Monday, April 30, 2012
Barbecue Stone House Q Adds Sunday Hours and a Rockin' Smoked Chicken Salad
Posted by Nicki Wood on Mon, Apr 30, 2012 at 12:27 PM
- StonehouseQ.com
West Nashville's newest barbecue place has added Sunday hours (lunch only), and there's now a more satisfactory parking arrangement — customers are allowed to use the lot of the church across the street. (Maybe the church agreed because Stone House identifies its barbecue as "righteous.")
Current hours are 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday; and 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sunday. And sometime later this month, Stone House will switch to summer hours, staying open until 8:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday and until 9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday. They'll also add live music (acoustic and family-friendly) on some nights.
Stone House knows its customer base well — in addition to the Sunday lunch hours, they've added a smoked chicken salad sandwich. West Nashville's profound need for chicken salad is a fact of life here. The Picnic has been in the chicken salad business for almost three decades. The country clubs couldn't exist without it. The 1964 Nashville Seasons cookbook has three recipes for it. Corner Market catering sells vats of chicken salad, served in tiny pastry cups at luncheons, in box lunches and scooped over lettuce.
Stone House's chicken salad features smoked light and dark meat chicken, ground but not finely, and plenty of celery, all lightly bound with mayonnaise. Then they've taken the extra step of folding in sliced almonds rather than grinding them, to preserve their crunch.
Pile it on an artisan bun, and I'd put it up against any chicken salad on the west side.
Events Spend Cinco de Mayo in Safety and Style at Gaylord Opryland
Posted by Chris Chamberlain on Mon, Apr 30, 2012 at 5:52 AM
How cool would it be to be able to enjoy a great Mexican meal in a fine dining restaurant, some educational seminars on Mexican cooking and spirits tastings, and then be able to walk home easily to a comfortable bed? Well, since I am talking about the Gaylord Opryland Resort, maybe "easily" is an overstatement of the walk home, but at least your stroll will be scenic and safe.
In honor of the Day of the Battle of Puebla, the resort (including Solario, its Mexican restaurant) is offering a special package for Nashvillians who want to take a little staycation and avoid the prospect of a Cinco de Mayo that also falls on a Saturday night. That convergence could lead to possible party havoc with regards to crowds, parking issues and sobriety checkpoints around every Mexican restaurant in town. Heck, a Saturday night Fifth of May might result in the Mayan calendar losing a few of the scant remaining pages.
Be safe and celebrate in a more refined manner by taking advantage of Gaylord's Cinco de Mayo "Cerveza and Comida" Celebration this Saturday, May 5. The event is, of course, for 21 and older only but should make for an excellent date night. Here are all the details:
Friday, April 27, 2012
Drinks Wandering Wino: Marathon Edition
Posted by Chris Chamberlain on Fri, Apr 27, 2012 at 8:30 AM
After the race is over, you can stop in the middle of the pedestrian bridge to check out the newly remodeled Nabrico Building at the Mad Dash River Bash. The party will be held Saturday, April 28, from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. at the Bridge Building along the river in Cumberland Park. Your first beer is free (and well-deserved) with your marathon bib number. Here are the rest of the details:
The inaugural Mad Dash River Bash awaits Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon runners at the finish line, where revelers of all stamina levels will already be partying along the river shores of Cumberland Park –– a brand-new development that celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony earlier this month. As the marathon kicks off, the all-day jamboree rolls in a tide of tunes from local and national DJs, who traffic in Top 40 hits, old-school classics, hip-hop, and other crowd-rousing jams. Attendees can replenish calories spent merrymaking at food trucks doling out street fare, and drink specials stave off both thirst and the temptation to do a mojito rain dance. A cash prize awaits the winner of the best marathon costume, and photo booths preserve fond memories by the strip.
Best Brands and Fido invite you to another in Damian Serong and John Stephenson's excellent wine and food dinners on May 9 from 7 to 9 p.m. You know these two know how to put together a menu!
Italian Wine and Food Series: TuscanyNatale Verga Prosecco
2010 Velenosi Villa Angela Pecorino
lentils, kale, carrot, parsnips, toasted pine nuts
lemon, pecorino
2010 Bisci Verdicchio
prawn, artichoke, asparagus, “pancetta”, hollandaise
2009 Ripanuda Chianti Classico
beef carpaccio, arugula, capers, parmesan
olive oil, fennel, black pepper, olive oil
2009 Uccelliera Rosso
di Montalcino
pappardelle, peas, hazelnut, crispy sage, lamb demi
chard, oyster mushroom
$50 per person. Tax and tip IncludedFido
1812 21st Ave. S.
Nashville, TN 37212
Call Fido at (615) 777-FIDO for more info and reservations.
Open Thread Here's a Tip: Don't Skip Weekly Open Thread
Posted by Nicki Wood on Fri, Apr 27, 2012 at 5:49 AM
- From sheknows.com
A March Bites post by Timothy Davis on tipping here on Bites, was just the latest time we've dipped our toes into that deep, turbulent pool.
Such a personal thing, tipping. Such a long process, with so many factors, so much agonizing, weighing, judging and being judged. No wonder things go off the rails sometimes.
From Huffington Post Food, for your Friday fun, some crazy tipping stories.
And for dessert, a bonbon of a tip story from zagat.com about a tip from someone you'd least expect to leave it
By James Mulcahy
This week, in honor of all of our finance-related coverage, we shared some crazy tipping stories from the front-lines of the service industry. Our readers did not hesitate to chime in with their own tales of unusual tips, and one of them left in the comments really struck our fancy. It's a service industry truism that the best tips are usually left when you least expect it, and that certainly was the case in this story, left by one of our commenters. If you have any more tip tales to share, let us know in the comments!"I was working at an expensive Midtown Manhattan restaurant. One night I had as a guest a controversial public figure. My manager came over to me and said, 'That man gets nothing for free from us', and I couldn't have agreed more. He had a great time, he ordered a middle course of white truffle and scallops, and a bottle of very expensive wine. His total bill came out to around $2,000.
He signed the check, complimented me on the food and service, and left. I looked at the tip line, and it read $4000. I knew it wasn't a mistake because he wrote it twice, with a 'Thanks!' written next to it. I was in utter shock, because that man was Rush Limbaugh."
What tip do you have for the Open Thread this week? What tips do you hear?
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Restaurants The Southern and Silo: Two New Restaurants on the Horizon
Posted by Jim Ridley on Thu, Apr 26, 2012 at 1:47 PM
That hastily consumed Egg McMuffin or vending-machine honeybun is going to look even less appealing to downtown workers — now that there’s the promise nearby of eggs with Cuban pork tenderloin or an Apalach Omelet of jumbo lump crab meat, sautéed fennel and leeks, mascarpone and béarnaise sauce. The Southern Steak & Oyster, TomKats founder Tom Morales’ lavish new restaurant located in the Pinnacle tower, is already conducting a soft opening this week, gearing up for full-menu service at breakfast, lunch and dinner by week’s end.
Chef Matt Farley, who relocated to Nashville two years from New York (where his credits included a stint at The NoHo Star), is said to be working with Morales on a “south of somewhere” menu that draws inspiration from the Southeast and beyond, be it a pan-fried cornmeal-crusted catfish with pecan rice, stewed okra, tomato and corn ragout to the grouper sandwich Morales envied during a trip to the Bahamas. “Everything on the menu tells a story,” says Renee Kauffman, who’s helping with the restaurant’s launch this week.
The Southern opens for breakfast at 7 a.m. Dinner service begins at 5 p.m., with the kitchen staying open til midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. For more information, see The Southern’s Facebook page or call 724-1762.
Food Fight Iron Fork 2012: Chef Laura Wilson Repeats as Champ in Humongous Fungus Showdown
Posted by Lesley Eats on Thu, Apr 26, 2012 at 1:12 PM
- Photo: Eric England
- Chef Laura Wilson and her team cooking furiously in the floor-level kitchen area
If it is possible to have a food hangover, that is definitely what I’m experiencing this morning. Mr. Eats and I celebrated our anniversary last night at Iron Fork. It may seem odd, but it’s such a fun event that it makes perfect sense for us. We do love food. Lots of food. Plus, the proceeds from the event benefit Second Harvest Food Bank, a wonderful and worthy organization. This year, the event was held at Marathon Music Works, which I think is now my favorite of all the venues. It was much easier to see the chefs at work, and there was a good amount of room to get to the vendors’ tables.
And two very large and well-staffed bars, which is, of course, very important.
Travel Advisory / Barbecue Head to NYC for Good BBQ? You'd Better Believe It
Posted by Chris Chamberlain on Thu, Apr 26, 2012 at 7:48 AM
But the truth is that for one weekend in June, Manhattan is the center of the barbecue universe. The 10th annual Big Apple BBQ Block Party will draw over 100,000 visitors to Madison Square Park to enjoy the wares of 18 of the country's best pitmasters, including four from New York City. Admission is free for the event, which runs June 9 and 10, and plates of 'cue from the vendors will run about $8. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait in line with thousands of Yankees to buy those plates, so eaters in the know invest the $125 to buy a FastPass.
The FastPass entitles you and a friend to cut to the front of the teeming masses and pick up your samples from all the vendors in a special express line. You'll also receive $100 toward food, beverage and merchandise, so it's really only $25 to pig out like a rock star.
Since it's the 10th edition of the block party, they're pulling out all the stops this year. The Southern Foodways Alliance will be shooting one of their excellent food documentaries profiling the pitmasters who have attended all 10. I've also heard a rumor that there might even be an air-conditioned trailer where attendees can screen some of Joe York's previous barbecue films. On a hot June day surrounded by all those people, that might be an excellent respite from the claustroporkaphobia.
Vegetarian Dinner and Bikes Tour Brings Vegan and Cycling Fun to Watkins
Posted by Nicki Wood on Thu, Apr 26, 2012 at 5:48 AM
- dinnerandbikes.com
- The poster for Dinner and Bikes, a traveling show of bike culture, vegan living and more. (Click to enlarge.)
The Dinner and Bikes road show has been swinging through the Southeast with a buffet of gourmet vegan food and tips on vegan food prep from Los Angeles chef Josh Ploeg, multimedia cycling talk from bicycle activist Elly Blue, and bike videos from filmmaker Joe Biel.
The April 29 tour stop at Watkins College of Art, Design & Film is free of charge, but you need reservations.
For a preview, read/watch Blue's wrap up in Grist magazine on last fall's tour. (Tucson is the best biking city? Really?) (And Houston is the next one? Get out of town!)
Since Nashville has bike issues, the discussion of local cycling concerns should be lively. If you're inspired, there's also a traveling bookstore of books, 'zines and video. (To get up to speed on issues, follow @ellyblue on Twitter.)
More info on the presenters, from the press release:
Events Iron Fork 2012: We Want the Fork! Gotta Have That Fork!
Posted by Jim Ridley on Thu, Apr 26, 2012 at 12:34 AM
If you missed last night's Iron Fork 2012, you missed five of Nashville's best chefs — Merchants' Jason Brumm, Silly Goose's Roderick Bailey, Saffire's Vinny Tardo, Nashville Farmer's Market's Laura Wilson, and Bound'ry's Michael Kidd — showing off their culinary creativity before a buzzing crowd. But there's only one Fork, and it went home with the one who brung it: Laura Wilson, last year's winner, who won in a field so loaded with talent that only a sliver separated the top contenders.
More details to come later today — including the identity of that devilish mystery ingredient. In the meantime, many thanks to all the participating chefs, to everyone who came out, to the many vendors who showed Fork-worthy skills at all the tasting stations, to US Foods for the impressively stocked pantry, and to Christy Bryan and her redoubtable Scene team for throwing such a great event. And thanks to Carrington Fox, who between her quick wit and slinky black dress managed to distract people from that other idiot with the mike.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Drinks Rum Wednesday Doesn't Have the Same Ring To It, But Darn It's Good
Posted by Chris Chamberlain on Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 9:26 AM
OK, maybe another minute in case you clicked on that mercifully SFW link.
Now that we're all acting like adults here, let me tell you about Ron de Jeremy. "Ron" of course is the Spanish word for "rum," so it makes at least a little sense to name this product after the star. As comical as some of Jeremy's films are (so I've heard), he's dead serious about his rum. Crafted by Cuban Master Distiller Francisco “Don Pancho” Fernandez, Ron de Jeremy is an 80-proof Panamanian rum that is aged for seven years. The result is a delightfully smooth-drinking rum with notes of oak and vanilla lurking behind the expected sweet sugar cane overtones. There are unexpected fruity flavors that make this an excellent rum for drinking neat or mixing in your favorite tropical cocktail. At about $30 a bottle, I wouldn't advise wasting it in a Hurricane or a Mai Tai though. Let the rum shine through.
Of course, the marketing minds behind Ron de Jeremy couldn't resist a few cheeky innuendos in the packaging for what they call "The Adult Rum." They tout its "long smooth taste" and claim that "Rons come aplenty, but only one is larger than life." The importer of the product is One-eyed Spirits, but we'll forgive their punny fun for rum this good. they also offer a nice spiced version of Ron de Jeremy that is priced comparably to Captain Morgan and Sailor Jerry, but is a little more complex in my opinion.
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