Nashville Farmer’s Market
08/29/10
Monthly Archives: August 2010
08/29/10
Thai Phooket – Nashville, TN
Thai Phooket
207 Woodland
Nashville, TN 37213
(615) 248-7933
Thai Phooket Facebook Page
I love this place! It’s the best authentic Thai food in Nashville with the freshest ingredients and friendliest service. Don’t be fooled by the building exterior or seemingly desolate location. It is an extremely convenient lunch destination for anyone who works downtown, in Germantown or East Nashville.
I ordered the PAD PUK with tofu. It contained stir-fried mixed vegetables with garlic, bell pepper, crushed hot pepper and fresh basil in a house brown sauce. It also came with a large serving of white rice. I tried level four in spiciness. Everything was expertly sauteed, fresh and delicious. No vegetable was left behind, but I was only able to eat about half of the rice. I could eat this every day for lunch. It’s almost under priced at $7.95.
My date ordered the KAO PAD. This Thai fried rice was also stir-fried perfectly. Again, the fresh vegetables make this dish stand out. This is another favorite with enormous portions. The vegetarian version is priced at $7.95.
The great food is the standout characteristic of this restaurant, but the great service is also very enticing. It’s a family owned restaurant and they always act appreciative of their customers. They recognize the regulars. Visit often and you will not be disappointed.
08/28/10
In Praise of Canning
After months of searching for canning classes in Nashville, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to take two classes this week.
I learned about the first from the East Nashville Crop Swap. This group gets together every other week to discuss organic gardening and trade herbs, fruit and vegetables. The owners of All Seasons Gardening & Brewing Company were generous enough to offer to host a free class in their store.
The second class was organized by Green Wagon. Green Wagon tweeted the announcement and the demand was so great, they were forced to hold two classes. Alan Powell (Long Hungry Creek Farm) taught the class. He will also teach pickling and fermenting classes in the future.
After these two, I’m excited to learn more and start preserving all the delicious produce for the winter!
It’s fascinating that the art of canning seemingly skipped a generation, however, it has recently become popular again. I believe the resurgence is a combination of factors – the nation’s desire to move closer to sustainability, the slow food movement, a larger population of health conscious individuals, the DIY movement, the ever-growing “foodies” who desire to enjoy fresh produce all year round and lastly, the economy.
NPR posted an article yesterday about canning:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129402166
Interested in canning?
University of Tennessee Extension, Canning Foods
08/28/10
Eastland Cafe – Nashville, TN
Eastland Cafe
701 Chapel Ave
Nashville, TN 37206
(615) 627-1088
www.eastlandcafe.com
Eastland Cafe is the restaurant I chose to visit to celebrate my move to East Nashville. It’s a great neighborhood cafe with a spectacular back patio. After a brutal summer, the heat and humidity has final begun to subside. We decided it was only appropriate to enjoy a meal outside.
I ordered the ICEBERG WEDGE SALAD. The crisp, fresh iceberg lettuce is generously topped with bleu cheese dressing, crumbled Benton’s bacon and green onions. Complimenting the wedge perfectly was the side of perfectly fried green tomatoes resting in a pool of sweet red pepper jam. This was delicious, filling and more than reasonably priced at $7.75.
I also chose a side of GREEN CHILI MAC & CHEESE that was more than enough for two to share. This was served in a casserole dish and also well-priced at $4.
The dessert was the unexpected favorite of the evening. At the suggestion of the server, we ordered the KEY LIME PIE. I was pleasantly surprised when we received a key lime tart. The crust was thick, moist and buttery, clearly accentuating everyone’s favorite part of the dish. The key lime filling was tart and delicious, making only a small layer and the dessert was perfectly finished with homemade whipped cream. The price was $6.
A sister restaurant of the beloved Park Cafe, Eastland Cafe does not disappoint. Executive Chef Hal M. Holden-Bache artfully prepares seasonal dishes with fresh and local ingredients. The restaurant also offers happy hour specials for drinks and appetizers. If you haven’t been, I highly suggest visiting while the weather is nice enough to enjoy the patio.
08/15/10
DC Vegetarian – Portland, OR
DC Vegetarian
430 SW 3rd Ave
Portland, OR 97204
(503) 317-4448
http://twitter.com/DCVegetarian
Everyone knows one of the greatest things about Portland, Oregon is their abundance of street food carts. According to FoodCartsPortland.com, Portland has over 200 food carts available at any given time. As a city that strives to continually provide fresh produce, especially in the summer months, it seems only natural that a vegetarian street food cart would exist. Aren’t we all a little vegetarian in the summer?
It was a warm spring day when I visited. People were wandering around this block on SW 3rd Avenue (between Washington and Stark) trying to decide what to have for lunch. There were a few people in front of me, but I only waited about 10 minutes to eat. I liked that this cart also offered call in orders – perfect for the busy person who can barely escape for even 30 minutes during their workday.
The menu was mostly soups and sandwiches with plentiful vegan options. I opted for the vegan grilled cheddar cheese with tomato, vegetarian bacon and avocado. The cost was $4.50. There were a few picnic tables available, so I sat outside and enjoyed this tasty sandwich. It wasn’t as light as I would have preferred, but it was delicious! The vegetarian bacon added the perfect amount of crunchiness to an otherwise soft, yet crisp, sandwich.
I also may have hit up a group of food carts in another area later that night and devoured some of the most decadent macaroni and cheese I’ve ever tasted, but there is no photographic evidence of this, so did it actually happen?
08/14/10
Tomato Art Festival 2010
Today started off great with a pre-Tomato Art Festival brunch at our place. After an early afternoon of eating and lounging, we wandered over to Five Points. By wandered, I mean drove to Five Points. The heat reached over 100 degrees again today, so a 1.5 mile walk just wasn’t in the cards.
The festival seemed larger than last year. We walked around, stopping into air-conditioned galleries and shops periodically, for at least 2 hours. There were a lot of tomato themed food samples – gazpacho, salsas, bruschetta and more. After much consideration, I decided on eating an heirloom BLT (without bacon or mayo and with guacamole). Delicious. Also, I brought my strange tomato over to the ugly tomato contest table. Although the awards had already been given, I felt mine would best be “among friends,” said farewell and left it there to pretend it won the number two spot.
The Tomato Art Festival is East Nashville’s biggest celebration of the year and this one did not disappoint. I love the spirit, community and tasty food of this event.
08/12/10
Gojo Ethiopian Restaurant – Nashville, TN
Gojo Ethiopian Cafe and Restaurant
415 Thompson Lane
Nashville, TN
(615) 332-0710
http://www.gojoethio.com/
First, I love a good Ethiopian meal. I very much enjoy the experience of the meal with others. It’s great to share food with each other, by hand, from a centerpiece platter. It’s an intimate and unique experience. And it’s one of the only types of food that I can eat the plate!
We waited for at least 10 minutes before anyone at the restaurant acknowledged we had walked into the door. The service didn’t really improve after we had been seated, but I loved this place too much to care. The decor was eclectic, but casual. It was warm and comfortable.
The spiced tea (hot or iced) was refreshing and delicious without sweetener. It was the perfect start to the meal. I ordered the four vegetable combination. After reviewing the image above, it has come to my attention that I received all five! My favorite was the Tikle Gomen – fresh cabbage sauteed with garlic ginger and lightly seasoned with turmeric. The other items included lentils, split peas and chick peas – all perfectly seasoned. The five items were also great mixed together. The enjera (flatbread) that accompanied the food was even delicious by itself. I had to share with my date to finish my meal.
This was practically under-priced at $10.50. They also offer a $7.99 lunch buffet.
08/7/10
Vegan Red Velvet Cake with Vegan Cream Cheese Icing
After unsuccessfully attempting to pawn off some unused CSA vegetables to my friend for his birthday dinner, I promised I would make a vegan red velvet cake. I don’t know where it came from and I had never baked any vegan desserts, so I was a little nervous. Luckily, I found a great recipe online from Mac & Cheese, a vegetarian Philadelphia based food blog. The direct link is below.
Steps not pictured: Kate nervously peering through the oven window. Kate prematurely texting her friend with an update on the “great” vegan cake for his party. Kate almost crying when the first cake wouldn’t come out of the pan. Kate “fixing” the holes in the bottom layer with gobs of icing. Kate almost deciding to decorate the cake with funky cocoa powder designs, but realizing she shouldn’t push it.
Time: 1 1/2 hours
Cost: $25 (I had some ingredients already and I had some items leftover after this was made.)
Tips: I used too much cooking spray on the cake pans. The vegetable oil made the cake somewhat crumbly. I’d like to experiment with other ingredients next time. Read the labels before you purchase the red food dye. Cochineal / Carmine is made from beetles (sometimes labeled E120). Red #40 is made from coal. The recipe is for cupcakes, but a commenter leaves instructions for a cake.
Edit: Putting this cake in the refrigerator for a few hours prior to serving solved the crumbling problems. Plus, I think it tasted better cold. It was a hit!
Recipe: Mac & Cheese
Overall Rating: I made a test batch of 4 cupcakes to make sure the cake tasted OK. The cake is good, but the icing is great.
08/4/10
Wild Cow – Nashville, TN
The Wild Cow
1896 Eastland Avenue
Nashville, TN 37206
(615) 262-2717
The Wild Cow has been working very hard lately on their vegan and raw desserts. Most days, they offer at least four different options. These are listed on their website daily. Tonight, we braved the two block trek in unforgiving 100 degree heat for carrot cake and chocolate rosewater vegan cupcakes.
The verdict is in – sinfully moist and delicious.
08/3/10
Watanabe – Nashville, TN
Watanabe
1400 McGavock Pk
Nashville, TN 37206
(615) 226-1112
http://www.watanabesushibar.com/
Watanabe is an Asian restaurant nestled in Inglewood’s hottest corner – Riverside Village. It’s the best of Matt Charette’s East Nashville restaurants. The decor is simple, dark and cozy. I love the booths. It’s a great atmosphere for a date, complete with flickering paper lanterns that dangle above the dining room. I don’t know; I just like it.
The food is decent. I’ve tried a number of the rolls, fried rice, vegetable gyoza and tempura udon. Most dishes can substitute tofu for meat. It’s the type of place you feel comfortable ordering something small and it’s all reasonably priced. The service is somewhat slow at times, but redeems itself in friendliness. The staff takes pride in the place and it shows.
It’s a great Monday or Tuesday night kind of place that I will continue to frequent on Monday and Tuesday nights. I’m happy to have this restaurant in East Nashville.
