Thursday, May 16, 2013
Restaurants E Hur Wei: This Week’s Dining Review
Posted by Cory Woodroof on Thu, May 16, 2013 at 2:14 PM
Of course, there's no guarantee that E Hur Wei will be open on Dec. 25, or even still be in business by then — especially if the wrinkles don't get ironed out and the crowds don't start showing up. But assuming Tang & Co. get the kinks worked out and start consistently offering the cuisine and service they are capable of, E Hur Wei could be a favorite casual dining spot, at the holidays and throughout the year.
Have you had a chance to check out the new Bellevue locale? Let us know below.
News Corky's Ribs and BBQ Founder Don Pelts Dies
Posted by Dana Kopp Franklin on Thu, May 16, 2013 at 2:09 PM
- Corkysbbq.com
His son, Barry Pelts, said his father died suddenly of a heart attack Wednesday night.
Corky's locations are found in Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas. The Nashville area has one Corky's outpost, at 100 Franklin Road near Old Hickory Boulevard in Brentwood.
Pelts had already been in the Memphis barbecue business for 13 years when he opened the first Corky's in 1984, the company website recounts. In addition to the bricks-and-mortar restaurants, Corky's does catering and sells products online.
Corky's doesn't get tons of critical notice in Nashville (locally born places get most of the attention), but Corky's Brentwood location shows up frequently in the Best of Nashville Readers' Poll.
In February, Corky's in Memphis topped a National Geographic list of the 10 best barbecue joints in America.
News Go Get a Goo Goo ... at Fontanel!
Posted by Chris Chamberlain on Thu, May 16, 2013 at 12:33 PM
Although the store has already opened, the official ribbon-cutting will be this Saturday, May 18, with free samples and giveaways scheduled all day long. You can even get your picture taken with the Goo Goo girls. (I mean they're very cute and all, but they're no Hardees maids ... )
Fontanel has become even more of a destination of late with the addition of the Woods Amphitheater, The Studio Gallery performance venue, zip lines, a disc golf course and the soon-to-be opened Prichard's Distillery. If you haven't made your way up north of town yet for a visit, now might be a perfect time. You won't even have to pack a lunch!
Restaurants Cafe Fundamental Offers Prix Fixe Weekday Menu, Bakery to Come
Posted by Jack Silverman on Thu, May 16, 2013 at 10:56 AM
It was a late night at the office Tuesday, so my girlfriend Wendy and I decided to skip cooking and head to Cafe Fundamental for Bonne Nuit Tuesdays, in particular because we were craving some of the fabulous boeuf bourguignon we had there several Tuesdays ago. At first we were disappointed to learn chef Jamie Watson had dropped the hearty dish from the menu for the warm season — that is, until we saw Fundamental's new weekday three-course $27 prix fixe menu. (The Bonne Nuit Tuesdays menu, featuring entrées in the $12-$17 range, is still available ... on Tuesdays, natch.)
The prix fixe menu is subject to change. Last night's edition featured a choice of two starter salads, three entrées and two desserts. We tried one of each salad — mixed greens and frisée aux lardons. The greens were good, but the frisée was wonderful, with a sous vide poached egg and divine lardons of house-cured bacon.
For her entrée, Wendy had poisson en papillote, aka fish in parchment paper. This rendition featured wild-caught Atlantic cod with tomato fondue, white wine and mushroom duxelle. As our server cut open the parchment, a lovely aromatic cloud puffed out. The fish was light and flaky, the accompanying vegetables simple but tasty.
Events Nourish Dinner Brings Chef Hugh Acheson and Others to Cook to Benefit Nashville Food Project
Posted by Chris Chamberlain on Thu, May 16, 2013 at 10:47 AM
This year's Nourish dinner will be held at the Nashville Farmers' Market on Tuesday, June 18, starting at 6 p.m. Out-of-town chefs Hugh Acheson from Five and Ten in Athens, Ga., and Empire State South in Atlanta (and Top Chef judging fame) and Rob Newton of Seersucker in Brooklyn will be joined by a host of Nashville favorites. The home team includes Phil Krajeck (Rolf and Daughters), Matt Bolus (some new venture that we haven't been able to pry out of him yet despite liberal application of pressure and whiskey), Megan Williams (Etch), Hal Holden-Bache (Lockeland Table) and Karl Worley (Biscuit Love Truck). Together they will plan and execute a fantastic evening of food and wine that should be a whole lot of fun. One of the highlights from last year came when several of the visiting chefs chowed down on Nashville hot chicken after the dinner service, much to chagrin of several of them.
If you're interested in attending, more information (including a special patrons' event at the Bluebird Cafe) and tickets are available here. Don't dawdle because this will sell out!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Drinks Whiskey Wednesday: Angel's Envy Rye — In a Word ... Wow!
Posted by Chris Chamberlain on Wed, May 15, 2013 at 9:10 AM
A couple of years back I told you about Angel's Envy, a premium bourbon produced by Louisville Distilling Co., the team of master mixers put together by Lincoln Henderson. You may know him as the man who basically invented Gentleman Jack and Woodford Reserve during his long career at Brown Foreman. His new company specializes in taking good whiskey and making it great by blending it and finishing it in creative and innovative ways. The original Angel's Envy benefits from a final repose in port barrels to offer a complexity not found in most bourbons that haven't been stashed away for two decades in a warehouse.
His latest creation is Angel's Envy Rye, a truly special spirit that deserves a spot in the front of your liquor cabinet. Lincoln chose a mix of locally sourced 95 percent rye and 5 percent malted barley to create the base spirit. After six years in new charred oak barrels, the whiskey has been finished in Caribbean rum casks. These particular barrels began their careers as small French cognac casks, so the combination offers some unique flavors and characteristics that just aren't present in your average whiskey barrels. The Angel's Envy team sourced and sampled more than 100 different rums to choose the exact one they thought contributed just the right richness to their rye whiskey. (And you thought I had the best job in the world ...)
Good advice Amid Concerns About Heavily Processed Wheat and Gluten, Twin Forks Farm Bread is Worth a Try
Posted by Lesley Lassiter on Wed, May 15, 2013 at 7:38 AM
But man, it is hard. I decided one day to try it and only made it until noon. I had oatmeal for breakfast instead of my usual toast, but I caved and had a veggie burger on a wheat bun for lunch. I was lamenting the lack of gluten-free bun options on Twitter when Twin Forks Farm alerted me to this post on Bon Appetit’s The Feed blog about one of the theories on why gluten intolerance is on the rise.
One theory about gluten intolerance focuses on the type of wheat used to make the flour for the bread products we eat these days. Most wheat that’s grown now has been hybridized to get a grain that’s heartier and easier to grow. It’s also got more gluten in it as well; gluten helps dough rise and gives it texture. The theory — which is related, really — in the blog post has to do with most commercial breads being quick-rise. That is, they’re ready to go in three hours or less rather than fermenting for 18 hours or more. The longer fermentation with the yeast yields a more easily digestible bread. Sourdoughs are even easier to digest. These breads still aren’t suitable for people who are completely intolerant, but these breads may be a better choice for those who are just sensitive to gluten.
I also thought about the scientist who said that years of eating these overly processed breads may be causing our guts to reject them. I grew up eating mostly white bread and don’t have a sensitivity to it now (I don’t think), but it does give me some pause when considering what I feed my daughter. The kid loves bread. I figure, the least I could do is give her bread that’s not bad for her and instead, give her bread that’s actually good for her. So I took a look at Twin Forks.
I was already familiar with Twin Forks Farm bread, actually. Several years ago, Carrington Fox wrote about it here on Bites. I’ve tried it and bought it at the farmers market. But I hadn’t given it much thought for a while. A look at their website intrigued me now, though. They use heirloom organic grains (no Frankengrains) as well as slow fermentation methods for their breads. It’s clear from the descriptions of their breads that they’ve put a lot of thought and energy into these recipes.
So I headed over to The Produce Place to pick up a loaf. It was the end of the day, so only the Pain au Levain and the Expedition were left on the shelf, so I chose the Expedition. At $5 per loaf, it’s not cheap, but it sure is good. So good, in fact that the kid and I both devoured a piece cut right off the loaf without toasting or topping. And though the loaf is small, it’s hearty, so it doesn’t take much of it to satisfy. I’ve started putting it in her lunch for school instead of the crackers I used to send, and she really enjoys it. I hope she remembers this many years from now when she is (I hope) still able to eat wheat … and is the one making the decisions about what I’m eating.
Events Chef Jonathan Waxman Talks About Nashville, Kings of Leon and Their Chef-Studded New Food Fest
Posted by Dana Kopp Franklin on Wed, May 15, 2013 at 5:58 AM
As reported yesterday, Nashville is getting a new food and music festival this September. Music City Eats: Nashville Food, Wine & Spirits Festival is the project of Kings of Leon's Caleb and Nathan Followill; Ken Levitan and Andy Mendelsohn of Vector Management (which manages the band); and C3 Presents, the producers of Austin City Limits Music Festival, Lollapalooza and the Austin Food & Wine Festival, among other large events around the country.
Also part of the team is chef Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto restaurant in New York (and Season 2 of Top Chef Masters), who became friends with the Followills. He helped hatch the plan to make the festival a showcase both local chefs and nationally known culinary figures (his buddies, as he puts it). It adds up to a couple dozen chefs, a pretty impressive lineup.
Locals include Erik Anderson and Josh Habiger of The Catbird Seat; Carey Bringle of The Peg Leg Porker; Matt Farley of The Southern; Sarah Gavigan of Otaku South; Joseph Lenn of The Barn at Blackberry Farm; Pat Martin of Martin’s Bar-B-Que; Deb Paquette of Etch; Giovanni Pinato of Giovanni Ristorante; Barclay Stratton of Merchants; and Tandy Wilson of City House, who hosted yesterday's festival announcement.
Besides Waxman, the out-of-town guns include John Besh; Tom Colicchio; Giada De Laurentiis; Mike Lata; Edward Lee; Tim Love; Aaron Sanchez; Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo; Nancy Silverton; Michael Symon; and Trisha Yearwood (who in addition to being a country star has authored best-selling cookbooks and has a show on Food Network).
Check out the video above, in which Waxman talks about how impressed he is by Nashville's restaurants and food community: "The current scene is just blossoming like crazy. And it's not repetitive, which is really nice. You don't have everybody doing the same menu." He adds that the Nashville scene keeps getting better, "and I think the festival will help with that expansion, create more of a broader platform."
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Events High-Powered Chefs Coming to Town for Music City Eats Festival, Produced by Kings of Leon
Posted by Dana Kopp Franklin on Tue, May 14, 2013 at 3:33 PM
Tickets go on sale here at 10 a.m. this Friday, May 17. The festival is set for Sept. 21-22 in downtown Nashville.
One of the celebrity chefs involved is Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto in New York, who is a friend of the Followills. He's quoted in today's press release:
“Nashville, long admired for its music and hospitality, has had an enormous explosion of culinary talent in recent years,” said Jonathan Waxman. “A few years ago Caleb Followill quietly slipped into my restaurant Barbuto in New York, and we bonded over food and music, and throughout our many conversations, he kept asking why there wasn't a Food & Wine festival in his hometown of Nashville. So this year, we are doing it, and we are inviting some truly amazing chefs from around the country, and most importantly the best chefs and restaurants in Nashville. I am extremely excited by our shindig, and the Kings and I can't wait until September rolls around.”
The festival will take over Public Square Park with "cooking demos, panel discussions, book signings, and the Flavors of Nashville, where the city’s top chefs and restaurants will serve their Southern dishes and fabled Nashville favorites, along with distinguished wine, beer and spirits purveyors on Saturday, and a new batch of chefs and restaurants dishing up a Revival Brunch on Sunday."
Saturday night will bring Harvest Night, a food event, and Petty Fest, a musical tribute to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, "hosted by the Kings of Leon and the Cabin Down Below Band, along with many other very special guests." The venue for those events is War Memorial Plaza and Auditorium.
Flavors of Nashville features local chefs including Erik Anderson and Josh Habiger (The Catbird Seat); Carey Bringle (The Peg Leg Porker); Matt Farley (The Southern); Sarah Gavigan (Otaku South); Joseph Lenn (The Barn at Blackberry Farm); Pat Martin (Martin’s Bar-B-Que); Deb Paquette (Etch); Giovanni Pinato (Giovanni Ristorante); Barclay Stratton (Merchants); and Tandy Wilson (City House).
Harvest Night will feature Waxman and a dozen or so other nationally known chefs.
After the jump, see the press release with the full list of chefs and details on ticket options, which include festival passes ranging from $275 to $500.
Events Alice Randall Hosts Garden Glove Field Lunch This Friday
Posted by Carrington Fox on Tue, May 14, 2013 at 1:07 PM
- Photo: Eric England
- Alice Randall
Oliver’s Nashville ambassador, author Alice Randall, will mark the day locally with the inaugural Garden Glove Field Lunch. Randall, whose 2012 novel Ada’s Rules chronicles a woman’s effort to reclaim her life by reforming her patterns of nutrition and exercise, is teaming up with Green Door Gourmet owner Sylvia Ganier for an alfresco feast in the fields. Guests will tour Ganier’s Hidden Valley Farm and sit down to a meal overflowing with vegetables picked fresh in the morning and prepared with the creativity and flair that made Ganier’s restaurant Cibo a longtime downtown landmark.
Garden Glove Field Lunch takes place 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday at 7011 River Road. The event is open to the public; admission is $30. You can register online here.
