The Tomato Head Made Me Eat My Words

For years I have stood at a distance and glared at the Tomato Head. I've been sneering, judging and assuming things. Big things. I've told myself all the reasons why I would never want to eat there and why the people who do are crazy. The soy cheese option alone is enough to make me scream. Crunchy. Hippie. Organic...All words that send an epic shiver down my spine. All words that keep my guard up and apparently block delicious food from entering my mouth. 

Well, lo and behold the tables turned on me this past week when I found myself in Market Square with a non-meat eating friend. Although it wasn't our only option in the universe, it was however the no-brainier, so naturally- I bucked up, hunkered down and went for it. All I can say is I am a huge judgmental turd, because the food and the service was so good I'm already planning my next visit. "3 1/2 Years of Missing Out" is what I should have titled this entry. DAMMIT!!!! 

There was hustle and bustle, hummus and blue corn chips, ginger beer and iced teas to start. It was my ideal kick-off to a meal. Then, as if I wasn't humbled and astonished enough, every bite of the roast beef, gorgonzola and red onion sandwich was perfection. I ate every bite of it, and I NEVER finish a sandwich, out of principal, naturally. My friend Shana had a southwest salad with tofu and it actually looked GOOD. Yes, I said it. Ugh. Our waitress was adorable and kind and looked like M.I.A.. The food wasn't the fastest, but there was a ton of tables and people, so considering- the time frame was spot-on. Great prices and super tasty fare with all the trimmings. Kettle chips? OK!

Dammit Tomato Head, you made me eat my words, literally.

Colleen's yummy food rating: 4/5

Go there! 

http://thetomatohead.com

Shana Mofo Sugar.

Buttermilk Pie Shop: The Crust Stops Here

My favorite part about writing this blog is that I get to eat the most wonderful things in the name of creative research. It never gets old. Just when I think there's no hope for new wonderful tasty treats in this town, a gem like Buttermilk Sky opens up. And not just one location, but two. Sweet. (Get it?)

Truth be told, if you saw the size of my ass I know you wouldn't believe me when I told you I normally wouldn't pay much attention to a pie shop. We'll, it's true. And it's simply because I am a bonified pie crust hater from back in the day. My childhood consists of a catalog of dessert plates littered with burnt, dry, pasty, nasty tasting crusts expertly dissected from the slice of whatever pie the occasion presented. I'm not joking- I HATE pie crust. HATE IT. We'll, I thought I did, until now. 

Buttermilk sky has officially turned the tables on me, and I've been told (by my LOVING husband) that I am no longer allowed to spend any more money there for a few months, or until we can catch up on our mortgage payments. Seriously, I could empty mine, yours and 6 of our mutual companions' bank accounts in that joint. How you ask? Easy. Their crust is like that of a perfectly baked shortbread cookie! DID YOU HEAR ME??? A pie baked in the likes of a cookie crust! I'll wait while you compose yourself. The inginuitey of taking a variable like bad pie crust out of the equation altogether is what really gets me going about Buttermilk Sky. Especially since I feel like almost anyone can make a halfway decent pie these days. There's dozens of frozen crusts developed by magical corporate 'taste-scientists' to ensure your store-bought canned filling is paraded to the table with some shred of respect. But, this pie shop raised the bar on how to create an overall pie experience that starts with the crust and moves on to the filling then back to the crust then back to the filling then back to the crust then back to the filling- I'm dizzy. Hold on. My point is, for the first time EVER the pie crust is as heavenly as the fillings are, and I'm totally new to that. In fact, i'm still pretty sure i'm imagining that Buttermilk Sky even exists, but I just googled it and sure enough, it's real. 

Also, have you seen the I-40 pie? It' like a magic cookie bar in a pie. I have officially died and gone to fatty heaven..via fatty Highway I-40. The signature Southern Buttermilk is creamy, rich and not too sweet, unlike their cherry, apple, S'mores, coconut creme, Houndog, pecan and chocolate meringue which are all too rich and too sweet and too wonderful for a Yankee like me to put to words. Can someone please bless my heart? My Facebook stalking of them also tells me they now serve cinnamon buns on Friday & Saturday mornings, but I guess I'll have to wait until we have equity back in our house to try them. Scratch-made biscuits with chocolate gravy & homemade ice cream also adorn their menu. This place is killing it. 

(By th way, the picture of that cherry pie up there was my Valentine's Day present from my mother-in-law. Thx Linda!)

Go there! Now! RUN!!!! 

Colleen's yummy food rating: 5/5 (Actually 750/5)

Here's their website. 

TOMO's Cherry Blossom Roll: What Does It All Mean?

My non-extensive 2-click internet research concludes that in Japanese culture the cherry blossom represents fragility and the beauty of life. With that being said, i'll go ahead and promptly address my point early; I am now a firm believer TOMO's Cherry Blossom sushi roll does as well. Just hear me out. 

The roll transported me to a place far, far from here. Maybe it was a quiet crispy-aired garden complete with zen-like water sounds, or maybe even an ancient pagoda adorned with lotus flowers and water lilies... when in fact, it was actually just the 2-top table in a Bearden shopping plaza where my hubby and I sat on date night gazingly in love. Either way, I'm changed. Revived. And now, thanks to my own self-righteousness will after 2 years of not writing this blog, tell you why.

The notion that life is fragile and all things are beautiful and blah, blah, blah, blah...it all sounds like my last morning meditation mantra. But, the painfully adorably and ironic fact is, I already believe this notion. So, when the first bite of that roll hit my mouth, I finally, and for the first time through food, experienced this truth and beauty and ultimate fragility. Sound a little fishy? (Oh, a sushi joke?) Let me explain. 
There were so many subtle little flavors. There was the culmination of the mild and gentle yet vividly bright red tuna, the heat wave of spice from the special ponzu sauce, the salty mayo and the crisp freshness of the cucumber topper. But then, oh wait, just then, that's when the miracle happened. On top of each piece was a small wedge of lime. LIME?? Yes. A paper-thin slice caps each piece and subsequently turned out to be the one missing component of every bite of every meal I have ever taken. Looking back now, it was actually just the taste of conquering a fear... because in my mind the lime was about to ruin the entire taste experience of that bite. I had already decided it didn't belong there and therefore was about to ruin not only the bite, but the meal, the night and everything in between. How dramatic. Thankfully everything I've learned after years of succumbing to my own demons tells me not to stop before the miracle happens- and thankfully I didn't. And, it turns out that it was the game changer I had so desperately been searching for. The bitter, sour lime was neither bitter or sour or even a lime flavor at all anymore. It became something totally different. It brightened, supported, toned and enhanced every other flavor in the entire bite. The fragility of a god forsaken sushi roll became evident through flavor and therefore beautiful and ultimately meaningful. It was a whole new flavor- a flavor I could have never imagined and will never forget. It was the perfect metaphor. It's almost like they thought this shit through before naming it. It was thousands of years of knowledge on my plate, next to my chopsticks and low-sodium soy sauce. 

Long story short, my head exploded all over the back wall of the dojo and we left. 
Not really.
We pounded a variety of rolls and pieces as well as tempura sweet potato, asparagus & crab sticks. It all kept my head spinning and belly swooning. Our waitress was a peach, the perfectly-dim lighting kept my eyes comfortable for once and the check total didn't make us crap our pants. Near date night meal perfection by my standards.

It feels good to be back y'all. Anybody want to go get some lunch? I feel a tent revival coming on.

Colleen's yummy food rating 5/5.
Go there. 
http://www.tomoknoxville.com