Breakfastaholics

Ok, so I'm going to admit something bad.  I enjoy a good imbibing every so often and while I believe there's nothing wrong with that, even basing your food choice around alcohol is considered apropos (think wine pairing.)  I guess it could be a little out of the ordinary when the meal is at 830 in the morning, but in my defense, someone else started it.  And also in my defense, Bryant's has really good food...

So remember that blog I did a while back, for the Cerebal Palsy fundraiser?  Well, the mister, a friend and myself came across a person who said they had a friend who added a substance to their coffee every morning.  While hilarious to envision, our curiosity was genuinely peaked.  The Rum Chatta smells a bit like coffee and looks like creamer, so it was inevitable as to what we were going to do...especially with the forehand knowledge that it functions so nicely as a substitute for cafe au lait.  Of course we made sure that we were still sober...we had just enough to change the color and taste of the coffee.  As someone mentioned, put some sugar in the cip and it's just like a regular cup o' joe...as long as you don't have 10 cups.

But the food...the Rum Chatta was just an excuse to get to the restaurant...the food was great!  Every morning on my way to work, I turn south at the intersection of Summer and Graham.  In the years that I've driven that route, I've never noticed Bryant's.  Located at 3965 Summer Ave, the restaurant is located approximately 50 feet from the intersection.  I suppose I'm focused on coming in and working like a maniac for 8 hours a day.  Or maybe not.  Either way, I was stunned that it took so long for me to get here. 

We entered fairly early, literally beating the crowd.  By the time that we placed our order, the line was along the counter and wrapped back around to the other end of the restaurant.  If that's any indication of the quality and desirability of the food, by the time we finished, that continuing line was wrapped out of the restaurant and down the side of the building...before 10 am...

There is quite an extensive menu to choose from and they sell lunch in addition to the breakfast for which they are famous.  It was difficult for me to decide, because everything looked so delicious, but I quickly settled on the Breakfast Special:

Yes, this breakfast was special!

The Breakfast Special consisted of homemade biscuits, two eggs in any style you like (#teamscrambled), grits, gravy, hashbrowns and your choice of meat.  I chose the hickory smoked bacon, cooked extra crispy.  The only regret that I expressed was that I did not get any cheese in my eggs, but that wasn't a legitimate complaint because they were still great.  The only downside that I could see is that this establishment is not very large, so most patrons have to come in, eat and leave to make room for the next wave of customers.  And trust me, they were certainly coming in waves.  So if you're tired of the chain breakfast, scoot on over to Bryant's for some hometown, made-from-scratch goodness.  To be warned, unless you're with me, they only serve decaf and regular coffee.

This is only a test...

I'm already wondering how many people are gonna comment on this one...but I just wanted you to stay tuned...  I have a series of blogs coming out about some of the insightful dinners that the mister and I just concluded.  We've been meeting with friends for food, laughs and pre-engagement counseling.  There have been 5 dinners total (4 of which I'll blog about) but mostly to let you know I've been absent from the blog for just a little bit...we've been busy :)

Mambo Italiano

So this year, we attended our 3rd annual Memphis Italian Festival together...I think the organization is on #22, but we haven't known about it for that long.  Anyhoo, the festival is set up much like the Memphis BBQ Festival...you have to know someone to get into the tents where all of the fun, festivities, and food are being served.  If you don't know someone, there are vendors at the festival where you can purchase food, and just the smell of the motherland is enough to make it worth the trip.  Not my motherland, but you get the point...I love Italian food more than any other cuisine on the planet and I have the hip spread to testify to my love of bread, pasta, and olive oil...

So we were guests of Da Friends, a group which I've found over the years makes the most wonderful spinach.  I can't give away the secrets, but it's incredible.  Even before I was really big into spinach, I loved theirs.  There is always a full array of food and I absolutely ate myself uncomfortable the two nights that we participated.  Food, fun, and friends are the reason that I look forward to this event every year.  And the wine and alcohol.  That's a must for any large gathering of strangers... On the menu, or rather what made it onto my plate, was spicy chicken wings, grilled spinach with parmesan cheese, pasta with meat sauce, and bread with olive oil and garlic.  On the second night, we were served Jello shots as dessert.  Fun times all around.



Sorry for the bone...my mouth beat my camera for the first shot...



On the second night we attended the festival, we met this guy who just started talking to us when we sat down at the table.  I really like people like that.  He turned out to be quite an interesting character.  After much laughter with him and his wife, I discovered that this guy likes to play with his food.  And by play with his food, I mean that he's a culinary artist.  I was amazed at the work that he does...and more amazingly, it's a hobby that he's developed through natural talent.  This "guy" is named Patrick Forseth, he manages a successful chain grocery store in Memphis, and he's pretty awesome all around.  He did a watermelon that was in our tent and unfortunately, I was unable to snag a picture of it before it got chopped to pieces in order to feed the masses.  But the premise of the watermelon was that it was sculpted to match the posters that advertised for the festival.  You know how artists can tattoo or airbrush a picture onto a canvas or arm?  Yeah, he does that with food...



Yes, this is a real life work of art in the side of a fruit.  I personally just know how to make it smaller and easily digestable.




This is a pumpkin that Patrick made for his store at Halloween.  Like, really.  And the "patty" is chocolate cake...yes.

  So, Patrick does these things for various events, weddings, or just so that you can have bragging rights for the coolest fruit centerpiece out of all of your friends.  He said that I could tell folks about his awesomeness, so if you're interested in having something created for your next shindig, contact him at pforseth01@gmail.com for ideas and pricing.  Email him...you know you want to.  It's getting hot and everyone needs a fantabulous hunk of watermelon to show off...

Ladies Night

A few weekends ago, some friends and I were headed out of town for a weekend of shopping and shenanigans, but unfortunately, the trip had to be postponed.  Although thoroughly enjoying sleeping in, I called one of the ladies to see if she still wanted to get out of the house.  Knowing there aren't many opportunities for her to strut her stuff on the town, being the strong, hardworking woman that she is, we scheduled a date which involved the traditional dinner and a movie. 

Finally settling on a movie and location, we went to the Paradiso Theater and saw the movie Bridesmaids.  Someone mentioned that it's like the estrogen-laced (my words) version of The Hangover, and I might agree a bit.  If anyone was in the theater that day and heard the loud, sincerely obnoxious laughter coming from the lower left corner of the room, I apologize.  But if you were there, you also know why there was high peals of laughter from the entire audience...pure hilarity!  So definitely check it out...and The Hangover 2 when it's released in a few weeks.

After composing ourselves and surving the showing with dry pants, we headed over to Napa Cafe in the Sanderlin Shopping Center.  I'd called earlier in the day to make a reservation, and they were ready when we arrived, even though we were a little early.  For dinner, the lighting is low, the candles are up, and the atmosphere is ripe for romance.  Perhaps a bit much for two ladies out on the town, but sweet all the same...we made sure to note that we'd be bringing our significant others back for a real date night.  We burned up a lot of calories in our laugh fest, so we were primed to get our eat on!

To start the meal, my friend ordered soup and I ordered salad.  My salad was Romaine and Gorgonzola, which consisted of hand cut Romaine lettuce, spiced pecans, gorgonzola cheese, and was topped with a honey roasted garlic dressing.  Despite the fact that I'm definitely a "meat girl," I do love a good salad.  This one has my favorite items...pecans and garlic...and I ate it like it was the main course.  I believe the only thing that stopped me from literally inhaling without chewing was the fact that I was there with someone with whom I was engaging in conversation.  Otherwise, that could have been ugly.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that it was really good.  I think society should be grateful that it's not proper dining etiquette to lick the plate, because I did clean the plate.  I could have just been hungry, but that's neither here or there...



They really are colossal...

 The other thing I have to mention is that my friend is awesome.  Aside from her sparkling personality and engaging conversation, she is absolutely willing to offer up part of her meal for me to savor and bring additional legitimacy to the blog.  Which is extra awesome because for the main entree, she ordered Shrimp and Grits.  The menu offers this dish as grilled colossal shrimp with pancetta and mushroom demi-glace, and is served atop delta grind grits.  There is another spot in Memphis that serves the shrimp and grits entree, and I'm going to try them out for comparison's sake, but this entree was just as good as it looked.  I think we were drooling over each other's plates, and yes I shared my meal as well...

I ordered the Roasted Chicken, served au jus over sauteed spinach, and a side order of Sweet Corn Saute.  The chicken was cooked...perfectly.  The chicken was roasted so that the skin was crispy and the meat was cooked to the appropriate level of juicy.  The corn saute was served with crisp Benton's bacon.  I'm not really sure who Benton is but his bacon is super fantastic!  I didn't eat the main course nearly as fast as I did the salad; I actually took the time to savor each bite of this meal.  The spinach was not heavily seasoned and balanced the spices in the chicken.  About 3 bites into the main course and side item, I realized that I was being Greedy Smurf and was going to inevitably hurt myself trying to eat everything.  But in true champion fashion, I finished my meal and found a pocket in my tummy for dessert...



Roasted Chicken au YUMMY!



Sweet Corn Saute with Benton's Bacon

Not cheesecake, but just as awesome!

So dessert...against the better judgment of our digestive capabilities, we ordered off the dessert menu.  Sweet Buttermilk Pie for m'lady and Praline Pecan Ice Cream for myself.  I was so full of food, that when they brought mine out, I was confused as to what I'd ordered.  As much as I love cheesecake, I didn't actually remember ordering it and I didn't know why my cheesecake was frozen.  Please see the picture in regards to my confusion and don't judge me.  All that eating makes you tired and a bit delirious.  I also sampled the buttermilk pie and let my friend taste my ice cream, which by the way, was prepared on a coconut pecan crust, with butterscotch sauce and whipped cream.  And I  finished every single morsel.  I had to drive home with the windows down and wind in my face, but we promised that we would get together soon and eat ourselves silly once again. 

The staff was pretty awesome as well and definitely earn their pay.  So head over to Sanderlin Shopping Center and stop by Napa Cafe (reservations recommended) for a great experience, great service, and a positively earned belly ache.

Trust Me...

So I heard a rumor about this place that doesn’t let you make your own order if you’ve never been there before…and apparently they don’t…

So after much finagling, my chica and I managed to find time in our schedules for a lunch date and we decided to hit up the Pita Café.  Upon entering, sure enough the chef asked us if we’d been there before, and when we told him that we had not, he informed us that we’d be having the #4, which is the Chicken Shawarma Wrap.  My friend stood her ground and ordered the Chicken Fajita Wrap, but I was intrigued.  First timers are allowed to pick their vegetables to go into the pita, but as far as the meat and the seasoning, house rules are “Trust me.  Trust me completely.  If you don’t like it after two bites, you don’t have to pay for it…” and I’m usually not the one to turn down an opportunity for a free meal. 

The Pita Café is located at 3950 Park Avenue, right next door to the Burger King at the intersection of Getwell and Park.  While sitting and waiting for our food to cook, we saw multiple ethnicities coming in and out of the restaurant.  I’m not used to seeing a lot of people trying new things in the city and I was very excited to see the people in the neighborhood enjoying a culinary experience outside of the “norm.”  My pita consisted of a garlic sauce, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and chicken.  On the side was a bag of cool ranch Doritos and sweet tea.  The man was right…that was one good pita.  And if I say so myself, the cool ranch was the right touch to go with the main course.  I guess it doesn’t hurt that I love Doritos anyway.  To be completely honest, there was so much food that it was a bit of a struggle just to finish it.  By the end, we were both just picking the meat out of so that we could say we made our meal count.

I've passed this restaurant several times and had never seen it, but thanks to the recommendation from another friend, I made time to try it out.  I think that you should give it a shot, especially if you're looking to venture into Mediterranean cuisine.  If you don’t like it after two bites, it’ll cost you nothing.  With that said, you should be prepared to pay for your meal…

3950 Park Avenue, Memphis, TN

Graduating in GA

Ahh, life has been quite hectic the last few weeks!  I've missed eating and talking to you about it... 

The mister graduated this semester, as did I, but unlike for my festivities, we were lucky enough to travel to Atlanta, GA for his celebrations.  Beginning the weekend with arguably the worst decision we've ever made, we made it to the heart of the Peach State only an hour late to the graduates' meeting.  No seriously, try going to a wine and oyster tasting and summarily attempting to drive 6 hours after literally not sleeping for 26 hours straight...worst.decision.ever.  But despite our randomly exhausting spontaneity, and after many mini naps along the way, we made it safe and sound and participated in a wonderful celebration.

Post graduation inevitably involved a lengthy nap and when we awoke from our siesta at approximately 1030 PM, we decided we were hungry.  We called around to a few places and most establishments were closed or would be by the time we prepared to depart the hotel.  A phone call to our chosen location let us know that we could eat to our stomach’s content until 4 AM, so we gussied up and headed out to…

We’ve made quite a few trips to Atlanta and has always discussed going to Gladys Knight’s establishment, without being able to bring a visit to fruition.  But alas!  In the middle of the night, Ms. Knight’s restaurant welcomed us and our empty, disgruntled bellies with open arms.  True to Southern charm, the wait staff was very kind and accommodating.  There were even Arnold Palmers to drink (sweet tea and lemonade.)  We started our meal off with Jerk Chicken eggrolls, served with a cool ranch dressing.  Something that I’ve never seen, even in travels abroad, I absolutely had to try this and I can say that I was not disappointed in the least.  They were the perfect balance of spicy and light, and the cool ranch dressing served to bring out the jerk seasoning. 

This establishment is well known for its Chicken and Waffles meal, but I wanted to stray a bit from that path.  He did order that dish because the special waffle of the evening was a cinnamon maple waffle and it was difficult to pass up.  I try to make sure that I taste everything that I write about, so I can honestly say that I have experienced the dish; I've found this strategy also gives me an excuse to eat off my honey’s plate.  I chose the Smothered Chicken with yams, fried potatoes, white rice, and sweet cornbread.  Yes, at this point it’s about 1 AM and I’m ordering a platter bigger than my head.  I don’t pretend to be oblivious as to why my clothes are shrinking; I just choose to look the other way most of the time.  And after tasting something this delectable, I’m sure you’d look the other way as well.  It was just what the palate of a Southerner demands…large portions of meat covered in gravy, served with stuff covered in stuff.  I couldn’t finish the meal, but every seam in my stomach cheered me on to try.  The fried potatoes were my favorite part of the dish.  Served in the style of hashbrowns, this dish also contained red and green peppers and diced onions…just incredible... 

For good measure and to round out the experience, we ordered sweet potato cheesecake to go.  My two favorite desserts on this planet are cheesecake and my mother’s sweet potato pies and they’ve managed to combine them into a single dessert.  Whomever said that Heaven is on earth had to have sampled this cheesecake.

So if you ever find yourself in the ATL looking for a late night “snack,” please stop by and give them a try.  The only thing you’ll regret is not wearing pants with an elastic waistline.

Riquísimo Belize

Mmm, "riquísimo..." Ok, they speak English there, but nevermind.  The Spanish word for "scrumptious" just looks and sounds cool.



Belize City, Belize

Fresh off a 7 day cruise to Cozumel, Belize City and Isla Roatan with a pretty cool group of people, I can say that I was fortunate to dine at a location that boasted a dish worth blogging about.  Our second port-of-call was Belize City, Belize and we participated in an excursion to the Altun Ha Archaeological Site, which managed to re-convince me of the universe's demise in 2012.  On the plus side, the tour was very educational and our guide has an appropriate appetite for her native food.  She recommended a local spot at our port and upon locating it, we realized it was a bar.  The adjoining restaurant, where were could actually get a meal, was called The Deck and that was where we had lunch.  

Upon looking at the menu, we noticed that the prices were a little more than what we expected.  I had a feeling that we would get our money's worth and was willing to take the chance.  So on a lazy, rainy afternoon in Belize, I ordered the stewed chicken for $10 USD and this is what I received:

Belizean Stewed Chicken

Stewed chicken with stew beans and white rice, potato salad and plantains!  (Un)fortunately for me, there was not enough chicken to complete my serving, so our hostess, Lisette,  offered stewed beef to compensate.  Sucks for me, I know.  The chicken and beef were cooked in a mildly spicy broth; the rice was cooked in coconut milk and the stew consisted of red and green peppers, onions, kidney beans and tomatoes.  I'm usually particular about potato salad and don't eat a lot of it, but this one was muy delicioso!  And to top it off, fried plantains on the side and an ice cold Coke.  The mister had the stewed beef and decided to sprinkle some habanero sauce on it...I thought it was muy, muy caliente and went back to my mild meal. 

We were the only customers at the moment, but as we dined, several of the locals came in to sit and socialize with one another.  It was wonderful to see a sampling of the different cultures and people laughing and enjoying each other's company.  Lisette was quite gifted in her hosting and culinary skills.  She continually asked us how the food was and if we needed anything to make our meal and visit more enjoyable.  As much as her consideration was sincerely appreciated, it was not a stretch of the imagination to figure out what we thought of her food:

Yeah...that was the business!

So, if you ever find yourself in Belize, please make sure to stop by The Deck and see Lisette.  I can guarantee that it'll be worth the time and money.  And tell her I sent you.  She did ask if she was going to see her business on Facebook.  And she's a really good hugger too :)