Take 8 – Papa’s Butts and BBQ Extract Sauce

I learned a valuable lesson last Monday morning at work.  On an empty stomach, do not eat Papa’s Butts and BBQ Extract Sauce.

A coworker of mine had been telling me about Papa’s Butts (http://papasbuttsnbbq.com/) for a long time.  I didn’t know much about them, but they’re apparently a local Murfreesboro establishment.  Anywho, I was assured that their hot sauce packed a whallop.  Frankly, I didn’t believe him, but was willing to try it if her brought it to me.  

And so, the glass bottle of Dante’s Inferno was slammed on my desk last Monday morning as 7:30 and I figured, “what the heck?” Let’s just say that Papa’s Butts almost made me meet my maker.

I’m the resident hot sauce drinker in the office.  Our refrigerator is regularly stocked with the staples (Frank’s, Louisiana) for everyday eating.  I remembered seeing some crackers in the office break room, so I headed there with a small crowd to give it a shot.  I poured 2 healthy drops on my cracker and chomped away.  There was a brief moment after I swallowed when I told myself that it was probably a bad idea, but it was too late to change the past.

The heat quickly enveloped my mouth and lips, but quickly expanded through my entire body.  My face turned red, my head started getting warm, and the tears started to form.  There was nothing I could do other than chug water.  That just sped up the heat moving to my stomach.  I have had a lot of hot sauces in my day, but I have never been in pain like this from a hot sauce. Writhing, stomach churning agony.  And I loved it.

As miserable as I was, this is a seriously good hot sauce.  4 or 5 drops in a pot of chili will make the best of us sweat with a good, deep heat.  Just don’t – I repeat, don’t – eat this stuff on an empty stomach at 7:30 am. 

Well done, Papa’s Butts!  You brought me to my knees.

Take 7 – Royal Thai

I had been craving some “slap your grandma” heat a couple weeks ago, but didn’t want the usual chicken wings/hot chicken. That decision lead me to Royal Thai, a local Thai establishment with several locations including Brentwood and Cool Springs. I remembered that I used to go there and occasionally order the Tom Yum Goong (hot and sour) soup Native Thai to get the sweat flowing. And so it was settled. We drove to Cool Springs, got out of the car, and walked straight into my own little version of Hades.

I had already predetermined I was going to do something unfathomable by most standards. Thai folks know how to bring the heat. As previously mentioned, they have something they refer to as Native Thai and it’s a bit like pepper spray. I was determined to make my own spice level. Extra Native Thai. I want the hottest thing you can make and then I want it hotter. The server had a bit of a chuckle on his face when I placed my order of Tom Yum Goong soup and Pad Kee Mao Extra Native Thai.

When he walked into the kitchen yelling “HOT! HOT! HOT!” I knew I was in for a treat.

When the soup arrived, I could already feel my mouth watering. I took one whiff of the soup and my nose immediately started running. The soup has a good amount of acidity from the lemongrass and tomato, which cut some of the heat. Thank the Lord it did. As I drank this bowl of burn, I started to question if my mind had made the right decision for my stomach with my entree.

Not more than a minute after I finished the last gulp of soup, the entrees arrived. God help me.

I received a healthy portion of Pad Kee Mao, which is stir fried spicy noodles with chicken, garlic, basil, carrots, onions, mushrooms, and more peppers than I ever wanted. Let me preface by saying that I don’t even know what they did to my dish in the kitchen, but it wasn’t pretty. That’s what I get for asking for Extra Native Thai. This meal did it to me. Hotter than Prince’s. Hotter than The Scoreboard. 8 glasses of water and halfway through the dish, I threw in the towel. It was just too much. I would have to conquer this one another day.

So there you have it, Royal Thai got it done. The best thing about Royal Thai is that they can make dishes as mild or hot as you want them, so you don’t have to burn alive. If you’re looking for something extra spicy, just tell them to make it as hot as they can and you won’t be disappointed.

Take 6 – The Catbird Seat

There are few food moments that leave me at a loss for words…one being my first foray into the world of Nashville hot chicken and the other being the Atomic Wing Challenge at Quaker Steak and Lube.  In those cases, it wasn’t necessarily the quality of the food, but rather the extreme heat that literally took the words out of my mouth.

What I experienced at The Catbird Seat was something unlike any other, and it all started the moment I walked through the front door and was greeted by a hostess who knew my name before I even uttered a word.  At this point, I knew I was in for something special, something remarkable.  There are simply not enough words to describe the entire experience. That’s right, it’s not just a meal.  It’s a culinary journey that chefs Josh Habiger and Erik Anderson guide you through for roughly three hours of your evening.  Quite frankly, it’s perfect.

Rather than shamefully attempting to recount every aspect of the experience (of which I would fail miserably).  I present to you a picture journey/photo blog of my experience at Nashville’s The Catbird Seat.  If there is such a thing as a life-changing meal, this is it.  Save up and go.  You will not regret it.  Oh, and be sure to cough up the extra money for the drink pairing. It’s worth it.

 

Take 5 – Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

5 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cooked and shredded)

2 cans Rotel Tomatoes (use 1 can of the hot rotel and 1 original if you desire more heat)

2 10oz cans enchilada sauce

2 large cloves garlic (minced)

2 habenero peppers (minced)

1 ½ onion (chopped)

3 cups water

18 oz full-flavored beer

2 cans corn (drained)

1/2 can black beans (drained and rinsed)

2 tsp salt

2 tsp pepper

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp chili powder

2 Tbs fresh cilantro (chopped)

Stir all ingredients together and cook on low for 6-8 hours in slow cooker.

Yields 6 large servings.

Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream if desired.  Then feel the burn.

Take 4 – How much hot sauce is too much hot sauce?

Is there a such thing as too much hot sauce?  For some people, the obvious answer is an emphatic yes.  Then again, we aren’t some people.  When it comes to spicy food lovers, we’re just a different breed.  Nothing is too hot.

We all probably started out in a similar fashion. Like this: “Oh, I’ll just put a dab of hot sauce in the chili pot to give it some flavor.  Or maybe this: “That buffalo sandwich sure is good.  Could I get it medium instead of mild?”  Thus, then vicious cycle starts.

Next thing you know, your wife is carrying hot sauce packets in her purse in case she goes somewhere and they don’t have any.  We’re just like addicts.  We don’t know the exact point it got out of control, but it did, and we don’t care.

Now, I ask the question: Is this too much?

Take 3 – The Scoreboard Smokehouse Bar and Grill

The Scoreboard Smokehouse Bar and Grill is a restaurant that I typically wouldn’t frequent.  It’s in the faux-tourist area of Music Valley Drive which boasts such establishments as Grand Old Golf and The Nashville Palace.

Quite frankly, I didn’t even know this place existed until I caught wind that venerable spicy food gods, Aarón Sanchez and Roger Mooking, of Food Network’s Heat Seekers were filming an episode at The Scoreboard profiling their Satan’s Tongue Nashville’s Best Hot Chicken.  I was still skeptical, so I waited until the episode aired so I could scope out the place.  I like to consider myself an expert on Nashville hot chicken, as I’ve conquered the hottest offerings from 400 Degrees, Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, and Bolton’s Spicy Chicken and Fish.  How had I not even heard of this place?

After sending out a couple of feelers to a group of friends, my wife and I suckered two people to join us in visiting this mysterious restaurant.  After picking them up, we were off to find The Scoreboard, which is a challenge in itself.  It’s tucked in an alley behind Cracker Barrel and next to an old, run-down motel.

It’s definitely a dive and has all of the typical decorations you would expect from a normal sports bar.  As this is a 21 and up establishment, smoking is allowed so I recommend heading there early in the day if you are bothered by second-hand smoke.

We eased into a booth in the back corner of the room and got settled in with the menus.  I really don’t know why I look at the menu because I knew what my stomach desired – Satan’s Tongue.  As with all traditional Nashville hot chicken, it’s served as a dry-rubbed bone-in breast on top of a slice of plain white bread with 2 or 3 pickles on top.  The Scoreboard gives the option of a side, so I chose french fries and ordered some bleu cheese dressing in case I needed it.

The menu says to allow 20 minutes for preparation, so that gave me plenty of time to get mentally prepared.  When it finally arrived, I knew I was in for a treat.

What makes the Satan’s Tongue Nashville’s Best Hot Chicken special is the habanero pepper sauce that is poured on top of the breast after it’s cooked.  That’s where the heat lies.  To test the waters, I decided to eat a small piece of the breading.  Immediately, I was on fire, in a good way.  I knew this chicken was going to be a challenge, but definitely one that I could handle.  I put the bleu cheese dressing aside as I wanted to take on this jumbo breast au naturel.  Now don’t think this hot chicken is for wimps.  This is a deep, burning heat that sticks with you.  I must have been drinking water like a fish because the server eventually dropped off a full pitcher for me.  My mouth burned, my lips hurt, my eyes started to water and yet…I couldn’t stop eating it.  If you thought the chicken was bad, just wait until you eat the bread that’s been soaking in the pepper sauce and rub.   After 15 minutes, I had powered through the pain until the plate was clean.

I wish I could say that the rest of the group enjoyed it as much as I did, but it got the best of one of them.  By the end of the meal, he was standing up and hunched over in pain.  I call this success.  As for my experience at The Scoreboard – I came, I saw, I conquered.   Bring on the ice cream!

Take 1 – The beginnings

Just what you wanted, another food blog.

Before you leave, let me explain myself. I think most people reach a point or have an epiphany that makes them question the path they have taken.

While I would not want anything different in regards to the people I surround myself with – my wife, my family, my friends – I often wish I had taken a career path that didn’t involve the day-to-day musings of cube life.

You see, food is my passion. I am an amateur cook and a professional foodie. Come along for the ride as I show you what I love – local Nashville eats, the hot and spicy world, my amateur recipes, and the occasional travel installment. I hope you realize that it’s never too late to start being passionate about something.

Take 2 – Franklin Mercantile Deli

As with most Friday nights, my wife and I like to keep it cheap. Typical Friday nights include a happy hour pint and a stroll through the Taco Bell drive-thru before heading home to pour the ever-popular Valentina extra hot picante sauce all over our spoils. We do like to venture from the norm every once in a while, though.

This particular date night brought us to downtown Franklin for an event at the newly renovated Franklin Theatre. As we are poor planners, we soon began to realize that finding a table would be a difficult task to accomplish on this particularly mild and clear evening. We walked up and down Main Street with no luck, until we glanced down a side street and found the surprisingly uncrowded Franklin Mercantile Deli. It isn’t what I would refer to as a deli, but more like a hybrid between a cafe and coffee shop with a French-country feel. A 3-piece band with a piano, guitar, and an upright bass was playing quiet jazzy tunes. I don’t know whether or not this is a regular occurrence, but it made for a pleasant atmosphere.

On to the food…we were originally planning on grabbing a bottle of wine and an appetizer, but the server informed us of a special they were offering: an appetizer, two entrees, a dessert, AND a bottle of wine for $40. Winner winner chicken dinner! Considering we had expected to pay nearly $30 for the wine alone, I will call this a modest success.

We settled in on Redtree California Zinfandel. I haven’t mentioned this yet, but wine is not my passion. I enjoy a glass every now and again, but don’t expect professional wine reviews. It’s just not my thing.

We placed our orders shortly after and decided on Shrimp & Grits for the appetizer, Flank Steak (medium rare) and Port Glazed Salmon for the entrees, and Sweet Tea Tiramisu for dessert.

My wife has been heralded for her take on shrimp & grits, so naturally, we wanted to see how their version stacked up. Presentation was nice and it did look like a true-to-form southern dish. It came out in a bowl filled with country style grits topped with 6 grilled shrimp. Around the bowl were simple white bread toast squares. The shrimp had a wonderful flavor of garlic, but I could have used a little more Cajun spice. My disappointment came with the grits. They were just plain grits. I would have liked to have garlic cheese grits instead, but it’s really hard to complain when the price is so good. The best part of this dish is being able to use the bread as a vessel to sop up the grits and shrimp and have one bite of deliciousness. At this point, we knew we would be pleased with our dinner choice.

For our entrees, I ordered the Flank Steak which came with a vegetable medley and hash brown casserole. My wife ordered the Port Glazed Salmon which came with sautéed asparagus and sweet potato pancakes. I regret that I did not take pictures of the entrees or the dessert, but presentation was nice. Unfortunately and as I usually suspect, the steak was closer to well-done than it was to rare. I will give the benefit that the meat did have great flavor. The basil dressing marinade aided the meat greatly. I do wish I knew how the vegetables were seasoned, because they were wonderfully salty. I am a big fan of squash, so I was pleased that it was the star of the medley. The hash brown casserole was what you would expect from a southern style restaurant such as Cracker Barrel – that’s a good thing, by the way. As far as the Port Glazed Salmon, I cannot comment, but I will suffice to say that the plate was clean when it was all said and done.

At this point, the meal had taken a little longer than expected, so we asked for the check and for the Sweet Tea Tiramisu to be delivered at the same time. The server obliged and hurried out with the dessert. I regret that we didn’t get to savor the Tiramisu, because it was delightful and reminded me of one of my favorites, the Tiramisu from the now-closed Caesars Ristorante in Lion’s Head Village. We shoveled it down in about 2 minutes flat and rushed to the Franklin Theatre for our show.

In closing, I don’t know if Franklin Mercantile Deli is still doing the same dinner deal for $40, but if they are, I highly recommend giving them a shot. Not only will you have a nice dinner, but you’ll be able to window shop up and down Main Street in historic Franklin, which is a treat in itself. Franklin Mercantile Deli fits the budget, too.