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Monthly Archives: May 2008
The Standard
167 Rosa L Parks Blvd
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 254-1277
http://www.thestandardnashville.com
Since we enjoyed our first wine tasting at The Standard so much, some girlfriends and I decided to return yesterday evening. The menu included 4 french wines paired with appetizers:
- Les Tuileries, White Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon 2006
Breton Style Little Neck Clams Steamed with White Wine, Garlic, and Onion with Fresh Thyme and French Bread - Domaine Gayda L’Archet, Cuvee Occitane, Grenache Blanc-Marsanna-Roussane 2005
Grilled Jumbo Asparagus with Crab Hollandaise and Pecans - Louis Latour, Le Bourgogne Rouge, Pinot Noir 2005
Braised Pork with Apples - Chateau Mont Redon, Cotes du Rhone, Syrah-Grenache 2004
Beef Tenderloin au Poivre
The wine broker attended the pairing as well, and shared some really great information about each wine. As with last week, chef Joe Shaw explained each dish and his thought process as he paired it with the wine. While I really enjoyed each pairing, the last pairing was my favorite. The spice of the beef matched the wine really well, and absolutely delicious.
Unfortunately, the courtyard was closed for some construction, so we opted not to stay for additional drinks and appetizers. This afternoon I will be making my reservations for next week though, and I look forward to trying more great food and wine!
In case you missed it, read my review from last week’s wine tasting at The Standard here:
http://www.allisonmccoy.com/2008/05/23/the-standard/
Posted in Reviews
Tagged nashville, restaurant, review, The Standard, wine, wine tasting
Yazoo Brewery
1200 Clinton St.
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 320-0290
http://www.yazoobrew.com
We have been meaning to go visit the Yazoo Brewery for a while, so yesterday Jake and I, along with a couple of friends, went on the tour. For $6, you get a tour of the brewery, a pint glass, and samples. The tours are given on Saturdays at 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, and 5:30.
On the outside, the Yazoo Brewery isn’t much to look at. It is located in the Marathon Motor Works building downtown. To get in on the tour, you’ll need to visit the the Tap Room inside and sign up. I don’t want to give away too many details, because I think everybody should go visit on their own. You’ll get a great history of how the brewery was started, learn about the beer-making process and see where it all happens, learn about the different beers Yazoo makes, and taste a few of their most popular brews. The tour isn’t incredibly long, but we enjoyed it, and our tour guide was really friendly, funny, and helpful.
After the tour, we headed back to the Tap Room for (of course) some more beer. We got a few samplers to share, which included 5 oz. samples of their Dos Perros, Pale Ale, IPA, Hefeweizen, Porter, and Stout. Normally I prefer not to drink any of these styles. However, fresh from the tap these were a lot better than any I’ve had at local bars. The sampler was a great way to try everything, and it cost $8. If you know what you like, pints are $4. They also had some cheese and bread selections available to order.
One other thing to note – if you really enjoy the Yazoo brews, you can take some to-go in one of three forms: a half-gallon growler for $11 ($8 refills), a sixth-barrel keg for $50, or a half-barrel/full keg for $140. We had a great time, and we will definitely go back for both the tour and for drinks in the Tap Room.
Here are some pictures that we took:
[flickr album=72157605257168411 num=9]
The Standard
167 Rosa L Parks Blvd
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 254-1277
http://www.thestandardnashville.com
Some friends and I recently heard about a wine tasting event at The Standard on Thursday nights for $5, so we decided to try it out last night. The menu included four wines from Mendoza, Argentina paired with appetizer plates. The wines and appetizers were incredible, and all very well paired. Chef Joe Shaw took time with each to help us understand why he made the pair, and in general why each wine went well the type of food.
The pairings included:
- Trivento Torrontes, Mendoza 2006
Raw Apalachicola Oyster with Ganache Rose Mignonette - Terrazas Chardonnay, Mendoza 2006
Shrimp and Corn Fritter with Cherry Tomato Salsa - Crois de Susana Balbo Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza 2004
Cinnamon Cured Duck Breast with Black Cherry Sauce and Cream Grits - Diseno Malbec, Mendoza 2005
Veal Marsala with Wild Mushrooms and Garlic Custard
We enjoyed the wine tasting so much that we decided to stay for more. Owner Joshua Smith treated us to a tour of the beautiful house, and then we headed out to the newly renovated courtyard. We ordered a bottle of wine (Bollini Pinot Grigio) and a couple of appetizers to share. I was very excited to try the fried mirliton with andouille sausage, Louisiana crawfish, and hollandaise sauce. As with all of the food from the wine tasting, this was delicious, and I would highly recommend it. We also ordered the artichoke crab meat and goat cheese salad on grilled potato bread. This was pretty tasty, though not quite as great as the mirliton.
Overall, we really enjoyed The Standard. The wine and food were all amazing. However, while the wine tasting was a great deal, the menu prices are steep. Soups and salads range $5-8, appetizers range $10-14, and entrees range $18-30. Wines range $8-15 by the glass, $30 and up by the bottle. The lunch menu looks great as well, and is more reasonably priced. We will definitely continue to attend the wine tastings, and I would recommend lunch or dinner to anyone who has a larger budget.
The Nashville Scene recently reviewed The Standard, and you can read their article here:
http://www.nashvillescene.com/Stories/Columns/Dining/2008/05/15/Setting_a_New_Standard/
Posted in Reviews
Tagged nashville, restaurant, review, The Standard, wine, wine tasting
Happy Birthday!
My birthday was last month, so we celebrated a few ways. Jake and I visited my parents in New Orleans the weekend before my birthday, where we had dinner at Commander’s Palace and went fishing. Since it was Lauren’s birthday too, we had a small get-together at The Melting Pot. I took a few pictures, which are below.
[flickr album=72157605077717967 num=19]
Kebab Gyro
73 White Bridge Rd
Nashville, TN 37205
(615) 352-0120
One of the things that Jake and I really enjoy doing together is going out to eat. I thought it would be really fun to review the restaurants we visit on this site.
We had been craving some Greek food lately, and since we had to run some errands in the White Bridge area, we decided to stop by Kebab Gyro. We’ve been there a couple of times before, after finally being willing to branch out from Kalamata’s where we usually get Greek. It’s a small place across from Target, and it’s closed on Sundays (we tried to go several times before we finally found them open). Our first two visits were Saturday lunches, and we were usually the only guests inside. Last night for dinner, however, quite a few people stopped by to eat in or take food to-go. So far we’ve tried the gyros sandwich, gyros plate, chicken sandwich, and hummus. The gyros are absolutely delicious! The pitas are possibly the best I’ve had in Nashville, the tzatziki sauce is great, and the meat is some of the best I’ve ever had. The sandwiches are stuffed very full as well. The chicken sandwich was really tasty, but not quite as good as the gyros. The plate comes with meat, rice, salad, and a pita, and is also great. We saw some other customers order the kebabs, and I think we’ll try those next because they looked so good. Unfortunately, the hummus was not very good at all. It was runny, and it really tasted like it was missing something.
Despite the poor quality hummus, we’ll definitely keep going back for the gyros. Even better, it’s reasonably priced, and the two of us can eat for $12 – $16.
Posted in Reviews
Tagged greek, gyro, hummus, kebab gyro, nashville, restaurant, review
Starting Over
Yesterday I decided to actually update my blog at allison-beck.com for the first time in months. After finding that the website was no longer active and realizing that I had let the domain expire, I decided it was about time to start over. I had been meaning to get a new domain after getting married and changing my name anyway, but with school and life going on, I never got around to it. But, now it’s time! I’m hoping that I can actually keep up with this and even have a blog worth reading. My plans are to incorporate my shared items from Google Reader, share my “fun” times in grad school, and include pictures and stories about some of my hobbies. It’s going to take some time for me to get the site looking better, so until then – how about some pictures?
Posted in Site Updates
Tagged google reader, graduate school, hobbies, phd, pictures, site, update
