Tiffany Tastes

Noodle Doodle and All That's In Between

I have more of an opportunity to go out to lunch with my new(ish) job in the Midtown area of Memphis.  Most people who know me, know that going out to eat with my friends is probably in my in the top three in my list of things I absolutely love to do.

Recently, I had the opportunity to go out to lunch on a weekday afternoon with my friends A & J, who love to eat almost as much as I do.  We decided to try out Noodle Doodle Do, which is the lunch time version of Do Sushi in the popular Cooper Young area of town.  If you hit up Do in the evenings, you'll find one of the most extensive and innovative sushi menus around.  If you stop by at lunch time, you'll find that, while they still serve limited sushi options, the menu centers around noodle bowls.  Seeing that I love anything noodle-y, this seemed like the perfect choice.

A, J, and I each started our lunch with an appetizer.  A selected crab rangoon, which was light and crispy, without being greasy and was served with the most wonderful sweet and spicy chile sauce.  J got the crispy tofu; it was a nicely-portioned block of tofu that was served with a salad and tamarind dressing.  The dressing was ridiculously tasty and had and the dish as a whole was a great combination of flavors.  I chose the egg roll (because fried is delicious).  Noodle Doodle Do's version has a lot of interesting items in it: daikon, long bean, tofu and pumpkin puree'.  I wasn't too sure that I was going to like the combination, but it was so very, very tasty.  It was served with a honey-based sauce that was a little too sweet.  But, I just dipped my egg roll in the sauce on A's plate, and all was well.

J and I decided that we were going to go for noodle bowls since, for all intents and purposes, we were at a noodle house.  A went for the sushi because he has no sense of adventure :).  I got the chicken pho which was huge pile of rice noodles (yay!) in a lemongrass broth which a bunch of tasty veggies and a whole bunch of delicious.  If you add a couple of spoonfuls of the mirin lime sauce, it takes it to a whole 'nother plane.  If they don't give you the option for the soup add-ins, ask for them.  The veggies still had some bite to them and the chicken was well cooked. Everything about this bowl of soup was absolutely delicious.  J chose the kobe beef curry noodle soup which is just an impressive bowl of food.  Egg noodles, veggies, tender slices of kobe beef in a spicy coconut curry broth.  The soup was very complex with layers of flavor, and it had just enough heat to be interesting but didn't light me on fire (I don't have a high heat tolerance, but there is some spicy chile sauce available if it's too pansy for you.) I don't generally care for raw fish, so I didn't taste A's but he definitely stared longingly at J and my bowls of soup. 

I was the only one who got dessert (but are you surprised?). I went for the black sticky rice pudding, because I like rice pudding and have never had it with black rice.  This dish had some kind of sweet and salty sauce on it that offered a very nice contrast in flavor and some toasted crumbled nuts (Brazil nuts maybe?) on top for texture.  The purplish tinge to the custard was a bit weird at first, but it didn't stop my spoon.  I shared a little with A & J, but for the most part, I took care of it myself.

Final Impressions: Despite the fact there doesn't seem to be a website for Noodle Doodle Do or any other of Memphis restauranteur Karen Carrier's eateries (and you can read about that pet peeve here), you can info about Noodle Doodle Do on Urban Spoon (which is where the link below will take you) or Yelp and here, of course :) If you go for lunch, do yourself a favor and get one of the noodle bowls.  You can get sushi any old time.

Tiffany's Favorite: This is tough...I'm going with the chicken pho.

Tiffany's Rating :) :) :) 1/2 out of :) :) :) :)

Noodle Doodle Do (Do Sushi)
964 South Cooper Street
Memphis, TN 38104 (901) 272-0830

Average Appetizer Price: $4-$6
Average Salad Price: $6-$10
Average Soup/Noodle Bowl Price: $7-$10
Average Dessert Price: $4-$6

Operating Hours (Noodle Doodle Do)
Tuesday-Saturday 11:30am-4:00pm

It Doesn't Get Any Better

Located in an unassuming shopping center (ie: strip mall), situated in a nice, but not ritzy, area of Las Vegas, sits Rosemary's Restaurant.  When you first see it, it doesn't appear to be anything special, but once you walk inside, you realize that you're about to enjoy something amazing.  From the super friendly hostesses, to the immaculately dressed wait staff, Rosemary's Restaurant offers an awesome dining experience.

The hubby and I decided to enjoy Rosemary's for lunch one hot, summer afternoon during our recent Vegas expedition.  It is classy and comfortable at the same time.  We felt perfectly at ease in jeans (Note: The dinner dress code is more strict. Call the restaurant for details).

At Rosemary's, you can order food A La Carte or you can choose a Prix Fixe selection. We both decided to take advantage of the 3 course Prix Fixe menu which gives you one entree, and your choice of one appetizer and one dessert, two appetizers, or two desserts for the staggeringly reasonable price of $28.00 per person.  Tom decided to have two appetizers and an entree, and I chose the classic appetizer, entree, and dessert combination.

For his first appetizer, Tom ordered the corn soup with chive butter.  It was smooth, creamy, sweet, and very flavorful.  I chose the Rosemary salad with roasted onion dressing and homemade rosemary crackers.  The dressing was sweet and tangy, and the savory crackers were a nice counterpoint.  Tom's second appetizer was bbq shrimp with Maytag blue cheese coleslaw.  The contrast in flavors was outstanding.  The blue cheese pairs really well with the sweet and smoky bbq sauce.  I could have eaten the whole plate, which is truly and amazing feat since I don't particularly care for coleslaw, blue cheese, or shrimp (that last one is blasphemy, I know :P )

For our entrees, I selected monte cristo: turkey, caval cheese, ad a strawberry and cranberry marmalade.  The marmalade really made the sandwich.  The flavors just exploded in my mouth.  It was served with onion straws and a tasty dipping sauce that had the sweetness of ketchup, the tang of cocktail sauce, and the zip of chili sauce. The onion rings were a tad greasy, but overall, it was a very successful dish.  Tom chose a daily special which featured grilled salmon with a roasted tomato and haricot vert (french style green beans) orzo and smoked tomato cream sauce.  Visually, it was beautiful; it was also perfectly cooked, well seasoned, and had great flavor.  The tomato cream sauce was outstanding.  Tom called it the perfect dish.

I chose the hazelnut goat cheese cheesecake with scotch caramel sauce to complete our meal.  It was incredibly creamy; the goat cheese gave it nice tang which was rounded out by the sweetness of the caramel sauce.  The crusted had bits of toasted hazelnuts that added nice texture to the dessert.

Final Impressions: Go to Rosemary's Restaurant! Drop everything you're doing and go now.  The food is outstanding, and the service was impeccable.  We had two waiters who were extremely knowledgeable and experienced.  Tom commented that he has never had better service at a restaurant, ever.  The prices are extremely reasonable if you take into account the quality of the food, the service, the atmosphere, and the experience.

Tom's favorite: The salmon (by a very slim margin)
Tiffany's favorite: The corn soup (by a very slim margin)

Tiffany's Rating :) :) :) :) out of :) :) :) :)

Rosemary's Restaurant
8125 W. Sahara Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89117
(702) 869-2251

Average Appetizer Price: (Lunch and Dinner) $7-$15
Average Entree Price: (Lunch) $15-$22 (Dinner) $20-$38
Average Dessert Price: (Lunch and Dinner) $7-$10
Prix Fixe Price: (Lunch) $28 (Dinner) $50

Operating Hours
Lunch: Monday-Friday 11:30am-2:30pm
Dinner: 5:30pm-close Daily

Dinner Takes "Flight"

Downtown Memphis has taken a hit recently. Several restaurants have closed over the past few months, leaving the area depressed and empty.  Several weeks ago, a new eatery opened in the space vacated by Stella, a popular fine dining establishment situated right off the trolley line.  In this beautiful space, a new restaurant was born, one that brought a fresh concept to a tired town.  Flight Restaurant and Wine Bar  utilizes the idea of the "flight," which serves multiple smaller dishes with a common thread in a single serving.  At Flight, most item choices come with option to enjoy them singly or with three different preparations.  Because of this, I will offer my opinions by flight, choosing my favorite from each flight and then an overall favorite at the end.

We started our meal with almond crusted honey baked brie, which was baked and served with herb crostini and strawberries.  The honey sauce really brought out the flavor of the cheese, and I appreciated that the crostini were seasoned.  However, there was one big drawback: the almonds were burnt.  I'm talking "extra-toasty" but blackened, bitter, and quite burnt.  I'm actually very surprised that it was even allowed to leave the kitchen in that state, and it put a dark cloud on what would have been a very tasty dish and a great start to the meal.

After our appetizer, I chose to sample the salad flight, three different salads on one plate.  The first was a watermelon and feta salad with red onion, mint, and cucumber oil.  It was extremely light and fresh.  The saltiness of the feta paired extremely well with the watermelon.  Since neither Tom nor I really like watermelon, this was a tasty surprise.  The second salad featured avocado slices, orange segments, and slivered almonds with a citrus vinaigrette.  I thought it was a really nice combination, but Tom felt that the orange was overpowering.  My only problem was the orange segments; I counted 8 seeds from three small segments.  In a restaurant of this caliber, I would think these would be removed (or that they would use naval oranges).  The final salad was a spinach and bacon salad with hard-boiled egg and red onion.  It was a good rendition of a popular steakhouse salad, tasty and satisfying, but nothing special.  For this course, we both chose the watermelon and feta salad as our favorite.

While I was munching on salad, Tom was slurping the soup flight.  The first choice was a seafood bisque.  It was buttery and creamy, but Tom felt it was a little bland.  The second was a seafood gumbo, which was savory and had a lot of great textures.  It was hearty, and the flavors were complex.  Tom felt like it was one of the best soups he's ever eaten.  The last option was French onion soup.  It was an excellent version of a classic dish.  It was beefy, rich, and delicious.  However, for this course, the clear winner was the seafood gumbo.

At Flight, you have the option of choosing a single dish for your entree, selecting one of their preset flights, or creating your own flight from the "small plate" versions of the full entree choices.  Tom and I both decided to pick three different small plates to create our meals.  The three I selected were the ribeye, the pork tenderloin, and the duck breast.  My ribeye was served with a caramelized onion and bacon mash and house-made Worchestershire sauce.  It might possibly have been the best steak I have ever eaten in my life.  It was tender, perfectly cooked, and all the flavors were like magic in my mouth.  The pork tenderlion was served on top of cheddar grits and a BBQ beurre blanc.  This dish was extremely tasty; the grits were nice and creamy, and the sauce gave the overall dish great flavor.  The duck breast came with a sweet potato hash and pomegranate reduction.  Out of the three, it was my least favorite.  The duck was well-seasoned, but the hash needed something else to make it pop.  Tom and I both agree that the ribeye was by far the best out of my three dishes. 

For his entree, Tom chose the halibut, quail, and the lamb loin.  The halibut was well-cooked, flaky, but not falling apart.  It was served with shrimp risotto and a sweet corn sauce. The risotto was perfectly executed; it was creamy without being stiff or lumpy.  Tom's lamb was served with a ratatouille and thyme jus.  The ratatouille had great flavor, but the lamb loin was a bit overcooked, making it pretty tough to eat.  The quail was served saffron and herb rice with an orange and ginger demi glace.  The combination of flavors was spot on; it was extremely delicious and the meat was super tender.  There was a split decision on this course.  Tom chose the halibut as his favorite, while I thought the quail was far superior.

Diners can also order their dessert in the form of a flight.  We shared the chocolate flight which featured a chocolate and peanut terrine.  This consisted of an excellent chocolate mousse, which was complimented by some tasty peanut brittle.  It offered an interesting textural contrast, but we had to pick up the brittle and eat it with our fingers, making the dish a bit unwieldy.  The second option was a chocolate toffee parfait.  It was light and airy with a hint of citrus.  The toffee bits added a much-needed crunch.  The last dish was a white chocolate tart with raspberry sorbet.  The tart was dense and sweet, but the sorbet made it sing.  It was it was crisp and fruity and paired excellently with the creamy sweetness of the tart.  We also disagreed on which dessert was the best: I loved the chocolate toffee parfait, and Tom was all about the white chocolate tart with the raspberry sorbet.

Final Impressions: This was a fantastic meal, with a fantastic (big) pricetag.  If you're dining on a budget, this is a spot that should be saved for a special occasion.  The concept is especially nice for people like me who have a hard time making up their minds and want to try a little bit of everything.  This place is definitely romantic enough for a date, and there's complimentary valet, so you don't have to worry about parking downtown.  I really considered giving this a four smiley review, but the burnt almonds and the seedy salad couldn't be ignored. So for the first time in the history of tiffanytastes.com, I'm awarding a 3/4 smiley, because this meal was almost (but not quite) perfect.

Tom's (overall) favorite:  The ribeye
Tiffany's (overall) favorite: The ribeye

Tiffany's Rating :) :) :) 3/4 out of :) :) :) :)

Flight Restaurant and Wine Bar
39 South Main Street
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 521-8005

Average Appetizer Price: $10-$15
Average Soup/Salad Price: (Lunch and Dinner) $8-$13
Average Sandwich Price: (Lunch only) $9-$13
Average Entree Price: (Lunch) $10-$13 (Small Plate) $9-$13 (Dinner) $24-$36
Average Dessert Price: $9-$12

Operating Hours
Monday-Saturday 11:00am-3:00am

Manna From Heaven

Not too long ago, the hubby and I traveled to Nashville on a beautiful Sunday morning to pick up my car (which I had wrecked a few weeks earlier while driving on I-40 in a tornado).  Once I reclaimed my vehicle, we decided to stop and eat at Tin Angel, a local Nashville eatery and popular brunch destination, before heading back to Memphis We arrived at about 1:00 in the afternoon, and while it was packed with the after-church crowd, it didn't take long before we were seated.

We both began our meal with an appetizer. I chose the sweet potato biscuits, and the hubby settled on smoked salmon angel wings.  The biscuits were delicious, sliced and filled with sweet potato puree and served with sorghum, peach preserves, and whipped butter.  The biscuits had a nice, fluffy texture and the overall package was sweet, but not too sweet.  We definitely had to consume them with a knife-and-fork approach.  The Angel Wings, a signature dish, were actually smoked salmon quesadillas with cream cheese and scallions and served with grapes on the side. Tom thought they were tasty, but nothing really specially. However, he did say that it would have made a tasty light lunch with the addition of a side salad.

For my entrée, I chose the banana bruleé French toast, and yes it was as good as it sounds.  I love the fact that it was made with wheat bread (which is the only kind of bread we eat at home). It was stuffed with a lemon ricotta filling and topped with slices of banana that had been sprinkled with sugar and torched (hence, the bruleé effect).There was an appealing textural contrast between the soft French toast and the crunchy bruleé topping on the bananas.  It sweet and rich, almost like dessert. My meal was served with a side of house-made sausage patties, which were extremely tasty and had just the right amount of kick.  The sausage offered a much needed savory counterpoint to the almost too sweet French toast.  Tom ordered the San Francisco Joe for his entrée, which consisted of eggs scrambled with filet mignon, caramelized onions, spinach and cheese and served over hash brown potatoes.  He felt that the dish was very filling, and that everything was well-seasoned. The hubby doesn't usually eat a lot of steak, but he was very satisfied this time.  His only complaint was that his eggs were a bit runny.  He was also very happy that I let him finish off my sausage :)

Final Impressions: Tin Angel is a great choice for Sunday brunch, but beware; parking is absolutely terrible. The restaurant has a miniscule parking lot behind the building, and most of the patrons had to park along the street up a very steep hill.  Be sure to take advantage of their valet parking service.   The restaurant itself has a very cool bar area, so it seems like it would be a good place to grab a drink with friends after work, but it's also nice enough that you should feel comfortable bringing a date for a romantic evening out. 

Tiffany's Favorite Part: House-made sausages
Tom's Favorite Part: House-made sausages

Tiffany's Rating: :) :) :) 1/2 out of :) :) :) :)

Tin Angel: An American Bistro
3201 West End Avenue
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 298-3444

Average Appetizer Price: (Brunch) $3-$6 (Lunch and Midday) $4-$9 (Dinner) $5-$10
Average Salad Price: (Lunch, Midday, and Dinner) $10-$14
Average Entrée Price: (Brunch) $8-$15 (Lunch) $9-$14 (Midday) $8-$13 (Dinner) $13-$21

Operating Hours
Lunch: Monday-Friday 11:00am-2:30pm
Midday: Monday-Friday 2:30pm-5:00pm
Dinner: Monday-Saturday 5:00pm-10:00pm
Brunch: Sunday 11:00am-3:00pm

My first official review

When trying to decide which review I wanted to start with, I decided to begin with a bang and write about one of my best experiences.

Not too long ago, I took a trip to Tallahassee.  I was actually there for a memorial party for a friend who had passed away.  But, it gave me a chance to reconnect with some old friends and go to one of my favorite restaurants Kool Beanz Cafe.  (Thanks to my friend Alissa H. for my first trip during a mock trial competition back when we were in college)

Kool Beanz is very eclectic; the walls are a colorful backdrop for local artists to hang their work.  It's almost always crowded, and people always seem to be having a great time.  They have a small but serviceable wine list that is printed as a label on an empty wine bottle, and their beer selections are listed the same way on an an empty beer bottle.  The menu changes daily to take advantage of fresh, seasonal ingredients.  If you want to watch your food being made, you can take a seat at the small bar right next to the kitchen. Sometimes, the restaurant is so crowded, sitting at the bar might be your only option.  The restaurant is small, so come prepared to wait a while if you visit during high-traffic time periods.  I dropped in at 1:00pm on a Friday afternoon, and I didn't have to wait at all for a table.

I started off with a salad with heirloom tomatoes, eggs, and a lemon-feta vinaigrette.  The dressing was super tangy, and I loved the home-made croutons.  My only complaint: I wish there were a few more heirloom tomatoes. Those that I did get were delicious, juicy, and ripe, but there were so few that they didn't even begin to satisfy. My entrée was a panéed chicken breast with fried eggplant, fresh mozzarella, and a stewed tomato jam.  The combination of flavors was interesting; at first I thought the stewed tomato jam was a bit too sweet, but the more I ate, the more I liked it.  In fact, everything on the plate tasted better smothered in the jam.  I only wished that they had sprinkled the fried eggplant with a little salt when it came out of the pan.  For dessert, I had  key lime pie with orange liquer marinated strawberries. It was a beautifully presented, individual tart. The filling was super smooth and creamy, and the strawberries were a nice accompaniment. Light and refreshing; a great way to end a great meal.

Final Impressions: Delicious food, and impeccable service in a casual atmosphere.  Oh yeah, and spring the extra dollar for the bread and butter basket. It's addictive.  I wouldn't go to Kool Beanz Cafe for a romantic date night only because it's small, crowded, and can get a bit loud. But, if you're hanging out with a few friends and looking for good food and a good time, it's a great place to go.

Tiffany's favorite part of the meal: Key Lime Pie

Tiffany's Rating :) :) :) 1/2 out of :) :) :) :)

Kool Beanz Cafe
921 Thomasville Road
Tallahassee, Florida 32303
(850) 224-2466

Average Appetizer Price: (Dinner Only) $6-$10
Average Soup/Salad Price: (Lunch and Dinner) $5-$7
Average Entrée Price: (Lunch) $7-$12 (Dinner) $15-$20
Average Dessert Price: (Lunch and Dinner) $6

Operating Hours
Lunch: Monday-Friday 11:00am-2:30pm
Dinner: Monday-Saturday 5:30pm-10:00pm