Rib America Festival

Over Labor Day when my parents were here we decided to hit up the Rib America Festival. Figured we'd get to try a ton of really good barbeque places from around the country.  The Festival was much smaller than we expected with only 7 or so barbeque places.  Of the 4 we tried only one of them was really good, the others were pretty mediocre.  It was a nice day being outside, with my favorite people, even if a bit rainy but wish the barbeque was better.  At least I got to knock something off my Indy bucket list.

Sugar Factory

While in Vegas I received a recommendation to get drinks at the Sugar Factory in Paris.  Jenny said if we went during happy hour drinks would be buy one get one free.  Well the drinks ended up being very expensive, about $15 each, so BOGO was perfect.  We had two rounds.  The first round included a set of desserty drinks and the second round was very fruity drinks.

 Round one was a S'Mores Marti with the glass rimmed in graham cracker crumbs and marshmallows and a Cinnamon Toast Martini with Cinnamon Toast Crunch Floating on top.

The second round of drinks was a Watermelon Jolly Rancher Martini and a Blow Pop Martini with Rock Candy on the rim.

I was impressed with all of the drinks.  They were innovative and really good. We will have to hit up the Sugar Factory's happy hour next time we're in Vegas!

Eating our Way Through Vegas - Update

I originally published this list back in October 2009 after our last trip to Vegas.  It's hard to believe we waited 2.5 years to return.  I thought it would be nice to update this list with the new places we tried while we were there.  Updates are shown in red.  I've listed out all the restaurants where I've eaten so far, my thoughts on them, and then a few places I 'd still like to try in the future.

Fine Dining:

• Capital Grille (Fashion Show Mall) - It is a chain, but a darn good one!  Jon and I both had fish that was excellent.  Get the truffle fries, they are great!
• Enoteca San Marco (Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian) - The menu was somewhat limited and so much was in Italian we had to ask what everything meant.  Get the risotto balls, they are tasty!
• Fiamma Trattoria and Bar (MGM) -  This was my one disappointing fine dining restaurant I've eaten at in Vegas.  Nothing about the meal was memorable.  We wanted to eat off the tasting menu and they seemed to look down on us for that.  The meal was very expensive and it definitely didn't live up to the cost.
• Joe's Stone Crab (Forum Shops at Caesar's) - I've not known anyone to have a bad meal here.  The steaks and the seafood were both high quality.  When I went we sat in the bar area and the service was great.
• Kokomo's (Mirage) - Tried this on a whim this trip and were not disappointed!  The tasting menu was reasonably priced especially for the portions.  We had Filet and Sea Bass and both were great and we will go back for another time.
• Mesa Grill (Caesar's Palace) - I've never had a full meal here but the Shrimp Tamale appetizer is reason enough to go there on its own.  The drinks are expensive but they are amazing and if you make it through 3 you will be under the table passed out! 
• Spago (Forum Shops at Caesar's) - I did an entire write up on this visit. It as great and I'd love to go back.  The tasting menu allowed us to try all of their specials which was incredible.   

Casual Dining:

• Blondie's Sports Bar & Grill (Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood) - Typical sports bar food that is good for a quick bite.
• Broadway Burger Bar (New York New York) - Aside from Spago, I would say this was my favorite meal in Vegas.  We had the Southwestern and the Cowboy and split fries and rings.  All of it was great!
• Chin Chin Cafe (New York New York) - This was a great find.  The entrees are huge like a normal Chinese restaurant so 2 people can easily split an appetizer and an entree and get out of there for $30, even at dinner.  
• Greenburg's Deli (New York New York) - A true New York deli. Sandwiches were really good and it wasn't super expensive.
• La Salsa Cantina (Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood) - La Salsa was just ok.  I'm sure there are much better Mexican restaurants on the strip.
•  New York New York Pizzeria (New York New York) - Good new york style pizza but expensive for just a slice and a pop.  Think a more authentic Sbarro.
• Nine Fine Irishmen (New York New York) - Traditional Irish fare.  It was pricey for lunch but the servings are really large and the cheese dip was awesome.
• Ocean One Bar & Grill (Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood) - Their lunch menu is super cheap as far as Vegas standards with items, such as a fish or chicken sandwich, starting at $5.99.  The food was good but not really memorable.
• Oyster Bay Seafood (Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood) - This is located next door to Ocean One.  The food is a better quality but the prices are also higher.  They serve a lot of fresh fish but do have a great sounding brunch menu.  We both ended up with lunch.  Try the Cajun fries.
• Pampas Churrascaria Brazillian (Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood) - Typical Brazillian Steakhouse with unlimited meat off the "sword."  I've heard it doesn't come close to Fogo though.
• Planet Dailies (Planet Hollywood) - Good for a late night snack since it is open 24/7.  The food is good but is expensive for a normal breakfast or lunch place.
• Spice Market Buffet (Planet Hollywood) - This buffet is great.  It isn't the cheapest (brunch ~$23 and dinner ~$30) but it is all encompassing.  We went for brunch and aside from the traditional breakfast trade, they had seafood, salad, soup, Italian, Asian, American, Middle Eastern and Mexican stations.  The buffalo shrimp, shrimp tempura and Asian won tons should not be missed!  I think I've eaten here at least 4 times now.
• The Buffet (Hilton Las Vegas) - Due to my Hilton Honors, brunch was free.  Definitely good for free but I wouldn't pay $20 for it.
• The Buffet - Bellagio (Bellagio) - We had always heard this, along with the Wynn, were the best buffets in Vegas.  I have to say, the food here was good but wasn't great. I'd take The Spice Market over Bellagio's buffet any day.
• 'Wichcraft (MGM) -  This is Tom Colicchio's take on sandwiches. We had been to his restaurant in Napa which we had really enjoyed.  The sandwiches were definitely gourmet and our food was good but I wouldn't call it great and probably not worth the extra cost. 

Snacks:

• Pink's Hot Dog Stand (Planet Hollywood) - They were good hot dogs.  Great for a quick dinner like we needed before seeing O.  Darren got some crazy concoction of 2 hot dogs in a burrito with cheese, chili and onions.  I had 2 bites and had heartburn, but it was tasty. 
• Serendipity 3 (Caesar's Palace) -  We had a frozen hot chocolate as seen on Oprah.  It was really good but tasted like a rich chocolate milk shake.  Darren was not that impressed and definitely not that impressed with the price.  Everything at the restaurant seemed really expensive, even at the to-go window.

Must Try:

• Delmonico Steakhouse (Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian)
• B & B Ristorante (Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian)
• Eiffel Tower Restaurant (Paris) - My brother was told the food there was as good as you can get in Paris.  Darren's sister and brother-in-law also thought the food was amazing.  Where do I sign up?
• Yellowtail (Bellagio) - Taylor Swift said it was the best meal of her life... Let's see what all her fuss was about!

Eating through Vegas - Spago

One of the things we enjoy most about Vegas is the food.  After we met Dick Butkus we decided to eat in Caesars.  We passed Spago by Wolfgang Puck who was advertising a tasting menu.  We decided what better way to taste all of the food on a menu than order a tasting menu!

Well I got started late on the picture taking but the first course was a trio and included one of our favorite bits of food the entire meal.  The trio included a melon salad and the most tasty mini kobe beef slider. It was a couple of most delish bites I have ever eaten! The problem with blogging so far after the fact you forget the details and I cannot for the life of me remember what the third item of the trio was!!

This next course was incredibly inventive. It was ahi tuna three ways two of which are shown in the following pictures.  For two of the bites they were held in these igloos.  A hallow ice dome, I had not seen presentation in person so neat.  The tuna was awesome.  I was hoping Darren would reject raw fish and I could get more. :)  You can see the detail of the two bites in the dome in the second picture.

The third appetizer course was a duo of asparagus.  The first was an asparagus salad with green and white variaties and the second was a tea cup full of cream of asparagus soup. It inspired and attempt to make a similar soup and it wasn't quite as good as Spago's!

After three appetizer courses, we finally got into the heart of the meal.  Our first course, which I neglected to get a picture of, was a homemade pasta was an egg in it. It sounds terrible but it was so tasty and rich. You couldn't eat a whole plate so a tasting portion was the perfect amount. 

The second entree course was sea bass over a turnip puree with chipolini onions.  Amazing.

The final main course was probably Darren's favorite.  It was filet sliced and served over asparagus and smashed potatoes with a balsamic reduction.  That bone is real and contained marrow which is just a rich tasting fat.  Neither of us use much of it but I can see why some like it.  The dish minus the marrow was still excellent. 

There was an intermezzo served before dinner.  It was the most simple dish and I again did not photograph it.  It was a simple lemon sorbet served with frozen grapes and blueberries. Simple but incredible. 

The last course I will also have to figure out how to make at home, maybe in one of my Friday night marathon cooking sessions.  It was a banana bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream.  Incredible dessert to cap off the outstanding 8 courses!!  Would love to go to Spago again as they rotate their tasting menus with the seasons!

Hail Mary

Bloody Mary's in mason jars, a cute and tasty drink served at Ford Field.

Pizza, Pizza!

Self-promoting picture of my insanely tasty homemade deep-dish pizza!

17th Street BBQ

Last year the tribune ran a special on a BBQ roadtrip a couple of the food writers went on.  They drove 1,467 miles over the course of one three day weekend ate at 10 different bbq places. 

17th Street Bar & Grill - Murphysboro, IL
Dexter BBQ - Sikeston, MO
Rendezvous - Memphis, TN
Bar-B-Q Shop - Memphis, TN
Gus's Fried Chicken - Southhaven, MS
Big Bob Gibson - Decatur, AL
Dreamland - Huntsville, TN
Mary's BBQ Pit - Nashville, TN
Prince's Hot Fried Chicken - Nashville, TN
Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn - Owensboro, KY

Until Friday, the only one on this list I had been to was the Rendezvous in Memphis. With Sarah's recommendation, Darren and I ventured up to 17th Street Bar & Grill on our way up to St Louis.  We stopped at the one in Marion, IL.  Sarah told us to be sure to try the pulled BBQ pork and the fried pickle chips.  Both were excellent!  Darren got what they called the "Champion's Plate" and from the size you can see why!  In his defense I got the appetizer sampler as my meal with the intention of eating my share of his plate but my plate was also as huge!  We definitely did not join the clean plate club on this night!

Bottom line: If you find yourself in Southern Illinois, hit up this place.  You won't be disappointed!

Sorry to be so MIA! The last week or so has been pretty busy with life in Nashville!  Darren had his first long stint of not working at his new job so he came down to spend and extended.  Last weekend was pretty low key since we didn't have much in the way of plans. 

Elizabeth was driving back to Dallas from the lake so we spent Friday night with her.  A few pictures from our dinner at Ted's which included me, Darren, Mickey, Cheryl, Dan, Mary and Emily, Adam, Elizabeth, Claire and Laura.

And as we've learned, giving Adam the camera is NEVER a good idea!

In other news from the last week, Laura & Eric have moved back to Nashville!!  I'm so glad to have them back in the same city with me!  It's been 5 years too long!!  I'm sure there will be lots of pictures of Madeline when I start taking some! :)

Also in the last week I've made it to 2 new restaurants in town.  On Tuesday Darren and I drove down to Nolesnville, TN to eat at Martin's BBQ which was featured on the Food Network show Diners, Drive-in's and Dives..  I had the redneck taco which was cornbread, bbq pork, cole slaw and bbq sauce, yum!  Then on Thursday, my coworker John recommended  that Emily, Jon and I should try Wild Wasabi in Cummins Station.  They had so many different specialty rolls which were huge and everything we had was really good!  Now only about 50 to go before I leave Nashville! :)

Ribfest

On Saturday after watching the World Cup, we went up to Ribfest. Darren loves bar-b-que and I have a soft spot in my heart for ribs.  We tried tasting portions of six types of ribs. I'm glad the rained stayed away just long enough to chow down!

Thoughts on the ribs we did get to try:

Corner 41 Bar &Grill - This entry has won five times before.  Their ribs were super tender but the sauce was a bit spicier than I prefer
Robinson's #1 Ribs - These ribs were my favorite, they were tender and incredibly saucy.
Mrs. Murphy and Sons Irish Bistro - These ribs were ok, but I honestly don't remember anything specific about them.
Chicago BBQ Company - These ribs were super smokey and the least favorite of the ones we tried. 
Pitchfork - Home of the 2009 Champ.  These were good and probably my 2nd favorite of the day.
BBQ Rub Company - This was a St Louis style rib but it lacked flavor.

I definitely have a date with Robinson's #1 Ribs on one of my next trips to Chicago!

DMK

Friday night, Kevin and Beth took us to a Burger restaurant called DMK Burger Bar, in the Lincoln Park.  The burgers were great and made with all grass-fed beef.  Darren and I couldn't decide so we split two burgers.  One had cheddar/bacon/balsamic reduction/red onions/BBQ sauce and the second with blue cheese/chili-rubbed onion strings/spicy chipotle ketchup.  The cheddar one was awesome! They also had specialty fries which were good but didn't blow me away.

All weekend it was bugging me because I felt like I had heard about this place, but I couldn't figure out where.  Turns out the DM stands for Daniel Morton of Morton's Steakhouses and the MK is for Michael Kornick chef at MK restaurant, also in Chicago.  MK was actually one of my first real "fine dining" experiences right after high school.  I still remember the squid I had there which was unbelievable.

All in all, a great duo of chefs making some tasty burgers.  Give the place a shot sometime if you get a chance.

Can I borrow your bundt... pan?

Last week, Jon requested the use of my bundt pan to bake a birthday cake for a friend.  I requested a mini cake of my own.  We used my ramekins and made our own desserts with the same recipe we used for Emily's birthday cake.

 

Em's Birthday

On Friday night, we went out for Emily's birthday at Urban Flats.  The food was super tasty and the company couldn't have been better.  Here is the birthday girl (and her beer!) with Jon.

The whole group: Sarah, me, Jen, Emily, Jon and Joan.

Emily with her birthday cake.  I made the same one I made back in September for Jen's Birthday.  Such a good recipe!

 

And Jen's new Facebook profile picture. ;)

Baby sitting by Miss Stephanie

On Friday, my coworker Jayna was in desperate need of a baby sitter and fortunately for her I was in desperate need of some cookie baking.  She dropped her kids R, age 8 and L, age 6 off about 6pm.  After a dinner of chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese we busted out the mixer.  R asked for cooking lessons for Christmas so I let her be in charge of reading the recipe and  directing.  They took turns measuring flour and sugar and vanilla.

About the time of this picture is when R turned on the mixer and a HUGE cloud of flour erupted.

Here L is adding the brown sugar.  She thought it was SO cool that the recipe had both white and brown sugar in it.  They both got a kick out of packing the sugar and L love how it maintained its shape that she could pick it up.

Silly L, thought it was fun to eat the flour!  Notice how much is on her clothes too!  She kept saying that her mommy and daddy would NEVER let them make such a mess in the kitchen.  It was a mess but it was totally worth it seeing how much fun they had!

We finally got the cookies mixed up and L, like any kid (who am I kidding, any adult too) was so excited to lick the beater!

The cookies were so sticky we kept having to put the dough in the freezer and then lots of flour so they wouldn't stick to the cookie cutters!  Here is R meticulously cutting out her cookies.

L was sometimes more interested in eating the dough, the flour and the icing instead of making cookies! ;)

R focusing on her icing trying to make her cookies look just perfect.

L focusing on icing her "Sherlock" which when translated out of 6 year old speak is a Shamrock!

All in all I had a lot of fun and I think the girls did too.  On Monday they had a day off and requested to go to Miss Stephanie's house again!

This is Why You Are Fat....

Ok so I know I'm not the healthiest eater but I don't think I'd eat anything they have on this site!  Check it out for a good laugh and to be a little (or a lot) grossed out thinking about the people who really eat this stuff!

Got Biscuits?

We certainly did tonight!  Jen, Emily and I had dinner at the famous Loveless Cafe.  I have only been there a few times but it did not disappoint based on its reputation.  They are famous for their fried chicken and country ham but most famous for their biscuits.  You might have seen the episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay that featured this quaint restaurant and their "Biscuit Lady" competing against Flay in a Biscuits and Jam throwdown.  If I recall correctly the Biscuit Lady prevailed and if you are in Nashville, this place is a must hit!

Kathy's Breakfast Cake

This week was Eric's, our co-worker, last week in the department.  In his honor I made him a cake.  Kathy's Breakfast Cake to be precise.  It went over very well because by the time I could take the picture it was halfway gone!  This recipe is also from the Cake Doctor cookbook. I've included it below.

Ingredients:

• 1 package vanilla cake mix
  
• 1 package (3.9oz) vanilla instant pudding mix
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil -I used canola oil
•  2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1 additional teaspoon vanilla extra

Steps:

1. Place rack in center of the oven, preheat to 350 degrees. Lightly spray Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray and dust with flour.  Shake out excess flour.
2. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl thoroughly and set aside.
   
3. Place cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, vanilla extract, water and oil in large mixing bowl. Blend with mixer on low speed for 1 minute then scrape the sides of the bowl.  Increase speed to medium and beat for 2-3 minutes.  Batter will look thick, fluffy and well combined.
4. Pour 1/3 of the batter in the prepared pan.  Then add 1/2 of the cinnamon/sugar mixture.  Repeat until complete.
   
5. Bake the cake until it springs back when touched lightly and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45-50 minutes. 
6. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes still in the pan.  Run a sharp knife around the edge and invert it onto the rack to cool completely 30 minutes more.
7. Once the cake is cool, mix the confectioner's sugar, milk and remaining vanilla together until smooth and then spoon glaze over the top of the cake.
   

Darn Good Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 package plain devil's food or dark chocolate fudge cake mix -I used dark chocolate cake mix
• 1 package (3.9oz) chocolate instant pudding mix
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil -I used canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips -I used 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Steps:

1. Place rack in center of the oven, preheat to 350 degrees. Lightly spray Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray and dust with flour.  Shake out excess flour.
2. Place cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, water and oil in large mixing bowl. Blend with mixer on low speed for 1 minute then scrape the sides of the bowl.  Increase speed to medium and beat for 2-3 minutes.  Batter will look thick, fluffy and well combined.
3. Fold in the chocolate chips. -I used the hand mixer on low since the batter was so thick.
4. Pour batter in the prepared pan.
5. Bake the cake until it springs back when touched lightly and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45-50 minutes. 
6. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes still in the pan.  Run a sharp knife around the edge and invert it onto the rack to cool completely 20 minutes more.

You could serve warm after the initial 20 minutes of cooling and it would be amazing.  This cake is tasty and moist enough it does not need a glaze or icing.  Enjoy!

Jen's Birthday Cake

On Wednesday we celebrated Jen's Birthday at Big River Grille downtown.  I baked a "Darn Good Chocolate Cake." It really lived up to its name and was darn good and incredibly sinful tasting.  I got the recipe from The Cake Doctor cookbook.  Go buy it, it is awesome! :) I'll post the recipe.

Black & Gold

Tonight I met Jen for dinner at Zumi in Hillsboro Village for yummy sushi.  I could not resist ordering the "Black & Gold" in honor of Vanderbilt's big win this weekend! Highly recommend!

Cake Artist

My coworker/friend Jayna is one of the craftiest people I know. Her youngest daughter's birthday is next week and they are having a Barbie and the Diamond Castle Tea Party for her tomorrow. This is the cake she made. How stinking cute is this? Kudos to you, Jayna and Happy Birthday to Lydia!