No Biscuit Left Behind in Nashville

Let’s see, where did we leave off?
Ah yes…FOOD.

After amazing drinks at Patterson House; we crashed hard at the hotel.
But don’t you worry, we were up bright and early for breakfast.

Having been here once before, I knew Noshville was a must-stop on our tour of eats.
A Nashville staple, Noshville boasts authentic NY-style deli sandwiches, soups and a delicious  full-service breakfast.

Who doesn’t like a talking pickle? 

Still on biscuit overload from this magic, I opted for an egg, bacon and Munster cheese sandwich on rye bread (with fruit and 2987 cups of coffee). Yes, I’d say that did the trick. Noshville, you delicious minx, I will be back for your Turkey Reuben, which is drool-worthy.

Properly fueled, off we went to the Country Music Hall of Fame, y’all! 
We made sure to check out all our favorites, including Dolly Parton. Fun side story: one summer, Liz and I drove cross-country; one of our stops was Dollywood. It was 900 degrees and ride lines were insane. The Dolly Museum, however, was awesome trip down Dolly lane. It was great to her again (in museum form). We read up on her notes and learned fun facts about her song-writing.
As my friend Liz puts it, “Dolly Parton’s music soothes my soul”. Well-said.
Dolly for President.

After getting our country music education, it was time for fried chicken. Obviously.
After talking to folks in Nashville about “Nashville” food; we came to realize that it’s not really a BBQ town (that’s Memphis) but it is a home-cookin’ kind of town.  And home-cookin’ means Fried Chicken, specifically, Hot Chicken.  What’s Hot Chicken you ask? Just spicy-as-all-get-out fried chicken. Why yes, I think we could get into that. People have their favorite locations; but we were recommended to Hattie B’s Chicken.

Hattie B’s is a walk-up and order counter with a few tables inside and a huge enclosed porch outside. …and a liquor license. Beer is an essential in my book to have with fried chicken.

We reviewed the chalkboard menu for a while, the Hot chicken choices were:

Southern (No heat)
Mild or Medium (touch of burn)
Hot (Just right)
Damn Hot (firestarter)

I opted for a breast/wing combo MEDIUM with (surprise!) my sides of pimento macaroni & cheese and collard greens. Liz went for the original HOT tenders with coleslaw and fries. We both tried new-to-us beer: canned Brown Ale for her, local Jackalope beer for me.

We settled outside and waited for the kind servers to bring out our chicken. It wasn’t long before this was in front of us: Holy Hot Chicken, this was AMAZING. I loved every, spicy, crunchy, moist, tender bite. I’m a heat wimp so Medium was almost more than I could handle, but in a hurts-so-good way. Liz’s HOT was, um HOT. Too hot for me to even get a bite down, but Liz managed to get through alot of it before admitting defeat (side note: two hours later she said she was getting feeling back in her face, win!) Seriously the spice coating was perfect and the chicken itself was probably the best chicken I’ve had this year, including this little darling. 

The sides were definitely the bit players here; but I enjoyed both my mac and cheese and collards. I don’t love pimento cheese (apologies to you Southern readers who can drink it with a straw) but the flavor of the mac and cheese was just mellow and good, as it should be. If you are in Nashville, you must, must stop at Hattie B’s, OK? For me?

Evilly Conveniently, there’s a Gigi’s Cupcakes next door. It would be rude not to patron Hattie B’s neighbor, right? Right. I had the Margarita cupcake. It was the perfect post-chicken foil. Tangy and citrusy with a dreamy, slightly tart cream cheese icing. BTW, do you feel like you’re inside this cupcake? Sheesh, one of these days, I will learn photography (sigh).

After eating all the food in Nashville, we rolled on down to the Bluebird Cafe! We waited about 30 minutes outside to get in  (a record for Bluebird; as most nights are sold out or the line is pretty deep). We chatted with the bouncers about their favorite Nashville eats (of course); and Arnold’s Country Kitchen and Edley’s are now high on our “next time” list.It was Open Mic night at Bluebird for the early set. Musicians of all kinds threw their name in a hat; and if it was pulled; they got to play one song.  Liz and I had great seats right at the bar; and enjoyed the set of live music from all types of musicians. Some were better than others, some were just ok, and some you knew had real talent. A unique experience, we both loved it.

After listening to music, we called it a night. There was more eating to be done the next day! Liz had heard delicious things about Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant. Part country store (in an urban setting), part music venue and all food. On a Tuesday morning, Puckett’s was busy but not packed. Their coffee was good and their  menu looked mouth-watering. One guess on what I ordered? Yup, that would be the Southern Stack: A fried egg over shredded smoked pork on two sweet potato pancakes (with a few fried apples thrown in). I was envisioning more of a sweet potato latke; but this regular (sweet potato) pancake was more than okay with me. This dish was the  perfect combination of sweet, salty and savory. The fruit was just for looks.

Naturally, Liz got a biscuit.
And no, they did not have macaroni and cheese on the breakfast menu.

I asked.

Trivia: How many plates of macaroni and cheese were ordered in Nashville?
Don’t forget there are two Nashville posts…. 

That Horse is Dead and Other Nashville Tales

Hey y’all!

I’m back from a fantastic few days in Nashville with my friend, Liz.
We drank, listened to music and ate, ALOT.

I knew Nashville was a good-eating city; and have passed through a couple of times over the years; but I’ve never spent any real time there exploring the food scene.
So glad I corrected that.

After a quick check-in to our hotel, the food tour  started out strong at Whiskey Kitchen; an updated spin on home cookin’ in a sleek modern restaurant.

Not wanting a huge meal (that theme would change); I perused the sandwiches, they all sounded fantastic. 

I ended up with a Fried Green Tomato BLT that I think changed my life. 
The tomatoes were lightly fried, still crisp and not mushy. The bacon, cheese and arugula stuffed in there added to each savory bite. Their homemade macaroni and cheese came in an adorable little crock. Creamy, cheesy little shells of love. Let’s play a game….how many macaroni and cheeses will we see in Nashville (hint: its more than 1).

Properly fortified; we headed to the Grand Ole Opry for some down home music! Not being familiar with Opryland; I wasn’t expecting it to be in the center of….an outlet mall. But there it was, across from Bed, Bath and Beyond and Old Navy. The theatre itself was beautiful and there was such passion in the performers and from the audience, that we couldn’t help feeling part of the magic.
And why yes, those WOULD be the Opryland Square dancers!
The show was broken down in to 4 sets; half-hour each. Between each set, there were announcements and audio commercials. Felt like the golden age of radio.

That evening’s headliner was The Charlie Daniels Band! Charlie and the boys wailed out a few songs; including their anthem “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”.  

I scored a Opry ornament with Santa playing the guitar, so it was a winning night all around.

We finished our night in the hotel bar, where local songwriters were trying out some new music. Loved that there is live music literally on every corner.

The next morning dawned cool and cloudy. Lousy walking weather, but perfect biscuit weather! We grabbed another friend who drove down from Louisville and headed to the Loveless Cafe for some real-deal biscuits.  On the drive down to the Loveless, we were driving by some country pastures, and I, ever the naturalist; yelled “Look horses! Pretty!” to  which my friend Liz, seeing one of the herd (poor buddy), laying completely on his flank said “That horse is dead!” Needless to say we were slightly traumatized by the sight; but nothing seeing this sign couldn’t cure….

The Loveless is a not a huge space; and we were told (along with the other 60 or so people milling about) that it would be almost a two-hour wait. No problem. We wandered around the little property, headed over to the country store “Hams and Jams” and played cornhole for a while with new Loveless friends (we lost, badly). 

All of which was just time-filler to this……

Hello lover. Loveless is famous for their light, airy little buttery biscuits of heaven, slathered with homemade jam. Worth the two-hour wait and basically the entire trip. 

Lunch ended up being an assortment of sides for me. They all sounded so good; and the table  wanted to try a few different ones also so…. you’ve heard of a
“Meat and Three?” I ordered “An Egg and Four.” One egg over-easy and four sides. I’m trying to make it a regular menu item (or so I told the server?) Ask for the “Anne from Cincinnati” when you go to the Loveless; I’m sure this trend is already catching on.
What you see up there is:
-Famous Lovelesss Hashbrown Casserole
-Cheesy homemade Green bean Casserole
-Fried Green Tomatoes (obsessed)
-Macaroni and Cheese
-Unpictured over-easy egg

Seriously good comfort food. The Hashbrown casserole was shredded potato and cheesy goodness. The green bean casserole was all butter and bread crumbs (which is a good thing). The macaroni and cheese was all comfort, just smooth cheese and soft pasta. Finally, the fried green tomatoes were crunchy and crisp; perfect.

My tablemates ordered a Fried Green Tomato BLT (theme of the weekend) with fried okra bites; and the “Biscuit Sampler”; which was Chicken Biscuit, Pulled Pork Biscuit, Steak Biscuit and Ham Biscuit. Um, we like biscuits?

After putting a seriously dent in all of this, it was time to go….get pie. Of course.  Fun fact about me, if there is Coconut Cream Pie on a menu, I’m ordering it. Even if I have already consumed basically an entire Thanksgiving dinner. I just want you to know that about me. We waddled our way out of the Loveless; but not before one more memory……

Yup, that seems about right.

To work off at least one biscuit, we took a stroll around the Gulch area of Nashville. This section of downtown is billed as “an urban mixed-use neighborhood in downtown Nashville encompassing over 60 acres.” The girls and I wandered in and out of the little shops; and oogled the gorgeous boots at Lucchese’s. That there is about $8,000 worth of boot. Yeehaw.

After waving our friend good-bye as she headed home to her family in Louisville, Liz and I rested up for another busy (full of food) Nashville night.

In search of BBQ, we heard Judge Bean’s was not to be missed. We bellied up to the joint; and dug in.

I went with two brisket tacos, a catfish taco, sides of chips/guac and coleslaw. Liz had the chopped pork and macaroni and cheese and I had MAJOR dinner envy. My brisket taco was delicious; and I loved the Judge’s salsa, which was slightly spicy and really smokey.  The catfish taco was just ok and I ended up leaving most of it. Liz’s chopped pork was positively fantastic. Perfect smoke and super tender. Her macaroni and cheese had excellent flavor and texture; a frontrunner in the Macaroni and Cheese games for sure.

The judge ruled here: Salsa, Chopped Pork and Macaroni & Cheese for all!After taking more pictures with a stuffed armadillo, it was time for drinks!

My friend PJ had recently been to Nashville and raved about the drinks at The Patterson House. Billed as a modern-day speakeasy; there’s no marking on the door. Truthfully, Liz and I went around the block a couple of times before parking and just following a random, hip-looking couple into a building. What if they were going to a house party and not a bar? We were going to pull the old college trick of “My roommate’s friend John invited us…you know John right??” Thankfully, that high level of deception (and embarrassment) wasn’t needed; we were in the right place!  Because it’s a bit dark and atmospheric in here; my pictures are not good, but my oh my the drinks were. 

The drinks menu is divided by spirit; and then by all the fabulous differernt ways they use them.  I tried The Blinker: Bulleit rye, grapefruit, raspberries, peychauds bitters. Liz enjoyed the Asta Collins: Prairie vodka, grapefruit, Campari, soda water.

I love love love our locally-made Bulleit bourbon but I had never had the Rye, I was pleasantly delighted. This drink was layers of fresh flavor with a slightly herby undertone. Loved every sip.

 

To add to the vibe, Patterson House’s check presenters were old books…

 

That patrons then signed….If you get “And Then There Were Ten” when you go there; look on page 34, that’s where I wrote my note! (I think…).

There is more food and fun to come in Nashville, stay tuned!

Cinco de Traveling

Hi friends!
I’m out of town enjoying the eats and sounds of Nashville! Recaps to follow….in the meantime, enjoy my Tres de Mayo pictures where I got my fun started a little early….

Margarita fountain

Mexican Coke

Mustaches are fun

Someone cracked the piñata, look what I got

Tacos and guacamole…ole

See you back in the Natti, have a margarita for me.

PJ’s Favorite Salad

My good friend PJ is home sick this week. I asked what I could bring her for dinner and she said, without a moment’s hesitation: THAT COUS COUS SALAD.
As you know, I do like my grain salads but I knew exactly what she meant.

A little over a year ago, I didn’t have many friends in Cincinnati.
I was still new to the area and busy with work and my home life. PJ and her husband invited me to casual Easter brunch at their friend’s house. Feeling shy about going to a party where I knew one person (and not very well), I decided to put on my favorite sundress and make a really good side dish. I find both to be the keys to confidence at parties; cute dresses and good side dishes.
Might be my mantra.

After a great afternoon of talking and laughing with PJ’s group of friends, I remember thinking on the drive home “this was great, I hope I see these people again.” Little did I know that these people would quickly become my closest friends and that we would get into all kinds of shenanigans over the next year (including our second annual Easter brunch).

The point of this rambling story is that when the person who invited you to a brunch that literally made your life infinitely better, now asks you to make that same side dish because she’s not feeling well; YOU MAKE IT.

PJ’s Favorite Cous Cous Salad
8 oz Whole Wheat or Regular Cous Cous (not Israeli or Pearl Cous cous)
1 lb Asparagus, cleaned and trimmed (I recommend the thicker spears for this recipe)
4 oz goat cheese (honey goat cheese if you can find)
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1 lemon, zested
1/4 c. parsley, chopped
4 tbs olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper

Cook the cous cous according to package instructions. Lightly steam the asparagus, just
3-4 min, the spears should be bright green and have some snap to them. Using a vegetable peeler (or a paring knife and a steady hand), shave the asparagus into strips. Slice the strips in half. In a very large mixing bowl, combine cous cous, asparagus, cranberries and almonds. Stir to combine. Crumble the entire log of cheese into the mix. In a small separate bowl, combine lemon zest, parsley, olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. Whisk into a dressing and pour over cous cous. Mix thoroughly. Taste here; you may want more oil or seasoning. Garnish with cranberries and almonds. Serve chilled. Serves 8-10.

Cous cous: bringing friends together since April 2012.

The Sweeter Side

In the past week we’ve seen the cruelest side of humanity as well as its most courageous.
Though my heart hurts for my hometown; I’m choosing to focus on the brave, the selfless, and the kind. I’m focusing on the sweeter side.

In celebration of that; I’m sharing a simple dessert I made for a friend’s dinner on Sunday.
Fresh strawberries, thick whipped cream, bright mint….and a healthy dose of limoncello.
Let’s look forward to sweeter things.

Limoncello Strawberry Shortcake 

Ingredients:
3 lbs fresh strawberries, cleaned and hulled, chopped into quarters
(my pieces should have been chopped a bit smaller)
4 tbs sugar
1/2c. – 1 c. limoncello, depending on your taste
4 stalks of fresh mint, leaves only, snipped into pieces
160z heavy cream
1 loaf Lemon Pound cake
zest of 1 lemon

In a large bowl, combine strawberries, 2 tbs of sugar, 2 stalks of snipped mint leaves and the limoncello. Allow this to sit for a few hours, giving it a stir every half hour or so.  You can either mash the strawberries a bit here to make them into more of a chunky sauce, or leave them in quarters; totally your preference.
30 minutes before you’re ready to serve the dessert, make the fresh whipped cream. In a cold, clean metal bowl, mix remaining two tbs of sugar into cream and beat it until peaks form; do not overbeat….you’ll get butter! Here’s the stages of what the heavy cream will look like before turning into perfect whipped cream.

Cream…White Sauce…Melted ice cream…Cake batter…Whipped cream (STOP)…BUTTER.
(I almost provided visuals, but you got it, right?)

After stiff peaks form; gently fold in half of the lemon zest.
In either a trifle dish or a flat 9×13 pan, slice the pound cake lengthwise  and make a layer of cake.  You can use any cake here; pound cake, coconut cake, shortcake biscuits, etc.
You could use angel food cake; but… that tastes like chewing on a rubber band in my opinion so stick to something else. Ladyfingers or even biscotti would be a fun as well.
Spoon strawberries and limoncello liquid over the cake, being sure to soak the cake a bit with liquid. Add a layer of whipped cream.
Repeat with remaining, cake and strawberries. Be sure to pour all the boozy liquid over the cake before the final strawberries, we don’t want to waste it.Top with the remaining whipped cream, lemon zest and mint. Serves 12-14. 
Prefer as shorter shortcake? This is my fast and easy version.

Stay sweet, friends.

Heartbroken

As a runner and a Bostonian, yesterday’s events broke my heart.
Marathon Monday has always been an amazing day in Boston and yesterday’s senseless tragedy was crushing.

My heart and love go to the victims, their families, the runners and the first responders.
But most of all, my heart goes to Boston.

Marathon Monday, we’ll be back.

Past Marathon Mondays:
2010
2011

Mezza Wednesday

My darling friend Lisa had a few of us over last night to enjoy the warm weather on her patio. She told us not to bring a thing and she would put together a little mezza. Being Jordanian, mezza is near and dear to her heart (as it is to my Lebanese heart).

A casual way of eating in the Middle East, mezza means lots of little (delicious) plates to share.

Lisa put out a pretty hearty mezza if you ask me:

From left:
-Fattoush Salad
-Homemade Hummus
-Whole Wheat Arabic bread
-Mixed olives and feta cheese
-Kebabs: Chicken, Onions and Peppers or Lamb, Beef, Onions and Peppers
-Tzatziki sauce for dipping

It was an absolute feast! That girl knows her way around some sumac.
We also had some unpictured wine. Of course.

No Arabic meal is complete without Turkish coffee
Lisa brought us each a darling little demitasse of the strong, slightly sweet brew.
I love Turkish coffee, the stronger the better and this was delicious. As is custom, after we finished our coffee, we flipped our cups to see if we could read our grounds. Ok, here goes….I see a lamb? A llama? Maybe I’ll make Alpaca sweaters?

A friend’s cup: A face? An oak tree? ET in a hoodie? (these were all our guesses….did I mention we had wine?) Another beautiful night spent with friends around some pretty delicious mezza. Now that’s a Wednesday I can support.

More on a mezza feast? Check out my review of the Phoenician Taverna.