Monday, May 14, 2012
The last stop on the Epic Foodie Weekend was the acclaimed Girl & the Goat restaurant, captained by Chef Stephanie Izard, of numerous accolades including winning Top Chef season 4, Food & Wine Best New Chef, and a James Beard Award finalist for best chef midwest.
I was extremely happy when I first made my reservations here – in fact, it was the first restaurant I checked when I went to Open Table. Even at the end of February, the only reservation I could make was at 10:45 on Thursday night. Unfortunately, due to a massive tornado warning that hit Nashville, my flight was delayed and by the time I got to the airport it was 10:30, and any hope of making that reservation dwindled. I was a little bummed, but determined to try my hand at the waiting list another day.
On Sunday, I was still recovering from the massive Publican meal. I had a slice of the ubiquitous deep dish pizza (which to be honest, was a complete waste of a meal) for lunch. But right around 4:30 pm, we were at the door of The Girl and the Goat and put our name on the waiting list. The wait was already at an hour and a half, and we were waiting for the rest of our party to show up.
Bourbon, Aperol, Lemon
The cool thing about The Girl and the Goat, however, is that they actually serve people the full menu in their waiting area. We grabbed some prime real estate on the waiting area couches and ordered some drinks. We chatted with the people around us – especially when they ordered dishes that looked particular good (which was everything, by the way).
When the rest of our party came, we actually didn’t even bother trying to get a table. By getting space in the waiting area, which had a long table, we could order immediately. And did we ever order…
Fried Chickpea Polenta, Tomato, Fresh Chickpeas
Fried Soft Shell Crabs with Tom-Kha Broth (holy!)
Goat Rillette Empanadas, Mustard Seeds, Goat Cheese, Harissa
Crispy Pig Face, Runny Egg, Potato Sticks, Maple (the pig face is actually under the egg and very delicious!)
Salmon, Blueberries, Lamb Sausage, Chimmichurri
Hiramasu Crudo, Pork Belly, Sourdough croutons, Caperberries
Crispy Pork Shank, homemade hot sauce, yogurt, green onion salsa
All of the dishes at The Girl and the Goat were simply amazing. The crispy pork shank was by far my favorite dish – succulent and juicy pork that was fried till crispy. We got to shred the meat, stuff the homemade bread with sauces that made this feel like the best buffalo wing you’ve ever had. The goat rillette empanadas were also fantastic because you have to order goat at this restaurant, right?
The restaurant is a great casual space – the drinks are great and the food is phenomenal. If you’re in Chicago, you definitely have to go try it out – and try hanging out in the waiting area if you haven’t made a reservation. It’s a great place to make some new friends and eat some amazing food before you explore Chicago some more.
Part 1 of Foodie Weekend in Chicago. Part 2 of Foodie Weekend in Chicago.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Day two on the epic Chicago vacation started off with waking up pretty late since I was partying it up till the wee hours of the morning. Needless to say, the hotel we stayed at made some pretty good, spicy bloody marys. Sometimes, the hotel bartender around 11:30 a.m. can be your best friend.
But alas, it was epic vacation weekend, so we knew we had to get out into the city. Thanks to a tip from the awesome Jennifer, of Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese, I was made aware of the Pastoral Artisan Producer Festival. We got to walk around this awesome indoor market and sample great cheeses, cured meats, wine, and beer. And it was for free. So going to it was a no-brainer. Along with my friends – Ehson, Darius, and Alice – we pretty much ate from every single artisan that was here. It was great to meet cheesemakers whose cheese I actually had in my fridge – such as Dante or Jasper Hill in Vermont. And while we were there, we ran into Kenny himself! And my friends agreed that Kenny’s Norwood was the favorite cheese of the whole day!
That’s my buddy Ehson on the right, Kenny, Alice, and me
This was the second year of the event it was a complete blast. Next time I come to Chicago, I’d love to check out this market just by itself – there are so many great vendors that it’d be fun to explore more in depth.
But soon after the festival, dinner time was approaching, and we had an early reservation at another Paul Kahan restaurant – The Publican. When we walked inside, we saw huge communal tables and our waitress told us the focus of the restaurant – oysters, pork, and beer.
Yep, sounded like heaven to me.
We pretty much ordered the menu.
One of the signature appetizers are the spicy pork rinds, which truly are amazing. They are so crispy with cheddar cheese powder, cayenne, and a good dousing of vinegar. I could’ve ate about 10 orders of this stuff. It went perfectly with my beer – Allagash White.
Of course, I had to order the charcuterie plate which came with headcheese, pork pie, sausage, pickles, and mustard. I love cured pork.
Although the oysters did look particularly good, we opted for a fish dish of fried perch with arugula, red onions, and parmesan. The fish was fried beautifully and the lemony sauce cut through the richness of the dish.
Blood sausage is one of my favorite sausages and the one at The Publican is a superior version. The sausage was cooked perfectly – crispy on the outside and juicy in the middle. This is one of those dishes that you must try when you go to Publican. It’ll make you a believer, if you’ve been hesitant about trying blood sausage.
Lately, I’ve been going to so many places and ordering the chicken. When chicken is done well, like really well, it’s hard for me to resist. The chicken here is spectacular. It is seasoned with a spicy paste and then grilled perfectly – I mean, just look at that crispy skin! You could light a match on it. French fries were a big hit at this part of the meal, as we had pretty much finished as many bottles of wine as we had courses.
This was also the one dish that drew the ire of the diners sitting next to us. The Publican has a great communal atmosphere and since you literally sit next to other parties, we made some new friends and even shared some dishes with them!
I have two favorite cuts of steak: ribeye and the hanger steak. Hanger steak is brilliant here with grilled ramps and a romesco sauce. It’s a beautiful cut that is tender and extremely flavorful. The ramps were delicious and such a great taste of spring.
Lastly, if we didn’t eat enough, came the piece de resistance – a huge slab of porchetta. Before we came to the Publican, I knew I was going to order it. Pork loin seasoned liberally with fennel, garlic, and black pepper, wrapped in belly and roasted for hours on end. The meat was succulent, tender, and fatty. With some bitter (in a good way) broccoli rabe, this dish was outstanding. I would move to Chicago for the sole purpose of eating this once a week, much to my physician’s chagrin, I’m sure.
Once we got done with the porchetta, the six of us that went to dinner were extremely satisfied. It was a meat and booze fest. And for a couple guys on vacation, this place was pretty much our favorite dinner of the trip.
(Switch mind to post dinner – pre going out cocktails)
Due to my brilliant planning, we had reservations for cocktails at Grant Achatz’s The Aviary in about 45 minutes. While we had an incredible dinner, none of us realized that we were about to embark upon the coolest, most fascinating cocktail experience of our lives.
There is just nothing like The Aviary. Period. It’s hard to even try to put it into words because I’ve never experienced anything like this before. Before I even try to say anything, just check out this video of my first drink.
The cool part was, I actually got to fire a slingshot to break the ice. We ordered a couple of more drinks, like the Rob Roy, which was a cocktail that came in a clear pillow of lavender smoke. You had to cut the bag and then extract the cocktail from the bottom of the pillow, all the while smelling the aroma of lavender.
Another drink was a 2-in-1. The first drink was a gin cocktail with lemon and egg white. The second cocktail was a self carbonated negroni. I drank each of them separately, and they were delicious. But then, if you pour the negroni into the first cocktail, you end up with a third cocktail and three distinct layers – egg white, negroni, gin – that is another cocktail onto itself!
Sometimes it’s so hard to change classic drinks because they are so classic. But what I experienced at The Aviary was cocktails that we are all familiar with – an old fashioned, a gin & tonic, a negroni – presented in a completely different way. And then we got to try cocktails that we’ve never had that reminded us of something classic. For example, we had a tequila drink, where the glass was infused from smoked bourbon barrels. The drink tasted like bourbon on the rocks, but was in fact, tequila.
I was inceptioned.
And of course, while there, I ordered a couple of snacks from the elBulli menu of Next. Jealous?
Top Left: Huckleberry Marshmallow, Top Right: Pancetta Crisps, Date Puree, Bottom: Avocado “Eggroll”
Stay tuned for Day 3 recap. I go to The Girl & The Goat.
For Day 1 recap, please click here.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
The last weekend in April, I was ready for a vacation. 2012 has been flying by (I can barely believe it’s already May!), and I was ready to check out for a weekend – to relax, to eat, and to drink my way through a new city. Lucky for me, Southwest Airlines came to the rescue and I was able to snag an incredibly cheap flight to Chicago. I booked my flight, called up my best friend, Ehson, and within a few hours, we were all ready for a vacation in the Windy City.
Almost as soon as I booked my flight, I was already looking for places to eat, scoping out websites of all the great restaurants in Chicago. I poured over menus, watched youtube videos late into the night, and scoured opentable.com to see which restaurants would make the cut. My decision: I need to come to Chicago more often. This city has so many great options to eat, that I ended up with a list of almost 40 restaurants and bars I wanted to try. Although that would be impossible to fit into a three day trip, I was extremely happy with all the food and drink we got to enjoy. To date, it was the best culinary trip I’ve ever taken. And now, I can’t wait to get back to Chicago and keep eating!
The first place we went was Paul Kahan’s Blackbird for lunch on Friday, a James Beard Award winning restaurant that also boasts a Michelin star. I love going to restaurants like Blackbird early in the day, because you can save a good amount of money by avoiding the higher dinner prices, but still get incredible value. And Blackbird offers a 3 course prix-fixe lunch menu for only $22, so we were all in.
Of course, during vacation, cocktails are a key component of the lunchtime experience. This drink was a mix of gin, rhubarb, and pickle juice. It was an incredibly refreshing drink, with a hint of saltiness and good acidity that went down real easy.
First, I ordered the confit octopus with pea porridge and dill seed. It was a great first course – the octopus was cooked perfectly, the pea porridge and pea shoots were incredibly fresh since they are in season now, and they made a little cracker out of dill seed which provided texture to the dish.
If there is one thing I love to eat more than anything, it’s crispy birds. Fried chicken, crispy duck skin, and grilled game just call my name. When I see duck confit on the menu, I very rarely steer away from it. This duck confit was perfect with beautifully moist and tender meat, and skin that had been flash fried so it was crispy all the way around. The grilled white asparagus added a nice smoky note, and the fresh herb salad with sourdough croutons cut through the richness of the meat.
Ehson ordered the burger. And this wasn’t just any burger – a blend of short rib with smoked provolone and CHICKEN SKIN AIOLI. I got to take a bite, and we both agreed that this was one of the best burgers we have ever had. Chicken skin aioli, folks. Brilliant!
For desert, I got the espresso chiffon cake. I’m not a fan of overly sweet deserts, so I really enjoyed this cake which had blood orange, honey, and turnip ice cream. The presentation of the desert was spectacular – and reminded me of the earthiness of turnips, with the crumbs resembling the soil from which they are plucked. Turnip ice cream…who would have thought? It sure was tasty!
Lunch at Blackbird was a memorable meal and I’m glad we were able to sneak in during lunch, where reservations were also easier to come by! This meal even kept us satisfied for an afternoon filled with day drinking – what more can you ask for from a lunch spot?
If you’re in Chicago, I highly recommend getting over to Blackbird or their sister restaurant, Avec, which is next door.
For the next installment of the epic Chicago trip, I’ll tell you all about Meat Fest at Kahan’s other restaurant, The Publican.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
I can barely believe spring is already upon us. It seems as if we never actually had a winter. We had 70 degree weather in February, it “snowed” once or twice, and I barely turned on the heater this year (so my gas bill was low!) In fact, the only thing “wintery” about this winter was that my blog went into a little hibernation!
Rest assured, we’re getting back up to full speed! The ole blog is getting a top to bottom remodeling job and I can’t wait to show it to you guys. In the meantime, I’ve also started writing restaurant reviews with Zarna on a new site - 2 Dine for Nashville, which has been an absolute joy. So thanks for bearing with me through the change. As we get into spring and the farmers markets are abundant with fresh produce, epicurean adventures will be all back to normal.
In the meantime, I thought I’d pop in and share some knowledge on some cool things. You see, after the CSA season ended in December, I was at a loss for what to do. I no longer had 10 lbs of kale sitting around, or a mound of sweet potatoes, or even a teeny-tiny radish. Transitioning from the bounty of farm fresh ingredients, I found it difficult to make meals. I almost forgot what it was like to go grocery shopping. But, after our CSA experiment, I was determined to find and support a fine local establishment.
Luckily for us in Nashville, we have The Turnip Truck, a locally owned grocery store committed to selling the finest natural, organic foods and showcasing local artisans. Ever since the Turnip Truck moved to the Gulch, I always had it in my market rotation, for nothing else than to pick up my Springer Mountain Farms (Georgia) chicken for the week. It’s the best chicken I’ve ever had and at $8 for a whole bird, you can’t go wrong. But lately, I’ve been going there weekly to pick up fresh produce, meat, grains, cheese, and of course, beer.
The meat counter is one of the better ones in town and for me, that’s huge. One day I walked in and needed to pick up 3 pounds of chicken thighs for some sausage I was making. I asked the friendly butcher who said he only had whole birds, but was willing to cut 3 lbs of thighs fresh, just for me. That’s customer service, folks! He was quick and efficient and by the time I got done walking around the rest of the store (i.e. eating all the free samples), my chicken thighs were ready to go. Thank you, sir.
All of their beef and pork is certified organic and comes from a co-op of farms in Wisconsin. The steaks I got one day (ribeyes) were fantastic and the butcher even cut them to my specifications (2 inches thick, please!) And when I wanted pork shoulder for this dish, they were kind enough to order me some and had it in the next day.
Speaking of pork, let’s get to the meat of the matter. Pork shoulder is one of my favorite cuts of meat. And as we are leaving the winter months, I needed just one more slow cooked, braised dish that would warm me up from the inside. A way to say goodbye to winter, but hello to spring. Slow cooked pork, with a salsa verde made out of cilantro, rosemary, capers, lemon juice and olive oil is a match made in heaven. The salsa verde (not to be confused with a tomatillo salsa) cuts right through the richness of the meat and since it’s chock full of herbs, its the perfect condiment during spring. And let me tell you, It’s good on a roast chicken, a steak, or a piece of fish. Make a big batch and eat it all week!
Slow Roasted Pork with Salsa Verde
(recipe courtesy of Vivek Surti)
2 lbs of pork shoulder
2 oranges, zested and juiced
2 limes, zested and juiced
5 cloves of garlic, smashed
1/4 cup rosemary leaves
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
Combine the orange zest, lime zest, garlic, rosemary, olive oil and honey. Season with salt and pepper. Rub mixture all over the pork. Put the pork in a roasting pan and pour the citrus juice into the bottom of the pan.
Roast the pork for about 4 hours until it is meltingly tender. Remove the meat from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes. Shred the meat with your hands or two forks, or chill overnight and slice with a knife. Serve with salsa verde, some warm tortillas, and pickled onions.
Salsa Verde
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons rosemary leaves, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup capers, drained and chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
Combine the cilantro, basil, rosemary, garlic, capers, jalapenos, and lemon zest in a food processor until thoroughly incorporated, but still chunky. Mix in the lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Now, the part I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for is the GIVEAWAY. The kind folks over at The Turnip Truck have offered to give one of you a $50 gift card to shop there! That’s like a week’s worth of groceries! Or a weekend full of great steak!
Here’s what you have to do to enter: Leave a comment on this post saying what you would use the $50 on at the Turnip Truck (and let me know if you shop there too!) CONTEST CLOSES: THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Doing the following will get you additional entries and more chances to win!
1. Follow me on twitter and tweet “I just entered to win a $50 giftcard to @TurnipTruckWest courtesy of @viveksurti! Enter here: http://wp.me/pXbmX-oP” and leave a comment that you have done so.
2. Like my page on Facebook, and leave a comment about that too!
3. Follow @TurnipTruckWest on twitter and (you get the gist) leave a comment!
4. Like the Turnip Truck Facebook page and spread the word that you did!
AFTER you’ve done all that, you’ll have 5 chances in the running to win your Turnip Truck gift card!
Lastly, if you’re interested in learning more about the meats they carry, Turnip Truck is going to have some awesome classes in April, with a tour of their meat department so you can learn what grass fed, sustainable, natural, certified organic and all that good labeling stuff means. The dates and details on how to sign up are below!
Thursday April 12th 6:00-7:00pm
Saturday April 14th 10:00-11:00am
(321 12th Ave South- Nashville 37203)
Classes are free but space is limited. To sign up for this class, please email kathryn@theturniptruck.com.
Happy shopping, folks.
Cheers,
Vivek
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
2011 was a rollercoaster of a year. It was, in fact, my first full year of blogging. I’ve had the honor of writing for a start up publication – The Double Standard, and in a few weeks be part of the writing team for a new website - 2 Dine For Nashville (feel free to follow us on twitter!) – with my lovely sister, Zarna. I (somehow) was “qualified” to be a judge for a Nashville Lifestyle’s Bartender Bash, the Southern Hot Wing Festival, and a cookoff amongst Real Estate companies. I competed in the Music City Hot Chicken Festival and the Music City Chili Cookoff. I joined a CSA and got great/local produce for the entirety of the growing season. I started a new job and spent a lot of time moving out of a house I had lived in for the better part of 2 decades. I’m hoping for big things in 2012 and can’t wait to keep blogging and sharing my adventures with y’all – thank you, as always, for being along for the ride.
I took some time over the holiday to reflect on the past year. Of course, memories of the year are even better when there is food involved! So with that, here is a list of my favorite bites, sips, and adventures of 2011.
#10: The Sweet Stash: Cookie Sammie’s
(Photo Courtesy of The Sweet Stash)
I was never a huge desert person. Then, I ate Whitney’s oatmeal cookie sandwich. Two large crispy and chewy oatmeal cookies sandwiching cinnamon buttercream. There was an all out war amongst foodies in Nashville to see who could get to the market early enough to pick them up. Sometimes, I could see [insert unnamed friend here] buying the last few cookies just seconds before I made it to the counter. THEN, Whitney came out with a second cookie sammie. Peanut butter cookies with chocolate buttercream and rolled in salted peanuts. HOLY. Most recently, there are gingerbread cookies with lemon buttercream. GENIUS. I get one almost every weekend. I can’t stop eating them!
#9: House of Kabob, Braised Lamb Shank
I’m really hesitant to tell you about this dish and this restaurant. I’ve been coming here religiously for over 7 years. It is amazing, authentic, delicious Kurdish food. I’ve had everything on the menu, but my absolute favorite is the braised lamb shank served with yellow rice with housemade hot sauce and yogurt. The lamb is braised to perfection in a rich tomato broth until succulent and delicious (plus you can suck the marrow from the bones!) It is quite possibly the best piece of lamb I’ve ever had in my life. I’ve probably eaten it a hundred times. House of Kabob is my little secret treasure in Nashville and after many years of keeping it secret, I’m willing to share. Go try it. And for my good friends that don’t like lamb, try the joojeh (Cornish hen) kabob – some of the best chicken you’ll ever eat.
#8: Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese
A bunch of Nashville Food Bloggers got the opportunity to go on a trip to see how cheese was made from a real dairy farm. This year really was a lot about learning where my food comes from and who produces it. I’ve been hooked on Kenny’s cheese since the trip and I love seeing Jennifer and Robin’s faces every week at the Farmer’s Market. Mac N Cheese just wouldn’t be as good without some of Kenny’s aged cheddar.
#7: Nashville Food Trucks
Check out the video from Eat Street where I was featured talking about The Grilled Cheeserie (go to 15:20)
At this time last year, Nashville had about 2 food trucks. Now, the list has grown to almost 40. That is one helluva trend. I love the food truck movement, and I love the delicious morsels I get to grab from these decked out mobile kitchens. I was even featured on The Food Network’s Cooking Channel show Eat Street (twice!). A few of my favorite dishes are the kao mun gai from Deg Thai Truck, bahn mi from Riff’s Fine Street Food, the pimento mac n cheese melt from The Grilled Cheeserie, the brisket tacos from Smoke et Al, and the tiger wings from Jonbalaya. I can’t wait to try out more food trucks in the coming year. If you’re not on the bandwagon, you need to be.
#6: Fido, Local Burger
I’ve eaten a lot of burgers this year. I’ve even made a few. But nothing compares to Chef John Stephenson’s Local Burger from Fido. A mix of local beef and lamb, with Kenny’s cheese, caramelized fennel, fried onions, fig mayo, and an amazing bun. It’s just perfection between two slices of bread. A few friends of mine have accompanied me and now we all make special trips to Fido just to get this burger.
#5: ChaChah, Chef’s Tasting Menu
This was the first tasting menu I’ve ever done in my life. Before this, I could never afford one on my student budget. Lucky for me, during the first restaurant week of 2011, celebrity chef Arnold Myint churned out a 5 course tasting menu that literally blew my mind.
#4: PDT Cocktail Lounge (NYC)
Secret entrance through a fake phone booth. Painstaking attention to detail. Amazing cocktails. Hot dogs with deep fried mayo (courtesy of Wylie Dufrense) and wrapped in bacon with kimchi (courtesy of David Chang). A not to be missed spot in New York.
#3: City House
Sometimes there are restaurants you go to, just to try things out. Then there are places that you crave and entice you to keep coming back for more. City House is the place I always want to have dinner at. Chef Tandy Wilson makes all the food I want to eat. Homemade salami, a frico of montasio cheese covering roasted potatoes, a salad of octopus, thin and crispy pizza topped with house made belly ham, a beautiful wood oven roasted chicken, or house made sausage. I want to eat everything I see on that menu, all the time. The drinks (especially the kubric) are phenomenal and I especially love the Sunday Suppers, where Chef Tandy prepares a meal of snacks that people can order and share with their dining companions. Any meal with pork snacks (crispy pig ears, fried pig tails buffalo style, high life ribs, homemade corndogs, etc) makes me happy.
#2: The Catbird Seat
By far the best restaurant experience I’ve had up until this point in my life. It was exciting, unexpected, revolutionary, thought provoking, and of course, mighty tasty. It’s certainly an occasion dinner spot, but I really hope I can go back soon. Chefs Josh Habiger and Erik Anderson are doing real special work here.
#1: Charcutepalooza
No single adventure has changed me more than being a part of this incredible blogging community. I’ve written enough about it in numerous posts over the course of the year. Learning techniques on curing, salting, smoking, grinding, and brining will stick with me for a long time. I love making my own bacon and sausage. I appreciate knowing where my meat comes from and how it’s grown. The relationships and people I’ve met along the way will be my friends for a very long time. When I started this adventure, I had no idea what an impact it would have on me. Out of over 400 people nationally, I was honored to be one of 10 semifinalists. I guess it just goes to show that if you have the opportunity to try something, at least try it out. You’ve got nothing to lose.
Now, onto 2012! Cheers,
Vivek
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