Pennington's Foodstory

    I love tacos!  Beef, chicken, pork, tongue...you name it, I love tacos.  Honestly, I think most people do.  My favorite tacos would be fish tacos, but I get various reactions when I mention that.  Usually it's disbelief, "Fish Tacos??!!??",  like that's totally outside the realm of possibilities to put fish in a taco, or disgust, "Fish Tacos??!!??", said like there's a turd being held under their nose.  I don't understand these reactions.  Is it sooo strange to put fish in a taco?     I can't remember the first time I had a fish taco (probably a late night "what do I have in the friggin' frig" creation back in the day), but I do remember the first time I heard someone else mention them.  It was in September of 2000 at what was formerly know as Taylor's Refresher in Napa Valley, when my friend Jamey said he was going to order some.  I was in a "burger mood" that night and stuck with my gut....

    I'm in a food rut.  Not the kind that I've mentioned before like a flavor rut or an overused ingredient rut.  This is a full blown 'I have little desire to cook anything cool' rut.  Ok, I haven't completely resorted to eating out regardless of what my bank thinks.  It's more of a lack of inspiration.  As many of you know, I'm down in SC while the lovely woman is in TN waiting for the house to sell, amongst other job-related reasons.  Cooking for one can be a bitch, but that's the kind of stuff I should thrive on.  I have only my palate to be concerned with...mine.     (Oh, the iPod is on shuffle and it just dug up some Johnny Cash.  Sweet!!!)     Anyway, this not a hidden desire to cook for the masses, as I know SOOO many people in Myrtle Beach, but I've been working my ass off and haven't wanted to get knee-deep in the process of making food.  Sure, I've been making basic shit li...

    Holy shit, I've found some food!  The last month has been a whirlwind of activity.  I'm down in Pawleys Island for the new job and I've been so crazy-ass busy getting the wine and beer thang rolling, that I haven't  A) been eating like I normally do. (Which in a way is cool because I've dropped about 10lbs.)  And B) haven't been writing.  So to ease my pain from being away from all that Nashvegas has to offer, I've been introduced by many folks to a place called the PIT, which is actually an acronym for the Pawleys Island Tavern.     Now I've always been a fan of dive bars and especially those that put out a great plate of food, but let me tell you, this place delivers.  (And not in the Nashville sense as the way to get the musician off your porch is to pay him for the pizza.) This has become a nearly nightly hang because it feels so right.  Dollar bills with faceless names and date...

    I'm southbound!  Been a little slack with my writing, but for good reason.  The plate has been quite full due to a pending move to South Carolina.  We're taking this party to the beach (in or near Pawley's Island, Charleston to start) for heightened inspiration from one of my favorite food areas in the country.  Soon are the days where I can buy shrimp and fresh fish off the dock and produce from stands that dot Hwy. 17.      The woman and I have been itching to get to the beach for quite a while, and in a "careful what you ask for" moment, opportunity came a knockin'.  It's a return to the area for me, I lived out on Folly Beach and Isle of Palms with some good friends way back in the day.  Charleston is where I had my food and wine epiphany that forever changed the course of my life.     For those not too familiar with the area, it's all about fresh, fresh, fresh!  Great local produce, fr...

    I was at this great tapas bar in Nashville where they serve this kickass dish of Brussel sprouts with red onion, Marcona almonds, finished with red pepper and a smoked white wine vinegar.  Smoked vinegar?!  Yep, I looked on every food site that I could think of and found no recipes for smoked vinegar.  The flavor the vinegar brought to the dish was unbelieveable!  So what do I do?  I smoked the hell out of some vinegar!     Not really knowing where to begin, I bought a bottle of white wine vinegar and figured I'd smoke it like I would BBQ.  I found a ceramic baking dish that I felt would be safe on the grill, and since I wouldn't be putting it over direct heat I thought it would be cool.  I didn't want to use a metal dish in case it threw off any funky flavors.      I built a fire using big Maple chunks that can be used instead of charcoal.  Again, thinking of any possible funky flavor...

    July 14 is the French Independence Day known the world over as Bastille Day.  On that day in 1789, the revolutionaries stormed the prison, released the inmates thus starting the French Revolution.  It's a day that I use every year to indulge myself with French wine and food, not that I don't do that on most days anyway.  As per usual, I'll be making Coq au Vin.  This is one of my favorite childhood dishes which was always prepared for my birthday along with German Chocolate cake.  I was into International relations from very early on.          'Coq au Vin' means simply "Cock and Wine", which of course throws up the party flag for many of you, but in this case I mean stewed chicken with mushrooms and pearl onions.  I'm going to leave you to your own resources to find a recipe that suits your needs since there are so many.  Traditionally, the dish is made with Pinot Noir, bu...

    I was working with one of my wine suppliers the other day when we decided to stop for lunch.  It was one of those brutal Tennessee days with 100+ degree heat with an equal percentage of humidity.  We walked into the restaurant hoping for a welcoming blast of AC, but because the place was so packed, that sensation was not available.  I was pouring down sweat, well past the threshold of comfort when I'm told there would be a 15 minute wait.  AARRGGHHH!  I was almost to the point where I needed to step into their walk-in cooler or start shedding clothes.  As exciting as that may sound, it would not have been appropriate.  I tried to work my brain into a Zen-like state where the heat is no longer an issue, but this was posing to be a bigger challenge than I was up for.  Luckily, a table opened up and we were seated.     The server noticed my discomfort and brought me a pitcher of water.  I contemplate...

   You just don't decide to cook ribs.  "Hey man, there's a cook out this afternoon, I think I'll make ribs."  If you care about food, which I'm assuming you do, this would never be a sentence you would think much less say aloud.  Like all things good, cooking ribs is a process that takes time and organization.  It's not hard by any means, but to do it right, one must plan ahead.  Oh, by the way, I'm talking pork here people.  A few summers ago I talked with a bunch of folks and tried a bunch of recipes in order to come up with a method I found to be great without too much hassle. I'm going to try and be as concise as possible, because I can ramble all day about cooking ribs.  This is the basic formula that works best for me and my set up.  The key factors are, Rub, Rest, Slowcook, & Finish.     I'll start with the most important part, the meat.  "Babyback" ribs are the standard, because they're nice a...

    What a cool idea for a dinner party.  My friend Robin told me the other day of a style of dinner party that she has been having recently.   It's called "Scratch Night" and it's a group participation party.  She comes up with a fun menu and then teaches everyone how to make the dishes.  It works like this, she puts together an ingredient list that is emailed to all the guests.  Everyone picks the items that they want to bring, copies the other guests, and shows up with all the stuff.  Robin then assigns tasks and shows everyone how to complete them.  Food is prepared, everyone chows down with a sense of accomplishment.  How cool!      "Pizza Night" sounded great.  She premade a bunch of dough earlier in the day for the dinner pizzas and then for the lesson, everyone got to make dough for the dessert pizzas.  Since pizza dough takes roughly 2 hours to proof, timing for dessert was perfect....

    It's soon approaching... The daily question that happens to families all over the world.  What's for dinner?  It happens most everyday, yet I dread it none the less.  The reason that I dread it is that I'm trying to ward off a food rut.  You know, it's when you feel like you're eating the same foods over and over.  It's an easy pattern to fall into.  We tend to eat/cook what's most familiar and easy to pull off without too much hassle.  For me, it also means a run to the store, which is something else I dread.  After a long day at work, most folks don't feel like getting elbow deep in preparations, and if the hour is late, most default towards something too quick and more than likely unhealthy to eat.  But less about the timing thing for now, I want to get to the heart of the matter which is the flavor rut.     Food/Flavor ruts are the only thing that burn my ass more than a flame about 3 feet high.  K...

    I grill all the time.  Rain, sleet, or snow, it doesn't matter, I will be grilling.  There's something so rewarding to me to cook food over an open flame.  It's man's fascination with fire that brings out a primal nature that is the driving force behind standing in front of a grill in the most adverse of conditions.  Now there are many schools of thought on grilling:  Gas vs. charcoal, hot and fast vs. slow and low. Some call it "barbeque-ing", or simply "cooking out".  Whatever you call it or however you do it, as long as you are doing it, (wink) is important.  Here's my basic stance on the whole shebang.      1.  I prefer charcoal.  There's just something about it that takes me back to simpler time, but without the overcooked meat.  I insist on using a "chimney", one of those metal cylinders that you put newspaper in the bottom and the coals on top.  This eliminates the need for lighter...

    Jamie Oliver is 100% correct.  This country is in need of a "Food Revolution"!  By now I would love to think that most everyone has heard of Jamie Oliver, the British chef, TV personality, and author who is on a major campaign to change the way America eats.  His new show on ABC is called "Jamie's Food Revolution" and I think he's on the right track.  It's on Friday nights, which is why I DVR it, because many of us are out kickin' it, disco dancing, and whatnot, making it hard to be home watching TV.  Please check it out and if his views are similar to yours, please support him.  All he wants to do is help.     I started watching his show "The Naked Chef" when it first came on several years ago and loved it.  His approach to food is practically a mirror image of my own.  He's all about simple preparations that just plain taste good.  There really no use of fancy ingredients or technical applicatio...

    My very good friend Jerry has been wearing me out (just kidding) recently about a Hollandaise recipe I showed him years ago.  Everyone should know what Hollandaise is, that creamy yellow sauce served on Eggs Benedict.  It's fantastic on asparagus (which is in season), broccoli, and a host of other veggies.  He suggested I post it to my blog, but I told him that I couldn't give away all my secrets.  After a brief moment of Zen contemplation, I realized that I'm a selfish dumbass and holding back this recipe would create suffering in the world.  I can't have that on my conscience, so I'm gonna share it.  It's so easy I must first say not to blame me if your cholesterol shoots up because you will want to put it on everything.  All you really have to remember is 3-2-1.     3 egg yolks   -    2 tablespoons of lemon juice   -   1 stick of melted butter ...

    So we now know Thomas Keller got to (hopefully) enjoy an iconic Nashville joint, Prince's Hot Chicken Shack.  Let me give my breakdown on this beloved establishment.  For those not in the know, Nashville has become famous for a dish called "Hot Chicken", which is as the name suggests, is a really spicy piece of fried chicken.  There's many places that do it, but Prince's has reached Superhero status and has become world famous.  It's been written up in numerous publications including Southern Living, Food & Wine, and Bon Appetite.  It's located in an old strip mall that is always crowded, loud, not overly clean, but that doesn't really matter because we keep going back for more.     They offer breasts & wings or legs & thighs, or a 1/2 or whole chicken, along with slaw, tater salad, and the like.  Ordering is done through a cut out hole in the back wall.  After what seems...

    Kelly and I were at Green Hills Mall the other weekend and made our regular stop into Williams-Sonoma to drool over expensive kitchen equipment, when lo and behold, a sales associate asked us if we would like to see Thomas Keller and have him sign a cookbook when he's in town in a couple of weeks.  As we were picking our jaws up off the floor, I managed to squeak out a 'yes'.      For those not in the know, Thomas Keller is thought to be one of the greatest chefs alive.  His restaurant, The French Laundry, is one of the most highly acclaimed eateries in the world.  If you have read my earlier stuff, this is the restaurant I was thinking of when I mentioned dropping a mortgage payment on a dinner for four.  Some would say one must envoke a higher power just to get a reservation.     The woman went on to explain that he would be in town signing copies of his new cookbook a d hoc at home.  I signed up right aw...

    On Saturday, my wife and I went to the Farmers Market to check out the goods.  We were having some friends over for dinner and wanted to prepare something from the pre-spring bounty.  It was also a celebration of the fact my wife now has weekends off due to her new job.  It was pretty busy when we got there, so we were pumped that there would be a lot of great stuff.  We did a quick run through to get the lay of the land in order to really begin our search.      On that first flyby, what struck me as really freakin' odd were a couple of booths offering pineapples and bananas. Huh? It's March!  Not only that, but we're in Tennessee!  Not a lot of local, tropical fruit 'round these parts.  As strange as it was, those bananas still looked better than the green variety at the grocery.  I didn't speak with these vendors, but figure they're buying their stuff from a purveyor much like the grocery store would. No h...

   Ok, I've gotten a ton of requests to do a wine column, but I haven't felt that motivated to do one, mainly because wine is my day to day gig and this blog is about food.  But I was thinking last night that maybe I should talk a little about it.  I mean, I might be able to demystify things a bit, make things easier to understand.  People get all worked up about a beverage.  Let me give my two cents...     Suggestion #1:  Drink what you like.  Ask yourself, does this taste good?  The answer should be yes, or you probably shouldn't be drinking it.  Taste is 'subjective', but folks always try to make it 'objective', especially when it comes to wine.  There is no right or wrong answer.  If you like Brussel sprouts, great.  If you don't, no worries.     Suggestion #2:  If you regularly buy wine or want to regularly buy wine, find a good retailer.  And by good retailer...

   I like lists.  I've got lists for everything; things to do, favorite movies, books, travel destinations, the always hopeful "Laminated List", grocery list, etc...the list goes on and on.  Today I reflect on one of my favorites, the Top 5 Sandwiches of all time! (at least in my eyes.)  With infinite combinations, no wonder this is Joey Trebbiani's favorite food.  I'll forgo the history of the sandwich, most know it, and just cut to the chase:      5. Jambon et beurre- Mobile carts all over France.  French for ham and butter, this treasure is served on a baguette that's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  My first encounter with this was in St. Malo back in the Summer of '84.  Super simple, but fantastic!     4. The Burger- "Father's Office", Santa Monica, California.  I saw this on a Travel Channel show and immediately called my brother in LA to ask if he has heard of it....

    If you are not familiar with Laird Hamilton, be sure to look him up on YouTube when you are finished reading this, and be prepared to be amazed.  Laird is considered the greatest big wave surfer of all time.  Now if your image of a surfer is merely Jeff Spicoli ripping bingers in the back of a Microbus while declaring that all he needs are "some tasty waves, and a cool buzz", well this guy will help you redefine your terms.  I have known a ton of surfers, and all of them are tremendous atheletes.  What is a 'big' wave surfer you may ask?  Let me break it down, this guy gets towed by a jetski onto what can become an 80 foot wave and actually RIDES it!  What does that translate into for the regular person?  Imagine willingly sliding down the side of an 8 story building at 50+ mph on a reinforced piece of Styrofoam while said building is trying to crash down on you, with mere inches of w...

    Since I started this project the other day, my head has been swimming with ideas for new topics.   So today as my mind was racing, I realize that I'm starving and must eat lunch pronto.  Here in Nashville, like many cities, we have a ton of absolutely killer taco trucks.  You know, little trailers sitting in parking lots with a halved oil barrel as a grill spewing smoke, filling the air with the wonderous smell of grilled meat.  Now I understand how some folks could be skeptical of this type of food service establishment, I mean how clean can this little trailer be?  I throw caution to the wind, and I have never been disappointed.  My mouth is watering as I pull in the parking lot.     My friend Mel turned me on to this particular one on Charlotte Pike that has rockin' piratas, which are kinda like a cross between a taco and a quesadilla.  I order the usual and dig a bottle of water out of the...

    I have a lot of cookbooks, well over 100 if I had to guess.  I read them all the time, cover to cover, much like a novel.  I also subscribe to all the big food magazines as well.  Needless to say, there's a great deal of paper in the house.  I love having all of these recipes at my disposal because they serve me as more of a suggestion on how to cook, rather than a strict guideline.  One thing I have noticed over the years is that many recipes don't work.  Either the portions are off, the publisher left something out, temperatures are wrong, or other failures that can turn a dish awry.  The only real way of figuring this out is to have made a lot of crappy dishes, and then learn from your mistakes.  When I come across an error, I'll sometimes jot a little note in the margin to remind me not to make the same mistake again.  If you like going to used bookstores, check out the cookbooks and see the notes left by...

    I heard something great the other day, "If your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize it as food, you probably shouldn't eat it."  Makes sense to me.  My wife, Kelly, DVR's Oprah every day.  She was watching an episode the other day featuring Michael Pollan who is the author of 'The Omnivore's Dilemma', 'In Defense of Food', and other books about food and diet.  He said this in reference to the various "edible, food-like substances" he now sees at the grocery store.  All of the prepackaged, processed foods that have become staples of our diet are the same things that are making us terribly unhealthy.  We have become a people who thrive on convenience with a 'got to have it now' mentality.  But when that mentality affects the fuel that powers our bodies, we have a major disconnect.  Now, I'm not getting on some pedestal, saying I'm all-knowing and you should eat the way I say, but just take a look at some of the...

  Alas, we begin.  I've been thinking about starting a food blog for some time now, but just haven't had a chance to put fingers to keys.  First off, here are the basics: 1.) I really dig food.  Not only do I like to eat it, but I like to make it too.  2.) I really dig wine.  Not only do I like to drink it, but I like to sell it too. 3.) I really dig eating in restaurants.  I used to dig working in them too. 4.) I really dig traveling the world, eating food and drinking wine.     Now that we have that straight, let's really begin.  I live with my wife in Nashville, Tennessee and work for a local wine distributor.  I've been in the wine biz for about 10 years.  I spent the previous 10 years in the restaurant biz but finally got tired of watching the sun come up.  I know, a sunrise is beautiful and all, but only when it's your choice to see it.    I started my interest in food sort of by accident....