Foodstalkers On Tour: Nashville

I just returned from Country Music City where I attended Lisa and Derek’s wedding (Congratulations!). Turns out Nashville boasts much more than in-love fiddle players, boots, karaoke and The Opry. The food was indeed a delight. I will share my meals, day by day.

Lunch, Day 1: Provence, Hillsboro Village (near Vanderbilt)
This was a real treat. The bakery is part of Nashville Originals, a group of locally owned, high calliber restaurants. The cafe is French-inspired, featuring a variety of large baskets of freshly baked bread, a cooler full of sweet tarts and cakes, a selection of pre-made salads, sandwiches, frittatas and cheeses, plus lots of coffee options.

cute window display

I ordered a lunch special: Tuna Melt + Curried Carrot Soup. The tuna salad was incredible (capers in the recipe–my favorite), topped with gruyere on bakerymade multigrain bread toasted in a panini griller. And the soup–wow–smooth and spicy with lots of ginger! It was so tastey I tracked down this recipe so I could replicate those flavors.

tuna melt + curried carrot soup

And I couldn’t pass on getting a sweet treat for the road: a Cherry and Cream Cheese Pastry. I love a good dessert, but I don’t normally turn to heavily breaded pastries to get my fix. But this bread looked sweet and irresistible. And it was everything I dreamed it would be. I feel inspired to try this out.

cherry & cream cheese pastry

Dinner, Day 1: Sunset Grill, Hillsboro Village
I was attracted to this restaurant’s menu for its use of common southern favorites, with a sophisticated twist. The kitchen uses local, sustainable and organic products when possible. It’s also a part of the Nashville Originals group.

I started with Oysters Two Ways. The first pair of raw oysters was topped with a cocktail style sauce, heavy on the firey horseradish (my grandfather used to say that would make hair grow on your tongue!). The second pair was dolloped with creme fraiche, a golden caviar and lemon rind. Squeeze lemon juice over the top and throw it back (or eat delicately). Mmm. I wanted four more after that.

oysters two ways

For my entree, I had the Fudge Farms Pork Roast– “slow braised in milk with potato-shallot ravioli and cider glazed parsnips, carrots and onions finished with fresh herb jus.” The pork was so tender it just flaked apart in perfect morsels. The jus was to die for–sweet and herby. The ravioli surpised me, concealed beneath the meat and veggies. They were tender little pockets of joy in your mouth!

nice jus. seriously nice jus.

Breakfast, Day 2: Pancake Pantry, Hillsboro Village
We actually tried to go here on day 1 for brunch, but at 11 there was a long line out the door. Driving by as late as 2:30, there was still a line. But, a line means people will stand and wait with a hefty appetite because it’s worthwhile. So, we got up early the next day to be at the door a touch after 8. I was craving country ham and grits, but thought I should try the pancakes to say that I did. Tennessee Country Ham = no joke. ‘Twas a big slab of meat. Some fantastic pancakes graced the table as well: a stack of blueberry and a stack of pecan. Besides plain maple syrup there was an extra rich cinnamon cream sauce. That’s what I call gilding the lily.

Would I return to this place? Probably. If it were more convenient. The 7am wake-up call was worth it because we did not wait in line. But I’m not convinced the food was worth the trouble. I’d rather not fight 200 hungry people at a single trough. Going across the street to Provence was a better option at a more reasonable, rested hour.

Tennessee country ham is the size of the state of TN.

a stack with blueberries

pecan w/ bacon

plaincakes

Lunch, Day 2: Bar-B-Cutie’s

Holy pig. The words, “This is the best barbecue I’ve ever had” did come out of my mom’s mouth. And I very well may agree. There were some excellent orders at the table, including the Memphis BBQ sandwich and the beef brisket.

I selected the pulled pork plate with sides of baked beans, coleslaw and cornbread. Just thinking about that meal makes me hungry as I write this. The pork was slow-smoked and served dry, but there a number of sauces on the table to dress up the meat. I tossed it with a touch of hot pepper vinegar and the mild tomato-based sauce. The cornbread was served like little pancakes, perfect for sopping up sauce or building a perfect bite of bbq, slaw and sauce. This is a don’t miss if you’re in the Nashville area, or any of Bar-B-Cutie’s franchise locations throughout the southeast. Pig out!

my pulled pork plate

the memphis bbq sandwich topped with slaw, pickles and bbq sauce

Dinner, Day 2: Wedding Cake

Pretty. And delicious. Strawberries mixed among layers of chocolate and vanilla with a whipped icing.

cake and couple

Yeehaw that was a heck of a trip to Country Music City. Food + traveling = the best! LG, I say Foodstalkers needs to go on tour more often.

I had to put my fork down to write this.

So I’ve been doing a good bit of eating this past month. Bad news: Foodstalkers has been left out in the cold. Good news: Your day has arrived, dear Foodstalkers. I shall enlighten you now!

Let’s go back to breakfast. I got up bright and early mid-December to experiment with pancakes. The real reason: ear infection, and I couldn’t sleep. But mere illness will never, and I mean never, take away my appetite. I’m on the brink of death to miss a meal.

beautiful blueberry pancakes

These are Jiffy pancakes, out of the box. But I quartered the recipe and added a few extra bits. I didn’t have milk on hand at the time, so I substituted water, and used the egg and oil. Then, I added cinnamon, cardamon, vanilla extract and fresh blueberries! With genu-ine maple syrup, this was a home run…and the inspiration for the next pancake attempt.

Oatmeal Banana Cookie Pancakes. I followed the recipe verbatim with the exception of the sour cream and whole milk ingredients. Just to get some dairy in, I used the skim milk I had on hand. Plus the banana adds good moisture. Hint: to mash a a slightly under-ripe banana, nuke it for about 15 seconds. These are off the heezy good. I would recommend surprising your roommates or honey with this breakfast on Saturday morning.

batter is gross. a little uncertain at this point.

mastering the flip.

tah-dah! nice stack.

That leads me to a Wednesday night dinner group adventure to Pulcinella’s in Durham. A quick bit on the legend of Pulcinella:

Pulcinella represents Napoli and the Napolitan spirit of life. He is known best for his costume of white and his simple black mask. The legend goes that Pulcinella avoided work and trouble through his disguise. While working in the pizzeria, Pulcinella was often more of an entertainer than a worker. He would dance around and play. But when the ax fell, Pulcinella would hide himself in the flour bin, escaping the troubles of life in a child-like manner. For this reason Pulcinella is a true representative of the child within us all. The spirit of happiness is Pulcinella.

The food was wonderful, beginning with bread (pizza dough) and an oil dip, and followed with house salad with fresh, garlic tomato dressing. My entrée, I believe, was Spaghettia Bella Notte? Can’t remember the name for sure. But here ’tis:

the way to my heart. pasta.

The sauce was really simple, but popped with flavor: lots of olive oil, roasted garlic, parsley, toasted pine nuts, olives and sardines. Incredibly salty, and thereby, goooood.

Next up: Turkey Fry. A lot to discuss, but I’ll just mention a few highlights. I took a bangin’ Mushroom-Potato Gratin from bonappétit. Upon reading the rich, rich ingredients, you’ll understand why so tasty. Unlike LG, I like a lot of chopping and dicing. The thin potato layers required some knife skillz.

building the layers.

ooey gooey gratin.

covered dish central

Other food stuffs: green bean casserole, corn bread souffle (my favorite!), fried macaroni and cheese balls, dressing, stuffed mushrooms, roasted tomatoes and burn-your-pants-off roasted jalapenos. Plus two fried turkeys, one of which was shot-up with hot sauce!We also enjoyed eggnog and a home-brewed keg of milk stout.

bird bird bird. bird is the word.

we did not eat Ducket.

After all of this face-stuffing, that takes us to the Balog Family Christmas Eve Dinner. Mama Susan really pulled out the stops this year with a fabulous menu.

the before-dinner spread

Clockwise from upper-left: Shrimp cocktail, Snowman cheeseball ( I will share this recipe soon) with crackers and baked pita chips, cranberry cocktail (with cranberry ice cubes!), cheese cookies and sausage balls. I could have feasted here alone…but along came the meal meal.

there's a lot of bacon on that plate.

That’s how Balogs do it. We like pork! Clockwise from the carne at the bottom: prime rib with beef gravy, 7-layer salad, lima beans with bacon, Katie Brown’s Spinach Casserole, Emmeril’s twice-baked potato casserole and bread.There was Coconut Cake, too.

Christmas breakfast is also a big meal at the Balog house, and required a quick turn-around in the kitchen for mia mama. Not to mention recovery time for those doing the eating! She whipped up Breakfast Casserole, country ham, biscuits, Crook’s Corner grits, fruit salad and coffee.

And now we arrive at the day after Christmas. Following a delightful party at MJ’s house in Chapel Hill, we were in for a night out on the town, which was concluded in the only proper way to end a night on the Hill: Time Out. I have so many things to say! Time Out is a CH institution. Yet, I’ve never gone during the day. It’s a strictly late-night, post-bar meal. Located on Franklin Street, near bars and lots of on- and off-campus student housing, you’ll likely run into people you do and do not want to see. If you ever take time to look, there are great historic photos on the wall, many of famous basketball coaches and players calling “Time Out!”

There’s also a police officer or two at the door to maintain order, but I like to think of them as greeters! “Welcome to Time Out, home of delicious biscuits, okra, fried chicken and mac-n-cheese.” Now for the food. There were many eaters among us, so I documented many-a-meal.

the classic: chicken cheddar biscuit

the side-lover

the side-lover + biscuit

hungry man meal

Not pictured: The Infamous Box-of-Bones. I only know of one brave soul that orders this. What is it, you ask? A box of chicken bones, freed of their meat parts, for nibbling on morsels of meat, fried bits and bone.

That was a long summary of a month’s-worth of eating. Happy New Year and Good Eats in 2009!

we did not eat Gretel.

A weekend of recipe stalking

Nothing says “ghost weekend” to me more than curling up with several good recipes and seeing which ones stick. This weekend was my attempt to use up the more uncommon items in my fridge. First up was the Fontina cheese I used for my pizza. I scoured myrecipes.com looking for something that I could make with minimal ingredients other than the fontina, since I already had a big weekend planned for other dishes and other ingredients. I found this Onion and Fontina Beer Bread and immediately started making my grocery list. Turns out it sounded delicious and familiar because my mom has made it before. Great minds think alike! It was really quick and easy (in fact, the bulk of my time spent making it was spent on the phone) and it turned out great. I made mine with Blue Moon’s seasonal Pumpkin Ale. It added a nice sweetness to the bread. The outer parts had a nice crunch and the inside was moist and studded with onions throughout. Success.

Naturally because the recipe introduction says it goes great with stews, I made a stew to go along with it. Mom’s beef stew to be exact. It’s one of the many recipes that signifies home to me. I had never made a stew before (I hate chopping things- don’t write me off as a foodie though), and as I’ve always heard, once I got done with the dreaded chopping, it was pretty much hands off. The hardest part was waiting 2+ hours to eat it. Sucess Numero Deux.

Recipe number three was an attempt to use up the remainder of the ricotta cheese from my pizza adventures. I wanted to find an out-of-the-ordinary use for ricotta- that means no Italian. I settled on this recipe for Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Sauteed Apples from Gourmet. I woke up on Saturday morning and went to work, and darn it if this recipe was not fussy. The apples turned out well ( I would have added more cinnamon though, but what can I say? I’m a junkie), but the pancakes were a failure. I had hoped that they would be fabulous after all the work I put into them (beating egg whites for pancakes? really?), but they were just… not. The lemon was way too subtle, and they tasted mostly like ricotta. They also had the texture of ricotta, which can only be described as wet. I was hoping that the ricotta would act to make the pancakes moist and fluffy- and they did- but not in a good way. I’m saving the rest of the apples to snack on throughout the week, but after making a stack or so of cakes, I threw the remainder of the batter out. Waste of time. Oh, and after all that I was ultimately still hungry. Talk about a fail.

Look who came out to play!

Only the apples were photo-worthy

My little foodstalker- always on the watch for any dropped morsels