Strawberry Shortbread Heaven

I feel this picture needs no words or explanation. I went to Bobbie's Dairy Dip - famous, local Nashville ice cream & burger spot - with one thing in mind: soft-serve ice cream. What I got was this mound of heaven.

Having worked at a bakery during my last two years of high school and for the summer following my freshman year of college, I completely remember how excited I got when somebody came in and ordered an item that I knew was so fresh and so delicious. This is exactly what happened to me at Bobbie's. I was debating between a (I'm sure equally yummy) milkshake and the strawberry shortbread. At the very mention of the shortbread, the girl behind the counter started grinning and telling her friend that I was ordering one, and then told me that they had been staring at the fresh shortbread, drooling all day. I felt like the ice cream queen.

I hear their burgers are an equally magical experience, so I will definitely be back.

Copper Kettle - Not Just for the Meat & Three

While local Nashville spot Copper Kettle has received much recognition for their version of the signature Nashville "meat and three" and for their Sunday brunch, I feel like some praise for another, perhaps unexpected, menu item is deserved - the goat cheese salad.

Although nobody can deny that the delicious Southern comfort food that is served daily (such as the meatloaf, mac-and-cheese, collards and green beans my boyfriend Tyler orders every time) is mouth-watering good, it's not why I make the trip down Granny White. I crave their salad.

Topped with fresh strawberries, mangos, sweet pecans, a homemade vinaigrette with cranberries, and (as the name suggests) a warm, fried goat cheese cake, it is the perfect balance of something that tastes healthy and fresh while still indulgent. I sometimes add grilled chicken, too, for an even more balanced and filling meal.

A lunchtime favorite, for sure.

In Search for the perfect Ginger Cupcake

I have no real idea as to why I am now on the search for the perfect ginger cupcake, except that I do love the ginger cookies from the Cake Shop in Tallahassee and I really like cupcakes. I started my quest with a Ginger cupcake recipe from Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski. I used organic ground ginger and ground fresh ginger - the result was wonderfully gingery. It just wasn't a "cupcake". It was gingerbread in a cupcake shape. Like most gingerbread I have had, it was dense and heavy - flavorful and moist but more like a muffin. I even tried filling the "cupcake" with lemon curd and glazing it with the lemon glaze (from the same cookbook). The lemon curd was a great addition, but it just wasn't what I am looking for. I want a real "cupcake" - a small moist light cake with a hint of ginger and lemon. So my quest will continue. Any ideas?

Good, but not the best local cupcake art

My official testing of the Nashville cupcake shops began at The Painted Cupcake, located downtown on 4th Avenue in the Arcade. Although the painted street-side window is inviting and the staff was wonderfully pleasant, the cupcakes were not quite as "artful" as advertised.

I sampled 6 flavors: a "White Wedding", a"Black Velvet", a "Strawberry Fields", a peanut butter-and-jelly, a classic yellow cake with chocolate icing, and a lemon-filled cake with lemon buttercream icing.

Of these, the lemon-filled was the only one that really stood out to me. The filling was delicious and, combined with the icing and cake, there was the perfect balance of sweet and tart.

As for the others, although they were good, they frankly did not taste any better (or maybe even not as good) as some of the cupcakes I've made at home (although much prettier). I could taste all the different components of the standard cream cheese icing, and some of the cake tops were overcooked just enough to take away from the moistness of the rest of the cake.

While tasting homemade can be good, for $2.65/treat at a specialty cupcake shop, I expect something special with a little extra "umph". Overall, I'm not sure if I'd go out of my way to go back, but it's worth the stop if you're downtown and craving something sweet.

Gotta Love the Guac

While Cantina Laredo isn't native to the Nashville area, it's become one of the hot spots for dining in The Gulch. I tried it out last Thursday, going with my new roommate Julie and some other friends for ladies' night (half-off margaritas) and dinner. While the food was decent, I didn't think it was exceptional enough for the high price. However, two things about this cantina will make me return on Thursdays: the guacamole and the margaritas.

Not only are the margaritas delicious, but for half-off on Thursdays they are the perfect happy hour cocktail to share with girlfriends (sorry, guys). If you can get a seat, order the guacamole (which is prepared table-side) and enjoy one of the best chip-and-dip combo's I've had. It's truly addicting, and is worth the money and the wait for a table.

Funky & Fresh - Firefly Grille

After getting settled into my new place, my boyfriend Tyler took me out to dinner to celebrate the move and the fact that I am officially a Nashville resident. After hearing some good reviews from friends, we decided to try Firefly Grille in the popular Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville.

Hidden in a nondescript building that seems to have at one point been a house, the ambiance was fabulous. The funky and eclectic wall and table setting decor give a feeling of comfort with a modern twist. Combined with our delicious meal, the overall dining experience was positive.

We started with a spicy, szechuan oyster appetizer. Although the sauce made the crisp, fried batter of the oysters a little too soggy, the taste was original and had the perfect combination of sweet and spicy.

For entrees, I had the mojo marinated, grilled Gulf shrimp and Tyler had the southwestern carnitas dish. I usually don't order shrimp when I go out to eat (I am snobby about seafood - being from Florida, I grew up absolutely spoiled with seafood so fresh that I often knew who caught it), but the combination of spicy corn and a three-cheese stuffed and fried poblano pepper really drew my attention. It was incredible. The shrimp were very flavorful and grilled perfectly, and the corn added a nice, light balance to the indulgent fried pepper.

Tyler's pork dish was equally satisfying. The pork was so tender that it literally fell off the fork and melted in your mouth. Paired with a side salad with homemade dressings, the meal was an overall success.

Price-wise, it was a mid-priced restaurant. Both of our entrees were under $20, as were the majority of items on the menu. And although the place drew a healthy crowd, we did not have to wait in line to eat dinner on a Saturday night.

I have heard good things about the lunch menu at Firefly, as well, and am looking forward to trying it soon.

Battle of the Tallahassee Cupcakes

So I've made the big move to Nashville! Packing was a mess, but it had some perks. My mother was able to take some time and come help me pack and brought along some treats to test for my blogging research. Recently in my hometown of Tallahassee, the first cupcake specialty shop opened, Lucy & Leo's. Before this, the local places in town pick up a good cupcake were Tasty Pastry Bakery, The Cake Shop and Heidi's Bakery. Although Heidi's was not open, I was able to get samplings from the other 3 current competitors to test and determine who has the best cupcake in Tallahassee.

Let's begin with prices and sizes. Both Tasty Pastry and The Cake Shop offer 2 options: large or small cupcakes. At Tasty Pastry, the large runs $2.99 and the small $1.39. At The Cake Shop, the large runs $2.50 and the small $1.00. The two have comparable prices and sizes, and both places definitely give you your money's worth. At Lucy & Leo's there is only one size (the same size as the small cupcakes from the 2 competitors) and it is priced at $2.39 - not the best value in town. In this department, The Cake Shop takes the lead, with Tasty Pastry in a close second.

The next, and most important, test was the taste test. I had a sample of 3-4 cupcakes from each store and tasted them blindly. While I could go on for quite some time describing each, I'm going to stick to some high and low points and share my general observations. Overall, my two favorite cupcakes were the caramel drizzle cupcake from The Cake Shop and the hummingbird cupcake from Tasty Pastry. My least favorite cupcake was the chocolate with cream cheese frosting from Lucy & Leo's. This is consistent with my general store observations.

The Cake Shop has plain flavors (white and chocolate cake) and rich butter cream icing mastered. The icing is so delicious that often times they "stuff" their large cupcakes with even more icing. However, paired with specialty cakes (such as the red velvet and Italian cream I sampled) it is a little too strong.

Tasty Pastry, however, has specialty cakes down to a "t" and an icing that is subtle enough not to overpower the flavors.

Lucy & Leo's was a big disappointment to me. Not only were the cupcakes overpriced, but the cakes themselves (with one exception) were not very good. Both the chocolate and the Lemon Blue Sky cupcakes I tried were very dry - not because they were stale tasting, but because they just didn't taste like good, moist cakes. The icing was too mild, as well, and flavor was lacking in general. The exception was the Monkey Biz: although I don't care for peanut butter frosting and am picky about peanut butter with dessert, the banana cake was tasty and I could imagine peanut butter fans raving.

So the verdict and winners for Tallahassee...

Best plain cupcake: The Cake Shop
Best specialty cake: Tasty Pastry Bakery
Best price: The Cake Shop