Put a Fork in It!

So thanks to the benevolent patronage of my friend Danielle, retired chef and frequent Partner in Dine, I was able to attend this year's Iron Fork competition.  To be honest, I was really there for the full on gourmet grazing that it afforded and not so much for the competition itself.  There was a lot of Tuna Tar-Tar to be had (3 booths to my recollection) and it was pretty good all 3 times, but 360 Bistro was the best by far.  Urban Flats was the poorest showing (still pretty good) but they must throw a ton of salt on their food because both Danielle & I had a case of the Michelin Man Hands after we ate there. (They were our last stop, so it could have been others, but I doubt it)  The big standouts for me came down to 2 places, the first was Jimmy Carl's Lunchbox, who provide the food for the Station Inn and Fleur de Lis Flavors snowballs, a New Orleans style snowball stand.

In a place where Whitt's consistently (and mysteriously) wins Best BBQ, I was beginning to wonder if anyone in Nashville knew what good barbeque was.  Apparently, Jimmy Carl does.  Moist, tender and delicious it stood out at a competition where there was more than one place offering BBQ.  The sample was so good I almost immediately turned around for another helping despite the fact that the top button of my pants may have flown off and taken out someone's eye and any moment.  I cannot wait to tuck into a huge plate of the stuff at my earliest convenience.  Jimmy Carl can fill my lunch box any time. (and no, that's not as dirty as it sounds)

The place that really had me talking up a storm at the event and after the fact, was Fleur de Lis.  I don't know that I had ever had a snowball, (NOT to be confused with a snow CONE) New Orleans style or otherwise, but I can tell you now I will have another! (and another, and another...)  The fresh faced and friendly proprietress of Fleur de Lis was quick to correct my faux pas when I first called them snow cones.  Rather than finely crushed ice as in a snow cone, a snowball uses shaved ice and offers the option of adding either sweet cream or condensed milk to your typical (and in some cases not-so-typical) flavors.  I had lemon with cream (heavenly) and tamarind with condensed milk (delightful) and if I had not felt like a hog, I would have gone back and tried a few more flavors.  Light, cooling and utterly delicious, I highly recommend a trip to the Nashville Farmer’s market as the days get warmer.  They also have a mobile cart, so expect them to show up at local events and festivals.

Sadly my Partner in Dine and I slipped out once our bellies were full and a pleasant dozey feeling had set in.  Food that I get to smell, almost touch, watch being meticulously prepared and plated, but then have no chance of eating holds no interest for me, but if you want the results of the actual competition, please check out the Nashville Scene's article.

Jimmy Carl's Lunch Box
402 12th Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37203
615-788-2967



Fleur de Lis Flavors
900 Rosa Parks Blvd
Nashville TN 37208
615-351-6109

Herb Sale

While I understand that this won't do you a whole lot of good now that the event has passed, just file it under "Things to Look for Next Year."

The Herb Society of Nashville's annual Herb Sale went down last Saturday and by all accounts it was a smashing success.  You may ask yourself, "But Fat Girl, why should we care about a bunch of plants?"
Because you can eat 'em, that's why!

With the recent surge of interest in home gardening, eating local and generally spending less money on food it seems like a no brainer to go and get some fresh herb seedlings to grow big & strong and season all those zucchini & tomatoes you'll be growing this year.  The difference in buying them at this sale rather than going to Lowe's or even your local nursery is the selection of hard to find & common plants.  Not to mention that this is put on by a group of men & women who sleep, eat, work & dream herbs.  You have questions?  They have answers.  Do you get enough sun to grow this?  What about drainage?  What's the difference between an annual & a perennial?  They've got all of those answers and more.
Be forewarned, it is an all-out zoo in there, people line up very early to get a prime spot when the doors open at 9 am.  Your fellow shoppers are more or less friendly & polite, but in a crowd that large, all trying to get their hands on stuff before they run out, it can get a little hairy.  The Herb Society posts a preliminary list of herbs that will be available (or at least that they plan to have, flukes of weather or greenhouse mishaps may cause a few varieties to not make an appearance) that you can make a print of and circle the ones that you are most interested in.  The herbs are sorted in alphabetical order by their common name and there are plastic trays available.  My mother took me along this year, she is an old hand at this, but this was my first year, so let me offer some advice.  Definitely make the list, if you don't know what you're after you will be completely overwhelmed and will likely get run over by people who are tired of waiting on you.  In fact I would recommend that you come with a team, in matching jumpsuits with walkie-talkies.  Barring that ask a friend to come along and you can split up with half the list each, meet up and then divide who wants what and check out.  I'd also say that while they offer some containers to put plants in, bring your own, but if you have some sort of wagon or rolling cart, LEAVE IT IN THE CAR!  It's rude and dangerous to drag a cart around there, people are crushed together trying to see what's on the tables they are not searching the floor for your son's Radio Flyer and I speak from experience when I say that it is the perfect height to smash up your shins AND trip you.  Speaking of your sons (and daughters for that matter) please consider that there are a tremendous amount of people jostling and rushing about, unless you are prepared to carry your child on your shoulders the whole time, this is exactly a safe place for them to be.
So I know after all that it seems like a daunting task just to have fresh herbs in your garden, but the prices and selection just can't be beaten, not to mention the amount of expertise there for the asking.
Keep an eye on their events calendar for next year's sale & hopefully I'll see you there!

Fat Girl road trip

Now I have to start off by saying that it normally drives me up a wall when something is "of Nashville" or "about Nashville" and then they proceed to talk about events and businesses in Franklin or Gallatin or any number of surrounding towns.  These places are not part of Nashville, a business in Spring Hill can not be one of the best in Nashville, it just can't!  You know why?  Because it is not in Nashville, that's why!

All that being said, I'm going to be a bit of a hypocrite and take The Fat Girls' Food Guide to Nashville a little southeast of here to Murfreesboro.  As part of a trip to visit the fine ladies at Mesh Boutique who kindly ply my crafty wares, my friends and I decided to make a day of it and get some lunch at Marina's on the square.  A charming little restaurant that exudes a homey vibe and a general sense of well being, with prompt & friendly service. My friend Amanda first turned me on to Marina's, unfortunately I was flat broke the first time I went and just got a salad. (and huge, delicious salad mind you, but a salad nonetheless)  This time I went prepared to chow down and had a couple of friends in tow so that we could share with one another.  I had a dish called Dante's Inferno made with chorizo, japaleños & penne pasta with a spicy cream sauce.  It was good and spicy, not too overwhelming with the flavors blending perfectly.    My friend Rachel got the spinach stuffed shells which were firm (not overcooked as is often the case at other places) and savory with a hint of sweetness from the ricotta cheese.  Danielle got the eggplant parmesan, which was perfectly crispy and not at all greasy.  Add to that a bottle of wine, loads of delicious bread, Caesar & garden salads and the world's largest "small" antipasto bowl and we were pleasantly stuffed when we finally got up to leave.

Like I said we were stuffed, but I know very few ladies, stuffed or not, that can pass by a banner that says "Fresh Chocolate-dipped Strawberries" and not stop in and investigate.  This is how we found ourselves at The Country Gourmet.  Full of local products, especially those of the edible variety, this shop is definitely worth a visit, but for me the main attraction is the candy case.  The glorious, magical candy case.  Rarely have I had such well balanced and delicious chocolates.  My favorite by far was the smoked sea salt, dark chocolate caramel, it is everything you want from a salty/sweet candy.  I popped it in my mouth as soon as I got out of the store and I almost turned right around and bought more!  Other favorites were the Dulce de Leche, which in addition to the creamy caramel center had a cream cheese flavored topping with yet more smoked sea salt, and the Mocha Madness that had ground toasted espresso beans in the filling, as well as one whole bean in the center.  Neither my friends nor I got anything that was less than excellent there and I am waiting to hear back from my friend Danielle when she gets around to using her non-candy counter purchased sauces & dressings.  The Country Gourmet website has a message that says they should have an online catalog up soon, but in the meantime I highly recommend that you make a day of it, grab some friends, do some shopping and totally pig out at these two fine purveyors of deliciousness!

Marina's on the Square
125 North Maple Street
Murfreesboro, TN 37130
615-849-8881‎



The Country Gourmet
107 East Main Street
Murfreesboro, TN 37130
615-896-3634