Midtown Mondays!

Robata Ramen and Yakitori Bar

My obsession with oriental food is something serious. I never would have guessed from a first glance that his place served this kind of food. The restaurant itself is a cute little yellow house enclosed inside a white picket fence. I once saw an article going around listing the best patios in Memphis. I never read it, but I would be pretty surprised if this place didn't make the cut.  I don't really know what constitutes a patio being the best, BUT I do know that I found this patio to be pretty dang awesome! It had a fantastic view and because of the picket fence and porch with swings on it, you almost felt like you were in the comfort of your own home. It was quite charming and very peaceful. No joke- I think this is my new favorite place. Cal gets on to me because he says I say that about everything, Ha-ha! So I apologize if I have said that about every place I’ve tried, but that's just midtown for you! They make it really hard to complain around here. ;)

When I looked them up online, after being enticed by their vibrant yellow walls, I saw that they served Japanese food. I even saw some curry dishes which made me light up! What I love about this kind of food is the flavors.  They use a lot of spices and herbs that can pack a nice punch. The only downside I have to say is the sodium. I did notice some swelling in my hands after eating here. Unfortunately that is something that is very common in a lot of Japanese/Thai places though, especially when you order soups. (Which I did) so just be mindful of that and drink lots of water! My sisters dish pictured above^^ was a rice based dish called takana yaki-meshi. It had pork, fishcake, egg, mustard greens, and red ginger! She let me have a bite and even though I found it to be very flavorful it did seem that the sodium content was a lot less. We both highly recommend this one!:)

As an appetizer we ordered the fried squid legs. Yeah, Im weird like that:) But I liked it! A little chewy, but had lots of flavor-especially with their 'chili sauce' that tasted a lot like siracha:)

Haha! Kat wasn't so sure about it at first, but she took it like a champ! 



I had to order their plum wine since it was fitting to where we were eating. Im not a fan of sweet wine though, and this tasted like pure apple juice. However, if you are a fan of sweet wine/apple juice then this is right up your alley! If not, then just stick with one of their local beers brewed here in memphis. You can never go wrong with one of those!

 Now for my dish! I ordered the robata original ramen. I decided to go with the ramen instead of the Yakitori because I’m not a huge fan of chicken (I’m so weird I know!) and even less a fan of anything skewered. (Ha I get weirder by the minute) I have no idea why, I just don't. BUT I love a good ramen soup! Mmmm...I mean look at all that goodness. I chose the Miso Tonkotsu style ramen which is a pork based broth topped with a marinated boiled egg, green onion, red ginger, kikurage, and bean sprouts. I added kimchi for extra probiotics. Once again be mindful of the salt, but other than that there is a lot of nutritional goodness going on here so give it a shot!:)

Some more pics

Midtown Mondays!

I went from being completely solo last monday to having not just my sister, but both my parents join me this week. I have no shame in dining alone-its actually kind of nice sometimes. But its without a doubt, such a treat to have my sister and parents want to get together and try a new restaurant with me! I don't get to see them that often so I genuinely enjoyed this:)

Local on the square 

This week we tried local on the square. I have heard so many people rave about this place that when my sis called and told me to meet them there, I was thrilled. The only negative thing I have ever heard about local is their prices. They are a little high, but you really are getting what you pay for. My sis explained to me that they are a fine dining type restaurant combined with a pub style atmosphere. Perfect combo if you ask me!:) Also, the proportions are pretty hefty so that makes the prices seem more reasonable as well. Oh, and it was straight up delicious. Ill let the pics do the talking:)

Some pics to drool over..

We started off with the bbq duck quesadilla. Once again, I find the whole fine dining/gastro-pub combo to be quite brilliant! I mean duck and a quesadilla? yes please.

My dad then ordered a second appetizer. I love eating out with my parents, because they always want to try different things. These were the philly eggrolls. I split one with my sister. Ive never been big on philly cheesesteaks so I preferred the duck quesadillas over this. It was still tasty though! just a little too rich for me.

My entrée!:) I ordered the pork osso bucco. If you don't like meat then this is obviously not for you. But I happen to love meat and THIS was right on point. It was served over a bed of cheesy polenta and some kind of flavorful almost spicy sauce. The sauce you see over the pork was a horseradish sauce. That was actually what caught my eye on the menu. I love horseradish! Oh and my beer was a Memphis made dark brew with subtle hints of coffee. yum!

My dads order: shrimp and grits.

Lobster pot pie was my sis entrée! look at that flaky crust:) I didn't get a pic of the inside, but the lobster was nice and hearty!

sometimes a fork and knife just wont do:)

aren't they lovely! :)

random pic, but midtown was extra beautiful today. I had to snap a pic!


 So that's local in a nutshell! If your in the mood for good food, hearty dishes, and local beer then this is your place. If the weather is right, then I totally suggest the back patio. We enjoyed our lunch with fresh air and a good view of midtowns peaceful scenery. ahhh, so refreshed:)



Midtown Mondays!

  

Okay I'm totally in love with muddys coffee cup wall. It makes me want to start collecting more coffee cups! Cal would die if he heard me say that. Ha!

Muddys isn't really new to me, but their grind house in midtown is, and guys...if you haven't been your missing out. I'm so excited that this place is close to my campus. They have a beautiful back patio that is pet friendly and lit up all whimsical. Then they have a spacious inside with a separate room that has a couch and faux fire place. It's where I like to study:) and then the best part... Coffee:) you know you have a problem when the sight of that word makes you smile. Seriously I love coffee. Not the overly priced full of syrup and sugar coffee (not anymore anyways) or the coffee that comes in plastic cups! Sorry keurig lovers, but it's got to go.  I started drinking my coffee black a couple months ago and now it's like a staple in my diet. I can't for the life of me figure out why I hid my coffee underneath all those syrups and artificial flavors.. Yuck! Drinking it black made me search for higher quality because, yes, it makes a huge difference! That's when I found J. Brooks at the farmers market. They are local here in Memphis! If you love coffee then you have to try their true north medium roast. I get the whole beans and grind them myself. There is something euphoric and calming about the aroma of whole bean coffee. Mmmm:) I was so delighted to see that muddys serves j brooks coffee. Major brownie points in my book. Local coffee shop buying from local coffee business. That's how it's done folks. Communities taking care of each other. Thank you muddys! 

I indulged in this cup with some whole milk and ground nutmeg! 

 Sweet Grass/Next Door

After muddys I decided to grab lunch at sweet grass. To my surprise, sweet grass was closed but their restaurant next door literally called Next Door (ha!) was not closed. So I walked in all by lonesome and was greeted very kindly by two gentlemen working. We got to talking and I found out the owner and chef buys as much produce as he can locally from the farmers market. WHHAA??  I about fell out of my chair. He also changes his menu up depending on what is in season. After I picked my jaw off the floor, I proceeded to tell the manager that I was a dietetic student and that one of my dreams would be to help restaurants do exactly what this one is doing, staying local. It truly is the only way for quality to be present. He was yet again very kind and open about the way they do things. I left this place feeling overwhelmed with joy for our town. To see small businesses like this, realize the importance of keeping things local and supporting our own community is such a breath of fresh air. Thank You Sweet Grass/Next door. I will be back:)

I ordered the farmers platter collard green enchilada! The sauce was fantastic, and the greens were cooked just right. It didn't stance a chance with me, as you can see from the pic!:)

Midtown Mondays!

 This week in midtown my sis and I decided to try a German restaurant in overton square called Schweinehaus. I've been eyeballing this place for a while, and have actually been really excited to try it. The main reason I started 'Midtown Mondays' was to become familiar with our local businesses and restaurants here in Memphis. Contrary to what some believe, this city actually has a lot to offer! This little segment of my blog is my way to share some of its awesomeness.  I love nothing more than supporting these people who follow their dreams by creating the coolest places for our town. Break the Chain. Eat Local.!  Seriously. What I also love is that  people here are bringing different cultures to this city. Food is so cool in the sense that it brings people together and can sometimes bridge those cultural gaps. Now  I'm not saying that eating Indian or German cuisine from time to time will make you an expert on their cultures, but its definitely a good way to get acquainted with them. Not everyone can travel. Its definitely not easy for us right now, so whenever a little bit of the world is brought here to my hometown, you bet I'm on board to try!

Schweinehaus

We decided to start it off with a good brew. You cant go to a german restaurant without getting a beer, right? I ordered their dark beer. It had a rich hoppy flavor but was so smooth. I wish I could remember the name. I can say it was the first on the beer menu. I hope that helps! ha! Yes- dark beers have more calories, but they also have more antioxidants and are completely ok in moderation. plus, they just taste better in my opinion!


Now this beauty^^ is what they call a brezel. Kat and I ordered it as an appetizer. Oh my lanta...so rich and buttery and served with the best dipping sauces ever. The yellow is a beer cheese sauce, and the other is called 'schweinehaus mustard' I picked up hints of horseradish in this one so if that's not your thing then you probably wont like it. But if your like me then it will be heaven in your mouth! Especially if its double dipped with the cheese sauce. they kind of balance each other out:)

This is my schweinehaus burger. This bad boy was right on point! Kraut, Bacon, Pickwick Cheddar, Arugula, Maple Whole Grain Aioli, and a Brioche Bun are the ingredients in this beauty. In order to make it more calorie friendly, I just took off the top bun and ate it open faced. that was it. Oh and I only ate half. That's my general rule of thumb whenever eating out. Oldest trick in the book, yet most effective.

This was my sisters. She ordered the schweinehaus special, A pork sandwich. The pork was kind of cubed and cooked just right. It also had onions, bacon and braised kale. served with cheesy grits. sooo good!!

Sista Sistas! I really love doing midtown with her. If only we could steal our other sis on Mondays! Oh and if you look real close, you can see the most stunning communal tables. Just another thing that I loved about this restaurant :) again, If your not up for sitting next to strangers from time to time, this might not be your thing. (ex..my dad! he's older and enjoys his space) but I actually found it kind of cool. What an easy way to meet new people! ha!

So that's schweinehaus in a nutshell. My sis and I were so impressed with this place that we have already named it our new local spot. There is so many other things on the menu I really cant wait to try! It wasn't just the food though that made this place so enjoyable. The atmosphere and servers were friendly and inviting- Something Im really learning to appreciate when dining out. They were also knowledgeable about their menu which is really nice when trying a new food for the first time. I genuinely appreciated that. thanks schweinehaus!

For other midtown Mondays click HERE and HERE

Midtown Mondays!

   oh, how Im really loving Mondays right now. I decided last week to start a mini segment on my blog about local restaurants here in midtown. Basically, I find a new place every Monday to eat lunch at in between classes. What a horrible thing to blog about...gosh I just cant stand it;)  ha! yeah right. Yes, Im a health nut and I love to cook, but eating out is kind of important to our family as well. Cal and I love taking Rob to new places to try new things. Its a simple way to have family fun and make new traditions. My family grew up eating Chinese food after church every Sunday. Maybe not the most exciting thing, but gosh, us kids looked forward to it every week! And I can honestly say that eating food from a different culture, even if it was as simple as Chinese, helped us to be more adventurous with our food. Unfortunately back then, Chinese restaurants were using a lot of MSG in their meals, so we had to stop that tradition. (why you should look out for MSG, here)  Most Chinese places in our area have changed that. Thank goodness. Cause this girl still loves some Chinese food. But then again I just love food period!;)

                                                              

      Lafayettes!

My sister actually recommended this place. After looking them up online, I found out they were actually in Memphis in the 70's, and are just now making a re-appearance. Good for them!:) The food was delicious, and the restaurant itself was super clean and fresh. They host live bands, so cal and I will definitely be back to catch one. Were into that kind of thing:) If you are too, click here for a list of upcoming events. It might just be me, but I enjoy concerts way more when its paired with good food!

Now for the Good Stuff

Okay, so I feel bad for even posting that first pic. Definitely not healthy, but you best believe I ate it. In moderation of course :) And it was darn good. It was pimento cheese waffle fries with bacon. The good thing is that the flavors are so rich, you can only eat a couple bites and be satisfied. When restaurants don't offer healthy options, moderation is key! For my entrée, I tried to choose something that would offer a variety of nutrients to keep me satiated throughout my night classes. Pizza is such a good option, as it usually can have that nice variety of ingredients slathered nicely on some dough. As soon as I saw this breakfast pizza on the menu, I was in love. Im one of those who loves breakfast food, just not for breakfast. I could eat it every night for dinner! This bad boy had cheese, tomatos, an egg, and aragula. I was a little disappointed at the skimpy serving of arugula that was put on it, but oh well. Maybe it was just my guilty conscience for eating that appetizer above, because more arugula or no arugula, that pizza was divine. I think Ill still ask for extra arugula next time;)

I give this place a thumbs up. The food was clean and delicious, and the ambience was fantastic. Such a fun local hangout if that's your thing. So try it!:) And in the mean time, enjoy this random pic of me and my sis that was taken by a complete stranger. He totally stopped his car in the middle of traffic to get this for us. A man who knows the importance of documenting life. I like it. Midtown, your growing on me:)