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Pasha Coffee & Tea

October 28, 2012

A couple of years ago Philip played a Monday night free show at a coffee house in St. Elmo we’d never heard of. It was pretty new and very tiny, tucked into the corner of a building that also contained a flower shop and a restaurant. The name of it was Pasha Coffee & Tea. We bought a bag of their organic, fair-trade whole coffee beans. It was a good thing.

Pasha has been on “the list” for a while but because of its location we hadn’t made it down there yet. Last month there was a Living Social deal for $30 worth of food and drink from Pasha for $15 so I pounced on it. I started thinking about it this week and decided that we needed to skip our normal Saturday morning breakfast at home tradition and head down to Pasha for one of their breakfast sandwiches. We didn’t make it down there until almost noon, so we considered ordering off the non-breakfast menu, but ultimately decided to go with our first instinct (breakfast is served daily).

We decided on the hummus, pita chips, and stuffed grape leaves plate as an “appetizer” (you can also order them as separate items). I’d tasted stuffed grape leaves at a diner several years back-0ne bite-and wasn’t too sure. Philip had them at the home of a friend who’s mother was of Middle-Eastern descent, and he liked them. I am not going to lie….these were different. The flavor was good, the texture was weird. Acquired taste, maybe? I have no idea what was stuffed in them. Hmmm. The hummus was good, nice and creamy, flavored with cumin, which is unique but not unheard of. The pita chips were packaged, not that I’m complaining. I like packaged pita chips. I’d order the hummus and pita chips again, but probably not the grape leaves. Maybe I’ll have to make them at home some time?

I decided to order the eggaprese sandwich-two eggs, pesto, spinach, mozzarella, and tomatoes on a toasted everything bagel. The combination on a breakfast sandwich was definitely intriguing. The ingredients were nice and fresh and the sandwich came out quickly. I liked the flavor of the pesto. I was not terribly impressed by the eggs, though…first of all, I think the sandwich would have been fine with just one egg. Second of all, I am pretty sure the eggs were cooked in the microwave. I am so picky about eggs, that just didn’t do it for me. I wish I’d just ordered the caprese sandwich. Nice concept, though, and I’d like to try to recreate it at home. I ordered a small frosted mint latte and it was delicious…not too sweet, not too milky, not too minty. Just right. Mmmm.

Philip decided on the Janissary-two eggs, feta cheese, turkey, pesto, and cholula (spicy mayo) on a toasted everything bagel. He felt pretty much the same way that I did about the eggs-meh-but really liked everything else about the sandwich. I tasted it. The cholula really did add a pretty strong hit of spiciness to the sandwich. One bite wasn’t too much but I’m betting a whole sandwich would light my mouth on fire! He ordered a mocha, which he felt was very chocolatey….but then, it is a mocha, right?

We also bought a bag of Peruvian coffee beans. The cashier told us that Pasha gets their beans from Bongo Java in Nashville. There were brownies and muffins on the counter as well…they looked delicious but we decided against a dessert item. Our total was around $40, which included the appetizer, two breakfast sandwiches, a small and a large coffee drink, and a bag of coffee beans (and, of course, most of that was covered by our Living Social deal).

Pasha has an interesting selection of sandwiches-curried chicken salad, the Elena Ruiz (turkey, cream cheese, and strawberry preserves), and a spicy BLT, to name a few-and I’m definitely going to have to go back for a sandwich. They’ve really put some thought into their menu. I love their coffee and I love their commitment to the community and to organics and fair-trade items. I don’t love their microwaved eggs. Can’t win them all. All in all, though, I really like this place. You should try it out.

Pasha Coffee and Tea is located at 3914 St. Elmo Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37409. You can call them at 423-475-5482. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Mojo Burrito (Red Bank)-October 20, 2012

October 21, 2012

It’s a little bit embarrassing to admit that Mojo Burrito has been around in Chattanooga for ten years now and I am just now getting around to eating there. Ten years exactly, in fact. They were celebrating the ten-year anniversary this weekend at the St. Elmo location (the celebration is still going on today, 10/21, with giveaways, live music, and food/drink specials, FYI!). It’s been a while since we’ve been to a restaurant with a menu like this (burritos, nachos, tacos, etc.) but Q’Doba was always our go-to, since I used to work on Brainerd Road and Philip used to work at Unum….the two former locations were very close to our workplaces. Sorry, Mojo Burrito! We’ve learned our lesson (and that was before we were local-food-obsessed, anyway).

As I called out the names of restaurants that needed to be checked off of my iPhone list, Mojo Burrito caught Philip’s attention. We needed to head to Greenlife to pick up some maple syrup anyway, so the location (Dayton Boulevard at Signal Mountain Road) was convenient, and a huge plus was the fact that, as I looked at their website, I discovered that they buy as many local products as they possibly can. Off we went.

Now, I have to admit…I never order a burrito. Ever. Anywhere. Generally at places with similar menus (Q’Doba, Moe’s) I’ll order nachos, but the fish tacos also caught my eye. It took me a second to make a decision but for the sake of comparison I decided to go ahead with the Macho Nachos, a huge plate of white tortilla chips covered with pinto or black beans (I chose black), queso sauce, pico de gallo or tomatoes (I chose pico), green onions, fresh or pickled jalapeños (I passed on the jalapeños), and sour cream. You can also add meat for $1.99 to $2.40 (steak costs more than chicken or chuck) or sub veggie chili for the beans for an additional $1.25, which the staff member making my nachos suggested I may want to try next time. Duly noted. Embarrassingly, I’ll admit that I ate almost the whole plate. They were delicious! Everything tasted so fresh. The tomatoes in the pico were very fresh and I got the feeling it was freshly made; there was a great balance of ingredients-tomatoes, onions, jalapeño, and cilantro. The black beans were perfectly cooked, firm like black beans should be. The chips were thin and crispy, which I love, and the queso was also a perfect thickness and spiciness.

Unlike me, Philip almost always orders a burrito when they are available. He decided on the signature Mojo Burrito-chicken or ground chuck (he chose chuck), black or pinto beans (he got black) and Spanish rice rolled up with toppings in a large flour tortilla. Philip topped his burrito with cheese, sour cream, pico de gallo, and fresh jalapeño slices. The gigantic burrito was served with a basket of chips and salsa. The salsa was the texture that I like-thin and not chunky-and had a perfect level of spice for someone who doesn’t like her tastebuds to be seared off but thinks that salsa should burn just a bit. The burrito was stuffed full but not so full that Philip needed a fork to eat it. He was really impressed by the flavor of the meat, which had an interesting seasoning to it and is locally produced, which makes me wonder if it is grass-fed (which also lends an interesting flavor). He stated that it “wasn’t as good as Delia’s”, but (a) he orders chorizo at Delia’s; and (b) you can’t really compare a place like Mojo Burrito to an authentic Mexican joint. Apples and oranges. He really liked it, though.

Because it was Saturday, the Red Bank location was serving 99-cent tacos (the St. Elmo and East Brainerd locations feature 99-cent tacos on different days of the week). Next time I visit, I will probably try the fish tacos (fried tilapia on flour tortillas with lettuce, jalapeños, pineapples salsa, and remoulade, served with rice and beans). They also have delicious sounding quesadillas (including spinach), salads (side, spinach, and taco), and appetizers (like Texas caviar, which is made with black-eyed peas). Our total for the nachos and burrito was about $16 (we drank water). It’s a very vegetarian and vegan-friendly establishment with lots of options already in place and others that can easily be adapted. The cashier explained (unprompted) the policy of buying everything that they possibly can locally (which is probably the reason that the menu says prices are subject to change-I am sure that the prices are subject to availability and market prices, and I’m okay with that for local products) and that all of the artwork in the restaurant is local as well. Even the table tops in the dining room were made by local artists! They also have a patio for outdoor dining.

A restaurant with a philosophy of giving as much support as possible to other local businesses and individuals is the kind of restaurant I want to support. Remember that at restaurants like this you are not only supporting that local business and its employees but the owners and employees of every local business that they support. I truly believe in keeping my food dollars as local as possible. Their food is so fresh and the atmosphere unique and interesting. We thought it was fantastic and we’ll be back!

Mojo Burrito Red Bank is located at 1800 Dayton Boulevard, Chattanooga, TN 37405 (423-870-6656), with other locations at 3815 St. Elmo Avenue, Chattanooga, 37409 (423-822-6656), and 1414 Jenkins Rd. Ste. 100, Chattanooga 37421 (423-296-6656). By the way, 6656 spells MOJO on your telephone. You can also check out their website: http://mojoburrito.com or find them on Facebook or Twitter.

Chattavore//Nashavore: Burger Up Cool Springs, October 12, 2012

October 14, 2012

Have you figured out yet that local food is a big deal to me? If you’ve been a regular reader for a while you know that (while I still visit the grocery store) I buy the majority of my food at the farmers market. I try to eat at local restaurants as much as possible (and don’t profile chain restaurants-other than “local chains”-on Chattavore. Period.). The best of both worlds? A local restaurant that serves food from farmers markets. More and more restaurants in Chattanooga are making an effort to do just that, but most of them tend toward a few items on the menu that are local and everything else is from who-knows-where.

Philip and I visited Nashville for a couple of days this week just to get away on my fall break. One of my friends, who is an animal lover/vegetarian/local food fanatic, met us for lunch on Friday. I asked her to recommend some good local places, so she threw out some suggestions. All of them sounded good….Calypso Café (Caribbean fare), Puffy Muffin (“dessert bakery and restaurant”), and Burger Up (self-explanatory). She mentioned that just about everything served at Burger Up is sourced locally and that they serve Krispy Kreme bread pudding. Sold! Philip loves Krispy Kreme and bread pudding, and you know we both love a good burger.

According to their website, Burger Up Cool Springs was born from the idea to start a follow-up restaurant to the Burger Up location at 12th and Paris in Nashville. The farm that sources the beef (Triple L Beef) for that restaurant is located in Franklin, so this restaurant is an homage of sorts to that farm. The farm that sources the beef for the Cool Springs restaurant (Bear Creek Farm) is also located in Williamson County. The menu features grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, Sweetwater Valley cheese, Benton’s Bacon (oh yeeeeaaaahhhhhh), etc. Even the chocolate used in their brownies and the ranch dressing served with their fried pickles are local. For a complete rundown of their vendors, check out this page: http://www.burgerupcoolsprings.com/vendors.html.

Philip took one look at the menu and pointed out what he knew I was going to order: the ramsey pimento cheese burger. Duh. House-made pimento cheese, pickles, red onion, Bibb lettuce. Perfection. On my friend’s suggestion, I ordered the truffle fries (unlimited house fries are included in the price of the burger, but you can sub any other side-truffle fries, sweet potato fries, vidalia onion rings, or steamed baby spinach-for $1.00 extra) which are drizzled with truffle oil, topped with parmesan, and served with honey dijon aioli. These are my dream fries, with or without the truffle oil…hand-cut, crispy but not overly so….obviously made in house. The aioli was amazing, a stepped-up version of the honey mustard I used to obsessively dip my fries in. The burger…wow. It had the amazing flavor of grass-fed beef (if you’ve never compared the two….you really can tell the difference), the pimento cheese (in which you could see the shreds of cheese) was just creamy enough and you could taste the pimentos just a little, the vegetables were fresh, and the bun was soft but not squishy. Me = happy camper.

Oh dear. My photo looks terrible! Sorry for the blur.

Similarly, Philip immediately knew what he was going to order: the woodstock. Benton’s bacon (again, oh yeeaahhhh), Sweetwater white cheddar, and Jack Daniels maple ketchup (see? Another local product!!). He decided to get the regular house fries so that we could compare the two. Like me, he thought the fries were perfect, and he liked their ketchup, which he doesn’t usually eat. They make it there and it has a different texture and flavor from storebought…and it contains Coke! Fun. He took one bite of the burger and his eyes rolled back. The bacon was awe-evoking…..not super-crisp, perfectly salty, and with the sweet flavor from the Jack Daniels maple ketchup…wow. Of course, the burger itself was wonderful too.

Colleen ordered the tomato-basil soup as a starter and our server brought us three spoons so that Philip and I could try it too. It was creamy and tasted like a non-alcoholic (ha!) and slightly spicy (just slightly!) version of my vodka sauce. Mmmmm. She ordered the Marathon burger, a quinoa and black bean burger served with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and cilantro-lime crème fraiche. Wow. I would love to go back and order this sometime. She eats there fairly regularly and always orders this. She said that she really likes it because (a) it tastes good; (b) they cook it perfectly so that it is a little crunchy; and (c) it isn’t non-meat trying to masquerade as meat (a la Boca burgers) which is my criteria for a good vegetarian burger as well. It looked amazing.

And, finally, we ordered the Krispy Kreme donut pudding with housemade raspberry sauce (they also serve milkshakes and a brownie). It came in a fairly large rectangle, definitely big enough for two (actually, I think it could have served three but Colleen didn’t eat any…she insisted that since we don’t have access to this restaurant on a regular basis we had to eat the whole thing). It was perfectly moist and not overly sweet (like you might fear that Krispy Kreme pudding would be) and the raspberry sauce was sweet and just slightly tart and nicely “raspberry-y”. It complemented the pudding just right. We ate the whole thing.

All I can say is…..a-MAH-zing. I’m in love with this restaurant. It’s probably a good thing I don’t live there or I’d be eating at Burger Up all the time. Good for them but probably not good for the state of my waistline. It’s definitely ranked right up there with Southern Burger in my burger rankings (and it’s a good thing they aren’t open all the time or I’d be in trouble here too!). I love the mission of serving as much local food as possible and Burger Up is definitely going above and beyond that call. I’ll be back.

Burger Up Cool Springs is located at 401B Cool Springs Boulevard, Franklin, TN 37067. You can call them at 615-503-9892. Check out their website: http://www.burgerupcoolsprings.com/. You can also like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter. The website for the original location at 12th and Paris is http://burger-up.com/.

The Pizza Place-October 6, 2012

October 7, 2012

A few months back I wrote my first post about a Signal Mountain restaurant (Nino’s Pastaria) and really had to roll my eyes at myself that somehow I had managed to grossly neglect an entire area of town. There are several restaurants on Signal Mountain that need to be written about, and for some reason I never even think about them. I guess it’s because, being on the mountain and all, they feel like they’re on an island or in a foreign country or something, even though they really aren’t any farther away from me than downtown or East Brainerd. Anyway, as Philip and I were contemplating where to go on Saturday, he asked what restaurants we needed to try on Signal…so we ended up at The Pizza Place, which one of my friends had recently recommended.

We almost didn’t go there. As I was looking them up online I saw that they were a “cash only” establishment, and we didn’t have any cash on us (we rarely do). We walked in to clarify, figuring that we would just walk down the sidewalk to 517 Subs if “cash only” was the case. We found out that they actually take checks, and for once I actually had the checkbook in my bag (honestly, I can’t remember the last time I’ve written a check at a store, restaurant, etc.!) so we decided to stay. The server/cashier (whose name I meant to get but completely forgot) told us to find a table and she came out with menus and took our drink order.

We decided to order some breadsticks. The server suggested side salads, which come with bread (I think she called it rosa bread and said it was similar to breadsticks) but we decided to just get the breadsticks. They came out pretty quickly, with two little cups of marinara. We asked her if the dough is made in house…she said that it is, in large batches every day with the gigantic mixer (which took us right back to our Chuck E. Cheese’s days). The breadsticks were pretty tasty, but we did think they would have been even better with a little more seasoning on them. The sauce (also house made) was good, a tiny bit spicy and seasoned just right.

The Pizza Place has entrées (like lasagna and stuffed shells) and specialty salads on their menu, but it’s called “The PIZZA Place” so we knew that was what we had to get. You can top your own pizza or order a specialty pizza; either way they come in small (8″), medium (12″), large (14″), and extra large (16″). They have twenty-two specialty pizzas, ranging from “Classic” (pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions, and green peppers) to teriyaki chicken (teriyaki sauce, chicken, broccoli, pineapple, almonds, and double cheese) and Reuben (1000 Island sauce, corned beef, sauerkraut, caraway seeds, and double cheese). Ordering was not an easy task, but it was made easier by the fact that you can order even the smalls in half & half. I decided to order a small half chicken cordon bleu (bleu cheese sauce, Canadian bacon, chicken, tomatoes, bacon, and double cheese) and half alfredo chicken (alfredo sauce, chicken, broccoli, bacon, and double cheese). Philip ordered half bacon double cheeseburger (bacon, onions, tomatoes, double beef, and double cheese) and half buffalo chicken (garlic ranch sauce, grilled chicken breast, buffalo sauce, and double cheese).

Each pizza was sliced into six small slices, so we each had one slice of each (then Philip went ahead and polished off the buffalo chicken). The chicken cordon bleu was the first one that I tasted. I didn’t think that the bleu cheese sauce had a very strong flavor, so I think that even someone who was not a fan of bleu cheese would like it if they liked all of the other toppings. I thought that the Canadian bacon had an especially good flavor, and the chicken didn’t have the “old” taste that chicken used on pizzas or in restaurant dishes often have. The alfredo pizza was actually fairly similar to the cordon bleu. I wouldn’t have minded a little more broccoli but thought that everything was super tasty and very fresh tasting. We especially liked that the crust was not a thin crust but still managed to have the crispiness that usually only comes along with a thin crust pizza.

Philip tasted the buffalo chicken first and loved it immediately (although he did say it wasn’t quite as good as the first buffalo chicken pizza he’d ever eaten, at Portland Pie Company in Maine, which an experience that I am fairly certain he would describe as sublime). The buffalo sauce was just slightly spicy but not overpowering, and there was a good balance of ranch sauce and buffalo sauce). He told me that he thought that the bacon double cheeseburger tasted like, well, a bacon double cheeseburger. I would have liked it a little bit more if the onions had been cooked a little bit more (maybe sautéed before being put on the pizza?) and the meat a little more seasoned. It was good but I’d say the bacon double cheeseburger was my least favorite of the four. Surprisingly, I think Philip and I would agree that the buffalo chicken was our favorite. It was so good! Really, though, it all was. By the way, our total before tip was $19.50.

I was very, very surprised to see that The Pizza Place only has a 75% “like it” rating on Urbanspoon. Of course, most of the people that have voted didn’t actually leave reviews, so I have no idea why most of the naysayers said they didn’t like it. There were a couple of negative reviews, though, and the main thing that stuck out to me was that both reviews mentioned the atmosphere. One of them referred to the restaurant as “filthy and run down”. I’ll be honest…the decor is not stellar and the place has not been updated in quite some time. I didn’t find it to be filthy, though, and (as you well know if you are a regular reader) when I go to a restaurant I am far more concerned about the quality of the food that they are serving than the decor. People have put a lot of thought into crafting the pizzas on the menu, and restaurants don’t often last more than twenty years with filth and ordinary food. The only issue I had was the “cash/check only” issue…but when you are located in such a small community and there’s an ATM at the bank that’s basically next door, that isn’t too much of an issue. I’d encourage you to give this place a try…it may become one of your new favorites.

The Pizza Place is located at 1210 Taft Highway, Signal Mountain, TN 37377 (in the strip mall/complex next door to Pruett’s). You can call them at 423-886-3761. They do not have a website or Facebook page.

The Palms at Hamilton-September 29, 2012

October 1, 2012

Saturday I felt like we went all over the world in one day. We had dinner with some friends Friday night (at a local restaurant I decided NOT to blog about-wouldn’t you like to know where!) and then came straight home because we were both on the verge of crashing. Saturday, though, we did our usual traipsing around Northgate (seriously, we do that almost every Saturday, even though usually the only thing we leave with are some used CDs from FYE), then went to Books-a-Mill because I mistakenly thought that the Smitten Kitchen cookbook had been released and wanted to flip through it, then McKay (because I hadn’t been in a couple of months), then to a late lunch, then Target. All before 4 p.m.

We were getting hungry around the time that we were in the East Brainerd area at McKay (where I scored United States of Arugula and Nigella Lawson’s bio on trade credit). Surprisingly, with a million and one stores and restaurants in that area of town, there is only a tiny handful of local places. I suspect high overhead is the reason for that. There’s a Chinese place near Hurricane Creek that Philip loves, then there’s Bones Smokehouse (which I have been told I must try), and a few other places, most of which I have already reviewed…or don’t care to. Philip suggested The Palms, which I never even think about. I’d guess that it’s pretty likely that you never think about it either. The Palms is located on Shallowford, near Sonic. It used to be The Oasis. Philip once played at a songwriter night there and thought the interior was pretty nice and some of the stuff on the menu looked pretty good (albeit a bit pricey). We decided to go there.

It was about 2:15 when we arrived (they open at 2:00). The place was deserted when we walked in. An employee vacuuming in the front directed us toward the bar. We found a table and the server, Lydia, (who was also tending bar) brought us menus and took our drink order. We checked out the menu and decided to order some chili con queso for $5.95. I was actually a little confused by the menu….on the front there’s a “to start with” section on the front of the menu that includes items like a “jumbo shrimp martini” and “cast iron seared & blackened prime rib strips”. All of the items in this section are $9.95 and up. On the back of the menu, however, there was a “just use your fingers” section with more standard sides like the chili con queso that we ordered, chips and salsa ($4.95), and wings. The chips & queso came out quickly…it was pretty much a standard white queso dip with chili mixed in. It tasted pretty good but I did think that for almost $6 the portion size was very small, and the chips were definitely not as fresh as they could have been.

I knew before I even walked in the door that I wanted a burger (no matter where we went) so I had two choices: a standard burger or the mushroom, bacon, and Swiss burger. I decided on the mushroom burger, which I ordered medium-well. It was pretty much a gigantic burger with sautéed mushrooms, melted Swiss, peppered bacon, lettuce, tomato, and onion (which I swiftly removed after snapping the pic) on a grilled bun. Lydia brought out mayo on request. The burger was good, cooked just like I asked. The mushrooms were well-cooked and at least tasted like they were cooked from fresh (you know, canned mushrooms just always taste bad). I really feel like lettuce, tomato, onions, pickle, etc. are unnecessary on a mushroom-Swiss burger, but whatever. It was fine. I liked the burger but it wasn’t anything “special”. The steak fries served on the side were pretty good but obviously made from frozen. Unfortunately, this is the rule, not the exception. Philip and I had a discussion as we were eating about fries and why more restaurants don’t make them from fresh. We concluded that not only is it more work, but people have become so conditioned to frozen fries (which are precooked and sprayed with some sort of starchy something that makes them cook up super-crispy) that they usually don’t like house-cut fries. Another reason to feel sad for our society. I love handcut fries and I wish everyone did, because my fry-eating experience would certainly be enhanced.

Philip considered the Baja fish tacos but ultimately decided to order the Reuben. He was a little nervous about it, as he always is when he orders a Reuben at a place he hasn’t eaten before. In case you don’t know, a Reuben is corned beef brisket, melted Swiss, Russian or Thousand Island dressing, and sauerkraut served on grilled rye bread. This particular sandwich was served on marble (rye & pumpernickel) bread. I’m guessing the corned beef was deli-cut (as I am quite certain they are not brining and slicing their own) and the sauerkraut (basically lacto-fermented cabbage) was not extremely strong. You should be proud of me…I am a little scared of sauerkraut but I tasted the sandwich (sauerkraut and other fermented foods are actually very good for you). It was good and there was no reason to be afraid! The grilled bread was not extremely greasy. Overall it was a pretty good sandwich, although I’d be willing to be it wouldn’t hold up against River Street Deli’s Reuben (I’d almost put money on it).

The interior here is nice, with dark wood and dark carpeting, and it’s very clean and well-kept. It is a 21-and-over joint, so unfortunately smoking is allowed (and there were 2 patrons smoking at the bar while we were there) so that’s definitely a con for us. The sandwiches, fajitas, and most of the fish and chicken dishes are fairly reasonably priced, but their steaks and salads are as pricey as if not more so than some of Chattanooga’s nicest upscale restaurants (salads are $7.95 and steaks are priced up to $32.95). I appreciate the fact that they support local music, and they have a pretty expensive drink menu (although, interestingly, only bottled beers-no draught). They serve brunch on Sundays, which I’d be interested to try (honestly, I judge restaurants much more harshly on their breakfast/brunch items than their lunch and dinner items. Frozen biscuits? Sorry, try again!) and have different “specials” (ladies’ night, date night, seafood night, etc.) every night. I wouldn’t call it my favorite restaurant (but then, it’s really a bar….), but if you have thought about checking them out, it’s worth a try.

The Palms is located at 6925 Shallowford Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421. You can call them at 423-499-5055. Check out their website at http://thepalmsathamilton.com/. You can also find them on Facebook.

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