Caffe Nonna in Nashville

For anniversary #38 Himself and I celebrated at a restaurant owned by our friend Dan Maggipinto.

It is located in Nashville at 4427 Murphy Rd.  Parking is tight here... I suggest coming mid week as close to 5pm (his opening) as you can get.

It is a cozy little neighborhood restaurant.  Reservations are pretty much a must... especially on the weekend.  He is open Monday thru Saturday for dinner.

We started with the Fried Calamari appetizer.  Perfectly tender and spiced just right.

I had the Heart of Palm salad since I'd never had a heart of palm before.

(Romaine, heart of palm, artichoke, grapes, pistachios, & prosciutto)

Riviera salad

(Mixed greens, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, kalamata olives, artichoke, feta, & pasta)

My dinner was Risotto with artichokes and spicy vodka sauce.  Dan has a 'mix and match' pasta (and a bit more) selection so this is exactly what I was in the mood for.

Himself had the special of the evening...Chicken Parmesan.

Not pictured is our desserts because we had to run... strawberry bread pudding (me) and ricotta cheesecake.  Take-away is a wonderful thing!

We'll see you soon Dan!

Anatolia Restaurant (Turkish)

Recently Himself and I had a reason to celebrate.  We decided to try lunch at a new-to-us restaurant in Nashville's West End.

You know how we love ethnic food and I had heard good things about Anatolia.

Coming through the door brought smiles.  

Nice open floor plan and not too crowded in.  And there were great smells coming from the kitchen!

We were seated quickly and served hot bread with olive oil and a spice mix for dipping.

We selected the Anatolia Sampler Platter to share as an appetizer.  It had stuffed grape leaves (dolma), filo wraps stuffed with Turkish feta & parsley, pita bread & hummus, and "Queen's Jelly" (haven't figured out what it is but it was GOOD).

For our meal, Himself ordered Spinach Stuffed Chicken (spinach, mozzerella, mushrooms, onions, parsley) topped with a tomato based sauce.

I ordered Kofta Kabob with rice pilaf, grilled veggies, and yogurt dipping sauce (Tzatziki).

Both were delicious!  And the servings were quite large for lunch portions.

Then Himself decided that you can not have a Turkish meal with having a Turkish coffee...

Small but mighty!

We were highly satisfied with our meal and will definitely be going back.

https://anatolia-restaurant.com/

Review: Vui's Kitchen in Nashville

On a recent trip to Nashville we decided to try a new restaurant~ Vui's Kitchen.  We picked this restaurant because we had worked a Whole Foods class taught by Vui.

It's a small establishment with a laid-back atmosphere.  You decided what you want by looking at the menu on the wall.

Then you order at the counter.

There is indoor and outdoor seating (we had that back right corner).  If it were busy, it would be a pretty tight fit.

Your meal is brought out to your table.  

PORK BELLY BAO BUN    $5.95

Two steamed bread rolls with lemongrass pork belly, fresh and pickled veggies, fresh herbs, drizzled with hoisin sauce.

Definitely my favorite!  I could make a meal off of these.

VUI'S ORIGINAL PHO    $10.95

Twelve-hour bone broth with tender beef slices, rice noodles, vegetables, fresh herbs, jalapeño, and lime. 

This was my choice. 

CHICKEN PHO                                       $10.95

Twelve-hour bone broth with sliced chicken, rice   noodles, vegetables, fresh herbs, fried shallots, jalapeño, and lime.  Himself's choice.

 OK, my my opinion the pho was average but it was good.  Himself liked it more than I did, so if we go back I'll being having a double order of bao buns. 

Christmas at Federal Grove, Auburn KY

 One of my clubs returned for Christmas lunch at Federal Grove Restaurant and B&B in Auburn, KY.  This year Himself and I arrived early so I could take photos of the restaurant without disturbing people.

During the Christmas season they serve their well-known "family style" meal all day.  An all-you-can-eat meal served to your table in platters and bowls... if you run out, just ask for more.  Our meal had: fried chicken, country ham, turkey & dressing, green beans, corn pudding, mashed potatoes, cranberry relish, baked apples, and rolls.

So many pretty Christmas plate sets!  My favorite is the evergreen trees.

Head up either of these stairways and you are in the B&B area.  No one was staying the day we were there, so we were invited to explore the rooms.

Very nice spacious rooms!

Any information you'd want about the restaurant or the B&B can be found on their web site:

https://www.federalgrove.com/

The Corner Coffee House in Hopkinsville, KY

Our last trip to Hopkinsville, KY we stumbled upon a little jewel...

The Corner Coffee House

It's located at 707 S. Virginia St in Hopkinsville.

The sandwiches of the day are listed up on a chalkboard.  I had the avocado-egg-and Swiss.  I was surprised that it was a fried egg sandwich rather than an egg salad sandwich.  Himself had the ham-cheddar-tomato and it was huge.

Drinks are on the other side of the room.

Is that not the best bar??  Everything is made fresh... including the baked goodies.

And while you wait, you can admire this awesome light!!

A Taste of Racing Tradition

We did one last Churchill Downs tradition as we rolled out of Louisville.

We had lunch at Wagner's.

It located right across from the track...

 Did you see the movie "Secretariat"?

That's where they were sitting; where the waitress is taking an order.

A few tips if you want to go here:

Morning is the best time to see the 'horse' people.

Lunch time is packed mainly with tourists and folks from the university.

Sit in the front for the authentic experience.