Just in time for the Derby - A Perfect Julep

Hello my thirsty friends.  It's Derby time, and that means it is time for a good Mint Julep.  You may not be in Kentucky, but you can still drink this and get lucky.

The Julep is one of the very first cocktails, and derives from an Arabic drink that involved muddled rose petals.  Imagine what the Middle East would have been like nowadays if they only had bourbon back then.  Oh well.

Most of today's Juleps are disgusting sweet minty messes; one of my pals said that the worst one she ever had was actually at Churchill Downs, which is the nexus of Derby!  It's time to take the Julep back.

This recipe is easy and is a variation of one served at the Violet Hour in Chicago.  The ingredients are simple, but you want to make sure that you follow all of the steps to get the best experience.  The rich syrup perfectly offsets the mint and the over-proof bourbon goes well with the ice (watering down is not a problem here).



Ingredients:
2-3 Mint leaves, cleaned and dried with a paper towel
3 ounces of overproof Bourbon (Weller Antique 107 is my favorite)
1/2 ounce of rich (2:1) Demerara Syrup*
Crushed ice**


Tools:

From left to right, stainless steel straw/spoon, Hawthorn strainer, Boston shaker and top, muddler, Julep cup, mesh strainer

Load the Julep cup with crushed ice and insert straw.  Muddle the mint leaves in the small part of your shaker with the syrup and a little bit of crushed ice.  Shake with ice for thirty seconds, and then double strain (using the mesh and Hawthorn strainer) into the ice-filled Julep cup.  Enjoy!



* Demerara syrup is simply raw or Turbinado syrup dissolved in water.  For rich syrup, take two cups of sugar and 1 cup of water and heat at almost a boil until dissolved.  Let cool completely and mix in an ounce of vodka - this will stabilize it for months in the fridge.  I like to put my syrups in clear food service squeeze bottles; they are really inexpensive.|


**If you haven't an ice crusher on your fridge or a Lewis bag and mallet, there are two great solutions. One would be to put ice in a gallon zip lock bag and beat the hell out of the ice with a wooden rolling pin.  Second option is many fast food restaurants, especially Sonic, sell "pellet" ice for cheap, I keep some in my downstairs fridge for cocktail emergencies.

Life sucks, but I got a Review of the Day on Yelp!

On a week when life is raining crap upon you, it is nice to get a social networking fist bump...


I got another Review of the Day on Yelp!


It was for my review of the Full Moon Pickin' Party, a monthly summer event in Nashville that is a non-stop blast, especially when there is no way that your significant other will drink all of his or her beers.  Really looking forward to it starting up this year.

Review follows:


Wow, just wow.

I've lived on the West side of town since 2007 - within biking distance of the Warner Parks, and somehow it took until this year to end up at one of these very special nights.  Seen the signs for years, never bothered to look into it. 

So, we trundled into here, discovering that all we would have had to do was bring a musical instrument with us to receive a righteous discount.  I mean, I have six trombones of various calibers around the house, I could have grabbed one and saved some serious dinero.  Not to mention the guitars strewn all over the place.

Anywho, we pulled into a field and parked with our pals.  Waited in line and got a wristband that got us FOUR BEERS!  What?!?  Yes my friends, FOUR BEERS.  And we aren't talking Bud Lite, we are talking Blue Moon, Yazoo, great great seasonal stuff. And there are coolers full of water everywhere.  The night we were there, there were several food vendors, including some BBQ and places that accommodated my sadly vegetarian family for a reasonable price.  And Jeni's Ice Cream was there, which is never a bad thing.

While we were there, we bumped into a long-time friend and his daughters, one of our son's classmates and her sisters and family, and a few of my son's teachers.  So cool that a fantastic field in the middle of nowhere turns out to the the nexus of meeting people in West Nashville.

So, it was a gorgeous night, perfect weather, and we all had ourselves a wonderful picnic dinner on a blanket in the middle of a field.  I recommend that you bring a good blanket and some nice camp chairs -  they'll really come in handy.  There were little cloisters of musicians playing about, but the most fun I had was running with my 3-year-old son through fields, playing with glow sticks and glow-necklaces, and enjoying a wonderful night with my kids.  There was also a guy that had set up a telescope to let the kids take a look at the heavens.  

A magical night indeed.  (FOUR BEERS AN ADULT!!!)

http://www.yelp.com/biz/full-moon-pickin-party-nashville#hrid:cOnEkHxw15oVE0VoYHUp7w

Duck tongues. Yep, that happened.

Got a chance to check out Otaku South with the wife and kids last weekend.

For those not in the know, a ramen-obsessed lady by the name of Sarah Gavigan started partnering with local chefs and then began doing her own pop-ups all over town.  She clearly has passion for what she does, and has been going all over the country to learn new things and take them back to her kitchen dojo.

While it was a fun event, I can see where there is some opportunity in the execution;I will enjoy seeing how she evolves and eating her creations.

The assembly line

Jumpin' Japanese junk food orgy are the first words that come to mind for this joint.

I have been meaning to catch one of these for months, but between kids, work, more work and kids, it just hadn't happened.  Until I caught up with them at Marathon Music Works for the "Extra Large" event.  Basically they had some guest chefs in from out of town, so I would say that this was not the standard Otaku South experience.

It couldn't have been a more beautiful day, and we tossed the kids in the car and headed on down to Germantown.  As we walked up around 4:45, they were still setting up the Yakitori grill outside, but good smells were already wafting out.  We asked the ironically mustachioed hipster bouncer how it all worked, and were guided to the ticket table.   For $36, we got tickets for myself, the wife and two kiddos, which isn't that bad, until you remember it is ramen.  

Things got a little zany when we got up to the ordering lines, partially because they had it set up so that you stood in line for the type of bowl you wanted,  Up for that night was:
-Smoked Duck Ramen w pickled duck tongue, cherry blossoms and slow egg
-Vegetarian Mazeman w black sesame, shiso, and salted pickled plum
-Spicy Tantanmen Ramen w chicken broth, sesame chili oil, ground pork and bean sprouts
-Tonkotsu Ramen w pork broth
-Kushiyaki skewers inc. chicken meatball, hanging tenderloin and pork belly

How could I not go for the duck?  I mean, it was right there!  Since the wife and kids are veg heads, they went for that option.  The lines were just a little confusing, just because after you ordered, you kind of had to stand off to the side, which made it seem as if you were standing in another line, and if you weren't assertive, people who ordered later could easily line jump.

Eventually we got it all together, and headed out to a table.  Lighting 100 was playing some great music, and there was plenty of seating.  Grabbed the wife and  a beer after waiting in line for 10 minutes behind some older butch chick who wanted to ask the MMW bartender what every fucking bottle booze was for her partner, who eventually just wanted a PBR.  Le sigh.  Another $10 for oat soda.

Great success!

Zoe approves

Then I dug in, only after noticing my kids had sesame ALL over their faces and were VERY happy - that's a win!  The wife was happy too!  As for mine, it was delicious!  The broth was like drinking confit and the cherry blossoms gave a great flavor.  And the tongues, oh the tongues.  Never had a duck tongue.  Kind of reminded me of a cross between an oyster and escargot with a delicious ducky flavor.  They will forever haunt my dreams.  Great bowl and perfect amount of noodles and WAIT!  No slow egg.  Bastards shorted me.

Quack Quack - duck ramen (tongues at 1 o'clock)

I couldn't stop there, I had to go back.  Since the previous bowl was from some NYC/Chicago folks, I decided I wanted to go back and try Ms Gavigan's offerings, the spicy ground pork bowl.  Had some trouble getting my bowl because of the line thing, and as I got it, I realized that you could customize it, as they were making them extra spicy for some - dammit, I love spicy.

Spicy pork ramen

I tucked in, and it was good!  The only bummer?  There were like a tablespoon of noodles for a ton of broth, and a crapload of sludgy sediment at the bottom of the bowl no matter how much I stirred.  Noodles were gone by bite three, leaving me to drink yummy broth.  Could have definitely used more noodles.  We packed it up after that, a happy and full family, just as it was starting to get crowded.  My only regret was missing the Yakitori offerings.

The Yakitori I missed out on...

I would have given this a three star, but the great ambiance, cool venue, and happy family definitely bumped this up a notch.  Can't wait to try again and see how they are improving.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/otaku-south-nashville#hrid:SO68iSbgXdi8e-rYq9cV0w

Live from the Farmer's Market Choreographed Dance Fight Rumble

So, the wife and I used to be regular customers of the "West Nashville Farmer's Market" out on Charlotte Pike, and then the GREAT FARMER'S MARKET SCHISM-POCOLYSPE OF 2013 happened.

If you haven't been following the saga, in short, Sean Siple, the guy who runs WNFM, got pissed because he got kicked out of East Nashville Farmer's Market, kicked Delvin Farms out of WNFM, and then proceeded to take a big social media shit over their entire organization utilizing every outlet possible.  Siple also failed to disclose that he has a vested interest in the game, because he also re-distributes food from Amish farms for his own profit.

Delvin took the high road and started a new market at Vine Street Christian Church for PRODUCERS ONLY; everyone at WEFM is vending goods they created themselves, not resellers (like the big downtown Farmer's Market, hint, those aren't local bananas).

Anywho, got a little mixed up on the parking here, as it looked like it was blocked off by a cop, so we ended up having to park at MBA, which was hosting a air rifle competition and ladies consignment sale, and was PACKED.  Had a blast with the kids once we finally shlepped down there.  In the future, I will know to park in the Vine Street lot.

A bunch of vendors were present, Delvin (obviously, scored some kale n green onions), Ousley Ouch salsa (got ghost chili salsa!), Noble Springs Dairy (got my currently broken Vegan wife some goat yogurt, Goatgurt? Yogoatgurt?), Foggy Hollow Farms (whose passion about poultry was enough to get the wife to start eating eggs again!!!), Cuppycakes bakery, Johnson's Honey (they had a cool live comb on display which the kids loved, and honey sticks!), Kenny's Cheese, Juice, Hummus Chick and lots more.

And down at the end, they had a cool chick playing guitar who got my kids dancing all over the place.  A great way to burn an hour on a Saturday afternoon and get some shopping done!  Note that there is a cool playground right behind the church; the kids had a blast with that, too!


http://www.yelp.com/biz/west-end-farmers-market-nashville#hrid:lB6cxT6QdUbZMS-IFDZG8A

What's for dinner? Salmon Patties?!?

(I stole the hell out of this pic, because they were gone before I remembered)

Yep.

I'm a working dad married to a working mom. And I do the cooking. While I love to cook and make fancy complicated dishes, my wife tends to try and stab me if I don't have dinner on the table between 7 and 7:30pm.  Which means that we have to carefully plan out our meals at the beginning of the week, and we frequently make a several dinners in a night, which we can reheat over the course of the week.

So, I hope ya'll don't mind if I share a few of the recipes that I've concocted that work well for weekly eating.  If nothing else, it will help me remember the recipes when I am struggling to remember where the hell I put the recipe...

I made these the other night as a one-night meal, although technically we could have squeezed out a second night if we needed to.  Paired it with some simple dilled carrots and green beans, it got my wife to eat fish for the first time in almost a year!


Muffin-Tin Salmon Patties

1 can (14-3/4 ounces) salmon, drained, bones and skin removed

1-1/2 cups panko

1/2 cup sweet red pepper pulsed in a food processor (8 times)

2 eggs beaten

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 large stalk of celery pulsed in a food processor (8 times)

1 minced shallot

3 tablespoons mayonnaise (fat free can be substituted)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon of salt

¼ teaspoon of fresh black pepper

2 tablespoons capers plus a little brine

1 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning

1/4 teaspoon Frank’s Red Hot sauce

Mix all of the above in a bowl with a spoon until it is homogenized.  Spray a non-stick muffin tin with oil and spoon about 1/3 cup of mixture into the muffin cups.  Bake @ 425 for 12-15 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 160 degrees.  Serve with cocktail sauce, Durkee Famous Sandwich and Salad sauce, remoulade, lemon or ketchup.

Rolf And Daughters

So last week, while my family was out of town, I had a chance to check out a new combo gastropub/craft cocktail house in town, Rolf and Daughters.  Fresh pasta, delicious meats, fantastic craft libations and beer - what's not to like?


After a long week of busting my ass, it was amazing coming here at the end of the day and winding down.  I cannot recommend this joint, enough.


From my original Yelp review:


Guys guys guys... GUYYYYSSS!!!

Seriously. What the hell are you doing?  And why didn't you tell me about this place before?

This place gets it right.  So many other places in Nashville get it close, but not right.
A nice, quiet ambiance, soft lighting, communal or private tables.  Wood everywhere.

I sat up at the bar and a gent by the name of "Matt" took care of me.  I started off with a cocktail, the "Laverda", which was a delightful mix of apple brandy, Pierre Ferrand's Dry Curacao, lemon, orange bitters and pimento dram.  Freaking perfect.

Being in a brandy state of mind, I hit my second cocktail with "The Jackal", which was  Pierre Ferrand 1840 cognac, anejo tequila, Averna, and Angostura bitters.  Had a spray of citrus over the top, served in a chilled lowball rinsed with absinthe.  Again, perfect balance.  

Along with that libation, I opted for the snack that was pâté campangola, house mustard and pickles - and oh yes, fresh toasted sourdough slices.  YOU SEE THAT ARNOLD MYINT?!?  That's HOW YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO SERVE CHARCUTERIE,  YOU STUPID, PRETENTIOUS, NO-TALENT HACK!

Ahem, anyway, absolutely perfect way to start things off, and for the main course, I chose the "Yorkshire pork", which was beautiful plate of slices of pork, interspersed with apple slices, a fantastic sausage at the end, over a bed of savory kraut .  Orbiting was a fantastic potato dumpling.  Dabbed on top were splashes of whole-grain mustard, a perfect combination.  Right after my plate was served, I asked Matt for a beer, and he proffered a pilsner they had on draft - a perfect choice.  I took my time with my entree and it truly was spot-on in so many ways.

Had some great conversation with Matt who is a Patterson House ex-pat, and as I wrapped it up, I asked for some coffee; he magically made a fresh cup appear in my hand.  A great cup of coffee.

Called it a night, headed home, can't recommend this place enough to people after this.

Remembering Dr. Raymond Bunn

Today the world lost a truly great soul, my grandfather, Dr. Raymond Clyde Bunn

Today he lost his fight with Alzheimer's and was granted peace that he so desperately needed.

I've been trying very hard over the past several weeks on how best to describe him.  He was an accomplished physician, delivered hundreds, probably thousands of babies over the course of his career, had a successful family practice in South Knoxville, and was at one point chief of staff of Baptist Hospital; but he was still a country doctor at heart. He loved tennis, and played up until his late 70's, he loved to fish, to exercise, and scuba among other things.  He loved cars, boats and home theater - the man had more VHS tapes and DVD's than some video stores.

But most importantly, he was the kindest, most honorable man I have ever known.  He was always chipper, feisty and friendly.  I can never recall a time he lost his temper, and I only saw him cry twice.  He loved to tickle people until they blacked out (and unfortunately, I did not realize until adulthood that he was maybe the most ticklish person on the planet or I could have fought back), and generally horse around.  He loved fine foods, traveled the world with his wife, and yet loved to drink too much Cold Duck (which is the wine equivalent of Grape Nehi) and goodness did he get silly.

One of the most wonderful things he showed me was his love for his wife.  He had a very unhappy first marriage, and ended up gaining custody of his three girls, something that was likely unheard of in the 60's.  He then was fortunate enough to meet the love of his life, Nolita Marie, and he soon adopted her four children.  He spent every day with her, every interaction, like he was an amorous high school kid head-over-heels in love on a first crush.  Doting on her to the point where she would shoo him away.  At the end, my brother said he was still calling her "my sweetie" right up until he stopped talking.

He was also a great dad, always there to advise his seven kids (or to bail them out if need be).  He was probably more of a father figure to his son-in-law, my dad, than my dad's biological father was.  And he was always there if you needed a medical opinion in person or over the phone.  I'll never forget calling him in the wee hours of the morning in my mid twenties when I got my first hemorrhoid thinking I had destroyed my body somehow (he laughed his ass off and told me to eat more fiber).  

Papaw, you will be missed by all that knew you. I hope you are fishing somewhere in the gulf, down in Homosassa Springs, maybe going to bring home a great catch to clean and fry up and I hope you aren't missing your sweetie too badly, because we all miss you so much.  Thanks for being a part of my life.