By Location Archives - Page 35 of 42

I Love Honest Pint-April 22, 2012

April 24, 2012

Sunday we decided at the last second to have lunch out (don’t ask….more planning issues. Blast!). Philip suggested The Honest Pint, and you know I was game. I’ll never turn down a visit to the Pint. I’m not going to go through all of the details about The Honest Pint…you can read those in my original post…but just thought I’d share about what we tried on this experience.

As I mentioned in my last Honest Pint post, they serve a Saturday and Sunday brunch from 11-3. When we walked up, we were greeted by this sign:

Philip asked our server (darn if I didn’t forget her name-I’m usually so good at remembering!) about the chicken and waffles, which he was very tempted to order….it’s a panko-breaded, boneless fried chicken breast served with a waffle that contains bacon. Um, yeah. He was very tempted to get it until he asked the make-it-or-break-it question: is the syrup real maple syrup? She seemed pretty taken aback by that question and was surprised that pancake syrup would be a dealbreaker. Turns out the syrup was a blend of buffalo sauce and pancake syrup. The buffalo flavor covered the artificial flavor of the syrup a little but it definitely wasn’t enough. Use real maple syrup, people! It’s the only way to go. We of course ordered our usual pommes tots (tots fried in duck fat!) while we decided what entrees to order. You may think that tots fried in duck fat sound bizarre, but they are not, my friends….they are not.

So, Philip ordered the chorizo hash, with housemade chorizo, potatoes, red onion, red pepper, and a fried egg on top. The chorizo was not as spicy as what he has become accustomed to ordering off the menu at Delia’s, but it did have a good, well-seasoned flavor. The eggs were nicely cooked with a little runny yolk….and I appreciated that the eggs were fried, not scrambled (like in their corned beef hash) because you know that’s how I do hash. Still, Philip said that while he liked the chorizo hash, he preferred the corned beef hash.

Actually, the angle behind going to The Pint was so I could try a burger (Philip had tried one before, I had not). I decided on the This Burger is the Jam burger, cooked to medium because I like to live dangerously, and chips. The burger had caramelized onions, blue cheese, and bacon jam (word to your mom!). I loved that the edges of the burger were “irregular” so you knew that it was hand-patted, and it was perfectly cooked and oh so drippy. The blue cheese was very pungent and the bacon jam lent the perfect combination of savory and sweet. I did, however, feel that the onions could have been a little more caramelized (to me, caramelized onions should be caramel-colored, not white) although these were cooked enough that I was able to eat them (raw or barely cooked onions are on my bad list). If I were making this burger at home, I would have paired the bacon jam with cheddar…I felt that the blue cheese overpowered the bacon jam a little. Still, a good burger. And the chips, as always, were to die for.

So, you may have figured out that we love The Honest Pint. The menu is unique while still offering “something for everyone”, and the atmosphere is casual and relaxed. If you haven’t already, you should try it! The Honest Pint is located at 35 Patten Parkway, Chattanooga, TN 37402. You can call them at 423-468-4192. Check out their website, http://thehonestpint.com, “like” them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter (@thehonestpint).

Rain Thai Bistro-April 20, 2012

April 22, 2012

Dinner out on a Friday is such a rarity for us….we don’t do crowds or waiting very well, so the only way we will go to a “sit-down” place on a Friday or Saturday evening is usually if we have reservations. I was planning on making one of my farmers market meals Friday night for dinner (roasted chicken, potatoes, and salad) but Philip needed to head over to the Bonny Oaks area to pick up his paycheck so we decided to go to Hamilton Place. We were trying hard to think of somewhere local to eat in that area-there are not many places (I guess the rent’s outta control!). I suggested Sweet Basil Thai, but Brainerd Road is not a fun place to drive on Friday or Saturday night (well, it’s never a fun place to drive, but especially not on a weekend night) so we decided to go to Rain instead.

The atmosphere at Rain is pretty fantastic. It is beautifully decorated. We were seated in the bar area at a table that we felt encouraged people to be that couple (that’s what we call couples who sit on the same side of the booth when dining out together-no offense if you are part of one of “those” couples!) because it was a large booth with a large table, made more for 3 or 4 people than 2. We worked it out, though. They have an area where the tables are sunk down into the floor…you sit on a cushion on the floor around the table but you put your legs down under the table. I’ve sat in that section when I’ve gone to lunch with colleagues but Philip never has….we should have asked to be seated there. There were not a lot of people there when we arrived, but our section filled up very quickly after we got there. Good timing!

Our server, Angelia, took our drink orders (water, duh!) very quickly, and we also decided to order some spring rolls. The funny thing is, I always think of spring rolls as soft (not fried) rolls wrapped in rice paper, but Sweet Basil and Rain both serve fried spring rolls. The wrappers are not as thick as one would find encasing a traditional Chinese eggrolls, but rather thin and very flaky, and they are vegetarian, containing cabbage and carrots. They are skinny and rolled up super tight and served with a slightly sweet and slightly spicy dipping sauce. Very tasty, though I’ll have to try the unfried rice paper version some time.

Here’s the problem I have when I go to Thai restaurants: I love pad Thai. I love it so much that I can’t seem to bring myself to order anything else. I just can’t do it! Well, I think I ordered fried rice at Rain once because I wanted to try Thai fried rice, but then I spent the whole meal wishing I had some pad Thai (even though I liked the fried rice). I looked over the menu about ten times trying to pick out something else to order, but I kept coming back to pad Thai. Of course, it also seemed like every time I found something that sounded interesting it would have the word “spicy” in the description. I know a person as obsessed with food as I am “should” be into spicy food, but I’m not. Weakness, I suppose. So, I broke down and ordered the usual. Interestingly, they ask here if you want the pad Thai “mild, medium, hot, or Thai hot”. I’ve never been asked what heat level I wanted my pad Thai at any other Thai restaurant. I justified my order by saying that “a lot of people order pad Thai….I should review a popular dish, right?????”

Pad Thai is basically medium-wide rice noodles with a sauce that is sweet, salty, and sour all at once. It has chicken, shrimp, tofu (in a very small dice and fried crisp), bean sprouts, scallions, and crushed peanuts. Lime wedges are included on the side for squeezing over the top. This is a huge plate of noodles (as you can see) so I probably only ate about half. Delicious and fresh. (On a side note, I love to make Thai-style rice noodles at home. I’ll have to post that recipe some time.)

Philip usually orders pork Panang curry, which is pork and vegetables in a coconut and curry sauce (too spicy for me) and it took him a while to decide not to order it this time. He decided instead to get the sweet and sour chicken, after our server assured him that it wasn’t just like the usual sweet and sour chicken served at every Chinese hole-in-the-wall in America (not that there’s anything wrong with that). This dish definitely didn’t have the same “Thai” feel as the Panang curry, but it wasn’t the usual suspect either. It was a fried chicken breast, sliced into thin strips and served with onions, peppers, carrots, and pineapple in a red but not Technicolor sauce. The sauce was not the candy-ish sauce usually served alongside or poured over sweet and sour chicken…it was actually a ketchup or chili-sauce based sauce that was spicy but not too much so (I took a bite). Philip said that it didn’t get spicier as he was eating like the curry usually does….he has a pretty high tolerance for spicy but usually has to stop at some point because it just gets too hot to handle. He too got full well before the plate was empty.

Angelia offered us dessert but we were definitely too stuffed for dessert. At some point I’m going to have to do a soup/salad combo so I can fit some sticky mango rice pudding or fried bananas in….we got a good laugh out of the “brownie and ice cream” on the dessert menu. Is that a Thai brownie? Ha. They also have a kid’s menu which includes chicken strips and cheesy noodles, which is always a little odd to see on an ethnic menu, but I guess they have to have something for everyone.

I’m not going to mince words here….Rain is not my favorite Thai restaurant. Sweet Basil is and probably always will be (although there are a couple of places I’ve yet to try). (Funny that I haven’t reviewed Sweet Basil yet, but we actually went there for a blog post almost a year ago and lots of factors resulted in me never writing the post.) Still, the food is tasty and the atmosphere is lovely. I hear their sushi is good as well (the idea of sushi at a Thai restaurant has always made me snicker a little) but I haven’t tried it myself yet. If you are in the area, skip the chain restaurants and give Rain a try!

Rain Thai Bistro is located at 6933 Lee Highway, Chattanooga, TN 37421 (in the Rush complex). You can call them at 423-386-5586. You can also visit their website, rainthaibistro.com.

Eat at Good Dog (Again)!-April 14, 2012

April 19, 2012

Ugh. Lack of planning is going to be the death of me. Sunday we were supposed to have cream of broccoli soup for lunch, and I completely forgot to put the chicken carcass from the freezer to the Crock-pot to make chicken broth. Not wanting to buy broth at the grocery store, we decided to go “out” to eat, something that we rarely do on Sunday afternoons. After wracking our brains for several minutes, it dawned on me: Good Dog. Re-blog!

It was much more crowded on this Sunday afternoon than when we visited on a Saturday evening in November. We waited in line for several minutes, which gave us plenty of time to decide what we were going to order…not that I needed several minutes. The last time that we were here, the BLT dog was not on the menu, so my eyes went straight there and didn’t leave. BLT dog it is (was?). Philip decided on the NY Street Cart dog, and, of course, we got frites.

We waited a little while since there were so many people in the restaurant. Seriously-I was a little nervous we weren’t going to find a table! We decided to sit at the “bar” area in front of the kitchen, and I snapped a few pictures of the restaurant:

Condiment Gallery = Yea! I love frites sauce!

From where we were sitting, we had a great view of the grill area (and the dog dust, honey mustard, and curry, wasabi, and regular ketchup).

The one disadvantage to sitting at the “bar” was the lack of the little hole to set the frites into! Just like last time, the frites were delicious….perfectly fried, not too crispy, not soggy, skin on. There was an employee in the back prepping fries-I could see her putting the potatoes into the fry cutter (I gotta get one of those!). I am assuming that they do a “first fry” back there to get some of the starch and moisture out of the potatoes. She then brought the baskets out and put them in a stacker to wait for the final fry. I know that some of you bristle at the idea of dipping your fries in “frittesaus”, which is a mayo-like condiment…but wow, this stuff is so not weird.

I loved my BLT dog….lovely grilled hot dog, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, crumbled freshly cooked bacon, and frites sauce. Like I mentioned before, I could eat one of these dogs plain (I usually despise hot dogs). I was watching them press the dogs just a little bit on the grill, and they get nice and browned. No boiled dogs here! The bun was soft and the produce very crisp and fresh. The bacon was a perfect finishing touch….but I do think I liked the pimento cheese dog better.

The NY Street Cart dog has Bertman’s Brown mustard, onion sauce, and sauerkraut. Pretty basic dog, again with stinky-foot-smelling sauerkraut. Oh, sauerkraut, I kid, I kid! I tasted it and it really did taste good. If you’ll remember, last time we went to Good Dog Philip got a brat, and he was quite happy with his first “true” Good Dog hot dog.

They had red velvet and vanilla cupcakes. I almost ordered one but talked myself out of it…I’m trying to cut back on the sugar, and I knew there would be dessert at my parents’ house (banana splits with homemade chocolate sauce made by yours truly!)…one of these days I’m going to get one of these gigantic beauties!

So, to sum it up….this is still a great place to get a good (great!) dog. It’s worth the trip downtown. This is no convenience store dog. So, as this sign says…..

Good Dog is located at 34 Frazier Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405. You can call them at 423-475-6175. You can “like” them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. Check out their website, www.eatatgooddog.com.

Julie Darling Donuts-April 14, 2012

April 17, 2012

Boy, Saturday was a big day for us! After we finished our great lunch at Niko’s, we headed over to the North Shore to get some donuts from Julie Darling. I’m not sure why we hadn’t been yet…I saw an article about them when they opened in 2010 and immediately wanted to go. So….we finally made it.

We went on Saturday afternoon (around three p.m.) and they did not have the red velvet donut, which, according to the brochure we picked up, is their “signature”. I wanted to cry….I’m pretty much obsessed with all things red velvet (strange, I know, for someone who tries to avoid food dyes…but it’s not something I eat on a regular basis) and I knew when I read about it in the aforementioned article that I would be ordering that. So….I was completely thrown off by the fact that it wasn’t available. It took me a few minutes to make a decision…they had glazed (yeast-raised) doughnuts, cake donuts (iced/uniced), and a variety of filled donuts. We each chose two and brought them home (we were far too stuffed to eat them there).

After I dried my tears and pulled myself together, I decided to get a lemon-filled donut and a ‘nana pudding donut. Truth be told, I’ve always been a bit of a sucker for a really good filled donut (cake donuts are my favorite-not a huge fan of glazed). The lemon was lightly glazed and the ‘nana pudding had a little glaze and some powdered sugar icing with crushed vanilla wafers on top. I was concerned that the vanilla wafers would get soggy but needn’t have been concerned-I saved half of each donut until Sunday and the wafers were fine. Anyway, the ‘nana pudding was far and away my favorite from these two. There was no actually banana in the donut, but rather a creamy banana-flavored filled, like pudding or the filling from a cream pie. It was smooth and banana-y but not overly so. Not that the lemon wasn’t good….I just didn’t find it to be head and shoulders above other lemon-filled donuts I’ve had in my lifetime. The lemon flavor of the technicolor filling was very strong and bright….I think I would have liked it better if it had been a little milder, like a homemade lemon curd. Still, the doughnut was extremely fresh and no doubt had better ingredients than what you might find in your standard chain doughnut shop….

Unlike me, Philip is a fool for a glazed donut, and a day-old Krispy Kreme is pretty much his idea of heaven on earth…so, of course, he decided on a plain glazed donut. For his other donut he chose (surprise!) the pancakes and bacon donut, which is a yeast-raised donut with maple glaze and bacon topping. Philip liked both of his donuts, but did say that the bacon on the pancakes and bacon donut seemed a little “dry”…I’m wondering if it was from sitting in the case (according to a post I read on another blog, the bacon is cooked in the shop). There certainly was a lot of it….I’d like to know just how they crush it so finely! He preferred the glazed donut, because, like I said, he’s just a glazed donut kinda guy. He did say that he didn’t like it as much as Krispy Kreme. I would probably disagree with him if I were to compare the two, but he really, really loves Krispy Kreme. I don’t understand, but I guess it’s a nostalgia thing (also, he is not a “hot and fresh” Krispy Kreme guy….he likes them a day old and a little crusty. Weirdo.).

I haven’t been enamored with the national donut chain (that shall remain unnamed) that has recently reemerged in the Chattanooga area. It’s not that I have a problem with them or their donuts…I mean, I’ll eat them if they’re offered (and it’s a flavor I like)….but I guess it just annoys me that everyone makes such a big flipping deal about a huge chain that’s good but not stellar, when we have local gems like this we could support (I feel the same way about a very large coffee chain….sorry to offend anyone!). If we spend a little time rooting out local options, we might (ahem, probably would) realize that those options are the best options in every way. So, get some donuts from Julie Darling!

Julie Darling Donuts is located at 121 Frazier Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405. You can call them at 423-591-3737. They do not have a website, but you can “like” them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

Niko’s Restaurant-April 14, 2012 CLOSED

April 16, 2012

****Note: Sadly, Niko’s Restaurant closed in December 2012****

God bless Groupon. I have mentioned Living Social before….we’ve gotten a couple of deals there before….and Saturday’s trip to Niko’s was thanks in part to a $30 deal that we purchased for $15 through Groupon.

We’ve been to Niko’s once before, probably around 2007 or 2008, when it was still called “Niko’s Southside Grille” (the location used to be just Southside Grille, before it was bought by Niko). We really liked it, so I am not really certain why it took us this long to go back, but Groupon led us back.

We arrived at Niko’s at some time around 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon and were seated immediately. The only other diners were a couple of ladies a few tables down who left soon after we got there and a sizeable group of boisterous older people in an adjacent room. I immediately took note of the decor….dark walls, dark draperies, dark wood, dark floors. My kind of place. I think Philip and I missed our calling to be Goth people…or Emo…whatev. Anyway, it was the dark, dramatic look that I would love to have more of in my home, and I was impressed.

Since we had a fair amount of money to spend, I knew that I wanted to get an appetizer. We considered the broiled feta with olive oil, thyme, honey, and crushed pecans served with crostinis (dear heavens, I’ll be making that at home ASAP); the fried green tomatoes topped with prosciutto, spinach, and herbed goat cheese and roasted tomato vinaigrette; and the risotto balls-mozzarella rolled in arborio rice and panko crumbs and fried, served with marinara (and also known as arancini) before we settled on the spinach and cheese pies (spanakopita) with feta, romano, and kasseri cheeses wrapped in filo (phyllo) pastry. Now, these were amazingly delicious but not exactly what I was expecting…I was actually expecting the cheese and spinach to be together in the pastries, but two of the pastries were spinach and two were filled with cheese (which I’ve always known as tiropitakia….my friend Kathy, who is Greek, used to bring them to us at work from her parents’ restaurant). Truth be told, I think they should serve just the tiropitakia as an appetizer item! I could eat my weight in them. Amazing.

We both decided on house salads, which is a pretty big deal because, while I am usually a house salad (if it’s a good house salad) kinda girl, Philip is definitely a Caesar kinda guy….but it’s hard to turn down sugared pecans, dried cranberries, and gorgonzola on mixed greens. Very, very hard. The only thing missing from this luscious salad was bacon. Oh well, you can’t have it all. I’ll tell you a secret, though. I ate my portion of the appetizer and every bite of this salad. Every bite. It had the perfect proportion of sweet cranberries, crunchy pecans, and pungent cheese with a perfect vinaigrette. We were also served a plate of warm focaccia “sticks” with a light dipping oil-light olive oil perhaps? Not positive. It had a very light flavor, so it could have been a combination of light olive oil and another vegetable oil.

Now, I love pretty much anything served on a pita, and I contemplated the chicken souvlaki….I wanted to try the Greek fries (seasoned with oregano, cracked pepper, and sea salt and served with lemon and tzatziki-man, I love tzatziki). However, the porcini mushroom ravioli with red peppers, spinach, and a roasted red pepper-garlic cream sauce kept calling my name. I asked my server for a recommendation and didn’t even get my sentence all the way out before he told me I should definitely get the ravioli. Good call, sir, good call. The dark, rich mushroom filling of the ravioli played perfectly with the red pepper bite of the sauce, and the veggies were cooked perfectly, not too crispy but not soggy either. I’ll have to order the souvlaki at some point, but this was definitely the right decision.

Philip decided on the chicken piccata, a grilled chicken breast with a light lemon butter and caper sauce, served on a bed of Riverview Farm grits with a side of sauteed spinach. I thought that grits were an interesting (in a good way!) choice instead of the “usual” rice, and these grits were creamy and delicious (and local!). The chicken had a nice grilled flavor, but perhaps crossed a tiny bit over the line between “perfectly cooked” and “slightly dry”. Not too much so-it was still very tasty-but a little bit. That’s a fine line, my friends. The lemony sauce was perfectly done. Philip said the spinach was, well…spinach. Here we go, people….I make a mean sauteed spinach, and he just didn’t think it was quite as well seasoned or as flavorful as mine. Not bad, though.

Niko’s is one of the Chattanooga area restaurants that is really making an effort to feature locally grown/raised food. I applaud them for that, and hope that many others will follow suit. The food is delicious and fresh, and if you don’t care for Greek food, I assure you that you will find something on their menu that suits you. If you haven’t been, I encourage you to give Niko’s a chance!

Niko’s is located at 1400 Cowart Street, Chattanooga, TN 37408. You can call them at 423-266-6511. Visit their website, eatatnikos.com (but be aware that only their dinner menu is featured on the website) or “like” them on Facebook.

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