At 6:30, the event was already packed with people. The crowd was so large, it was difficult to roam from table to table visiting each restaurant because it was more like two long lines down the sides (plus the lines to get drinks). Not good for me since I had no interest in standing in line for food I'm not going to eat. And there was a lot of that.
Each restaurant was giving out tastings which had to be simple to transport and prepare either on site or beforehand. So there was a lot of shrimp. And meatballs and chicken. Luckily, I pled my case to a few friendly people who let me cut in line for the handful of restaurants offering something I could eat. So a big shout out to these restaurants for recognizing there are some herbivores that like fine food.
PM -- already one of my favorite restaurants, they served a delicious vegan spicy noodle dish. As you can see from the photo below, they were well prepared for the crowd as well as prepared to help keep me from going hungry.
Green Hills Grille -- I've never been to GHG when it wasn't crowded, so I don't go often, but it's a nice place with a now-better location and with a good selection of vegetarian items. They served ziti with marinara, spinach artichoke dip and Key Lime pie all from their menu. Their marinara is nice and chunky and bright, just the way I like it.
Whole Foods -- thankfully, they had a lovely gazpacho. I just wish I could have had a bit more. They, like many of the vendors seemed to be a little overwhelmed by the crowd.
Wildwood Oak Fired Kitchen -- this place isn't very far from my house, but I've never been because their menu is very meat-centric. But they were serving tacos with a jicama slaw and avocado puree that could be prepared without meat and was quite delicious. I can't tell from their website if this is something on the menu or something they prepared special for this event, but I may check them out sometime...with a backup plan in mind.
Zola -- still my favorite restaurant in Nashville. They served desserts instead of entree bites. A Morroccan spiced brownie and some sipping chocolate. Excellent. Of course. Pictured below is Deb Paquette of Zola during the competition to prepare the "secret ingredient," fiddlehead fern.
Yes, they had to prepare a dish with fiddlehead fern. The ironic part being that I didn't get to eat any of the fern. Though the rabbits in my yard never touch my ferns, so I'm not sure that it necessarily qualifies as rabbit food, but I digress...
The judges tasted each dish and Deb Paquette actually won the competition. I'm sure it was a wonderful dish as every time I've gone to eat at Zola, I've ordered off (not from) the menu. There's always a vegetarian selection, but I usually just ask for the chef's selection (minus peppers and onions) and I always get a wonderful meal. Now, I have no idea if they're in the kitchen grumbling about the vegetarian who wants something different than what's on the menu, but if they are, it's never showed on the plate.
I heard rumors of some other vegetarian-friendly fare, but by the time the lines were of a manageable length, most of the food was gone. There are few things in life I hate more than standing in line. Being hungry falls a little behind standing in line, so...hey, maybe next year I can snag some leftovers from the judges' table. Though with my luck, the surprise ingredient won't be suitable for rabbits.
4 comments:
Great write-up! It was lovely to see you last night, if but briefly. I'm sorry I was no help... I actually did have the sipping chocolate and brownie - both excellent. What a crush of people!
well, i did say i'd buy you a dessert in vegas...
Good reporting. And thanks for steering us to the noodles -- that and the frozen Coronation Chicken were about the only thing available for people like us, who would rather socialize than stand in line.
Sounds like a fun time minus the lines. And, now I have some ideas of where to eat out thanks to your review.
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