Taking Nashville's Table to Higher Ground

Now this is a benefit that I can really get behind. Several Southern chefs are bringing their talents to the Cannery Row Ballroom on July 13th to raise money for the Mobile Loaves and Fishes, Inc. and The Community Resource Center. Unfortunately, I will be out of town, but this looks like an event that should not be missed.

eat out for Nashville

For immediate release:

May 6, 2010


Nashville Restaurants and Food Media Join Together to Organize “Eat Out for Nashville” Charity Event on May 17, 2010 for Victims of Middle Tennessee Flooding

Middle Tennessee diners are invited to eat out at their favorite restaurants the evening of Monday May 17, 2010 as part of a citywide charity event to raise money for Nashville flood victims. Participating restaurants will donate 50% of the evening’s proceeds to the Tennessee Emergency Response Fund of the Community Fund of Middle Tennessee. “Eat Out for Nashville” is the brainchild of Doug Hogrefe, owner of Amerigo. As soon as the flood waters began to recede, Hogrefe looked for ways to help out displaced Middle Tennesseans and volunteers who were assisting in the recovery efforts.

“When I realized that we had been lucky to receive little damage in the flooding, I knew that I could feed individuals and small groups,” said Hogrefe. “Many other restaurants in the area were also mobilizing quickly to offer assistance to the thousands of people in need. By combining our efforts for one night on May 17, the Nashville area dining community can multiply their impact and draw even more attention to the plight of our customers and friends who need our help.”

Since this event is coming together so quickly as a grassroots effort, restaurants are being approached by local food writers and bloggers as well as their fellow restaurateurs to encourage them to participate. All sorts of establishments are invited to join the effort, from fine dining restaurants to fast casual chains. As more locations sign on, a list of participants will be maintained and publicized through local media outlets, including The Tennessean, The Nashville City Paper and The Nashville Scene. Alternative media such as www.Nashvillest.com, Twitter, FaceBook and Nashville food blogs will also share up-to-the-minute information on “Eat Out for Nashville” with their many followers. Chris Chamberlain from The Nashville Scene’s “Bites” food blog is working to coordinate the media efforts.

Proceeds from the evening will be collected by the Tennessee Emergency Response Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee responds in times of disaster to connect generosity with need and has activated the Tennessee Emergency Response Fund to support relief efforts throughout Middle Tennessee necessitated by the May 1, 2010 floods. Donations of any size are welcome. Grants from the fund will support relief and restoration in areas of Middle Tennessee affected by the floods.

Hogrefe concludes, “In difficult times like these, all sectors of the community must pull together. Many of our fellow restaurants and thousands of our customers are hurting right now. The food service industry is an important part of this city as an employer and as a source of nourishment. We are confident that this group will come together as it always does when people are in need.”

For more information, email EatOutForNashville@gmail.com or call Chris Chamberlain at
(615) 852-7675.

Follow @EatOutForNash on Twitter or at http://www.facebook.com/eatoutfornashville on FaceBook.

Restaurant Openings and Re-openings

March is quickly approaching, and for Nashville diners this means two things. First the re-opening of Martin's BBQ and secondly the opening of the highly anticipated new burger place Burger-Up.

We have been waiting for the re-opening of Martin's BBQ for quite sometime, and it looks like Tuesday March 2nd will be the day. This new location will feature an expanded dining area, bar, drive-thru, and most importantly a whole hog pit. To my knowledge Martin's will be the only place in Middle Tennessee cooking whole hog, and trust me you wont want to miss out on that middlin meat. With an expanded kitchen and staff, look for Pat Martin to offer up some new specials. To stay up to date on the happenings at Martin's, follow him on Twitter - @martinsbbq.


For those omnivores closer to the city, Burger Up is coming to 12th South sometime in mid March. This is the brainchild of Frothy Monkey owner Miranda Whitcomb who looks to bring a local flair to the traditional burger. We don't know what exactly is in store for us burger lovers, but we do know that the meat will come from the Triple L Ranch in Franklin. Ummm... how's a Triple L Ranch triple burger with Benton's bacon sound? As soon as we have a chance to hit it up we will report back.

Music Thursday: Crawfish

We are now at the peak of crawfish season...so for Ulika Music Thursday, I thought I would bring you a song about crawfish.

Elvis Presley's Crawfish

This is a duet with Kitty White featured in the 1958 film King Creole.

Is there anything better than grubbing on a table of crawfish while drinking a cold beer? I didn't think so. Nothing says spring like sucking the head off of a little crustacean.

If you are in Nashville, South Street has all-you-can-eat crawfish on Sundays that I highly recommend. You better show up early (before 3pm) to make sure you get some.

Make Some Sparks

Ah, Sparks... no, no not the scary beverage love child of Red Bull and Zima. I'm thinking of the band Sparks. After twenty some odd years, this duo is still around making quirky glam-pop records for those who will listen. Despite this longevity, their most critically-applauded album, Kimono My House, came early in their career. That's where you'll find this week's jam, Barbecutie.

Don't worry, it's not about that sub-par BBQ chain we find around Middle Tennessee (and no, I'm not talking about Whitt's - though they do suck just as much). It's an obvious ode to meeting up with sweet young thing at a cookout on a summer's day. While at it's core it has nothing to do with firing up the old Stumps cooker, the last verse does a nice job of accidentally capturing the vibe of a weekend spent at a cooking competition. Dig:

The friends are getting friendly on the lawn
the flies are making enemies of all
Aroma rising from the ancient coals
has turned you into someone very bold

Hell yeah... gets me all excited about competing next weekend in Clarksville and all those fine ladies that flock to these mid-south KCBS events. Hey, more like Barbegroupies!

Finally, let me give props to my homeboy/bandmate Brockford Lee for suggesting this song. He's a prince with a heart of gold and a vice to match.

Hope y'all like this week's jam. Have a lovely weekend and enjoy this weather.

NASHVILLE BBQ: B&C Market BBQ

I love the Nashville Farmer's Market. As anyone who's been there knows, it's much more than simply a farmer's market. It's also a flea market (on the weekends). And it's adjacent to the Bicentennial Mall, which is The Smallest State Park In Tennessee. And right in the middle of the farmer's market is a food court, with both restaurants and food shops hawking the ethnic and the bizarre. It all opened in 1996 (the bicenTENNial) and since has provided many hours of amusement and cheap dates. When I was a courier, I ate lunch at the food court on a pretty regular basis, because it's always had such an interesting variety of things to eat. Parco Cafe used to be in the Farmer's Market, and in my opinion, it's never been quite the same since it moved to Printer's Alley. There is a Swett's. There is a Jamaican place. There is a Chinese place. There used to be a great hot dog stand that served a hot dog with hot chow-chow on it that was out of this world. Anyway, as great as the Farmer's Market has been, no one's ever accused it of being too crowded or too popular. But now there's a movement to change that and raise the profile. They've got themselves a website. And they're renovating the whole place.

With those renovations have come new tenants, and one of those new tenants is B&C Market BBQ. The "B&C" stands for "Bacon & Caviar," which is the name of the catering company which spawned the barbecue restaurant. While barbecue has been a part of the three year old catering company's offerings, owners Ed Smith and Paul Johnson recently decided to make it more of a focus and open the restaurant.

The restaurant is a little different than most in the food court in that it's not a booth or a counter - you can actually step inside. The simple menu is written on a blackboard on the wall. On the day I visited, they had pulled pork and pulled chicken. Normally, they also have smoked salmon (!) and pork ribs. Sides are the usual BBQ joint suspects - baked beans, cole slaw, potato salad, mac-and-cheese - plus corn pudding and a chipotle corn salad. I went for a pulled pork plate with baked beans and potato salad.

One of the results of being a member of Team Ulika is that I have developed exceptionally high standards for pulled pork. So believe me when I tell you that B&C's pulled pork was very, very good. It was seasoned just right, resulting in exceptional flavor, especially in the plentiful bark pieces. It could have been just a bit more moist, but I think it may have suffered from being on a serving tray for too long. It came sans sauce, and really didn't need any, but I tried some anyway. It was an excellent sauce, definitely more interesting than the "slightly enhanced ketchup" which passes for barbecue sauce so often in this area. The mild version which I tried had quite a kick to it, and reminded me a lot of Gate's sauce with its unique chili flavor.

The sides were somewhat less impressive, but still not bad. The baked beans came off as kind of bland on first taste, though there was an interesting spicy-sweet flavor buried in the mix. Perhaps that flavor could be turned up? The potato salad, which B&C calls "baked potato salad" again showed potential. The potatoes were cooked perfectly, not too firm and not too mushy. But the flavor was a bit too mayonnaise-heavy. Just a dabbling of complementary flavors could take it from good to great. Also, I want to say just a few words about the cornbread. It's definitely more of a corn light bread, but even that doesn't accurately describe it. It was definitely sweet, but it was not crumbly at all. In fact, it was closer to the texture of angel food cake - very interesting, and, might I say, a very refreshing alternative.

The potential is there for this to be a successful restaurant. If they can consistently turn out a product that is as good as what I tasted, they will have a shot. What remains to be seen is whether the Farmer's Market location will be a benefit or a bane. Until next time...

Las Americas Restaurante

Right in the heart of the Hispanic district of Nolensville Rd in Nashville sits a small restaurant and market called Las Americas. While you will find dozens of Mexican restaurantes along Nolensville Rd, Las Americas sets itself apart by also offering traditional dishes from Mexico's neighbor to the south, El Salvador.

Most prominently featured is the pupusa, which is a round, flat cornmeal patty stuffed with one of several ingedients, including frijoles (refried beans), quesillo (a white Central American cheese), and chicharrón (pork rinds). The pupusas are hand made, stuffed and fried right in front of you while you wait.

The pupusas are a warm, satisfying treat - perfectly fried almost to a crisp on the outside and all gooey and bursting with savory flavor on the inside. I personally think the cheese and/or pork works better as a filling than the beans. The cheese melts so perfectly and the pork rinds - just crunchy enough - are a nice textural complement to the rest of the pupusa.

While the pupusas are a traditioal favorite at Las Americas, this little known place has garnered a reputation for also having one hell of a burrito. My friend Kramer introduced me to these gargantuan gems. He often recalls the day when these burritos were just $2.49. Now a days the burrito will run you $3.99 (still one heck of a bargain).

I had often wondered how much one of these burritos weighs, so I threw it on the scale. It was a whopping 1.5 lbs.

This burrito is absolutely the best in Nashville. It comes with your choice of beef or chicken, and always with a big helping of cilantro and onions on the side. The tortilla is so soft that it almost melts in your mouth. As you can tell by the weight of the thing, it is loaded with chicken, beans, and other goodness. If you haven't ventured over to this local hot spot, I highly recommend it.

Prince's Hot Chicken Shack

In north Nashville, off of Dickerson Rd and Ewing Dr, lies a little place called Prince's Hot Chicken Shack. Prince's is just one of Nashville's several hot chicken restaurants, but it is considered by most to be the measuring stick. I never really knew that Nashville was known for their Hot Chicken restaurants, until I saw some national publications that referenced the chicken. Watch this video by the Southern Foodway Alliance for a quick history.



When you enter Prince's, there is nothing fancy about it. There are a about 5-6 white booths decked out with some mismatched table cloths. Just like some of my favorite places (Dreamland BBQ in Tuscaloosa and Buster's in Murfreesboro), there is no printed menu. There is a letter board menu on the wall that outlines your options: breast quarter, leg quarter, half chicken and a whole chicken with a few choices for sides. Then you have to decide on the temperature. For the novice, there is the Plain option, after that you can graduate to the Mild, then if you are feeling pretty good, there is the Medium. For the traditionalist there is the standard Hot, but for the brave and mighty, they will serve it up Very Hot.



I ordered a Hot half chicken with some fries and, most important of all, a bottle of water. The best thing about this chicken is that it is made to order, fried in the most traditional way in a cast iron skillet. You can see in the image below that it is served with several pickles on pieces of white bread. The inclusion of the white bread is a nice touch as this absorbs some of the spices from the chicken and is a great complement.



From the very first bite you can tell that this chicken is serious business. It is not only hot with spice, but also hot with heat.

I only ate half of my half chicken and I took the other half to go. Let me tell you, as this chicken sat for a little while, the heat really started to set in. The second half of the chicken, eaten a few hours later at home, was even hotter.

If you love it hot, and most know that I do, you will love Prince's Hot Chicken.

- UlikaBBQ

* * * * * *

You can call me a wimp all you want, but I'll still take mine "plain." Is that kind of like going to Ruth's Chris and asking for A-1 with your steak? Yeah, kinda, but hear me out. Spiciness has a way of dominating everything else in the equation. When you order your chicken with all of that heat on it, that's pretty much what you're going to taste. But if you strip away the heat, what remains is an absolutely perfectly fried piece of chicken - tender and juicy on the inside, crispy and delicious on the outside. Every bite is bursting with a perfect harmony of fresh and wonderfully complex flavors. Now why would you want to go and cover that up with a bunch of heat? But the bottom line is: if a reputation as the spiciest place in town is what's going to keep Prince's in business, then bring on the heat. This place is one of Nashville's true culinary treasures, whether you like it hot...or not.

-BP

Burger vs. Burger

As much as I love hamburgers (and I do love them a lot), I am more often than not disappointed by the hamburgers that I find in restaurants here in Nashville. Even some of the well-known places that win "best burger" year after year have left me thinking that I could do better at home with a charcoal grill or a cast iron skillet. Well, lately a couple of new players have appeared on the local burger scene, and I thought I'd let you know what I think.

Red Robin is a national chain, with locations from coast to coast. It originated as a local tavern in Seattle in the 1940s, but didn't begin expanding outside the Seattle area until the 80s. It's a full-service, sit-down restaurant, and it also has a full bar. Red Robin is relatively new to Middle Tennessee - they opened in Murfreesboro and Mt. Juliet a few months ago, and have just recently opened their first Nashville location in the new Nashville West shopping center on Charlotte Pike.

The menu at Red Robin is expansive. Their schtick is offering lots and lots of different burgers with every topping combination imaginable. There's the Bonzai Burger, marinated in teriyaki and topped with grilled pineapple and cheddar cheese. Or the Santa Fe Burger, topped with poblano peppers, guacamole, crispy tortilla strips and pepper jack cheese. Or the Five Alarm Burger, topped with pepper jack cheese, jalapeno peppers, salsa and chipotle mayonnaise. You get the picture. Of course there's also the option to "build your own" from the endless list of toppings and condiments. After visiting the restaurant a few times and trying a few of the readymade burgers, I settled on a modified version of the "Gourmet Cheeseburger," with American cheese, crispy onion straws, red relish and mayo.

Now that's a tasty burger. The only thing is, I think maybe why it's so tasty is because I've come upon a really incredible combination of toppings. And I think, when it comes down to it, that's the appeal of Red Robin - toppings. The burger patties themselves are not very flavorful. But with 101 variations to choose from, you're bound to find something that will make it flavorful. One other note - bottomless french fries. They do have unlimited french fries at Red Robin. Unfortunately, they are steak fries, which are not my preference. But they do have this incredible seasoning on the table for the fries that is pretty interesting.

Five Guys is different from Red Robin in almost every way. It began on the east coast (Washington DC area) in the 80s and began franchising in the eastern U.S. in 2003. It's a fast casual setup and there are peanuts on the floor. The menu is ridiculously simple - burgers, hot dogs, and fries - all cooked to order.

Fresh is really best word I can use to describe the food. The burgers are juicy and the flavor of the beef, seasoned perfectly, really shines through. This is the closest I have tasted to a homemade burger in a restaurant.

The burger-to-bun ratio is just right, and although I usually prefer a plain bun to one with sesame seeds, this bun is awesome, with just the right density and moistness. Although there are plenty of toppings to choose from, I usually get mine with just cheese and grilled onions - I think it complements the flavor of the beef just perfectly. Again, I should also mention the fries. These are some of the best fries I've ever had! They're cut fresh daily and twice fried with the skins left on. The seasoning is perfect. This is what french fries were meant to be.

If I have one beef with Five Guys, it might be the service. I have been to the Green Hills location a few times now, and have seen a noticable decline in courtesy and attentiveness of the employees there. Hopefully the management can nip this trend in the bud so it does not ruin what is an otherwise great restaurant.

Until next time...