Considering the Foodies’ recent preoccupation with all things tacos, it is no surprise that I rushed to try the Korean offerings of Peter Chinn soon after hearing about the restaurant opening.  In the short time they have been open, they have already gained some great press and a Scene review.

Since they obviously have set up shop in an abandoned fast food restaurant, there are two car accessible drive through windows which apparently double as a walk-up ordering spot as well.  When I walked up, I expected to be told to return to my car so that I would not be run over by eager taco lovers.  Instead, I was greeted by some friendly staff who patiently took my order and answered questions.

Many copies of the short menu is posted multiple times with some curious (is there cheese on that kimchi quesadilla?) Chef specials which I will try on future visits.  Their simple website has the same menu posted, with teeny tiny pictures.  Having four varieties of tacos available, a taco sampler was in order.  I tried a Kogi (beef), a spicy pork, and a fish.  Fortunately for me, three was the perfect number as these tacos are served on two fresh corn tortillas and filled to the brim with meat, and korean slaw – shredded greens and red onions that in a sweet dressing.  The fish and breading were quite nice but the tacos was drenched tartar sauce.  It’s not that I hated the sauce, just would have preferred less of it.

In the picture, you can see a spicy sauce that I believe was intended to accompany the beef taco. The spicy pork, which was actually rather mild, was the clear winner in my book with tender meat and a sweet sauce that even shined through the load of toppings.  This  meal was a great value and I imagine I will be venturing to Bordeaux often to satiate my taco cravings.

Peter Chinn’s Korean BBQ Taco
2712 Clarksville Pk
Nashville, TN 37208
Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

With a small unassuming space on Main St., La Tinga will draw you in nose first if you happen to catch a whiff of the fresh corn tortillas walking by. As you walk in you will be transiently hypnotized by the large mirror that helps to artificially expand the small space. A genial, tall middle-aged man will greet you and enthusiastically tell you about the menu if you’re a newcomer. If he recognizes you, he will probably even make an effort to get on a first name basis. This happened to me on my second visit; the wrong name was called but I still appreciated the effort.

Tap water sits around the counter from the cash register beside a large bowl filled with aromatic fresh cut onions and cilantro.  The first day I ordered 3 tacos, sampling from the selections on the menu: carne asada, la tinga (pork), and chicken & potato.  The latter included blunt warning on the menu that it was seriously spicy.  Each taco cost no more than $1.50 with a bit more added for extras like sour cream.

On my second visit, I was happy to repeat a sampling of tacos, but the dry erase board with specials called my name with the special of the day: two adobo chicken tacos with beans and rice for $5.50.  The rice was fried but didn’t have any tomato sauce or heavy spices, which was fine with the salty beans.  It was another great plate with fresh tortillas, tender slow cooked meats, and a delicious, traditional, well cared for sauce.  Rounded out a tamarindo agua fresca, this was truly satisfying meal.

Summer is quickly passing by and we currently find ourselves in the thick of tomato season.  The folks at Avalon Acres have been supplying a great variety of heirloom tomatoes and my box has also been specifically overflowing with pink lady and cherry varieties.  Lots of great tomato recipes are now up on the recipes site.  Corn and red potatoes are also in abundance. On the fruit side, melons are starting to come around as I’ve had amazing honeydews the past two weeks.  As one member of my lab said, “Wow, this is good!  I bet it’s not a clone like the big farms have.”  Though not a plant geneticist and not willing to genotype various melon, I can only attest the outstanding unique flavors of the local produce, which can convince anyone of its quality.

I learned my lesson last year.  I arrivedjust after the last free chicken ticket was handed out, checked out all the vendors, and decided I would go for Prince’s only to discover that the line had already grown to encircle most of the park.  After about 2.5 hours of being drenched in the sun, I finally got my “medium” temperature (not quite the heat of a dine-in Prince’s medium) chicken tenders and fries.  After my colleagues in lab inquired about my red and peeling face the next week, I explained it was all for the hot chicken.

This year, I arrived 2:30, toward the end of the festival.  This is the time that most folks have moved to the Yazoo tent to cool off from the unforgiving heat and initiate holiday revelry.  Prince’s was still bustling even this late into the festivities.  This time Bolton’s put together the right combination of short line length with spicy meats I know and love.  The line went fast and soon I had my hands on a chicken stick and a large fried catfish sandwich.  Admittedly I brought in my own tall margarita to top off this awesome 4th of July occasion.

Leslie Rodriguez ventured out this day and again took an amazing set of shots which I am sharing below.  You can see some more of her work here and follow her on Twitter @LRodriguezPhoto

Not to overstep the obvious, the item on the menu that you cannot miss is actually their onion rings. They definitely have my vote for the best rings in the city! They are golden brown, beer battered (yes, you can actually taste the beer flavor) and most importantly, they are immaculately breaded. Now the typical test for an onion ring is the connection between the onion and the breading. Often, after biting into the crisp, you pull out a strand which separates from the fried floury goodness, leaving a limp noodle of vegetable, no longer connected to its intended counterpart. This results in a stringy, slimy, unappetizing experience. That type of onion ring actually turned me against this common side item of dives and the like, until I realized that’s not how rings are intended to be! The Dog’s preparation presents the polar opposite of the onion conundrum. Each bite of the vegetable somehow magically remains intertwined with the rest of the dish, resulting in beautiful bite after beautiful bite of breaded onion bliss.

But this post would not be complete a mention of the actual dogs themselves, which deserve their own special attention. The menu is really divided into 2 parts: a simple equation: hot dog+bun+toppings=your dog. Plus there’s a list of creatively designed chef combinations. They boast 6 options just for the actual weiner, including a veggie dog which has been proclaimed to be tasty even by the standards of meat-eaters. It is worth mentioning that the topping options are far from traditional, ranging from baked beans to cucumbers and cream cheese. One of the eye-catching creations from the second portion of the menu is a dog named the Rise and Shine. This is a bacon wrapped dog with melted cheese and a fried egg. Don’t overlook that you even have options in terms of the cooking style for your dog: standard fare is boiled, but upon request (for no extra charge!) you can enjoy a deep fried or more traditional char-grilled dog.

They also offer catering, which I think would be tons of fun for an office party, as a refreshing change from pizza or sandwich trays. Last but not least, they have featured dessert specials, usually involving a fried delight, like deep fried Oreos, or deep fried Snickers. This is not the place to worry about your waistline, so dig into the deep-fried goodness, and hit the pilates class twice tomorrow – it’s worth the indulgence.

http://www.thedogofnashville.com/

Open 7 days a week, 11AM-10PM
2127 Belcourt Ave.
Nasvhille TN 37212
615-292-2204

This week’s box included an array of summer delights, including tomatoes, red potatoes, corn, cucumbers, green peppers, yellow squash and zucchini. I was smitten by the beautiful ears of corn, and decided that this week’s recipes would revolve around it. I had wanted to create a few versions of salad with corn, so here are some pictures of my experimentation:

Since I was in the midst of a “clean out the pantry/fridge” movement, I elected to take a general idea and run with it, rather than following a recipe. I surveyed my kitchen to see what items I could use and ended up creating 2 very different corn salads based on beans, and red onion. The first was a black bean and corn salad with tomatoes, which turned out a lot like pico de gallo, minus the kick of jalapenos. This was delicious served with a side of blue corn chips!

The second was a garbanzo and corn salad with vinaigrette dressing.  This one would be perfect with a side of green salad and served atop a bed or rice, or inside a pita. For both preparations I cooked the corn first by boiling to bring out the natural sweetness, then carefully removed it from the cob, saving as much as the kernel as possible. (Grilling would work wonderfully as well!)

So as not to disappoint those of you looking for new recipes for using your summer corn bounty, let me also share 2 very different preparations I look forward to trying with next week’s box of goodness. Both recipes are from www.vegetariantimes.com

Confetti Rice Salad

Serves 6

• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 tsp. whole cumin seeds
• 1 clove garlic, crushed and peeled
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 small orange bell pepper, finely chopped (1 cup)
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 large tomato, chopped (11/2 cups)
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 2/3 cup chopped green onions (1 bunch)
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 3 Tbs. olive oil
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, optional
• 1/2 avocado, diced, optional

Directions

1. Combine rice, cumin, and 2 cups water in saucepan. Add garlic and salt, cover, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 15 minutes, or until rice is tender and most of water is absorbed. Remove from heat, sprinkle bell pepper on top, cover, and cool rice in pan.
2. Transfer rice to large bowl, and remove garlic clove. Stir in beans, tomato, corn, green onions, lime juice, and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in sunflower seeds and avocado, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

—–
Cold French Lentil Salad
Serves 6

• 1 cup green lentils, sorted and rinsed
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp. dried dill
• 3 celery stalks, finely diced (1 cup)
• 1 cup peeled and diced cucumber
• 1/3 cup finely diced fennel bulb
• 1/2 cup frozen corn (of course I used fresh!), thawed
• 1/2 cup diced white onion

Directions
1. Bring lentils, bay leaf, and 3 cups water to a boil in saucepan. Reduce heat to medium -low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Drain, remove bay leaf, and cool.

2. Whisk together oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard, and dill in bowl. Stir in lentils, celery, cucumber, fennel, corn, and onion. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

—–

Celebrate the summer with the finest of vegetables: Yellow Corn! And let us know about your favorite corn preparation.

I finally settled on a Vegan Philly “Cheesesteak” Sandwich, mostly because this flavor combination is rarely offered in vegan form, and its probably been 12 years since I’ve had any version of a sandwich like this. While waiting for my entrée to arrive, I was also pleasantly surprised to find that the iced tea selection was several flavors of Shangri La, which is offered at another of my favorite Nashville restaurants, Kalamata’s.

The cheesesteak was served on a toasted wheat hoagie, with grilled peppers and onions, and topped with vegan cheese. The meat substitute was a marinated seitan, a common vegetarian meatless staple, however still relatively unknown to non-veggies. For our majority of readers who are curious about seitan, here’s a brief description. It substitutes well in recipes like this one, which call for the meaty texture and chewiness that sometimes vegetables just fall short of providing.

I guess my biggest surprise was the choice of cheese atop the sandwich. It was a yellow, cheddar flavored cheese, which was very spicy. It reminded me of the flavor and consistency of the queso dips that have been mixed with salsa. The cheese in itself was not bad, but the choice of cheese was unexpected, and I believe strayed from my ideal of a white mozzarella or provolone inspired topping for a traditional Philly sandwich.  So this would be my one qualm—that perhaps the menu should mention in the description the type of cheese or spice level, for those with sensitive palates.

My friend was looking for a small snack, so she ordered the appetizer size of hummus plate, which contained homemade cucumber dill hummus served aside raw veggies and tortilla chips. The hummus was tasty, and not overpoweringly dill-flavored, which we both appreciated.

We were both eyeing a slice of fresh strawberry cake tempting us from the cake plate on the front counter, but by the time we had eaten our entrees, there was none left to be had. So, I plan to make my next trip back with the focus on dessert, perhaps 2 or 3, because obviously these treats are not to be missed.

I strongly encourage you to visit their website before heading over to East Nashville, because they offer daily specials in the form of entrée, side dish, veggie of the day, soup, and an assortment of vegan treats for dessert.

1896 Eastland Avenue
Nashville, TN 37206
Phone: (615) 262-2717
Email: thewildcow@live.com

Hours:
Monday: 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Wednesday – Sunday: 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Closed on Tuesday.

http://www.thewildcow.com/twc/

Also, hidden in the bottom of the box were some garlic scapes, which is an alternative way to introduce a lighter garlic flavor into dishes.   The Avalon Acres blog has offered many suggestions for how to use these.