Check it out: East Nashville Beer Festival

I love my neighborhood. East Nashville is truly my favorite place in the world. Despite all the hipster jokes and Portlandia references, this place is pretty amazing. Where else can you go to Kroger and run into 5 friends? Or attend a Twin Peaks prom? Or a delicious beer festival?

Well my friends, this little (best) part of town hosts the annual East Nashville Beer Festival and it's one of my favorite events of the year. It's marked on my calendar way in advance and I'm always telling people that they REALLY NEED TO GO. So mark your calendars for March 23rd this year! I had the best time ever last year. I got to try a ton of tasty beers, talk to the brewers themselves and meet tons of other awesome beer fanatics. I'm going again this year and promise to bring you a full post on this thing. As you know, I love reviewing beer and food. Just take a look at all the breweries you can sample from! The beer is not the end of it, either. Seeing as I'm a food blogger I want to try the delicious offerings from the local food trucks that will be there including Riff's, The Grilled Cheeserie  and Biscuit Love. But the best and newest addition is the beer and food paring put on by Whole Foods. They will pair 12 specially selected beers with 12 small plates and you can eat as much as you like. This is a special additional $45 ticket and is limited to 200 people, but hopefully I can get in on this.

Plus, the whole week leading up to the beer festival is Craft Beer Week! There are tons of events around town at breweries and bars where you can get into the craft beer spirit. Last year I went to an event at Woodland Wine Merchant (Thanks Green Flash!) and got to have a delicious and FREE beer tasting. I highly recommend checking out these events- and you can probably find me at the Sexy Beer Night at 12 South Tap Room or the Brooklyn Brewery Night at Craft Brewed.

So mark it on your calendar folks! Tickets go on sale February 21st at 9am sharp (and get your fingers on the button because this event will probably sell out in under an hour, if not 30 minutes). So head on over to Rhizome Productions and get your tickets- I'll see you there!

Twin Peaks Prom

There are few things in this world I like better than Twin Peaks. It's my favorite TV show of all time and I know that there are a lot of people out there who have been just as influenced by it as I have. When I heard that Boheme Collectif, a local Nashville art collective/gallery/venue, would be putting on a Twin Peaks-themed art show and prom I was so excited! The night was full of really creative TP inspired art. There was pie, doughnuts, "damn fine" coffee and a spiked punch called David Lynchburg Lemonade, as well as a black lodge photobooth. I went as the Log Lady and Steve came as my Log. We took 3rd place in the costume contest which was pretty good for a last minute idea! I met another wonderful log lady and I got to hang out with my friend Stephen who came as Dr. Jacoby. This needs to be a yearly thing, and I've heard that BC does indeed plan to make it such.

Photos by Chris Scruggs of Lens Distortion

New York State of Mind

Happy Monday everyone! I can't believe it's already Monday. My weekend was so busy and not restful at all. It seems like I have only been away from my desk for 5 minutes and not a full two days. On Friday night I met up with some of my favorite ladies to play Cards Against Humanity at a local bar. The biggest surprise was that whoever played the game before us left an unused condom in the box. Imagine our surprise when we pulled that out of the box! It's performance art, people.

On Saturday I had the complete thrill of attending a Twin Peaks Themed Art Show and Prom. I am obsessed with Twin Peaks and it was wonderful to spend an evening with people who love it just as much as me. There was lots of fabulous Twin Peaks inspired art as well as a black lodge photobooth. Even some of my favorite burlesque performers did their take on TP. Steve and I also came in 3rd place in the costume contest! I was the log lady and he was my log. (I hope to have some photos of that later). The night even ended with some karaoke at Fran's. Fran's is easily the most Lynchian place on the East Side.

I also have a lot of big personal news going on right now. The reason why I have been so busy and tired all the time is that Steve is moving in! I'm super excited about cohabitation but at the same time a tad bit freaked out because I have never lived with anyone before. Also, moving is VERY stressful. I wish I had some magical house elf help for this. Where is Dobby when you need him?

I wore this outfit on Sunday to get my nails and toes done with some of my best ladies (Jen, Lauren and Meredith). Those girls are so amazing and I'm incredibly thankful to have them in my life. They knew I needed to take a break and relax from all the moving stress. They convinced me to leave the house for a few hours and take some time to myself. It was much needed. Thank you ladies.

I feel like this outfit is very New York of me. Not only because the leggings depict the city skyline, but also the whole feel of it. I love the abstract neon design on the sweater and how it contrasts the photo-realistic tights. I would be very comfortable walking around NYC in this outfit.

I'm wondering if I'm starting to get a bit boring with my outfits. I seem to have discovered my winter uniform: bright tights + big sweater. I don't think there is anything wrong with this combination but I'm beginning to wonder if I'm stuck in a creative rut. I'm sure warm weather will allow me to wear all the skirts that have been hiding in the back of my closet for the last 4 months, but I'm pretty sure I won't give up my winter uniform that easily.

So how about my new glasses?! After my recent dealings with online glasses providers, I decided to go visit my friend Allison at local optical shop called Specs and get some real-deal frames. These beauties are vintage and I love them so much. They are a really pretty steel-blue-gray color and just the right level of loud.

And the cat bag? I've seen this sucker all over the interwebs lately and I knew I had to have it. It's so much easier to carry all of your crap when it's being held in a sweet kitty cat. And this cat holds a lot! Inside is a pair of flip flops, wallet, glasses, kindle and an umbrella. Not bad for a sweet kitty face!

Sweater: Modcloth

Tights: Romwe

Shoes: Anthropologie

Collar: Modcloth

Glasses: Specs

Bag: Naputa's Secret Garden

Food Fiday Boulder Edition: Tangerine

There are few things in the world I love more than a good brunch. I'm a fan of breakfast foods but my weekday schedule doesn't really provide me with time to enjoy a "balanced breakfast." Most days I just shove a banana in my purse and hope for the best. That is why during the weekend (or if you are on vacation and you don't have to wake up by 7am) you can enjoy the wonder that is breakfast. And when I am on vacation I want to eat brunch every damn day to make up for my deficit. At some point during our visit to Colorado the idea chicken and waffles came up, at which point I expressed my desire to "put them in my mouth." Emo.Matt knew just the place- Tangerine.

Tangerine might be the cutest darn breakfast joint I've seen. The decor was modern and light, with just pops of, well... tangerine. The metal chairs were all different colors and I loved the green tile behind the bar. We were lucky enough to get a booth by the window that was drenched in window light.

Their coffee menu looked pretty sweet, but since I was already two cups in by this point I opted for a chai. But to my surprise when I ordered it our super kind waiter asked me what kind of milk I wanted. I said almond milk hesitantly because I find it hard to get lattes and such done with almond milk in Nashville. And do you know what he said?! "SURE." I had the best almond milk chai latte ever. It was thick and creamy and I couldn't tell that it wasn't straight from a cow. Steve ordered the fresh squeezed orange juice that was delicious. I'm a sucker for pulp and this one was as pulpy as they come.

Since the menu was full of lots of tasty options, Steve and I decided to order two things and split them. Obviously, we went for the chicken and waffles. It was a fried chicken breast sandwiched between two sides of a Belgian waffle with cashew cream on top and real maple syrup. The chicken breast was tender and spiced well. The fried bit was delicious, wasn't too thick, and didn't overpower the meat. Why don't all waffles come with cashew cream? Fo' Real.

My personal favorite go-to breakfast of  choice is usually eggs Benedict. I have eaten this dish all over Nashville and I love to try it out at new places. Tangerine offers a nice variety of Benedict offerings. I went with the the Green Eggs and Ham. It was made with Prosciutto, brie, walnut pesto and hollandaise sauce. I have never had this exact combination on a benny before and I am in love. How have I never had Brie on a benny before?! That seems so unfair seeing how it melts beautifully with the runny egg and hollandaise. Also, one can never ever go wrong with pesto as far as I'm concerned.

Overall, I loved Tangerine. We didn't have to wait for a table at all and our waiter was a really sweet guy and very attentive. I can only hope I make it back to Boulder to try out more of their benedicts!

Around the House, With Cats

Society6: Steve Cross Photography

I'm going to take this moment and brag on my man for a bit. Steve is a very talented photographer who always takes beautiful photos. During our trip to Colorado, Steve was inspired by the landscape he had a chance to shoot. When he came home, he was determined to open up a shop where he can sell prints of his work. It's something he's been meaning to do for a while, and the beauty of Colorado inspired him to get it going. I'm so proud of him for opening up his Society6 shop! Please stop by and take a look at his work!
   

**Check out Steve on Society6**

Food Friday Colorado Edition: Euclid Hall

Sometimes one of the joys of traveling is having the locals suggest stuff. And knowing that I'm into food, I love it when locals suggest food! We had no particular plans on where we wanted to eat during our one night in Denver, but after a conversation at local taproom Great Divide Brewing brought up Euclid Hall (I believe the words duck, marrow and pig ears were uttered), I knew I had to go there for dinner. Immediately. Luckily my friends indulged my foodie urges and we made our way there.

The building itself is quiet impressive. The restaurant is two stories and it has the feel of a really hip bar. And that makes sense because the place is also a really hip bar. They have their own version of happy hour called study hall and they have a good selection of beers on tap. It seems like every place in Colorado has a good selection of beers on tap. Thus I was feeling pretty beer'd out by that point and opted for a cocktail instead. I ordered the Violet Hammer which was made with scotch, peach schnapps, lemon juice and blueberries. The best part was the unexpected sage leaf in the drink. I don't believe I've ever had a drink with sage in it but come herb o'clock in my garden all of my goodies will be getting a dash of sage.

There were 5 of us for dinner, and basically Steve and I ordered a bunch of stuff to split, and Emo.Matt, Alice and Fabian ordered a bunch of stuff to split. Plus, we all made sure to try a little bit of everything else. It felt like we ordered everything off of the menu! But this method is a really great way to try a lot of stuff out at a new place.

Steve and I started off the night with fried cheddar curds with a buffalo ranch dip. When growing up in New York, you don't get cheese curds. It wasn't until I went to some random state fair (Hello BIG E) that I was able to try this delicious fried delicacy. Euclid Hall's take on the treat was no exception. The curds were fried crispy to perfection- no extra oil or grease on these babies. And honestly, I'm always a fan of buffalo sauce. Such gooey deliciousness!

The next dish was the steamed mussels in a New Belgium Trippel Ale, garlic and shallots. The mussels were surprisingly sweet (even though I'm sure I had a male and not a female). But the sauce was delicious. I kept using my leftover shell to scoop it up like a soup spoon and shovel it into my mouth. If I wasn't sharing this dish with more people, I would have picked up the cast iron pot and drank it like a toddler.

This pretty plate is Pad Thai Pig Ears. YEP YOU HEARD ME RIGHT! Euclid Hall did away with those pesky noodles and replaced them with strips of fried crispy pig ears. If you are a regular reader, you probably know that I really enjoy pig ears (and most other random pig parts as well). This was the most inventive iteration of swine ears that I've ever had. The sauce was very sweet though, so about half way through I doubted my ability to finish the plate. Which was totally fine because we shared it and the plate was licked clean. 

Here is another dish that is not surprising. MORE BONE MARROW. This was served with a sherry gastrique that was divine. I dragged the bone through the sauce and then scooped some marrow on the bread. The sweet onions on top added a nice high note to the dense sherry sauce. And don't worry dear readers, I did pick up the bone with my hands and sucked it clean. I'm in another state and I simply don't care. 

One of the things that struck me on the Euclid Hall menu was the variety of poutines that they offer. I have only had real poutine maybe twice in my life, but those experiences were so memorable that I get giddy when I see a restaurant offer the dish. The duck poutine was deliciously foul. (get it?). The gravy was thick and reminded you of having a home cooked meal in a farmhouse. The duck itself was plentiful and the gravy made it stick like mad to the fries. 

Steve and I opted for the rather nontraditional beef cheek poutine. It was smothered in tomatillo green chile, cheddar curds, goat cheese and cilantro. The green chile had a strong kick and by the time we got to the bottom of the plate my mouth was on fire. Beef cheek is the most tender sweet piece of meat and it was a perfect marriage with the green chile. 

The grand finale was the cashew crusted cobia. Since this was a Matt, Alice and Fabian dish so I didn't get to try the fish itself. What I can speak to was how delicious the the sweet potato and apple puree was. It was almost dessert delicious (I kind of think sweet potatoes are desserts anyway). Also, apparently I was the only fan of the frisee salad so I kind of housed the thing. I have no idea what dressing they put on those curly leaves of joy but it was simply perfect and light. I really HATE overdressed salads. Is hate too strong of a word?

Overall I had a great time at Euclid Hall. If you are ever in Denver and are looking for an entertaining eating experience, I highly recommend it. And a big thanks to Fabian for suggesting this place!