Veggie Tale

Welcome, meatless meat loaf. After a seemingly endless wait, The Veggie Cafe is ready to open. Owner Dawn Fears just emailed to say that her building, which formerly housed Royal Cleaners, has passed final inspection. Soft opening is next week. 1601 Riverside Drive, 495-8888.

At the (Pfunky) Crossroads

We stopped in for breakfast today at The Pfunky Griddle in Berry Hill. Filled with the familiar fumes of cooking oil and pancakes, the tiny cook-it-yourself breakfast place was a hive of activity, with the Tennessee Crossroads crew there filming owner Penelope Pfuntner & Co.

You might remember that I reviewed Pfunky Griddle last year, and while I loved the concept, I had a few suggestions, namely that a restaurant dedicated to grinding its own flour for pancakes should probably consider stocking real maple syrup, and that any breakfast place worth its sugar should at least have a kick-ass cup of coffee.

I was delighted to learn that Pfuntner has made at least those modifications. Not only has she switched coffee brands, she bought a bunch of great, big cups perfect for sipping away a rainy winter morning. She will also bring in Bongo Java beans in the near future, which will be a separate option on the menu.

Just as we were sopping up the last drizzles of maple-flavored syrup with our whole grain pancakes and French toast, we learned that we could have ordered a little pitcher of genuine Grade A for an additional $2.

I did not order sides today, so I can't say whether Pfuntner has upgraded the bacon, which was the other thing I suggested she improve. But this go-round we received a ramekin overflowing with fresh blueberries to go along with the pancakes, a generous and welcome addition. And the gentleman seated next to us had a whole mess of stunt toppings as part of the Crossroads segment, which he kindly passed over to us after filming. (Pfunky Griddle does have a friendly sharing vibe, if you like that in a restaurant.) So while I don't usually go in for goofy pancake toppings, I gotta admit my chocolate chip-walnut-pecan-blueberry breakfast was pretty pfunkin' good.

When the Crossroads episode airs (no one seems to know when that could be) you might even catch sight of Jack Silverman and me having breakfast with our friend and USN student Forest Miller, who was visiting the Scene for the morning. “This is really fun. I gotta bring my kids,” I said. Forest, completely unaware that he was sending me into an approaching-midlife spiral of self-loathing, replied, “Yeah, I gotta bring my parents.”

All Over A-Ginza

About six years ago, I took my Japanese classmates Akio, Koichi and Masaki restaurant-hopping to find the best sushi in town. As homesick grad students from Tokyo, they were were partial to Benkay, or Sonobana, as it is now called. To expand their Nashville sushi horizon, I led them to Virago and Ginza, which were both newly opened at the time. Virago—or, more specifically, Virago's sake-tinis—blew their socks off. But the guys said the demure Green Hills restaurant Ginza, named for a popular entertainment and shopping district in Tokyo, stacked up well against the real thing in terms of freshness and selection. They did mention sheepishly, however, that the waitresses in red satin bathrobes were dressed in what they described as formal imperial attire. (At least, that's what I thought they said. We had a significant language barrier, which sake-tinis greatly helped to eliminate.) They also mentioned that the décor was a little kitsch and that the music was something along the lines of 1950's Japanese pop.

The last couple of times I went to Ginza, I noticed that things were a little different. The servers were in simple black and white, the background music was an unobtrusive Asian melody, and the décor was simpler. Last year, Owner Minqin Yang undertook a renovation of the kitchen, sushi bar and dining room, which was completed in November. The effect is a cheerier environment with the same reliable menu of sushi and teriyaki.

Our acid test is the scallop, which can often be rubbery or milky, but Ginza passed with a gorgeous buttery specimen. And props to Ginza for what might be the cutest tea cups in any restaurant in town (sort of like this one, but without the handle).

My favorite treat at Ginza, which consistently makes me smile as I leave, is the orange half cut into wedges and served with a toothpick. I don't know what kind of refrigeration they use there, but not only are those oranges presented beautifully, they are a special kind of cold. No doubt, Akio, Koichi and Masaki would approve.

Located at 3900 Hillsboro Road, 292-1168, Ginza serves lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday and opens for dinner at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Apocalypso!

No, it's not the end of the world—it's the end of many diners' agonizing wait till the opening of the East Nashville location of Calypso Cafe. (Technically, it's called Couva Calypso Cafe, but by whom we're not sure.) The new location, at 1101 Gartland Ave. (at the corner of Gallatin Road), opened today. Now the East Side hipsters (I am so not one, so don't even try...OK, maybe sorta kinda) don't have to cross that damnable river to dig into their black bean salads and rotisserie chicken.

Best of all, it helps to relieve East Nashville's surprising dearth of cheap eats. With just a few exceptions, there are very few places (outside of fast food) where you can get dinner for under 10 bucks.

Limited Access

Every now and then I get an email from a reader asking about the physical accessibility of a certain restaurant. I must admit, physical accessibility is not something I think about often when reviewing places. But in the case of Parco Style Cafe, the subterranean Printers Alley restaurant featured in this week's dining review, I had to wonder how in the world you would get into the place if you couldn't maneuver the front stairs, or didn't have the agility of an eel to navigate the circuitous route through the kitchen from the Third Avenue entrance.

Fortunately, there is a group dedicated to studying the accessibility of local businesses and building awareness of the challenges to people in wheelchairs. Guided by a coalition of volunteers with disabilities and representatives from the fields of business, aging and disability, Access Nashville conducts reviews of various establishments and rates them on a scale of Wow Access, Good Access and Limited Access.

Access Nashville volunteer Kenton Dickerson works with the Center for Independent Living in Middle Tennessee. He offered to review Parco Style Cafe from the accessibility standpoint. Dickerson declared Parco to have Limited Accessibility for people in wheelchairs, the group's lowest rating. According to his review, the entrance in Printers Alley, down a flight of stairs, is not accessible. He adds, “Although there is a back-door entrance at ground level that a person with a disability can use by punching in a security code (posted on the door), the passage to get from this door to the restaurant dining area is too narrow for a wheelchair to pass through.” Furthermore, he adds, the rest room is not accessible.

Access Nashville provides assessments for approximately 100 local restaurants, and the organization is currently in the process of doubling the number of reviews on its website. Bites will add a permanent link to Access Nashville.

As for how Parco stacks up from a culinary standpoint, you'll have to read the Scene's review.

The Cheez Chronicles

I owe the lovely Delaney Mae an apology. Yes, I scoffed when she sang the praises of the Hot & Spicy Tabasco Cheez-It in an earlier thread:

I had a friend in KC gleefully recommend the Flipsides over a month ago, and I've been eagerly scanning the market aisles for them ever since. Finally nabbed a box last week and... um... not great. I broke them in half and fed them to a toddler friend while I myself snuck handfuls out of a box of Tabasco-flavored Cheez-its.

To which I replied:

OK, Delaney, on your recommendation—and at the urging of Casey Gill and Trent Summar, two of your converts—I tried a box of the Tabasco Cheez-Its. Alas, I forgot that I hate the taste of Tabasco.... I really loathe Tabasco, and I'm not sure why. It has this metallic twang I can't put my finger on—too much vinegar, perhaps.

I found them so distasteful at first that I brought the box to work to get rid of th—I mean, to share them with my beloved co-workers. I could have predicted that my colleagues would devour them. Hell, I could wheel a 50-gallon drum of rancid potato peelings through our office, and the thing would be empty before I reached the breakroom.

But I did not predict their enthusiasm. Only Liz abstained. Everyone else gobbled the things by the fistfuls, accompanied by comments such as "I love these!" or "These rock!" or "Hey, Ridley, where's my $20?"

So I tried them again. And again. And again. By the time I found myself gnawing on the boxtop picture, I had to concede Delaney Mae knows her junk food. Now I'm thinking I may have isolated a weird principle in my pleasure zone. As with some of my favorite albums, such as this one—which I gave away the first time, then tried to break into the recipient's house to get it back—the very qualities I found initially irritating are the ones that lodged it in my memory. With Tabasco Cheez-Its, it's the metallic twang of that green-pepper flavoring that affects my taste buds like the lash of a loving whip. The irritation becomes part of the pleasure.

I can only hope I affect people the same way.

Mitchell Preview

If you made it to Soup Sunday at LP Field this weekend, you might have had a preview of Mitchell Delicatessen, which is coming soon to Riverside Village. Chef Julia Helton was ladling out soup as well as handing out menus for Mitchell's, where she will help owner David Mitchell with the catering and cheese service at his neighborhood shop.

The simple black-and-white trifold lists meats and cheeses by the pound, including roast lamb, prosciutto, smoked salmon, fresh mozzarella and brie. Salads run the gamut from roasted beet to tuna with jicama, and soups include gazpacho, curried potato-apple and cioppino. Among the sandwiches, lamb with mint raita piques our interest, as do the caprese, banh mi and muffuletta.

Mitchell's is located at 1402 McGavock and is slated to open in early March.

A Sip of Ice Cream

Mike Duguay, owner of Mike's Ice Cream Fountain on Broadway, will soon open a second coffee-and-ice cream shop when he takes over the Sip Cafe space in Riverside Village in East Nashville. Duguay, who came to Nashville from Michigan five years ago to open the Broadway store, will take over the lease from Sip owners Kathryn Snell-Ryan and Jack Ryan in March. He plans to carry on the Sip brand, making few changes to the menu of coffees and pastries beyond adding his own homemade ice cream to the mix. He hopes to have the transformation complete by Memorial Day.

In the near term, Duguay will continue to make the ice cream in the Broadway store, but this spring he will also move the ice cream manufacturing operations to the building behind Sip in Riverside Village.

Sip Cafe is located at 1402 McGavock, 227-1035. Mike's Ice Cream Fountain is located at 208 Broadway, 742-6453.

Same but Different

Welcome to the first episode of a recurring Bites series called Same but Different. This feature will examine things that are the same but, yes, different.

For example, in the photograph above you see two aluminum chairs that look pretty much the same, but they are actually very...well, you know. One is the classic design of the 1950s-era Navy chair manufactured by Emeco. The other is a knock-off.

One is the chair you will sit in while dining at Ombi. The other you will find at City House.

One costs approximately $400. The other is available for less than a C-note.

One had a cameo in last week's episode of the glitzy new drama Lipstick Jungle.

Who can tell the difference between the two chairs? Who knows which is where and how much? More importantly, who cares?

This has been an episode of Same but Different. In future episodes we will examine other similar but different pairs, such as the nearly interchangeable Sex in the City spin-offs Lipstick Jungle and Cashmere Mafia. When appropriate, such comparisons might give way to the occasional Mr. Pink's® Death Match, in which we will somehow pit the similar but different items against each other in a bloodless and wager-free competition.

If you would like to submit a pair of similar but different items for consideration, please send your idea, along with a self-addressed stamped envelop and $100 cash to Bites. Or simply post your ideas below.

Our House

I’ve been eagerly awaiting Fox’s review of City House, which we published this week. As a consummate pro, Nashville's premier food critic employed an appropriate waiting period after the opening of this Germantown gem, which has been the Garrigan’s de facto dinner party home for the last couple of months. (With an 11-month-old, two jobs and no housekeeper, we stand no chance of getting our house in shape for entertainment. Encrusted squash purée, dog hair and baby-related plastic crap strewn everywhere take on interminable lives of their own, no matter how much scrubbing, picking up and Swiffering we do. I have had to let go of my inner Martha Stewart and simply accept that enduring the faint smell of poop pretty much all the time is simply the price of parenthood.)

Glad I could help get those taste buds warmed up. At any rate, Fox nails it, of course, noting, among other details, that City House draws on the owners’ newlywed chefs’ tour of Italy. (By the way, for those who thought Carrington just really, really, really liked this homegrown Italian restaurant, the “Very, Very, Very Fine House” headline is a reference to the Graham Nash song “Our House.”)

I quibble with Fox on one small point but in doing so confess that I can be a very pedestrian eater—call it a fifth-grade palate. She found the pan-seared bread gnocchi one of the less successful menu items, writing, “A different choice of pasta would better showcase the excellent cauliflower-and-tomato sauce.” No doubt she’s right, but I kind of liked this twist on traditional potato gnocchi—simple, yes, but comforting.

If I ate stuff that formerly had a face, I’d opine on all the house-cured meats that everyone we’ve dined with—including one couple with a house in Italy—has raved about. But I can say that the bean soups, traditional Italian pizzas and the ever-changing variety of desserts are amazing. You can spend three or four hours with friends here, and it seems to pass in the blink of an eye.

See you at the bar.

There's Something Fishy

Savarino's Cucina in Hillsboro Village now hosts a monthly Italian family dinner, complete with table service. Fish is the theme for this month's installment, which takes place 7:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. The dinner is $40 and includes all courses; bring your own wine. For reservations, call 460-9878. Here's the menu:

Antipasto: seafood mix or clams oreganato

Pasta: linguini Fra Diavolo or penne with shrimp

Entrée: stuffed calamari with carrot and broccoli or stewed cod fillet with with potato and shrimp

Salad: house salad or fennel with oranges

Dessert: cannoli or cheesecake and coffee, cappuccino or espresso

B-Side: The Point?

I don't get this product. Really. I mean, I got it—I bought it—and I like it, but I don't get it. First, who's the target customer? Some dweeb for whom an entire cracker is too dainty, but an entire pretzel is too macho? Some hand-wringing doofus who stands at the open pantry for half an hour, conducting an inner executive-decision debate over pretzel vs. cracker? Some idiot who's susceptible to any kind of snack-food brand extension? (If so, mission accomplished.)

Second, what led to its creation? I don't see a think-tank sitting around in Kellogg's HQ parsing reams of data, and suddenly Dave from marketing pounds his fist on the table and says, "Dammit, what this country wants is a horizontally aligned cracker-pretzel hybrid!" No one-bite-of-cracker-one bite-of-pretzel shenanigans, no sir: no yin-yang swirlicue-looking thing that will allow easy separation, but a new snack combo, indivisible, with liberty and mustard for all.

I don't buy that for a second—not after opening the box and seeing the things. I picture something more along the lines of a huge industrial accident: running, waving of arms, shrieks of "Oh my God!" and "They're ruined!" I picture some mad Doctor Frankenstein standing before an ocean of semi-blackened crackers, tens of millions of dollars circling the toilet bowl. The company is on the line. Suddenly, he rips a fistful of bushy hair in orgasmic inspiration: "Gentlemen...the Flipside is alive! ALIVE!"

Here's the real question: Is the Flipside a pretzel chip that baked too little on one side, or a Townhouse cracker that narrowly missed getting nuked to ashes? Forget that neat little object on the package. The ones in my box are clearly pretzel on one side, but the other side, though somewhat lighter and flakier, has visible scorch marks. And as with so many culinary accidents, the slightly burned taste is what makes it addictive, like the hint of ruin that offsets the sweetness of caramel. What's more, it has a hard, al dente crunch almost like a kettle-cooked chip. How would they reproduce whatever catastrophe produced this thing?

What does the Flipside say about me, the consumer? That I am a gullible, easily diverted, pathologically indecisive glutton with a subconscious nostalgia for the vinyl 45. To which I can only respond: I gotta be me.

A Memo From Investor Relations

I think most people agree that corporate documents outlining quarterly earnings don’t include enough discussion of milk shakes. Which is why this press release from the Chattanooga-based Krystal Company is so endearing.

The 75-year-old burger chain posted record earnings for 2007, and officials attribute much of the recent success to the introduction of the MilkQuake line.

“Krystal's new MilkQuake line, featuring premium ice cream and all natural flavors, was an immediate hit when introduced in May,” says Krystal president and CEO Fred Exum, whose name is oddly reminiscent of a purple pill prescribed for GERD. “The made-to-order milk shakes fueled profits during all dayparts and as a snack-time treat.”

Having enjoyed my share of Quakes during all dayparts—usually as a chaser to a GERD-inducing meal in the driver's seat of a minivan, I can’t speak for Krystal’s bottom line, but I can assure you that the Quake is responsible for significant accretion of my own assets.

The MilkQuake is in short, a damn fine specimen, and I would hold up the chocolate version (without the dollop of whipped cream polymer, please) against any of the best local contenders. In fact, I see a Mr. Pink’s® Death Match between Krystal’s MilkQuake and the previous champion of the Scene's so-called Straw Poll.

In the meantime, Krystal plans to roll out six to eight new limited-time MilkQuakes in 2008. Any suggestions for flavors?

Plumgood News

Plumgood Food has a new chef. Rich Van Etten, a graduate of Culinary Institute of America and an alumnus of Tin Angel and Zola restaurants, has taken over the prepared food operations at the online grocer.

Van Etten most recently served as executive chef at Provence, where he oversaw the growth of the company from a single location in Hillsboro Village to six stores. This week, Van Etten debuts at Plumgood with a chef's pick of roasted chicken with Moroccan lentils and ginger couscous, available for $9.99 per serving.

Plumgood Food was founded in 2004, specializing in the home delivery of locally grown and organic foods. Last year, the company tripled its offerings to include 7,500 items, including mainstream products and brands and began offering same-day delivery in some areas.

Last week, Bites reported that chef Kim Totzke, whose resume includes The Yellow Porch and Ombi restaurant, replaced Van Etten as executive chef at Provence, where she will revamp the menu and add grab-and-go foods.

Let Them Eat Cupcakes

After Gina Butler's brother waited in line at Magnolia Bakery in New York for an hour-and-a-half, he was disappointed that his cupcake was no better than his sister and mom could make. So Gina, a veteran of music circles and founder of Gigi's Cleaning, decided to set up her own bakery. As early as Friday—or as soon as the codes department gives her the go-ahead—Butler will fling open the doors to Gigi's Cupcakes, selling decadent desserts such as Coconut Snowballs, Lemon Dream Supremes and Tiger Tails for $3 a frosted pop.

Located in the former midtown location of Off the Grill (1816 Broadway, 342-0140), Gigi's is currently undergoing a colorful transformation from rare-meat red to frothy pink as contractors put the finishing touches on the twee bakery, which will serve cupcakes and coffee. As always, if you get there before we do, please report back on Bites.

Help Wanted

Can someone please forward this posting to Jack Silverman?

Segue, Part II

Speaking of the Grill at Green Hills inside Whole Foods, it’s no coincidence that quality has dropped off since the early excellent experiences when chef Julia Helton first took over: Helton has left the building.

When David Mitchell opens his much-anticipated Mitchell’s Delicatessen in East Nashville’s burgeoning Riverside Village next month, Helton will head up the catering business as well as help out with dinner and the cheese selection.

Given the synergy between Helton and Mitchell, who were both behind the counter at the Grill at Green Hills when I gave it this glowing review, we’ll look forward to good things at Mitchell’s (1402 McGavock Pike).

Meanwhile, let’s hope that the new Whole Foods chef, coming in from a Birmingham store, can get things back on track at the Grill, which has had some rocky times lately (see Bites posting “The Whole Truth”).

My Cruddy Valentine

In honor of Valentine's Day, we at Bites thought we would liven your otherwise humdrum lives with some heartwarming holiday memories. We asked people to send us their tales of sweeping romantic gestures, thoughtful gifts and sumptuous foodstuffs. Instead, this is what we got:

"My now ex-husband—who is a friend—is bright, but not too sensitive...We were engaged, and he obviously wasn't familiar with Valentine's. My sister ran into him towards the end of the day and asked if he had gotten me something. He said no—wasn't necessary. She plead with him a bit and said, 'Well, at least get her some flowers or something. Acknowledge the day in some way.' So, the thoughtful fellow stopped to pick up a little something for me....

"A fern. A cute little fern that the cat ate and threw up all over the rug. I think that's my only Valentine's experience—thus it's the best and worst. And it was certainly fast food for the cat."

Surely they get better, right? (Cue chirping of crickets) Right?

After the jump.

Be Mine

Provence owner Terry Carr-Hall is getting all the love lately. Not only is chef Kim Totzke headed from Ombi to help him overhaul the menu, but Provence also recently lured pastry chef Andrew Manchester from Capitol Grille to spruce up the confections. If Valentine's Day is getting ahead of you, you might pick up a few of Manchester's chocolate baubles for your sweetheart. His French-style truffles (pictured above) cost $2.25 a piece and are only available at the 21st Avenue location.

The Whole Truth

Try this on for a segue: Fluffernutter recently mentioned plantains. Well, speaking of plantains, a few months ago I raved about The Grill at Green Hills inside Whole Foods, where I enjoyed several incredibly well-priced and delicious meals, including a catch-of-the-day sandwich served with fried plantains. (Segue complete.)

Be warned. I went back last Saturday night. (Yes, my husband took me to the grocery store for dinner. Where has the love gone, you might ask.) It was the most disappointing meal we have had in recent memory. Everything that could go wrong did, most notably that the guest seated closest to the grill was almost set on fire.

Also, the couple next to us got the last order of fried oysters, which is what had lured us to Whole Foods in the first place. But while the dish was waiting to be delivered to them, it was knocked off its perch, and, rather comically, the oysters flew directly into the trashcan. A collective gasp rose from the diners at the counter, most of whom had also been told the last order of oysters had just been sold. When the chef walked across to the seafood counter to replace the oysters, we didn’t know whether to be happy for our co-diners who were getting the appetizer they had been promised, or angry that we had been unnecessarily denied when there were entire beds of bivalves just waiting to be fried, only feet away.

We didn’t dwell on that for too long, because we had other things to complain about. For example, the catch-of-the-day sandwich arrived as a drab slab of fried fish on white bread. No Tuscan loaf. No mayo. No remoulade. No plantains. And seared salmon salad arrived tough as leather, on a bed of greens with no dressing of any sort.

We were not alone in our dissatisfaction. Everyone around us was grumbling. There were no short ribs left. A shopper slipped on spilled water and crashed into my chair. She was not hurt. My husband’s entrée finally arrived after I had finished my entire meal and my plate had been taken away. We had gone to Whole Foods for a quick meal before a 7:40 p.m. movie. We got out of dinner after 8:30.

The only saving grace of the evening was that the painfully overworked staff was relentlessly apologetic and gracious. They explained over and over again that they were short-handed and were training a new person to help out. Our appetizers were comped without our even saying a word. The people next to us, who got both “last” batches of oysters, were comped also. No one was actually angry, and the misery bred some jovial conversation among the beleaguered guests.

But honestly, if it’s going to carry on like that over there, they better start serving booze.

The Bialy and End-All

Yesterday’s dispatch from Claudia on her eating tour of NYC—and Fluffernutter’s subsequent mention of bialys—reminded me of Mimi Sheraton’s engaging 2000 book The Bialy Eaters. It’s a social and culinary history of the bialy, a roll that resembles a cross between a bagel and an English muffin. Sheraton traced its history back to the Polish city of Bialystok and describes thoroughly every aspect of its making, from the proper type of rolling pin to dimpling the dough with your thumbs to create the little well in its center.

The only time I’ve ever had bialys in Nashville was at the old Nashville Bagel in the early ’90s, where Starbucks is now next to Stoney River. I didn’t get them often. The little indentation in the rolls is often filled with chopped onion, and somehow Nashville Bagel managed half the time to burn the onion while leaving the bialy doughy, inedibly salty and undercooked. But Sheraton’s descriptions of the bialys at Kossar’s Bialys, a world-famous bakery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, were so enticing I walked 30 blocks to try just one. Even cold, it was a little wonder—as chewy and salty as a soft pretzel, with a yeasty bite that cleared my head.

Is it even possible to get these locally anymore? And is it worth shipping in a bunch from Kossar’s, knowing that the little darlings are best purchased on the spot and consumed fresh? If anyone here has bialy knowledge, please share.

The Rest of the Story

A few weeks back, I enthusiastically reported the opening of a Cheeseburger Charley's in Belle Meade Plaza, and someone—under the bold moniker “Anonymous”—asked, “And please remind us again why this is a good thing?”

Well, Anonymous, I'm not saying it's not good news, but you did bust me. Here's what happened: I was trying to report a two-part story about new dining options in Belle Meade Plaza. One-half of the story was the arrival of Cheeseburger Charley's. The other—and arguably more intriguing—half of the story was the arrival of an authentic Mexican restaurant in the same strip mall. But before I could confirm the latter tidbit, I posted the Cheeseburger item with a little more vim than I meant to lavish on a franchise expansion.

So here's the rest of the story: Las Maracas Mexican restaurant, which has stores in Inglewood (935 Gallatin Road) and White House (520 Hwy 70), will open its third location in the former home of Goldie's Delicatessen. Construction is currently underway to replace the black-and-white tiles of Goldie's with a south-of-the-border design. Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, Las Maracas will serve margaritas and sangria, along with a menu of authentic Mexican fare.

Having never dined at either of the other Las Maracas, I don't know whether this is indeed good news. But I'm optimistic that it will be better than the Taco Bell farther down the block, which is about the only food in that neck of the woods. Anonymous, maybe you can you help us out?

Located at 4520 Harding Road, Las Maracas is slated to open in about a month.

Their Latest Trick

And now, from the guys who brought you Wildwood Oak-Fired Kitchen, comes Barfield's All-American Grille. Serial restaurateur Dave Wachtel III and Justin D. Tatum are beginning construction on an upscale sports grill located in the Streets of Indian Lake outdoor mall in Hendersonville. With a menu of Americana standards dotted with hints of New Orleans and Memphis—think dry-rub ribs, beer-can chicken and steamed seafood—Barfield's will have an open kitchen and an industrial-modern design scheme of dark woods and stained concrete floors. Unlike Wildwood, which launched with Seattle chef John David Crow and now is headed by Darrell Manhold, Barfield's will not be a chef-driven restaurant, Wachtel says, adding that the average check will be significantly lower than at Wildwood, clocking in between $20 and $25.

Located at 300 Streets of Indian Lake Road, Suite E1, Hendersonville, Barfield's is slated to open May 5.

Ombigawd!

Ombigawd!

No doubt Ombi Restaurant's email newsletter distribution list just dropped its collective jaw when chef Kim Totzke, the bubbly blond half of Ombi's Kim and Laura Show (on the right in the photo above), just announced that she will be leaving the Elliston Place restaurant on Feb. 14.

Totzke, who developed a loyal following at The Yellow Porch before ultimately teaming up with chef Laura Wilson in 2006 to transform the flailing Ombi Bar, has accepted a day job at Provence, which, she says, will finally give her the chance to enjoy Wilson's cooking as a restaurant guest.

Polling at 10 Percent Off

Martha's at the Plantation is offering a 10-percent discount on lunch today and tomorrow for anyone who voted. Of course, in a place as genteel as Martha's, no one will ask for whom you cast your ballot. (They probably won't even ask to see your sticker.)

Located on the grounds of the Belle Meade Plantation (5025 Harding Road), Martha's at the Plantation serves lunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily and brunch on Sunday. Music at Martha's recently launched with dinner and entertainment on Thursday evenings. Valentine's dinner will be served Feb. 14 and 15. For reservations, call 353-2828.