Life* á la mode

April 14, 2010

And I’ll eat it too.

Filed under: Baking,Foodie,Local Bloggers — Ms. Tabitha @ 4:12 pm

I love looking at Epicurious and their recipes. Their main page today featured 30 Top-Rated Cake Recipes at Epicurious and I couldn’t help but forego the search for dinner and click on the link. Droolworthy.  And apropos since my day of cakes started with Must Find Toes and later in the day, The Thirty-Something Bride’s post on the cake feature in Oprah’s magazine.

It’s a cake kind of day, with several I’d love to try my hand at making.  Check these beauties out:

12 Layer mocha cake from Epicurious

Gateau de bayou via Louise and O magazine

And no, I won’t be trying to bake that. Maybe the meringue part for practice but uh… looks hard.

Homemade vegan yumminumminess from Must Find Toes

Usually I need a party to go to as an excuse to bake something because a) I’d eat it all myself if that weren’t the case and b) The Husband isn’t that into sweets.  But if the weather’s nice and I have some time on my hands this weekend, I may just come up with something.  Maybe a Japanese cheese cake in all its fluffy, cheesecakey glory. If you’ve never had any, I suggest you try some when presented with the opportunity – it’s gooooooooood.

Hmm, probably not a good idea to be day dreaming about cakes right before I head to yoga.

April 2, 2010

On the Food Train

Filed under: Foodie,Live to Eat,Local Biz — Ms. Tabitha @ 8:31 am

Nashville Lifestyles gave us their top restaurant pics of 2010 today and just looking at the list makes me drool.

  • 1808 Grille – The Husband and I had our anniversary dinner at this Hutton Hotel restaurant last year and we loved it.  Great ambiance (albeit a tad dim) with a more sophisticated crowd and if you’re dining at the restaurant valet parking is complimentary.  If we can swing it, we might go back this year and maybe even spend the night at the Hutton.
  • Allium – LOVE Allium.  We’ve dined there for dinner and for brunch (you must order their popovers, ohmuhgod) a couple of times and it’s slowly becoming our go-to for date night.  It’s supposed to be “French fusion” and while I’d like to think I have a sophisticated palate I’m not that familiar with French cuisine and the only apparent “fusion” to me is the fact that it’s food with a French influence in American portions. So either go hungry, or be prepared to split the portions if you want to maintain your waistline. Or take the rest of it home.
  • Basil – Have yet to go.  Any of you eaten there? What’d you think?
  • Capitol Grille – I know this is a Nashville institution of sorts but I haven’t eaten there for any meal other than breakfast (which we did by default the morning after our wedding since we stayed there). It was only ok. And pricey.
  • City House – One of the restaurants on our “Must Go Soon” list.
  • Eastland Cafe – sister restaurant to Park Cafe, the mac n cheese isn’t as good as the original. However, their mussels appetizer is delicious and I much prefer its layout to Park Cafe’s.
  • Flyte - I’ve only had their appetizers and happy hour fare but I do like it. Another one on that list for a full-on meal.
  • Miel - We had dinner here for my birthday, it was ah-may-ziiing.  I had the seafood bouillabaisse and The Husband had their steak.  Fabulous presentation, the restaurant’s layout allows you to see the chefs at work which is such a fun concept and if you order coffee with dessert, it comes in a French press.  So you drink it at your leisure, and you don’t have a server constantly coming up to you asking if you want more coffee or hovering waiting for the check to be settled.  SOLD.
  • Miro District – On the list
  • Porta Via Italian Kitchen – I’m clearly not on the up-and-up on Italian restaurants here, is this any good? Anyone know?
  • Smiling Elephant – YUM. My only complaint is that I asked for native hot and I got mild. I hate it HATE it when you go to an Asian restaurant and you ask for spicier than normal options and they don’t seem to believe you.  I will try again soon.
  • Sunset Grill – Nashville staple.  For some reason everytime I order their stir-fry I get the runs.  My mistake here is that I order stir-fry and not one of their better dishes like their voodoo pasta or whatever special they have.  Better yet just go for their dessert and late night menu.
  • Suzy Wong’s House of Yum – If this is as good as all the other places Arnold Myint owns/runs  (PM, Cha Chah) then you can expect it to be good.
  • Tayst - Y’know… the two times I’ve been it wasn’t bad at all. But it’s been a while, and now they boast natural ingredients and are green and what not so I need to go back.
  • Whiskey Kitchen – The Husband’s eaten there, I’ve only stood there wondering why we couldn’t get a table when there were several just sitting empty.  The Husband does recommend their sliders and I’m hoping to get to eat there sometime soon. Maybe if I didn’t go on a Friday night…

That’s the Kay West list I believe, and the rest of the article has readers’ picks (best brunch, seafood, late night, Indian to name a few) and Nashville Lifestyle staff picks that include Patterson House and PM among their choices.

These are all wonderful restaurants, there are some that I would have added but it also appears that this list is comprised of the newer places in town.  I have my favorites that I find myself returning to a lot, and there are so many to choose from.  I love food, and I love to eat so I’m thrilled that Nashville has such an array of fine dining.  Now let’s work on getting an Ikea here or something.

March 28, 2010

I Would Love Some Dim Sum!

Filed under: About damn time,Foodie — Ms. Tabitha @ 6:03 pm

THE DIM SUM HAS LANDED!!!!!!

It’s real, I’m not making it up, Nashville finally has a place you can go to eat dim sum, wheeled around on carts in their little steamer containers.  Egg tarts, har gao, chee cheong fun, even xiao long bao*! I realize I’m mixing up Mandarin and Cantonese names of some of these, beg your pardon. Oh and they also have congee (it was so tasty!) and roast duck. MMMmMmm sooooo delicious.

Where is this restaurant?  It’s called Lucky Bamboo, and it’s right next door to K&S Market off Charlotte.

They tout themselves as serving authentic Chinese cuisine and as far as their everyday menu goes, that remains to be seen (and I will be sure to let you know once I try it) but they do serve dim sum on weekends from 10am – 3pm.  I went today with a couple of friends and The Husband (who I have spoiled by taking to authentic dim sum places in Singapore) and I think we all agreed today wouldn’t be the last of our weekend brunches at Lucky Bamboo.

Some of you may recognize a couple of the employees – one of the women there definitely worked at Golden Coast.  I haven’t researched who owns it, and it may even be the people who own Golden Coast so if you have more information do tell.

By the way if anyone would like for me to come along when you venture over let me know, I would be delighted!

This place gets my seal of approval not only because it’s the ONLY place in Nashville that serves dim sum but also because the food really was good.  It’s not the best I’ve ever had, but it’s pretty authentic. Try it out, and let me know what you think!

Lucky Bamboo | 5855 Charlotte Pike | Nashville 37209 | 615-457-3133

* Their xiao long bao isn’t as authentic but it’s understandable – it’s not an easy dumpling to make.

February 28, 2010

Sunday Funday

Filed under: Baking,Dessert,Foodie,Live to Eat — Ms. Tabitha @ 10:46 pm

My goal this morning was for today to be a productive day and by geebus, it was. Except for the fact that I left a whole half pound of roast beef at the grocery while self-checking out and packing my wares into my canvas bags but it’s ok.  I’m ok. Because I SUCCESSFULLY MADE FRENCH MACARONS!!!!!

I ended up following the French meringue recipe from Hisako Ogita’s book “I Love Macarons.”

Mine weren’t as pretty, but now that I have more confidence in executing the technique from the book, I plan on being a lot more adventurous with color and fillings.  Because I didn’t have time today to make buttercream, I  sandwiched nutella in the shells.  Seems to work – the flavors complement each other and his recipe isn’t as almond-y as some other macarons I’ve tried.

Notes for next time:

  • Add more color – it really does fade during the baking process but it’s really cool because when you look at its cross section, the intended color still shows and is contrasted by the outer shell.
  • Get two smaller baking sheets that both fit into my oven so I can bake the whole batch at once.
  • Be more firm with the mixing so they’re puffier.  Mine are still rather flat in comparison to Hirako Ogita’s.

Macarons really are an acquired taste.  I think it all depends on the filling – it can’t be too sweet.  These are such light, fluffy yet chewy treats that just one or two will be enough to satisfy even the sweetest tooth. I still think they’re perfect for weddings or showers though, either as part of the desserts or as favors.

Until next time!

February 27, 2010

Frenchy

Filed under: Foodie,Live to Eat,Uncategorized — Ms. Tabitha @ 2:22 pm

Those of you who follow me on Twitter have seen me tweet about how cupcakes are slowly (finally?) taking a backseat to other tasty delights.  One sweet treat I foresee becoming more popular for special occasions is the macaron or French macaroon.

These macarons are from Paulette Maracons in California.  Her flavors range from Colombian Coffee to passion fruit, with each flavor a distinct color or look.  SO pretty!

Some time this weekend, I’m going to attempt this recipe I found from David Lebovitz.  It seems to be the simplest one I can find, that isn’t all doom and gloom with warnings like a lot of others I’ve seen.  I’ve already attempted this once when I was trapped at home during a tornado watch and because it was quite humid that day and also my first attempt at a pastry that’s not easy to make, they were flops. Major. Flops.

I love to bake.  I’ve had a ton of fun baking cupcakes and 2009 was the year of homemade cupcakes and frosting recipes for me.  This year, I think it’s time to branch out, not just with my baking projects but also my dessert eating habits.  The only place in town you can get macarons are from Provence bakery and I’m not even sure how often they offer them.  Those of you who live in New Orleans or who are going to visit soon, make sure you go to Sucre, another amazing pastry place. I’m tempted to order a box from them!!

I’m looking forward to macarons catching on here in Nashville.  They’d be perfect for wedding or party favors, or just to have on display – they’re gorgeous little things!

Picture source Curious Mess blog

November 26, 2009

Mérci | Xie Xie | Grazie …

Filed under: Famiree,Foodie,Live to Eat — Ms. Tabitha @ 11:01 pm

Thanks.

Today’s my favorite day of the year.  More than my birthday or even Christmas.  Thanksgiving has always been an enjoyable holiday that signifies time with people I love, lots of laughter, and reminders of things for which I should be grateful.  My in-laws and the families we spend Thanksgiving with have been through a lot together, both good and bad.  For them to welcome me with such open arms from day one, well, I couldn’t ask for more.  It’s why Nashville has so easily become such a home for me – I was loved from the moment I moved here.

My contribution to this Thanksgiving feast is small, usually one dish (it used to be deviled eggs) and I like to bake so dessert is a natural choice.  This year I attempted The Smitten Kitchen’s Cranberry, Caramel and Almond tart.

It started easily enough – my game plan was to make her Unshrinkable Tart Shell.

tartshell

It shrank.  I think it’s because I didn’t chill the dough before rolling it out and used the alternate method.  Never again.  How do I know this is why? The last time I made this shell following the exact instructions, it didn’t shrink.

Then I made the filling.  First batch of caramel was burned. I obviously don’t know my stove very well and whatever I thought was “medium low heat” was still too hot and instead of going through the stages of “straw colored – gold – nutty brown” it went from white to “I think this is straw” to “holy crap it’s molasses.”

I added the cranberries and almonds.  Again, it didn’t look like her pictures where you could still see the caramel and it didn’t look overly nutty.  Oh, I have to mention that by this point it was 10:30pm the night before Thanksgiving and I wasn’t about to go run out for more sugar/heavy cream/frozen cranberries.  So I looked at her pictures, looked at what I had in front of me, muttered an expletive and shoved it in the oven.

25-30 minutes later:

TG2009_3

Now, it’s not as pretty as The Smitten’s tarts, but it still looks pretty good for a first attempt.  And, since only 2 pieces were left after dinner today, I think it definitely tasted much better than it looks.

(more…)

May 5, 2009

Jimmy Charles at the Station Inn

Filed under: Foodie,Gulch — Ms. Tabitha @ 8:38 am

No, it’s not a performer you’ve never heard of it’s a new lunch spot that serves BBQ that sounds mighty delicious!!

Here’s the email I got today:

Hello friends and fellow lunch enthusiasts! 
There’s a new lunch spot opening Tuesday, May 5th at The World Famous Station Inn in the gulch.  It’s called Jimmy Carl’s and the name has a good story.  Ask us about it when it’s real busy.  It’s run by a couple of great fellas named Rusty and Pat.  Rusty used to live in LA.  He won on a game show and moved to Nashville to start a BBQ joint with me, Pat.  Come on down and check us out Mondays through Fridays from 11am until 11:15am.  HA! Until 3pm.  We will be offering pulled pork, shhhicken thighs, ribs, baked beans once described as ‘the shit’ by a guy with a tattoo on his eyelid, a Chicago style hot beef sandwich (we’re versatile), hot slaw for you people who like a little kick, a macaroni salad that i can eat my weight in, and a sweet bbq sauce once described as ‘off the chain’ by a guy later seen spray painting a dumpster.  We will also be seasonally visiting the farmer’s market to get the best tomatoes, corn, peaches and whatever else looks good.  Our menu will change, our flavors may wander, there may be a little stand-up comedy, the music will be multi-genred and high quality (not in person), and it all takes place in the Mother Church of Bluegrass.  Pinch me.  
If you have made it this far I thank you.  Please feel free to pass this along to anyone you know who likes great BBQ and a good time.  Rusty and I hope to see you all soon. Thanks
Sounds good to me!!

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