Just Share Already!

You know when your mom gave you that look, "are you going to eat everything on that plate?"  Well, no, you weren't.  Enter the over-portioned 80's-date.  Even posh Nashville restaurants have a hard time resisting piling on another potato or two.  Well, we are all watching our pocketbooks these days so why not share?  Yes, it's not something that comes naturally to this only child.  The truth is, it's almost too easy these days - not to mention cheaper (and your food generally comes out more quickly - time is money!)

Yancy and I are suckers for Park Cafe (we know gas went down but it's just too darn close).  Their portions are so large that splitting the NY strip special (that I would have mistaken for beef tenderloin the way it was sliced), the special bleu cheese, pecan raspberry dressing salad and noshing on a few pieces of bread was MORE than enough.  We also had their pistachio cheese cake and the total bill was $40 (with tip!)   The steak was served with deliciously sauteed green beans and a bacon ravioli.  The ravioli wasn't great so sub in the mac-n-cheese because we all know we love that and the huge bowl usually means you'll have a to-go box.  Also, remember foodies, have your waiter wrap up your bread - they have to trash it after it's on the table.  Even if all you do is feed it to the birds it's better than the trash can.

Remember, KEEP EATING OUT NASHVILLE, just share already!

Best places to share:

Park Cafe

Maggiano's

Amerigo's - clearly we overdo Italian cooking in the US

J. Alexander's 

Hibachi restaurants

Worst places to share:

Any Sushi restaurant - back off my fatty tuna!

Radius 10 - they do a great job on dishing just the right portion

Fill up with food, forget gas

While Miel Restaurant deserves an introspective dive, a real review chocked full of details regarding fresh, local (and some really good ones flown in) ingredients, meats and produce, I just don't have the time. The short is we are losing good restaurants around these parts (people, stop the economic mass hysteria!) While our checkbooks might not seem "fundamentally sound" today, there is still the c'est la vie American attitude when it comes to filling stomachs. We think nothing of picking up a beeper at Cheesecake Factory but pout at a 10 minute gas line...

I digress. Seriously, eating is where we Americans do splurge. Walk on down (as we did) or travel via bus on Charlotte (remember, conserve gas, walk off food) to Miel. Their delectable ribeye topped with ox tail demi-glace, steak fries with mashed potatoes and spinach flan is worth energy conservation. We tried the duck foie gras (ok, I'm not running back for it, but LOVED the pairing with peaches.) Yancy's duck was savory and unlike most orange sauces paired with the bird, this one was not overbearing. Lastly we sipped French press coffee and bittersweet chocolate mousse. The owner, Seema and the manager, Jolly, oversee the wine list which they boasted about tasting and selecting each one personally. They seem to really take pride in their brand new digs (comfortable, large, open kitchen). Seema's husband is at the helm in the back. The menu changes twice weekly to accommodate changes in seasons, shipments and available stock.

So it may be Friday or Saturday when you are reading this so remember...

KEEP EATING OUT, NASHVILLE!

Featured site:
www.mielrestaurant.com
298-3663
343 53rd Avenue North

Eastern Exposure

Much buzzed 'bout Eastland keeps impressing me. While I ate there last week (old menu) I can't wait to get back for their fall-ish fare. However, here are a few of the highlights of my last meal with Elin, Tim, Hank Adam and Yancy. After only 1 vodka drink Hank came up with a breakthrough rating system for meals: CLICKS. After all, we all like taking things up a notch. Clicks relate to Michelin stars - four's the sky.

-Ribeye with arugula salad. Smokey and cooked just right! Elin cleans her plate. 3 clicks.
-Fried Calamari - love the red pepper sauce on the bottom and the lemon/chive aioli on top. Yanc frets over both sauces on same dish. 3 clicks
-Iceberg wedge - Hank and I love the fried green tomatoes and they chopped it special for him. 3 1/2 clicks
- Shrimp and grits - fantastic brown gravy with large shrimp. Grits are a perfect 1 part creamy, 1 part firm. 3 1/2 clicks.

Plus, we had a friendly waitress, Brooke (a name I can remember) who brought us two "clicks" of raspberry sorbet on top our chocolate torte. The torte was ok but the extra sorbet put a smile on our faces before trekking back west.

I promise to check out the new menu soon and report. Until then...

KEEP EATING OUT, NASHVILLE!