Graze

Graze

On Facebook, there's a new craze.  This new craze is monthly subscriptions.  My favorite snack one is called Graze.  For $6 a month, you get 4 small snacks.  The snacks are so varied from sweet to savory.

This snack box had some breadsticks with a barbecue relish.  This was my favorite of the box this time.  

You get four snacks per box.  I had the chili and honey almonds, which was tasty.  

One snack was salted fudge and peanut cookie.  It was pretty good.  

The final snack was apple and cinnamon flapjack.  It makes a great breakfast.  

The Boiling Point

The Boiling Point
4975 Pepper Chase Dr
Southaven, MS 38671

This was my second trip to this restaurant.  The first time I went for a Yelp event, which can be read here.

I rarely visit Southaven, but this is one restaurant that is worth frequenting.  There are very few seafood restaurants in Memphis.  The restaurant is very spacious.  

Service was truly top notch.  Our server got busy but he was covered by another server.  For happy hour they have two for one drinks!  Yum!  

I had a house salad to begin with.  

My meal was the true winner.  I ordered the crab legs!  I love crab legs.  It also came with corn, potatoes, and sausage.  So good!  

Crown Winery

Crown Winery
3638 E Mitchell St
Humboldt, TN 38343

Tucked away in Humboldt, TN lies a winery.  My parents enjoy visiting local wineries.  They enjoy the wine tastings, and they usually buy a glass and some wine.  This time I happened to be with them.  It's a little difficult to find, so we had to use the GPS.  The outside is a nice rustic building.  They offer tours, but we did not take one.  

There is a bar area, where a person can sample some of their wines.  The girl who worked there was very knowledgable and offered us suggestions based upon our preferences.  We were also given a menu of sorts to take notes on and to decide what we wanted to try.  

First, I tried the three red wines that were more dry and less sweet.  They were all pretty good.  

I also tried the Tiara wine, which was sparkling.  It was very good.  

I ended up buying Barrel-Aged Chardonel.  It's similar to a Chardonnay.  However, this one was aged in a barrel giving it a darker hue with more "smokey overtones."  She said that it would be reminiscent of bourbon.  This one was my favorite, and I liked the different taste of the wine.  

I also got their Sangria blend called Buck Naked.  It's a "sweeter Sangria blend of Chambourcin and Muscadine with hints of ginger and lime."  

This place is a nice day trip from Memphis, so I recommend taking a visit.  They have red wines, white wines, sparkling wines, speciality wines, and even a strawberry wine.  

Family Dinner

My aunt is an awesome cook.  The other day she had us over for dinner. The main dish consisted of grilled pork chops.  They were huge and had a nice grilled flavor.

One of my favorite dishes that she made was the fruit salad.  It had a variety of fruits in it like pineapples, strawberries, and blueberries.  I normally don't like blueberries but in this salad, they became quite tasty.  It also had coconut in it, which was a nice touch that added some extra flavor.  Then she also put a little bit of Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk in it to seal the deal.  This was so good.  If I ever make a fruit salad, I will make it like this one.  

Another side was macaroni and cheese.  Everyone loves mac n' cheese, especially when it's the kind that's baked in the oven.  

My favorite dish though was the squash casserole.  I love squash; I love casseroles; I love pie crust.  This casserole had it all.  She made a pie crust filled with squash and other goodies to make it a casserole.  I could eat this as a meal by itself anytime.  

Everything together made this nice plate below.  I ate so much that I was stuffed all day.  

Then came dessert.  It was my little cousin's birthday.  She made cupcakes with green frosting for the ninja turtles.  

Home cooked meals are the best!  

Celtic Crossing, Pint Night

Celtic Crossing
903 Cooper St,
Memphis, TN 38104

This visit to Celtic, I went for Pint Night.  I had already eaten that day, so I did not eat any food.

They have one of the best patios in Memphis.  

In fact, they recently extended the roof over a larger portion of the patio, making it even better.  

I love Pint Night.  Basically, all draft beers are only $3.  They have Stella Artois, Yuengling, Guinness, and more.  I started with a Wiseacre IPA.  I love IPA's and I love Wiseacre, a Memphis beer.  

I also had the MemphisMade beer, called the Lucid.  It was refreshing.  It's a seasonal beer for the summer.  

I had several other beers.  Pint Night is such an excellent deal.  It allows a person to try a variety of beers for affordable prices.  

Taziki's Cafe

Taziki's Cafe
540 S Mendenhall Rd
Memphis, TN 38117

A group of friends and I were looking for a place to eat for a late lunch in East Memphis.  Our first couple of choices were just not open that day at that time.  We finally ended up trying Taziki's Cafe, which none of us had ever visited.  Apparently, it's a chain restaurant.

One friend ordered the spicy pimento cheese with pita bread to share.  It was delicious.  I actually was dipping my chips in it instead of the pita bread.  It was just the right amount of spice without being too spicy.  

Another friend ordered the dolmades to share.  They are grape leaves stuffed with rice, onions, and herbs.  They were served warm.  I prefer them served cold.  However, they were good nonetheless.  

My other friend ordered the grilled chicken roll up.  It came with a few roll ups.  I tasted them.  They were good.  

Another friend ordered the grilled chicken gyro with the roasted potatoes.  I liked the roasted potatoes.  It seemed strange that chips come with the meal every time in addition to the side especially when the side is a potato.  

For my main dish, I had the grilled lamb gyro.  It was very good, and it was seasoned perfectly.  It came with some chips and one side.  I went with the pasta salad, which was recommended by the cashier.  My meal was my favorite of all the meals.  

One thing that I noticed is that they have meals for 4.  The price is about $25 to $30, and you have to give them 2 hours notice.  It comes with a meat, rice or potatoes, salad, and pita chips.  

Potato Pancake

Chez Moi!!

After making my meatloaf "cupcakes" with mashed potato "icing," I ended up with some leftover mashed potatoes.

I took the last serving (about one cup), and I mixed it with one egg and a teaspoon of flour.  Then I pan fried it over medium heat about 6 minutes on each side.  I had a cover over the pan while it was cooking.

Afterwards I topped it with salsa, cheddar cheese, and bacon bits.  It was the perfect brunch item.  

Flying Saucer

Flying Saucer
130 Peabody Pl
Memphis, TN

There are several Flying Saucers in the country.  The one closest to me is in Downtown Memphis.  They are most known for all of their different beers.  Their menu is chalked full of tons of different beers from all over the world.  They have tons on draught and tons in bottles.

After walking around downtown in the summer, we decided we needed to cool down.  What better way to cool off than having a beer?  I ordered a Memphis Made IPA, which they were out of.  However, the server was awesome.  She was quick to offer comparable beers.  She suggested that I have a Brooklyn Bridge East India Pale Ale.  It was refreshing.  

For my second beer, I had the Sweetwater IPA.  It was bitter and hoppy but somehow had a touch of sweetness.  I enjoyed it the most.  

The saucer also has good food, including some vegetarian and even vegan options.  They also have different specials almost every day of the week.  My favorite is to go on Monday, which is Pint Night, where most draught beers are only $3.  It's an excellent way to sample different beers.  They also have a UFO club, which will help you track which beers you have tasted.  It also gives you some discounts to special events.  

Meatloaf "Cupcakes"

Chez Andy!

On Facebook, I saw a picture of meatloaf "cupcakes" with a mashed potato "frosting."  Well, we were cooking dinner for a get together for the TV show True Blood.  I decided it was time to recreate what I saw.

I made meat loaf using my standard meatloaf recipe.  Then I put them in cupcake tins.  I also made mashed potatoes using my own recipe.  So... If you want to recreate (or improve), you can use your own recipe.  

My friend told me to pipe the potatoes onto the meatloaf.  I used a plastic baggie to pipe to mashed potatoes onto the meatloaf.  Afterwards I topped them with shredded cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and a dollop of ketchup.  I loved it.  They were the perfect portion.  

Additionally, I made mini cornbread muffins.  They were great.  I just used the cornbread recipe off the cornmeal.  

I used Glory greens for the greens.  My friend made broccoli soup.   He used broccoli and cheese soup.  

The picture above is the combination of our handiwork.  

Cache Restaurant and Lounge

Cache Restaurant
425 President Clinton Ave
Little Rock, AR 72201

While visiting Little Rock, we went downtown to a near restaurant and lounge called Cache.  We had already had dinner, so we just went for drinks.  I did look at the food menu.  The restaurant is quite pricey and fancy.  I would have liked to have tried the foie gras, though.  Perhaps, I will visit again to try out the food.

We went upstairs to the bar and sat outside.  There is a phenomenal view of downtown Little Rock.  It was truly the perfect place to go for cocktails.  The prices were fairly average.  They were actually less pricey than I anticipated.  

For my first drink I had the Sarsaparilla Old Fashioned.  It was bourbon with sarsaparilla simple syrup with root beer bitters.  It was good.  It was like a typical old fashioned but with a twist.  The price was $10, which is pretty average for a specialty cocktail.  

My friend had another cocktail called the Sing and Sling which is "Bourbon, vanilla syrup, lime, blueberry compote, and lambic."

Later, I had a Kettle One Martini.  I think it was $12.  It was perfectly mixed with a nice olive garnish.  It was a great way to end the night.  

I'm not sure about the food, but I love the atmosphere and the drinks.  This is an awesome place for cocktails.  

Canon Grill

Canon Grill
2811 Kavanaugh Blvd
Little Rock, AR 72205

While visiting Little Rock, we had to go out for a drink.  There is a strip of restaurants and bars on Kavanaugh Blvd.  We stopped by Canon Grill.  It's a bar with pizza, pasta, quesadillas, and fajitas.  My friend ordered the cheese dip.  It was good.  It tasted like a Mexican restaurant queso dip.  

We were there near closing time, so we only had one drink.  They have a variety of drinks.  They have a full bar.  They also have a variety of frozen margaritas.  I went with a dos equis beer on draft.  

It's a chill place to go for a drink.  However, they do not stay open late.  

Big Orange

Big Orange
207 N. University Ave Ste. 100
Little Rock, Arkansas 72205

On my most recent visit to Little Rock, my friend took me to the Big Orange, which is known primarily for their burgers, salads, and milkshakes.  

The restaurant has a bit of a trendy vibe about it.  They have a full bar and a list of draught beers.  

My friend ordered my favorite salad, which is a tomato caprese.  It is mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and balsamic.  This one looked awesome.  It used yellow tomatoes rather than the traditional red.   

The restaurant can make any burger using beef, ground turkey, or veggie.  I went with the beef burger.  I had the Maytag Blue, which was topped with blue cheese and pepper jelly along with lettuce, onion, and tomato.  I always love the beef and blue cheese combination; the pepper jelly added a nice extra touch.  You can order your burgers to whatever temperature that you want.  The default is medium well.  I forgot to specify.  I would have preferred a medium rare.  However, that was my fault.  It was a great burger with full of flavor.  

I also had the order of house fries.  They were perfectly cooked.  They were crispy with just the right amount of potato.  They came with a homemade sauce.  I'm not sure what it is; I know it was a mayonnaise based sauce.  

I would definitely eat here again.  It was an awesome burger.  The prices are close to $9, which is fairly average for a gourmet burger.