Monday, July 28, 2014

My dinner with Maneet Chauhan!

I don't get "star struck" very easily unless it comes to celebrity chefs. My first celebrity chef encounter was with Anthony Bourdain & Eric Ripert in February 2012 in Louisville, KY. My heart skipped several beats that evening - an evening made possible by my friend Marirae Mathis of Who Cooks For You? 

On July 28th, I had the pleasure to be in the company of Maneet Chauhan. You probably know Maneet as one of the celebrity chefs from the Food Network show "Chopped". I didn't actually have dinner with her, but rather she cooked dinner for me and a small group of Nashvillians as she prepares for the opening of her new Nashville restaurant, Chauhan Ale & Masala House in late August. POP Nashville hosted Maneet on this evening. Maneet promised I would get the chance to meet Vivek Surti, a Nashville chef, food critic (he wears many titles) who helped in the back of the kitchen, but it was a school night and I needed to get home. I still hope to meet him someday...

Before I delve into the details, let me just say... Maneet stopped by our table three times during the evening, posing for pictures with me and even signing my menu as I apologized for being "such a groupie". She is beautiful and gracious. 


Duo of charred peach 
and heirloom tomato
gazpacho + salad
First up the pani puri: I would have been completely lost on this dish except for the fact that I brought my friend Vivek, who is Indian, and educated me on the fact that this is Indian "street food" and how to eat it. It is an open puff pastry filled with potato and chick pea served with a cup of layered sauce - cilantro chutney, tamarind sauce & mint water. Pour the sauce into the open pastry and devour in one bite. Yes, it is a little messy. That is why it is "street food". I wanted another... but only one was served, kind of an amuse-bouche.

First Course: Curried scallops, perfectly seared - melt in your mouth. I couldn't taste the habanero. But that was ok. Again, I still wanted another, or two or three more!

Second Course: This was one of my favorites. The salad was made of charred peach and heirloom tomatoes with a dressing of cucumber raita with roasted cumin. The gazpacho caught me off-guard - delicious, fresh, and tangy. I want the recipe! Maneet, help girl out here! 


Kashmiri lamb shank
Third Course: The lamb shank... definitely my favorite dish of the evening served along side basmati rice and daal makhani. The servers brought out knives and just as I was cutting into mine, Austin, the owner of Anthem and co-owner of Chauhan Ale & Masala House, walked up. I asked him why they brought me a knife because the lamb succumbed to my fork so easily. He just smiled, shook his head and walked away. I have never devoured a lamb shank until now. 

Gajar halwa whoopee pie
Dessert Course: Do I even need to tell you it was the best "whoopie pie" ever? Indian carrot pudding nestled between two saffron cardamom cakes. And the whipped cream, also infused with saffron was "to die for". I could have eaten a bowl it.


Overall: The best $75 I ever spent on a meal (no drinks). Would I do it again? Definitely!

I can't wait until Maneet opens her restaurant, if the food is even half this good, I will be there in a heartbeat... 



MENU
PASSED

pani puri (v)

flavor explosion: semolina puffs | stuffed with potato | black garbanzo beans  
cilantro | spices tamarind chutney | tangy mint water


1ST COURSE

curried scallops pau bhaji

pickled onion habanero relish


2ND COURSE

duo of charred peach and heirloom tomato 
gazpacho + saladcharred peach | ginger | freshly roasted cumin | cilantro | jalapeno

3RD COURSE
kashmiri lamb shank
yogurt | cinnamon | cardamom | cashew | star anise | tellicherry pepper
ripped cilantro leaves | nuts | raisins

SIDES/ACCOMPANIMENTS
jeweled basmati | saffron | pomegranate seeds | pistachio  | currants
daal makhani
grape raita | curry leaves | coconut

DESSERT
gajar halwa whoopee pie
indian carrot pudding sandwiched in a saffron cardamom cake






Sunday, July 20, 2014

Girls' Day Out: Table 3 Restaurant & Market

I have been to Table 3 Restaurant and Market many times over the years for both brunch and dinner. I have had hit and miss experiences here, but I continue to go back. I do love their Sunday brunch menu

On my most recent visit, I visited Table 3 with two of my best friends for a "Girls' Day Out". I ordered the "Croque Madame", my usual go-to dish at most French restaurants in the United States, because I have yet to find a French restaurant that serves a Boeuf Bourguignon that lives up to my expectations. 
Croque Madame: Ham, Swiss,
Béchamel, Sunny Side Up Egg
with Baby Greens


I first had Boeuf Bourguignon in the Bourgogne region of France when I was 14 years old, in a little cafe on the way from Lucerne, Switzerland to Paris. No single meal has ever lived up to that experience. Almost thirty years later, I have never forgotten that dish - the melt in your mouth beef with the perfect hint of burgundy. I have yet to experience it again, even returning to France in search of that dish. 


But if you can serve me a consistently great Croque Madame, I will come back - and Table 3 does that very well. I recently ate at another French restaurant for brunch and was served a "Croque Madame" without an egg. I was very disappointed and will never return. If you serve me a "Croque Madame" without the egg it becomes a "Croque Monsieur". I hate false advertising! Yes, I should have sent it back, but I was in no mood for a war of words with the "classically" trained French chef. 

At Table 3, my friends ordered the "Omelette au Fromage" and the "Oeufs sur la Plat" (literally
Omelette au Fromage with Baby Greens
"Eggs on a plate"). 
I had the Oeufs sur la Plat here a year ago and disliked it very much. I did not send it back since it was my first time trying it in a French restaurant. I had no idea what it was supposed taste or look like. The chef was heavy handed on the cream, so much so that I thought I was eating a soup and the duck too salty. The leftovers (which I never had any intention of eating) were banished to the garbage. I took them home hoping I could recreate them into something edible, but my creative side failed me.


As my friend was ordering this, I almost stopped her. I am so happy that I didn't. As soon as it was delivered to the table, I realized it looked nothing like what I had order just a year ago. She let me taste and it was amazing - the duck confit with just the right amount of salty and the perfectly cooked eggs. I'm sure any French chef would have been proud of this dish. I will be ordering this on my next trip. And yes, there will be another brunch at Table 3.


Oeufs sur la Plat: Eggs baked with
Duck Confit, 
Creamed Spinach, Roasted
Tomatoes, 
Herb Crème Fraiche

And you must check out the market next door. Table 3 usually offers about 4-6 dessert options on their restaurant menu, all of which sound delicious - creme brulee, house made sorbets and ice cream. But walk next door to their market and you will experience tons of pastries not on their menu - tarts and cakes. Get them to go and savor later at home or in the market along with a cappuccino or latte.






Table 3 Restaurant & Market
Address: 3821 Green Hills Village Dr, Nashville, TN 37215
Phone:(615) 739-6900Prices:
Reservations: opentable.com
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