Bob's Throws a Grand Opening Party Tomorrow Night
Posted by Dana Kopp Franklin on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 3:19 PM
As I reported back in June, Kay Bob's is the brainchild of Amir Arab, who along with his brother Ali, owns the Pizza Perfect locations in Hillsboro Village and Bellevue. Amir is a native of Iran who's lived here for decades, and he describes Kay Bob's as "kebab sandwiches with a Southern twist."
Kay Bob's plays up the healthy aspect of Middle Eastern cuisine, with fresh vegetables and meats grilled simply on a skewer, served on flatbread that's baked in house, with your choice of signature sauces. Ingredients are minimally processed and locally sourced whenever possible.
Already one breakout star on the menu is a vegetarian sandwich, the Dancin' Desiree, with black beans, goat cheese, roasted red pepper, caramelized onions and butternut squash puree, folded into flatbread and toasted.
Kay Bob's is co-owned and managed by Pizza Perfect veteran Andrew Tarpley. The grand opening party is 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, at the restaurant at 1602 21st Ave. S. (The phone number is 321-4567). Check out a menu at Kay Bob's Facebook page, and read the grand opening invitation after the jump.
TV Dinner Today Show Features Catbird Seat, Yellow Porch and Mas Tacos Por Favor
Posted by Steve Haruch on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 10:55 AM
Today on Today, Travel + Leisure features director Nilou Motamed dished out some culinary travel tips, including three picks in our fair city. Can you guess what we're known for, besides our "foodie scene"? Here's a hint: Motamed says she's sure Taylor Swift loves eating at The Catbird Seat. That may be true — Taylor's palate has probably developed since her Spaghetti Factory days. But talk about a missed segue: Catbird chefs Josh Habiger and Erik Anderson met while cooking at the acclaimed Alinea in Chicago, the first restaurant mentioned in the segment.
Anyway, nice to see Nashville get some pins on the national food map, with nods also to Yellow Porch and their site-grown salad ingredients, and Mas Tacos Por Favor's tortilla soup. I've just embedded the 615-centric clip above, but you can watch the whole thing, Parisian macarons and all, at the Today site.
Drinks Sam's Sports Grill — Take a Trip to the Islands in Hillsboro Village
Posted by Chris Chamberlain on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 5:44 AM
Apparently Al Thomas, one of the owners of the Hillsboro Village stalwart, has taken a liking to a particularly famous island drink and decided to bring it back with him from a recent vacation. The "Pusser's Painkiller" was developed at the Soggy Dollar Bar on the island of Jost Van Vyke in the British Virgin Islands by an entrepreneurial bar owner named Charles Tobias.
Based around the famous Pusser's Rum, the drink is a tasty concoction of rum, pineapple juice, coconut cream and OJ sprinkled with a tad of freshly grated nutmeg. Pusser's has been the official rum of the British Admiralty for over 300 years and was the "tot" of rum that was part of the daily ration for Her Majesty's seamen. Made in 200-plus-year-old wooden stills, Pusser's has the benefit of centuries of ethers and congeners which have built up in the pots to add flavor (or should I say "flavour?") to the fermented sugar cane.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Events Soup & Bread: Local Chefs, Writers Cook Up Party at Yazoo to Benefit O'Bryan Center
Posted by Nicki Wood on Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 2:14 PM
Ice cream in the summer, and now that it's cold, the Martha O'Bryan Center wants to give you a nice bowl of hot soup. Next Wednesday, Dec. 7, at Yazoo Brewery, several local chefs, cooks, writers and musicians will lift the lid on pots of soup that they've created, served with fresh bread from Provence. Bring the kids and come by from 6 to 9 p.m. and see Laura Wilson, Dan Maggipinto, me, Nancy Vienneau and singer Noelle Warner, have a bowl of soup. And some bread.
The event is a combination fundraiser for Martha O'Bryan and part tour stop for Soup & Bread, the cookbook that started it all. Soup & Bread is a program that has raised thousands of dollars, one bowl of soup at a time, for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Author Martha Bayne and designer Sheila Sachs, the longtime art director of Chicago Reader will be there to sell you a copy and inspire you with their amazing story.
No reservation needed, and it's technically free, but you're invited to pitch a few bucks into the basket for Martha O'Bryan. There's a lot of good going on there, and you can see some of that good in action: O'Bryan GED grads will be selling lotions, candles, soaps and more produced by their business, Piece of Love, and Second Rise Kitchen, a culinary training effort at O'Bryan, is providing some of the bread.
Bonus: Yazoo is selling beer by the glass, which it doesn't typically do on Wednesdays. All you Wednesday growler-refillers, you're coming too, right?
Fun and Games Recipe Contest Seeks Winner, Winner Family Dinner!
Posted by Nicki Wood on Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 8:54 AM
For The Power of Family Meals, the search is under way for appetizers, entrees, sides and desserts to feed the crew at the table.
Enter as often as once a day until Jan. 11 to win a grand prize of $800 or cooking classes for four at Viking Cooking School. First prize is a Kitchen-Aid mixer. One winner each week will get a Cuisinart soft-serve ice cream maker. And every day, someone will win a Smuckers gift certificate.
You've heard it before, and the evidence keeps accruing: Mealtime at home is where children learn nutrition, interaction, conversation skills and etiquette. Regular family meals were the greatest single predictor of high student academic achievement and reduced incidence of problem behaviors.
Events Food Network Show 'Heat Seekers' Filming at the Scoreboard Bar and Grill Today
Posted by Chris Chamberlain on Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 5:49 AM
- www.tvrage.com
"Heat Seekers" is a show hosted by celebrity chefs Aaron Sanchez and Roger Mooking which follows them around the country as they seek out the spiciest food they can find. While I'm sure that there are many hot chicken connoisseurs who would point Messrs. Sanchez and Mooking toward some other local establishments to try the hottest of the hot, Scoreboard is renowned for making some darned fiery poultry on their own.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Events Kick Off the Holidays with Festive Christmas Lunches at Scarritt-Bennett
Posted by Chris Chamberlain on Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 8:41 AM
Luncheon dates for 2011 are Nov. 29, 30 & Dec. 1, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., but some of the dates have already sold out so plan ahead now!
The musical guests are:
11/30 - Jama Bowen, vocalist
12/1 - Polly Brecht, organist
12/7 - Belmont University Chamber Singers
12/8 - Marilyn Thornton, violinist
12/13 - Jazz Trio: Kevin Madill, piano; Matt Davich, sax; Ike Harris, bass
12/14 - Sherry Cothran, singer-songwriter
12/15 - S T Kimbrough Jr., vocalist
Lunch is only $19.99 per person (+ tax)
Complimentary parking is available
If Black Friday wore you out and the holiday grinch is leering over your shoulder, take a break from the busy season to let someone else cook while you recharge your batteries. Check out the menus after the jump:
Recipe File Recipe File: The Kitchen Sink Cookie, the Chocolate-Chip Cookie with Something Extra
Posted by Alexis on Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 7:16 AM
This cookie is good. I’ve never had one like it anywhere else.
Ostensibly, the kitchen sink cookie is named after its long list of ingredients, including oats, coconut, dried cranberries, chocolate chips and pecans. I’m actually a purist with most desserts — I avoid nuts in ice cream, brownies and other cookies, for example — but this cookie is a different kind of beast. Crunchy, chewy, sweet, salty and chocolaty all describe it, yet every component is perfectly balanced.
It wasn’t until recently that I considered trying my hand at reproducing it at home. The cookies I made were really good, but they didn’t quite add up to the Fido version. I tried to adapt the “Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie” recipe from America’s Test Kitchen, which is based on the Nestlé Toll House recipe. From this I added the extra ingredients in proportions I could only guess. And before you say anything: Yes, this recipe has almost two sticks of butter in it. YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?
I didn’t think so.
Urban Farming Roosters for Sale, Cheep
Posted by Nicki Wood on Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 5:42 AM
Spotted on craigslist, this plaintive ad (now removed by its author) tells a story. It's a story about love, and birds. About urban farmers and couples. About poultry and bonding. About hunger and ideals. Submitted for your amusement, nourishment, sympathy or schadenfreude. There's a lot here in just 47 words.
We have 2 roosters who have just started to crow. We live in the city so they need a new place where they won't disturb anyone. i would eat them, but my girlfriend named them. They are healthy, well feathered, about three months old, and look delicious.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Events All Great Thanksgivings Are Unhappy in Their Own Way
Posted by Jim Ridley on Thu, Nov 24, 2011 at 7:38 AM
We at Bites wish you the happiest of holidays — but in the event all doesn't go well, you're welcome to vent in the comments space below. Or check in just to let us know how your day went. We'd love to hear about the best thing you had or made, and the thing that maybe didn't turn out so hot.
