Month: December 2018

City Tap – Nashville, TN

A road trip to Nashville, that is what popped into my head. I love the city and I missed it. There are so many things to do. I love walking up and down Broadway, watching all the people and mesmerized by the neon lights.

I checked out a restaurant that was a little off Broadway called City Tap. It was an easy walk. As soon as I got close to the entrance I could smell their brick oven pizza. The aroma filled the air.

The restaurant was beautiful inside.

    

I decided to sit at the high top tables in the bar area. They had a huge nice screen TV over the bar and the best view was from the table.

Since I was visiting City Tap on a Sunday I got to enjoy their brunch menu. One of their brunch offerings was a carafe of sparkling sangria.

This extremely tall carafe was filled with sparkling wine, spiced Malbec syrup, and loaded with fresh raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. It was not too sweet. The sparkling wine was more on the brut side. The fresh fruit added a lot of the sweetness. The blueberries were the sweetest I have ever had.

To go along with my sangria I ordered their Really Big Pretzel. They were NOT kidding about the size. This pretzel was 10 pounds of sweet dough.

The pretzel was soft on the inside. They had salted the outside to help balance the flavor. It came with a maple-bourbon mustard. The mustard was slightly sweet and had large mustard seeds that added texture. There was also a white ale cheddar sauce. The cheese was slightly creamy and had a little tangy aftertaste.

My server Logan recommended I try the Charred Brussels Sprouts. The sprouts were extra flakey and the leaves were crispy. I had never had sprouts quite like this before. It turns out that after they were sautéed, the brussels sprouts were then dropped in the fryer. That is how the leaves got that crispy.

There were a few pomegranate seeds on top. They added sweetness. The brussels sprouts were also tossed in a white miso sauce. It added a rich flavor. It was a little overwhelming because it was a little too much.

By this point I had finished the sangria. I wanted to try another cocktail. I went for The Whitehead Tart.

This concoction blended Papas Pilar Blonde rum, lime juice, grapefruit juice, black raspberry liqueur, and simple syrup. This drink was served in a gimlet glass which felt fancy to me. I do not get many cocktails served like this. These blended flavors were not overly sweet and slightly tart. It was actually deliciously smooth. It was also accented with a very sweet blueberry.

I ordered one last thing while I was there. I wanted to make sure I tried one of their brick oven pizzas. They offered some classic combinations like sausage and mushroom but I was intrigued to try the Prosciutto and Fig.

This thin crust pizza did not have traditional pizza sauce on it. There was a layer of stilton blue cheese and fontina with parma prosciutto on top. There were swirls of orange-fig jam all around the cheese. Piled in the center was arugula and shaved parmesan cheese.

With all the cheeses and prosciutto on this pizza there was a salt, savory taste. The arugula added an earthy flavor with a hint of pepper. The orange-fig jam was a welcomed sweet note to the pizza. This sweetness actually pulled the entire flavor profile together. It was a sweet/savory delight.

I ended up being at City Tap for a few hours. I really enjoyed my visit. I would definitely want to go back because Logan (my server) was telling me about all the daily specials that they have each week.

If you are interested in getting away from the crowds on Broadway check out City Tap. You can view all their food and cocktail menus at http://www.nashville.citytap.com/

Enjoy!

T

The Honeysuckle – Franklin, TN

I had written in a previous post about how much Franklin, Tennessee is growing. New hotels are going up everywhere. Hotels bring new restaurants. Now Franklin has their fair share of chain restaurants but they also have several locally owned establishments. The Honeysuckle is one of those local places.

The interior of this restaurant is beautiful. There was reclaimed wood and shiplap all over the walls. If Chip and Joanna Gaines walked through the door they would be in heaven.

    

The bar was breathtaking. They had what looked like old in ceiling tiles as a backsplash. My assumption is they were not really antique tin tiles but they still looked great. The center piece of the bar was the wall of whiskey and bourbons. They even had a rolling library style ladder for the bartenders to get up and down.

Since I was there during happy hour I was able to get a glass of wine, a pinto grigio.

I also had tome to order something off of their happy hour food menu. Since I was in Nashville I had to try their Nashville Hot Chicken Bites. The chicken also came with duck fat fries. It was surprisingly a lot of food for a happy hour dish.

The Hot Chicken was stupendous. The breading on the chicken was extra crispy and it sealed in all the juices. The heat came after I bit into the chicken. Just when I thought the chicken was not going to be that spicy BAM, it hit me. It was a nice kick of heat but it did not linger.

The French fries were a great add on. They were fresh cut that still had the skin on them. Frying them in duck fat added a little extra flavor to me. And I thought they were extra crispy.

I was really enjoying the atmosphere at the bar. The bartenders were extremely personable. While I was talking with them I ordered a Moscow Mule. It was refreshing, especially with the fresh lime juice they used.

While I was hanging out I took a glance at their regular menu. I had the munchies and wanted to try something else. I was drawn to the Deviled Eggs 5 Ways on the starters portion of the menu.

They served up five different eggs with five different toppings. I had never seen deviled eggs prepared this way before.

Way 1: Orange Tobiko

First, tobiko is Japanese for flying fish roe. You would normally see this on sushi. I like tobiko on sushi but I did not care for it on top of the egg. It added a little too much of a fishy taste.

Way 2: Pimento Cheese

Pimento cheese had a slight tart taste to it. I felt it complemented the sweet, creaminess of the egg.

Way 3: Bacon Jam

This was my favorite topping. The jam was sweet and it had a tremendous smoky bacon flavor. This jam added texture to the smooth egg filling. When I took a bite it was the perfect blend of sweet and salty.

Way 4: Pickles

These chopped up slices of very tangy pickles added so much crunch to the bite. Even through the tanginess I could still taste a hint of sweetness.

Way 5: Chow-Chow

What exactly is chow-chow?  It is a pickled relish made up of cabbage, peppers, onions, and a bunch of brining spices. It is common to find this all over Tennessee. The chow-chow added a sour component to the egg, plus some crunch. It was the kind of sour that made me pucker my lips.

This was a fun plate to eat. It was creative and full of flavor combinations that I would not have expected. You could share this but I would recommend you order one per person so that everyone can experience it.

The Honeysuckle offers a wide variety of food. They have fresh steaks that smelled wonderful when they passed me. Plus there was an array of poultry, pork, and fish. They also have fresh oysters that they shuck at their special oyster bar.

They got really busy when I was there so I would recommend having a reservation. Check out their menu at www.thehoneysuckle.com

Enjoy!

T

Wild Ginger – Franklin, TN

I get to travel a lot and I have been to so many fun places. My absolute favorite place is Nashville, Tennessee. There are so many fun things to do, whether it’s listening to country music, catching a hockey game, or eating at one of the many, many restaurants around town.

Nashville has exploded with growth over the last several years. The suburbs are also booming. One of those areas is Franklin, Tennessee. I had just arrived in town after a long drive. I was hungry and I remembered that there was a great Asian fusion restaurant called Wild Ginger not far from my hotel.

    

The restaurant has a modern design with touches of freshness. The freshness comes from all the greenery that adorns the walls. The entryway is breathtaking.

  

They have a great patio that is perfect for outside seating when it’s warm out.

One of the other things I noticed as soon as I walked in was their wall of awards. They have been winning food awards for years. No wonder they have been around for a while and why they were so busy.

I was originally going to eat there. However, since I had just gotten into town, I thought it would be better for me to get the food to go and eat at the hotel as I settled in.

I started off with the Tokyo Gyoza (dumplings). These pork and vegetable gyoza were pan fried so that the outside edges were crispy. The pork had a tremendous amount of flavor. They included a dipping sauce that was a blend of soy sauce, sesame oil, and a few sesame seeds. The gyoza was great plain, but the sauce just added extra salty flavor.

The Wild Ginger fried rice was another must order. I got it with chicken. The chicken was lightly coated with flour so that when it was pan fried it becomes a little crispy. It was cooked on the side and then added to the rice. This made it perfect because the chicken was still crispy.

There was no fried egg in this fried rice, which was a little bit of a bummer for me because I do like egg in my rice. However, they loaded up the rice with onions, scallions, green peppers, and bean sprouts. The onions and scallions added a little extra flavor to the rice. The peppers and bean sprouts added crunch to the rice.

I also made sure to order a few pieces of sushi off the menu. I went for the Eel Nigari and the Spicy Tuna Maki. Each order came with two pieces so it was perfect. For a little explanation on these, Nigiri is a slice of the fish in top of rice with a little wasabi. Maki is a sushi roll that is wrapped with a seaweed wrapper on the outside.

The Eel Nigiri was spectacular. The eel was extremely flakey and tender when I took a bite. There was the right amount of the sweet eel sauce on top. In case you have never had eel before, this fish is actually cooked, it is not served raw the way tuna and salmon are.

The Spicy Tuna Maki were huge in size. I was not expecting them to be like that. The tuna was pureed together to create more of a paste. There was a nice heat with the tuna. The white rice that was inside the roll helped cool down the overall spice. The seaweed wrapper did make it hard to bite the roll. After I took a bite, it ended up falling apart. So I had to finish it with my chopsticks.

The food was amazing from Wild Ginger. Even as take out my meal was flavorful and still hot by the time I got it back to the hotel. They offer happy hour all week with food and drink specials. Depending on the time of day I would recommend a reservation. And don’t plan on visiting on Sunday because they are closed.

Check out their menu on their website at http://www.dinewildginger.com/

Enjoy!

T

Lansdowne Road – New York, NY

So I found myself  in New York for Thursday night football. I wanted to go somewhere to watch the game and get some great food. My friend, who lives up there, recommended I check out Lansdowne Road.

This Irish pub is located in the Hell’s Kitchen area. There are tons of tv’s all around the place, which was perfect for watching the game.

The place was packed when I got there. I ordered a drink and had to stand for a while waiting for a seat to open up. Luckily after about 15 minutes I was able to grab a seat at the bar. It is a pretty cool bar too. They have a strip of ice running along the bar that you can sit your glass on. It helps to keep it cool. Just be careful so you don’t spill.

I started off ordering the pretzels with beer cheese. There were two homemade, jumbo size pretzels. The dough was soft and sweet.  The salt coating the outside complemented the sweetness of the dough. The beer cheese was really creamy. I was constantly dipping my pretzel. There is something comforting about the combination of dough and cheese.

While I was there I had to try their chicken wings. Apparently they are world famous and it was called out on their menu. It was a mouthful to order the “Scruffy Duffy World Famous Hell’s Kitchen Chicken Wings”.

I ordered the traditional style wings with the combination of the medium sauce and garlic Parmesan sauce. I also made sure to order them well done. I really like it when chicken wings are crispy when they come out.

These wings were cooked to perfection. They were extra crispy and there was an awesome crunch when I took a bite. Plus the chicken itself was juicy. The flavor combination of the sauces was amazing. The garlic Parmesan added a salty taste and the medium added a slight amount of heat.

Lansdowne Road had a great atmosphere. Even if you are not into sports you can still have a fun time. Plus the food was great too! Check them out at www.lansdowneroadnyc.com

Enjoy!

T

 

Tanners Lakeside – Winter Haven, FL

It was a wonderful evening in Florida. There was a new restaurant that was recommended for me to try called Tanners Lakeside.

     

It is located between Lake Mary and Lake Howard in Winter Haven, Florida. Since it was such a nice evening I wanted to make sure that I sat outside. They had a great deck that was over the water.

     

I had great seats so that I could watch the boats go back and forth between the two lakes.

I also watched all the cute little turtles swimming around and popping their heads up out of the water. Luckily I did not see any alligators swimming around the deck. But I am sure they were out there.

     

I started off this wonderful evening with the chips and mango salsa. My great waitress Vanessa recommended that I try this salsa. They make the salsa fresh at the restaurant. The fresh chunks of tender mango was mixed with chopped onions and cilantro. It was sweet over all in taste with a hint of spice coming from the cilantro. I could just eat the salsa with a fork however, it did taste good with the crunchy tortilla chips.

An appetizer that was also recommended was the fried lobster. The large pieces of sweet lobster meat was hand breaded and then deep fried. It was cooked perfectly; the meat was extremely tender. They served a melted, roasted garlic butter on the side, which was savory. However, I thought the lobster tasted amazing with the fresh made cocktail sauce.

Another appetizer I tried was the blackened yellow fin tuna. The rare tuna was slightly pan seared on the outside. It was covered with a Cajun seasoning. The seasoning had a slight kick to it. They drizzled a Creole butter sauce over the thinly sliced tuna. The sauce had a mustard taste. The tuna was fresh and perfect as it melted in my mouth as soon as I took a bite.

Finally for my dinner I ordered the Grouper mango. The Gulf Grouper filet was lightly blackened and pan seared. The blackened taste, which was slightly salty, complemented the sweetness from the mango salsa that they layered on top. If that was not enough, a loaded baked potato came on the side. It came with all the fillings including cheese, bacon, butter, and sour cream.

My meal was exquisite and the views were extraordinary. It was the perfect way to kickoff the weekend. I would highly recommend Tanners Lakeside. Check them out at www.tannerslakeside.com

Enjoy!

T

Ave Bar – Winter Haven, FL

There is a cute bar I found in Winter Haven, Florida called Ave Bar. It is located between Arabella’s and Bistro Pizza.

Inside you can either sit at the bar or enjoy a seat in one of their leather chairs. It is a great place to go with friends to enjoy drinks and conversation.

     

The other thing I learned about Ave Bar is that it is owned by the same company that owns Arabella’s and Bistro Pizza. So patrons can actually order food from either of those restaurants and have it delivered to the bar.

I started off my visit with a cucumber martini. This drink had an extraordinary fresh taste.  I could taste the cucumber throughout each sip. I saved the fresh slice of cucumber to eat at the end.

     

I wanted to make sure I tried something from each of the restaurants. From Arabella’s I ordered their Zuppa del Giorno (Soup of the Day). The day I was there the soup was a fresh made minestrone soup.

The vegetable broth had a great savory taste. It was loaded with fresh vegetables, including tender cannelloni beans. They also used a generous amount of pasta which ends up being my favorite part of the soup. This was a great starter to the meal.

From Bistro Pizza I ordered the Pizza alla Boscaiola. This this crust pizza was covered with fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, olives, mushrooms, pepperoni, and artichokes.

The crust was nice a crispy. The combination of veggies paired well together. The olives added saltiness, the mushrooms added an earthy taste, and the artichokes added a little crunch plus additional saltiness. The cheese added a smooth, creaminess that helped cut out some of the salt taste as well as the sweetness of the sauce. The pepperoni also added additional salt taste but it did not last long because I have a habit of picking off all the pepperoni and eating it separately.

Ave Bar was the perfect hang out spot for a Saturday night. The drinks were perfect and the food tasted wonderful. I would definitely go back again to hang out.

Check out what they are all about at www.arabellas.us/ave-bar

Enjoy!

T