Monthly Archives: October 2015

Nashville – 9/18/15 – City House

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I will always remember City House fondly as it is where I first met for drinks someone who I now consider to be one of my very best friends.  The circumstances are too lengthy for this post and it can always be awkward to meet people that you only know from Facebook or email.  It was lovely and as my mother and I left for dinner elsewhere she said “You should be friends with her.”  Occasionally yes you should still listen to your mother.  So nice to finally be back for a proper dinner with said friend and another who knew us separately before we knew each other.  It is indeed a small world.

Scrapple, Corn, Jimmy Nardello Peppers, Red Onion, Pepper dressing 
Clams, Limas, Peperonata, Parsley, Bread Crumbs
 Belly Ham, Mozzarella, Grana Padano, Oregano, Chilies

Chicken Sausage, Pole Beans, Sweet Onion Dressing, Peanuts
 White Corn Grits, Catfish, Tomato Dressing, Arugula

Squash
 Mystery dessert that I didn’t write down! 

Nashville – 9/20/15 – Husk

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I have procrastinated for quite a while in writing this post because I hate to have to say anything negative about Husk.  I probably won’t ever stop coming here as I could live off of the pimento cheese.  But the service was truly terrible.  Actually nonexistent is probably a better description.  I loved my cocktail and wish I could have had another, except that after originally taking our order, our server never ever came back to our table. I will never understand when I want a drink which represents a high profit margin item and literally cannot order one.  And then evidently we had already eaten too much as we were not even offered a dessert menu and the check was dropped immediately when we finished eating.  I truly hope this was an anomaly but even when food is excellent, bad service can kill the entire experience.


Pimento Cheese with Benne Wafers
 White Lily Biscuits with Black Pepper and Sausage Gravy
 Donuts
 A Plate of Southern Vegetables

NYC – 9/12/15 – Semilla

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Semilla had been on my to-do list for a while but as several rave reviews rolled in I was afraid that it might be overhyped and so I just kept putting it off.  A month later I am sure this menu is completely outdated but the seasonal tomato dishes were outstanding, especially the perfect tomato tart (they should have sold extras!).  Just like a pan con tomate the comparative simplicity of tomatoes and pastry or bread is one of my favorite things when done well.  I have never had a chawanmushi that I enjoyed prior to this dinner as I suffer from texture issues with certain dishes such as this.  But I am still shocked that I loved this one.   And it was the same story with the roasted eggplant course.  While I don’t have many dislikes, I think its very special for a dinner to be able to completely change my opinion on more than one of them.  I enjoyed this dinner so much that my only complaint is that the experience felt very rushed.  I was at the end of the first seating but as people began to finish and leave I felt a bit like the store was closing and I needed to hurry up and complete my purchase.

Tomato gazpacho with peaches, rat tail radishes & black olives
 Roasted tomato with corn
 Corn chawanmushi with matsutake mushrooms & ham 
Roasted eggplant with pepper leaves & grapes

Tomato salad with cucumbers & scallops

Tomato tart
Chicken of the woods mushrooms with corn & mole
 Peaches, saffron & bitter almond
 Tarragon profiterole with wild blueberry & buttermilk

NYC – 9/10/15 – Wildair

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I really wasn’t expecting much from Wildair. Sure I have very much enjoyed Jeremiah Stone and Fabian von Hauske’s Contra a few steps away. But at most I was hoping for a solid go-to stop before shows at Rockwood Music Hall. While waiting for my friend to arrive I ordered the cheese selection which was unremarkable and so I continued to think this meal would be just ok. But when the rest of our dishes started arriving I was completely surprised by just how good they were. We loved the spicy tuna so much that we reordered it as dessert and I can count on one hand the number of things I have ever reordered at the same meal. Its so much fun to have no expectations and be completely blown away.

Selection of cheeses

Summer squash, ricotta, purslane

Scallop crudo, kale, cucumber, ruby red
 Beef tartare, smoked cheddar, chestnut
 Georgia white shrimp, celery, cilantro
 Spicy tuna, scallion, tomatoes