The Color Run (Again)

You may remember that way back in October I participated in my first Color Run. I had such an amazing time that when I found out the event would be coming back to Nashville I quickly signed up. I was joined by a bunch of my favorite people and we spent the morning hula hooping and throwing colored powder in each others faces. The best part for me was that Steve decided to participate this year rather than just taking pictures from the sidelines. But you can't stop the man from being a photographer, so here are some wonderful snapshots he captured during the race.

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!

Food Friday: Silo

For our anniversary dinner, Steve wanted to take me someplace special. He knows I love food more than anything and the best gift for me would be dinner at a nice restaurant. Steve wracked his brain trying to find the perfect place. And he did. Our dinner at Silo was nothing short of wonderful. A perfect meal for a perfect evening.

 

Just look at how beautiful it is. The decor is lovely. Everything is made of wood and there is a huge basket weave pattern above the full length of the bar. I loved the darkness with the spot lights hanging low over individual tables. It made dinner seem more intimate and romantic.

Since Silo is a Farm to Fork restaurant the menu changes daily. I had looked at the menu the day before and saw pork belly as an option. I was super excited as nothing is more delicate and tasty than a fatty pork belly. But by the night of our dinner the pork belly was off the menu. I was bummed for a second before I saw all of the other delicious menu options. I think it's really hard to be disappointed at a place where everything sounds so damn good.

Since this was a special dinner we had to start with cocktails! Their bar was stocked with some of my favorite options and their drink list was pretty snazzy. I decided to order a French Lick (despite the terrible name) which contained gin,vermouth, elderflower, sparkling wine, and lemon bitters. My drink was light and just slightly sweet. I drank it pretty quickly! Steve had the Old Fashioned and it was one of the best made ones I have had in a while. (I was on an Old Fashion kick a few years back.)

Here you can see me enjoying my drink as well as showing off my glitter eyeshadow. In this light I look like some form of stripper/cheerleader/toddler-in-tiara.

We started out with the house charcuterie plate. This was one of the finest appetizers I have ever had at a restaurant. It consisted of a trio of fried pig ears in an Asian-inspired sauce, house-made bratwurst and a pork belly pate. It was accompanied with fresh bread, pickled beans and a home-made mustard. The pork belly pate was the first to go. We spread it on the bread and dolloped a bit of that sweet jam on it. It was creamy and didn't taste like any pork product I've ever had before. The bratwurst was flavorful and tasted great in the very thick mustard. Steve wasn't a fan of the pig ears but that was great for me since I love them and can never find a place that serves them (except for certain Sunday nights at City House). I carefully sipped on my cocktail while I got caveman on those pig ears and ate them with my hands. But I did it like a lady. ;-)

It appears that Steve and I are still on the quest for the best meatloaf. Ever since I ordered meatloaf at Tupelo Honey in Asheville we can't seem to get enough of it. Steve chose the meatloaf at Silo and I think that was a very good choice. It was served with mashed potatoes and the gravy was made with oyster mushrooms. The meatloaf itself was fairly traditional and very flavorful. You can taste the quality of the meat- they were allowing the meat to be the star of this dish just the way it was. The meatloaf slices had just a small caramel browning on the edges that added just the right amount of sweet. Silo has raised the bar on meatloaf in Nashville.

Is this not the most beautiful plate of shrimp & grits you have ever seen? That broth that was ladled around the outside of the grits had an amazing flavor. If they packaged that and sold it I would buy it and drink it as as a soup. The shrimp was perfectly cooked and very tender. Also, I guess I love fennel now? I don't remember liking it so much before this dish! I would order this again in a heartbeat- that is if it's still on the menu next time I go!

We were totally full after our entrees but how can you pass up dessert? We had the (brace yourself) chocolate peanut butter goo goo cluster pie. This was less like a pie and more like a GIANT BAR OF FUDGE. I took 4 bites and tapped out. It was just so rich and delicious  and way too much for me on a full stomach. Steve couldn't even quite finish it. But it tasted so good!

They now have an outside patio with a fire pit. After dinner Steve and I went outside and snuggled up by the fire on their nice outdoor furniture. It was quiet outside, we were alone, and it wasn't that cold. It was a perfect end to a very romantic dinner.

I used to think that City House was the ultimate panty-dropping restaurant to which a guy could take a girl. Now, I'm not so sure. Silo is very stiff competition.

1 Year Anniversary Photos

Happy Wednesday, and thank you guys for your sweet words for Steve & I last week! We had a great time celebrating being together for one year. We love taking silly self portraits and this was the perfect opportunity. We did the same thing for our 6-month anniversary and I hope we continue this tradition going forward. Enjoy our narcissistic wackiness.

Asheville: Lodging via Airbnb

When Steve and I first decided that we would be going to Asheville during our Thanksgiving vacation we went to Airbnb to find a place to stay. We have used Airbnb a few times in the past and our experience was always wonderful. We had great hosts, great houses and great locations. Because of all that good stuff and the affordable prices, we didn't even think about staying in a normal hotel. We found this lovely house with an open floor plan and bright colors. Everything about it was eclectic and beautiful. The house even came with a lovely long-nosed cat named Nicholas, as well as 4 chickens. Our host was kind and helpful and even provided us with a list of her favorite things to do in the city. Check out some lovely photos that Steve took!

 I love the color of the house!

 I can't get enough of Nicholas. He is so sweet. And such a handsome cat.

 Chickens are really hard to catch. We never got one :(

 Nicholas is the best nap buddy!

Food Friday Asheville Edition: Tupelo Honey Cafe

When I put out a call for Asheville food suggestions, everyone and their mother recommended Tupelo Honey Cafe. When the people are right, they are right. Located in downtown Asheville, this establishment was packed the night we were there. This location doesn't take reservations, but what they do offer is "call ahead seating." You call the restaurant about an hour before you want to eat and they put you on the list just like you were there in person. I love this idea! Steve and I called up for dinner at 6:15 and were told it would be an hour. When we arrived at 7 we were able to cut the huge line and go the next available table. I was terribly sick with a cold at this point and I really appreciated the staff for accommodating me and moving me to a warm table in the back away from the constantly opening door.

Tupelo Honey is a popular place. How popular you ask? SO POPULAR THAT SANTA EATS THERE. You can tell by his face that Santa was very unhappy that I recognized him and captured him on film.

Tupelo Honey's menu is made up of a variety of traditional southern offerings. The feel and the food reminded me a lot of Nashville's own (and famous) Loveless Cafe. Tupelo Honey is just a tad bit more upscale and dare I say it, healthier, than the Loveless.

And just like the Loveless Cafe all meals at Tupelo Honey come with a biscuit and jam. This might be the largest single biscuit I have ever seen. I wish I had put a penny next to it so you can see the scale. The biscuit was delicious, light and fluffy. I couldn't even finish it.

Even though it isn't springtime I had to get the fried green tomatoes. They were served over goat cheese grits with a pinch of fresh basil. What I really enjoyed about this dish was how light the tomatoes were. They didn't look like or taste like they had been fried. The crust was crisp, light and not dripping with oil. And inside was a plump fresh tomato. I have no idea what their secret is, but I need to learn how to fry foods like this. The best thing on the plate was that one picked okra. Best. Pickled. Okra. Ever.

Steve ordered the Tender Medallions of Beef. I'm pretty sure the only reason why he picked this dish was that it was served with Gorgonzola butter. That is a pretty good reason if you ask me. It came with cheesy cauliflower and asparagus. Steve was also sick at this point and couldn't really taste much of his dish to provide a commentary. I tried this dish and wasn't blown away. The meat was a little too tough and the sauce was on the boring side. But, I also was sick so I don't know if my palate was thrown off as well.

Being sick I wanted some comfort food. And how more comfortable can you get than meatloaf? And not just regular meatloaf, meatloaf with bacon inside. I loved this dish-it was exactly what the doctor ordered. The meatloaf itself was juicy and had good spice. The tomato sauce on top was super fresh and didn't overpower the meat (I want to taste that bacon). I'm always skeptical when mac n' cheese is a side dish, but I really like Tupelo Honey's take on it. You can taste the really good cheese that they used- no processed crap here.

Overall, we really liked Tupelo Honey. I'm happy that this was everyone's go-to Asheville suggestion!

Asheville Street Art: Chicken Alley and Carolina Lane

One of my favorite things about visiting Asheville was the amount of beautiful street art. Downtown, I fell in love with Chicken Alley and Carolina Lane. They are small pathways with little houses tucked away. The walls are covered with beautiful murals. I could see myself living in a place like this one day. Steve took some amazing photos:

Ok, I know this isn't real "art" but it's my kind of tagging!