LPM

I don't have a recipe, but I do have a picture in the archives of my blog to tempt you even further! Next time I'm at Sweet 16th, I'll ask the Einsteins if they're willing to share their recipe. LPM

Is "Velvet Elvis" Red Velvet cake? If not, that's definitely a Southern dessert to look for. ← Chocolate and red velvet layer cake with peanut butter ganache and buttercream (or maybe banana) frosting. An outstanding twist on traditional red velvet.

I think the best bakery in Nashville is Sweet 16th (16th & Ordway in East Nash). You will want to add their signature "Velvet Elvis" to your repertoire.

From one Martin to another, I can guarantee you at least one customer. Get that sucker opened.

The heir to the Dollar General fortune (I chuckle just typing that) has bid $1,000,000 in the bankruptcy case of the Wild Boar, a defunct Nashville restaurant, for its legendary (at least locally) wine cellar. If you're a wealthy oenophile, it's not too late to make a counter-bid. Here's the bankruptcy motion, which contains the inventory: Motion & Inventory

I don't want to sound like a vulture, but if you are a wine collector, it would be worth your while to monitor the case and watch for the Trustee's sale. I suspect that the Trustee will sell the holdings at public auction and it's my understanding they had an impressive cellar.

Another successful use of the Cuisinart this weekend, this time making a "Mint Julep" ice cream from Cindy Pawlcyn's Mustard's Grill Napa Valley Cookbook. Mint Julep Ice Cream Makes 1 Quart 2 packed cups fresh mint leaves 1 1/2 cups milk 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream 6 egg yolks 3/4 cup sugar Pinch of salt 1/4 cup Maker's Mark bourbon 1 teaspoon vanilla extract With the back of a large knife, bruise the mint leaves. Combine the with the milk and cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil on high heat. Remove from the heat and allow the mint to steep in the liquid for 20 to 30 minutes. Strain the milk mixture into another saucepan and discard the mint. Whisk together the yolks, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add the hot milk a little at a time, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 5 to 8 minutes, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 170 degrees). Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, and stir in the bourbon and vanilla. Chill overnight in the refrigerator. Freeze in your ice-cream maker.

BigHoss: I'm going to do the SFA event, but I want to check out your new Q shop as soon thereafter as possible and give it a write-up on my blog. Keep me updated on the details. LPM

A couple of other suggestions for dinner: Deluxe Cafe -- downtown on Market Street. Used to be one of the best downtown, though I haven't been in a few years. The Bridge Tender -- right at the Intracoastal Canal before Wrightsville Beach. I was there 2 months ago, and thought it very good. Very fresh seafood, plenty of variety, and great views of the waterway and Sound. (My blog archives should have pics, a review, and link.) Just across the Intracoastal is the Causeway Cafe. This is a popular greasy-spoon with plenty of local color. It would be a fun place for breakfast before you hit the road. Have fun.

I test-drove the Cuisinart over the weekend, and she performed like a champion. I went with a Milk Chocolate Malted Ice Cream from the Mustard's Napa Valley Cookbook. It's custardy (8 egg yolks) but very tasty and with a really creamy texture. Other than some slight "over-cooking" on some edges of the paddle, the Cuisinart turned out a uniform product. She's a little noisy, but gets the job done in 30 minutes or less. Pics on my blog. Milk Chocolate Malted Ice Cream Makes 1 quart and serves 8-10 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream 5 ounces milk chocolate (splurge on something good) 2 ounces semisweet chocolate (ditto) 2 cups milk 8 egg yolks 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup malt powder Combine the cream and chocolates in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is uniform. Set it aside. Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy saucepan and remove from the heat. Whisk together the yolks, sugar, salt, and malt powder in a medium bowl until blended. Whisk in a small amount of the hot milk. Gradually whisk in the remaining milk, then return the mixture to a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula for 5 to 8 minutes, until the custard has thickened enough to coat the utensil (about 170 degrees on a candy thermometer). Remove the custard from the heat and whisk a small amount of it into the chocolate-cream mixture, then pour the chocolate-cream mixture into the custard, and whisk until thoroughly combined. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Chill in the refrigerator until cold. Freeze in ice-cream maker.

Boulevard has great views of the Bay Bridge if you get one of the back tables, and the food is superb.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Can't wait to get her out the box and start honing my skills.

Can anyone recommend a good source for ice cream and gelato recipes, either a website or cookbook? I'm getting the Cuisinart "Pure Indulgence" Ice Cream Maker for Father's Day. Thanks.

At the outset, I must confess that I have limited qualifications to weigh in on this with any authority, since I am priced out of the market on most of these wines. I do, however, buy 1 case per year of Cab from Vincent Arroyo up there at the top of the valley. He is known more for his Petite Syrah, but at $20 a bottle, we think his Cabs are very impressive. Of course, we've visited the winery 3 times, so whenever we open a bottle, we are tasting memories as well as the wine. Finally, these days I would say that Napa Cab is one of our last choices when we go to the store or a restaurant, because of the price.

Talk about portion size, has anyone been to Maggiano's? That is the newest chain on the block in Nashville. The servings are ridiculous. They seem to take perverse pride in giving you a quantity of food that is impossible to finish. A side salad can feed 3-4 people. Same for entrees. Same for desserts. And I'm a carbo-loading fool who knows how to tuck it away. You hope that people are taking plenty of leftovers home. You hate to see that much food go to waste.

Commercially, they must be doing something right. The Nashville branch opened about 6 months ago (at the mall), and despite lackluster reviews, every day the line to get in snakes along the sidewalk like a Friday at Galatoire's. With a no-reservations policy, people seem to have no hesitation to wait an hour or more for a table. Someone once said that PF Chang's was chinese food for people who didn't like their chinese "too chinese." TCF sounds similar, a smorgasborg of safe tastes and large portion sizes.

I'm sold. Thanks for the feedback. Dean, we were practically neighbors from 1999-2005. I was in Greenville working for Ward and Smith, PA. Had some great meals at Bum's and B's.

Does a bear.... I was born here, have lived elsewhere, but have been back for many years. I wish that I could be in Nashville, but I'm working on a book that is, after the excitement has worn off, not unlike a giant anvil around my neck-or a painfully tight hair suit. So, I will be hanging around here for the rest of the month as my travel schedule in July, August, and Sept. is a bit heavy. Have fun. Introduce yourself. Wear your name tag. ← I grew up in Terrebonne Parish myself, then lived in NOLA for many years before a beautiful woman took me to Eastern NC and now Nashville. Good luck with the book. LPM

Mayhaw Man: Thank you for the rousing pitch on behalf of the SFA. I have been tangentially aware of the good work they do and intrigued by the organization. Since this event will be right in my back yard, I don't think I'll get an easier opportunity to see them in action, boots on the ground and elbows on the table. I promise a full report. Are you from Louisiana? LPM

I noticed that the SFA is having an event called "Camp Nashville" in conjunction with the local Tomato Art Festival in August. I live within tomato-tossing distance of the Festival's epicenter, and the Camp Nashville event sounds like plenty of fun. (The Festival itself is a good time.) It includes a cocktail party on Friday and BBQ, beer, Catfish BLTs, and dinner at a Meat-and-Three on Saturday, and I think a couple of other things (optional trip to Jack Daniels for an additional $50). The price, however, ain't right. $175 per person. Pretty hefty for a couple. Anyone ever attend one of these SFA-sponsored events? If so, did you feel it was money well spent? I know the restaurants they are mentioning (Arnold's, Prince's) and you could eat at both, plus get some Q and a case of Yazoo for less than $50, tipping generously. Does the SFA bring enough to the table, as it were, in scholarship, joie de vivre, whatever, to justify the difference? Not trying to sound cheap, LPM

Happy to hear that Savory Simon is alive and online. Growing up in Chauvin, LA, Hubig's Pies constituted their own food group. I think they taste best in a duck blind or on a trawl boat, but I'll take them at home. I was always a lemon loyalist, but I was recently back home and tried strawberry. Very tasty. I think this is a new seasonal variety. I do not remember it growing up.

If you find yourself in Nashville, we have a similar spot called Las Paletas in the 12 South neighborhood. They don't have a sign, but it doesn't stop people from queuing up on Saturdays. I think Saveur gave them a shout-out last year. I love their grapefruit, hibiscus, cucumber and peppers, tamarind . . . At the end of last summer, they started selling those refrigerator packs so you could get a dozen or so home before they melted.