Food Lush

Hidden Gem: Museum of Appalachia Restaurant

by Elissa

This year, we spent Christmas with my husband's family in southeastern Kentucky. It's a 9-10 hour drive from our home in DC, and we were traveling with a three-year-old and a one-year-old. Fortunately my worst fears were unrealized and the kids did great in the car. On the way there we drove through the night and they slept most of the way. But on the trip home, we decided to risk driving during daylight hours.

Our strategy was influenced by this article I read on Serious Eats about the excellent restaurant at the Museum of Appalachia. The museum is just outside Knoxville, Tennessee, a little over an hour from my in-laws' house and on our way back to DC.  We decided to begin our journey mid-morning and stop at the museum for a visit and lunch before continuing on our way.

The museum itself is certainly worth a visit: it features a bunch of historic cabins and other structures that contain lots of interesting artifacts. The kids especially loved the free-ranging peacocks wandering the grounds and the live banjo music that was featured in one of the cabins. But the lunch we ate at the museum restaurant would have been worth a special trip.

Pictured above is homemade vegetable soup with cornbread and a vegetable platter of pinto beans, buttered corn, and fried apples (my daughter and I shared this). The restaurant serves a hot lunch from 11 to 2 every day. In addition to sandwiches and hot dogs, they offer at least one entree and a dizzying number of vegetable sides. You can tell that this food is made with love, and the atmosphere is really charming. Here is my son enjoying his chicken and broccoli casserole in front of the cozy fireplace:

And my daughter enjoyed her lunch in this adorable vintage high chair:

We got a large quantity of delicious food that handily fed the four of us for only $25 (the fast-food dinner we got at Wendy's later the same day cost the same amount). My only regret is that we didn't end up getting dessert--the post-church lunch rush led to a line at the counter, and we were in a hurry to get home. But given our regular travels to this part of the country I know we will get back to the Museum of Appalachia sometime soon.

If you live near Knoxville or ever find yourself in the vicinity, don't miss this special place for a delicious meal.

Gluten-Free (And Diet-Friendly!) Corner: Seasons 52

by Slynnro

Last night, I dined at a Seasons 52 for the first time. For those of you unfamiliar with their dining concept, all dishes on the menu have fewer than 475 calories. Seasons 52 refers to itself as a "Fresh Grill," and they do so with serious conviction when your waiter comes to the table. They say "fresh grill" as though it were a commonly accepted thing, which gave me a small chuckle. ("It's not a thing!" was my rant). But the concept is something I can get behind--fresh foods, cooked in a healthy preparation. BUT WOULD THE PORTIONS BE ENOUGH? That was the big question I had, and the answer is a resounding yes!

To start, we shared the chicken skewers and a pork carnitas flat bread:

I only nibbled a bite of the flatbread because, uh, bread. But it was quite tasty, and rather large for 470 calories. The chicken skewers were also excellent:

The chicken was flavorful and juicy.

For my entree, I had the pork medallions, which are on the Seasons 52 gluten-free menu (there is also dairy-free, lactose-free, low-sodium, vegetarian, vegan, and, ultimate sadness, garlic-free menu options):

This was delicious! And as you can see, the portion was generous. This dish came in at 470 calories, and it was perfectly filling.  Aaron had a grilled chicken dish:

which was also filling (for a 6'3" boy!), and quite tasty as well.  

When we finished our entrees, we both had a sense of being perfectly full--not overly so, as is often the case when eating a multi-course dinner. In addition to our appetizers and entrees, we both had salads, which were fresh and perfectly lightly dressed. After years of ordering my salads with the dressing on the side, I recently decided to be brave and not request the dressing on the side. The salad was so overly dressed it was inedible. But these salads were dressed just enough to flavor the greens, but lightly enough that you could still taste the vegetable goodness. This was the feeling on all of our dishes--we didn't feel overly full because our entrees weren't covered in butter and oil, and you could really taste the ingredients. It was a refreshing change.

We both agreed that, for once, we were truly excited to have a nibble of dessert, without dreading the painfully full feeling we often get when indulging (but which for some reason, we cannot avoid subjecting ourselves to). I forgot to photograph them, but we shared two mini-indulgences, which are desserts in shot glasses, peanut butter & chocolate mousse, and a pecan pie indulgence. Neither were gluten-free, so I just had a little nibble and both were delicious!

After a four-course meal, I did a calorie tally, and my huge dinner was a mere 950 calories. Seasons 52, you'll be seeing me again!

Maui Eats: Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop

By Julie

While we were planning our trip to Maui, our local paper happened to run a spread on the island, including a list of their favorite places to eat. One of those spots was Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop, which we noticed on our drive to the hotel from the airport, and we made a note to check it out.

Leoda’s is a tiny little restaurant on the side of the road that winds from central Maui to the western side of the island. They have a terrific selection of sandwiches and burgers, but where they really shine is with their pies, both sweet and savory. I tried the mushroom pie for lunch, as I’m in love with anything that contains mushrooms and cheese, and it did not disappoint. The crust was a dense, flaky, buttery wrapping around the flavorful filling, and while it’s billed as a hand held pie, I highly recommend using a fork. My husband would also like to add that his ahi tuna sandwich (a special of the day) was one of the top meals he had the whole week. (I took a bite, and he’s not wrong.)

But if you do nothing else on a visit to Maui, please got to Leoda’s for the macadamia nut chocolate praline pie. I mean, just look at this –

 

It is simply the very best pie I have ever tasted, and pumpkin pie and I have been best buds for a long time. This is so spectacular that I’m going to describe it in detail.  The pie starts with a chocolate cookie crumb crust and is filled with chocolate custard that is both airy and fudgy. The whipped cream topping is dusted with macadamia nut chunks and shaved chocolate. And then there’s the surprise in the middle.  Between the chocolate and the crust is a hidden layer of praline caramel that makes eating this dessert a mind blowing experience. We spent a good portion of the rest of our trip trying to figure out ways to bring home this pie is vast quantities. We failed, but it gives us good reason to go back as soon as possible.

For Maui, this place is reasonably priced and oh so delicious. I’m sure if we’d gone there earlier in the trip, we would have gone back every day. No matter where you’re staying on the island, this is a place you need to check out.

{Photo Credit: yelp.com}

Pete Wells vs. Guy Fieri: A New Kind of Food Review?

By Dani

By now, you've probably read about Pete Wells' takedown of Guy Fieri's Times Square restaurant in the New York Times. If you haven't read it yet, you definitely should - it's a one-sided Socratic debate that will make you want to be a food snob:

"Did you notice that the menu was an unreliable predictor of what actually came to the table? Were the 'bourbon butter crunch chips' missing from your Almond Joy cocktail, too? Was your deep-fried 'boulder' of ice cream the size of a standard scoop?"

In my opinion, it was easily the most awesome restaurant review I've ever read. Heartily honest, brutal and hilarious - a far cry from the typical "atmosphere - service - food" formula we've come to expect from most critics. However, Fieri is an easy target, so I'm not sure that this really spells a revolution in food critique. He's so over-the-top that he's a caricature of himself, and it's not surprising that the New York Times isn't impressed by his far-from-intellectual approach to cuisine. Nor is it particularly daring to make fun of someone who makes a living eating ungodly amounts of fried food and hollering about it's awesomeness. 

Nonetheless, the war that's emerged (well, really, the entertainment, as Fieri is simply floundering to pin a conspiracy theory on Wells) is pretty fun to watch. SNL even got in on the action with this great unaired sketch:

So, what do you think? Is this a new era of clever, brutally honest reviews or simply a chance to bully an easy target? Did you laugh at the review, or do you like Guy Fieri? More importantly, do you wear sunglasses on the back of your head?

Eat Vancouver: Heirloom Vegetarian

by Sarah Anne  

In honour of my husband's Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores, we went out for more than take-out falafel this week! Not that there's anything wrong with takeout falafel, mind you. I surely didn't eat it three times this week. Nope. Not I.

My husband surprised me with the restaurant this time, which is no small feat considering how keyed into the local food scene I am. When we pulled up and I saw the sign outside, I could barely contain my excitement. A new vegetarian restaurant, called Heirloom Vegetarian, that hadn't even been open a month yet!

I could hardly sit still; I was so excited when I looked at the menu. I had been assured that one of their appetizers was so perfect for me, it could have been created with me in mind, so I frantically searched the menu for that item. Was it the crispy chickpeas? The raw cauliflower risotto? Oh, no. This was it. They knew I was coming.

We started out with drinks, and I was hooked by the nightly special - a Red Cedar. Forgive me for not remembering the mix, but it had cedar infused vodka, sweet vermouth, a cherry garnish, and a sprig of scented cedar. We were told by our server that the head bartender, Vanessa, was a holistic nutritionist and created all the inventive drinks herself. I loved watching her make drinks all night, spraying the cedar with some concoction, using an eyedropper to scent or flavour other beverages. She truly brought back the art of the cocktail. As a fan of gin and juniper, I figured I might like the different twist that the cedar brought to the drink. I was not disappointed.

Our initial order somehow did not make it to the kitchen, but just as we were getting a bit grumpy our server offered a bowl of not-so-average popcorn and apologies to tide us over. This is also on their late night menu, and I highly recommend it as something to munch while deciding. It was lightly coated in a mix of coconut oil, nutritional yeast, and beetroot powder! I suspect the beet gave it the hint of sweetness that matched perfectly with the rich coconut oil and salty, cheesy nutritional yeast.

As our food finally came out, my initial excitement came roaring back with a vengeance, along with my hunger that had been temporarily quelled by the bowl of popcorn I nearly inhaled. The handpicked greens salad was beautiful and while I don't usually prefer frisee lettuce, its bitterness married perfectly with the toasted hazelnuts, sweet ginger poached pears, roasted brussel sprouts, and the floral orange blossom vinaigrette.

The avocado frites came out next. I was afraid I had built up the crispy wedges to something unattainable in my head, but I assure you, we were not disappointed. Smoky, crispy, buttery and accented perfectly by the sweet and fruity homemade ketchup. I rationed these for the rest of my meal, making sure they lasted until the bitter end! You'll have to forgive my phone-quality photos and just trust me that every dish was enticing and beautiful.

The other star of the night, (How many are we at, have you kept count?) was the wild and foraged mushrooms in coconut cream with fennel, garlic and dry cider, served with a walnut onion baguette. I really wished that I could swim in this dish. I took no photo, as I was too focused on digging into the bowl of mixed mushrooms in cream. Again, not a single disappointment with this perfectly spiced dish. Delicately anise hinted from the fennel, rich and unctuous thanks to the coconut, it was probably our favourite dish of the night. Thanks to our server, whose name I did not get - for shame, for solidifying our ordering of this dish. We all but licked the bowl clean and then mourned the loss.

Heirloom's dessert selection was like the rest of the menu, inventive, creative and thoughtful. There was a gluten-free semolina chocolate cake, a vanilla chia pudding, and the dish that we ordered, a pumpkin mousse with vanilla cashew cream and a date-walnut crumble. I figured I could have chocolate anytime, but this might be seasonal.

I wasn't sure with my first bite as it wasn't what I was expecting. Chilled, not sweet and pumpkin pie-y like I had anticipated. However with each bite, I loved it more and more. I particularly ended up loving that it was barely sweetened, delicately spiced and felt so light. We finished the glass off with no problem, of course. Did anyone have a doubt?

Heirloom thanks their local suppliers boldly on their menu and focuses on delicious vegetarian and vegan fare with many gluten free options and sources as much as they are able, locally. No tofu, no fake cheeses, the menu at Heirloom Vegetarian was exciting to read and it became very apparent by the creativity of the offerings, that the chef simply loves good food.

The atmosphere was clean, elegantly lit by candlelight and I couldn't help but look around to take in all the antiqued light boxes, gardening tools turned artwork and vintage veggie prints on the walls. The staff were lovely and knowledgeable and took care of us well, recommending dishes, offering suggestions and helping us when our order had us waiting.

I cannot say enough about this new restaurant in Vancouver. While not an everyday restaurant for us probably, I just can't wait for another occasion to dine at Heirloom Vegetarian. On the way out I noticed they serve brunch and my budding love of this local spot combined with my faithful relationship with brunch guarantees our return for sure. I'm excited to dine again with Heirloom and can't recommend it enough for vegetarians and omnivores alike.

And of course, I loved the message at the bottom of the menu.

Maui Eats: Longhi's

By Julie

We ate a lot of fantastic food in Maui, a trip we took to celebrate our 10 year anniversary, but I’d like to start with a restaurant where we began and where we finished: Longhi’s. My parents suggested this place, and I’d read about it, so we knew we’d have to give it a try.

Longhi’s is billed as an Italian restaurant, but we never have Italian food there, so I can’t comment. The food looked delicious though, so I don’t think it would be a poor choice.  However, I can recommend both dessert and breakfast. On our second night (the first lost in a sea of jet lag), we hit Longhi’s for their famed macadamia nut pie.  Beware, the pie alone cost $10.50. At that price, it needed to be spectacular.  And it was.  The pie brought to mind more traditional pecan pie, but with a ton of macadamias in place of the pecans. It was arm and gooey and full of nutty crunch that contrasted beautifully with the vanilla ice cream served on the side. What a great way to kick off our vacation. I just wish I had remembered to take a picture before we devoured it.

Then, on our last morning, we returned, having read that their banana macadamia nut pancakes were some of the best on the island (are you sensing a theme here?), and I made a beeline for this signature dish. This is what arrived at my table:

So pretty. I am not normally one to go for so much banana, but combined with the fluffy flapjacks, snowfall of nuts, and the coconut syrup so good I would bathe in it, the dish was magical. That enormous pile of pancakes? Finished. By me. With only a tiny assist from my husband, who would also like to give a big thumbs up to the chef’s daily quiche offering.

There are two locations in the major tourist areas of Maui, and one in Honolulu, so if you’re headed to the islands, you can definitely find the fine folks at Longhi’s. Seriously, go. Especially for breakfast. That was my favorite.

I’d also like to add that at the time of our trip, Longhi’s was offering 15% off through the Maui Dining App (for iPhone and iPad). Even if you don’t go to Longhi’s there were several other terrific places listing discounts there, so check it out for free.

{Photo Credits: longhis.com and me}

Restaraunt Review: La Siesta

By Dani

I'm in a constant hunt for great mexican food. Mexican food is not usually thought of as artful or difficult cuisine, but there is a special touch that you just can't find at chain restaurants. There's something to be said for homemade, slow-cooked refried beans, roasted carne asada that falls apart at the touch of your fork and warm, buttery-tasting fresh-made tortillas. Baja Fresh and Chili's, you are great, but you can't really play at this party.

In my opinion, you can't have a great margaritas without going classic - just give me tequila, homemade margarita mix, and lots of salt and I'm a happy girl.

La Siesta is just this kind of no-frills, homemade mexican food, with only one location (close to North Beach) in San Clemente. It's about a mile from the official downtown San Clemente, so it's funkily situated between a pharmacy, an auto parts store and an empty lot, but still manages to be consistently full of happy eaters.

The staff are friendly and accomodating (the bartenders especially are great) and it's become our favorite place to hang out for a relaxing Sunday Night Football outing, as the perfect end to a busy weekend. The other bonus is that it's very affordable - a gigantic dinner for two people (including a couple of margaritas each) will set us back less than $50 on average, and that includes tip and plenty of leftovers to take home.

Next time you're in south Orange County, you have to try it. You'll be so glad you did.

{Photo by me. I wish I would have gotten a good picture of my enchiladas, but they were blurry. And DELICIOUS.}

Eating Around Nashville

by Tara

I went to Nashville last weekend to meet up with three friends/former coworkers, and I highly recommend going to Nashville, if just for the food. The problem with good food, though, is that sometimes it looks so good you forget to take a picture. So there are a few half-eaten food pictures in the following post.

Friday night we went to Big River Grille where I got a Hummus and Goat Cheese Salad, which was incredible.

Saturday night we went to Merchants. Y’all. Get on a plane right now and fly to Nashville to eat at Merchants. We dined upstairs, which is the fancier part of the restaurant, and nothing was bad. We started with duck fat fries, which are served with ketchup (tasted homemade!) and hollandaise. Wow, so good! The waiter brought tiny corn muffins and Dijon-butter. Delicious. There were also in-house pickled vegetables served in teeny little jars. The vegetables were gone too fast for a picture.

I had a delicious greens and radish salad that was super fresh. My friend M had beets, which I didn’t try, but that looked pretty.

My friend A had fried green tomatoes which were delicious! For dinner I ate the pan-roasted chicken with gnocci mac & cheese, swiss chard, and wild mushrooms. I ate it all. It was delicious.

For dessert we shared two desserts. The first was a chocolate tart and was gone before I even thought to take a picture. The second was pumpkin caramel cheesecake and was absolutely delicious. I took a picture halfway through that one.

Sunday we went to brunch at Fido, which was great! 

I had Pete's Torta with chorizo, and it was the perfect way to start the day and end the vacation.

Highly, highly recommend you visit Nashville and eat a lot. 
Have you been to Nashville? Where did you eat?

 

What to Do in New York City: Eat at Eataly

By Jennie

I was recently in New York City for a quick solo work trip. Because I was there alone and exhausted from the conference each night, I stuck close to my hotel for dinners. Thankfully my hotel (on 24th and 6th) was on the same block as Eataly, the incredible marketplace that includes multiple restaurants and its own gourmet market. Their mission statement of sorts is "we sell what we cook and we cook what we sell," and both parts of that sentence mean delicious food whenever you want it.

It really is kind of a hard-to-describe place until you walk in and realize it's the best place you could ever have stumbled upon. I wanted to move in. I miss it still. It's like Disneyland for food lovers.

I walked around for close to an hour, checking out all the delicious items for sale, all the meat, cheese, and wine counters. I finally settled on the pizza/pasta resturant for dinner and sat at the bar with a glass of sparkling wine and my Kindle. I was seated right beside the plating station, which was awesome. I heard squabbles between waiters, saw every delicious dish come off the line, and neary took a bite off a plate of gnocchi, but it was rescued by a waitress just in time.

The pizza was delicious too! It was a more casual restaurant and I'd recommend it to anyone wanting to dine at the market.

Have you ever been to Eataly? What about your favorite NYC dining spots?

Restaurant Review: Slater's 50/50

By Jennie

I'm sure I've talked about this before, but when my husband and I travel, we tend to choose Food or Travel network-featured restaurants to dine at. Not always--we were just at an IHOP this past weekend when we traveled to California because all of our usually-awesome food apps failed us--but whenever we can, we stop in a local place that comes well-endorsed by food/travel shows we like.

I love when that choice offers up an incredible meal.

For instance, Mike really wanted to stop in Slater's 50/50 while in Anaheim this past week and I'm so glad I said "sure!" because it was fantastic.

While the menu had delicious items (the onion rings were really good, for example) and also really interesting items (a burger with peanut butter and jelly on it, I kid you not), the big draw (for me) is designing your own burger. You choose your patty, your bun, your cheese, your sauces, and your toppings, and then your own, customized burger arrives in front of you.

I got a veggie patty topped with a bunch of deliciousness (avocado mash, chipotle mayo, fried egg, grilled onions, jalapenos) and this burger was outstanding. It also required a fork to eat it but it was vacation after all.

The beers on tap were cold and delicious, as well. (I had two!)

Seriously, if you're in the area, stop in. I'll just be over here adding the best burger on the planet to the list of reasons to get back to Southern California as soon as possible.