Good Eats In Arkansas

Went out with a friend of mine to a place that made me feel like I wasn't in (Ar)kansas anymore. It is a restaurant-hotel-museum combination. The museum makes it sound a little gimmicky but believe me when I tell you that this is far from any kitschy Applebee's (gross) or wax museum (creepy) you've ever been to. This is a whole new and awesome world.

21c Museum Hotel's newest location is in Bentonville, Arkansas (just north of Fayetteville). This modest chain has two other locations in Cincinnati and Louisville (KY), with an unfinished development in Lexington (KY). When I stepped inside the Bentonville location, I instantly felt transported to a cosmopolitan center of The States. It has an urban feeling; reads like an NYC loft gallery with brick, wood, and huge windows everywhere. The museum permeates throughout the entire space, from the dining room to the showrooms featuring artists' installations to the fitness room used by hotel guests. I won't tell you how it works but there are also lots of penguins; green ones. It's pretty cool.

The Hive (name of the restaurant) has attentive and knowledgable service staff. The server convinced me to order the grilled pork chop entree. I had not a single regret as I finished my last bite. The presentation lacked the over-sophistication one might expect at a nicer restaurant. This was what I loved most about my dining experience. Sometimes a plate will come to the table and be so fancy-looking that you question whether or not you know how to feed yourself. Not the vibe here. Unassuming, totally chill. The pork chop was smoky and tender. The cranberry beans, zucchini, and peaches balanced out the summer taste of the pork's smokiness. It was soooo good.

Altogether, I'll be back. And soon.

The art gives the restaurant more quirk than Zooey Deschanel but without making you feel worn out. It's great. There are some neat surprises during the meal and at the end of it. Plus you can walk off your food baby by seeing some pretty bad ass art. Attire is casual but jeans and a nice shirt is okay too. And make sure to order some bourbon; the selection is nice and the drinks are perfectly strong.

CauliMash

I haven't been this excited about something I made in a long time. Seth is on a quest for low/no carb food. Since I don't eat bread or potatoes very much in the first place, it makes things pretty easy for me. He suggested cauliflower as an alternative to mashed potatoes. I was skeptical because I think cauliflower smells like fart. But then I remembered that apples were cousins to potatoes, possibly avoiding gross smells and weird texture. Turns out I was right. The recipe below is what I came up with just today and it was delicious.

What You'll Need:

• A Blender
• 1 Head of Cauliflower
• 1 peeled and cored Fuji Apple (I only used about 80% of it and ate the rest)
• 1-2 Cups of water
• 1 Clove of finely chopped Garlic
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 tsp of unsalted butter
• appx. 1 Tbsp of light cream cheese
• 1/2 cup of milk
• Parsley Leaves

What To Do:

1. Cut the head of cauliflower into snack-sized pieces
2. Cut the apple into small chunks
3. Put the cauliflower and apple pieces in a medium sauce pan with the water
4. Steam for 20 minutes or until the cauliflower is easily broken with a fork
5. Empty water from pan
6. Add butter and cream cheese
7. Further break the apple and cauliflower into smaller pieces
8. Mix in the remaining ingredients (salt, pepper, garlic)
9. Move the contents of the pan into the blender
10. Add Milk
11. Blend or puree until the consistency is smooth
12. Pour contents of blender back into the sauce pan
13. Garnish with parsley
14. Enjoy

Like I said, it was quite good. You can eat it with anything you'd eat mashed potatoes with. I really like baked chicken and green beans. I wish I had a picture but we ate it all.

Adventures in Louisiana

So it's about three weeks after my recital. Naturally, I'm wondering, "What's next?" I've always had trouble keeping a high level of motivation for long term endeavors. Well, SCRTEC ('Sir-Tech) came around at just the right time.

For those of you who don't know, SCRTEC stands for South Central Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference. It's kind of like the auto show for tuba players... Well actually the regional auto show for tuba players. Every two years ITEC (International Tuba Euphonium Conference) is hosted some where in the world. And in between those years, regional conferences are held all over the USA. It's rumored that next year's ITEC will be back in Bloomington, Indiana on the Indiana University campus.

So anyway, SCRTEC. It was a cool experience; my first tuba conference. There were some great performers who gave inspiring performances. Some of the usual big names were there: Demondrae Thurman, Ben Pierce, and Adam Frey among them. But what inspired me most were some of the people who are not always included in that constant adoration of tuba-euph performance. The first of which was Justin Benavidez. He played a program of Piazzola (Etude No. 3), Tibault (3 Danses), and Romanyhi (Parallels). My favorite was the Romanyhi. It was full of musicality and effortless phrasing. It left me breathless at one point; the second movement I think it was. It was just really good music playing.

Another mesmerizing performance was that of Kevin Wass. He's the Tuba-Euph Prof. at  Texas Tech. He premiered a piece by Carson Cooman called Shadowbook (Three Songs in the Night) written for tuba, clarinet, and piano. It had me on the edge of my seat from the beginning to the end. The music itself is really interesting. But what made the performance excellent was the intensity of the players. They took on the character of the movements without crossing a line into the overly dramatic. Dr. Wass really showed off  with his abilities to play with so many colors in rapid succession. It was a demanding piece and it didn't seem so hard for Wass.

By far my two favorite performances. 

I wasn't a big fan of the lectures I attended. Between speakers that were too awkward in front of a group of people and straight up boring presentation, I did not leave most sessions with a lot on my mind besides how I could've gotten a beer instead. There was one discussion, however, that really caught my attention and kept it. Joe Skillen, LSU tuba/euph professor, gave a presentation on entrepreneurship in art music. It was enlightening and informative as well as affirming. He's direct but also easy-going; the kind of guy who loves sharing new ideas but also likes putting them into motion. Skillen has a lot of it figured out and I have a lot to learn from him.

One word: Crawfish. 

LSU SCRTEC hosts Brian Gallion and Joe Skillen had a crawfish boil for the attendees and guest artists. First time I've ever eaten crawfish and it definitely won't be the last. It was a lot of work but it was delicious.

Had some gator for the first time at The Chimes, a Louisiana staple. It was really good. Chimes was great for its beer too. It's got a ton of beer on tap (a lot like Ashley's in Ann Arbor but way bigger). Juke Joint IPA was my favorite local beer. It's hoppy but just a little bit sweet, unlike the sharp citrus tastes that IPAs often have. So, it's something a bit different as far as IPAs are concerned but very enjoyable.


Also got to meet Mike the Tiger, official mascot of LSU. 

The Delight of a Bad Habit

My recital is close (8 days). My anxieties are high. But this has made it better:

My grandfather maintains til this day that coffee turns you black inside. So by standards of old people, I have no business drinking coffee. It's funny though, he drinks it everyday and is the sweetest man on Earth.

I am in love with this coffee (the one on the left). It has made every morning (and some late nights) both delicious and easier to deal with. I have been drinking coffee since I was about 7 years old, thanks to my mom. It was a tradition for us to drink coffee on Saturdays. Only a cup or two, though.

If you're a coffee lover, you've gotta try it. Or maybe you've discovered it already. I'm generally late to parties.

Mile High Fun

Today I just returned from Denver, CO. It was my first time there; got to see my brother Jason, who is in The Army. I also got to see one of my best friends, Quincy, who turned 24 today.

The time I spent in "The Mile High City" was incredible. One of the first great experiences was John Elway's steakhouse named Elway's. Little did I know, John Elway pretty much owns Denver. Hell, he owns a lot of Colorado. The guy is a business tycoon. And his restaurant is amazing. The smoked buffalo quesadillas are delightful as is the fresh guacamole and chips. Of all things, I was a fan of the drinks... of course.

The selection of whisky and bourbon has more depth than I have knowledge. Same goes for the selection of beer; a subject I'll gloss over later.

I explored Elway's signature cocktails. My very favorite thing was the Lemon Basil Margarita. Fresh, a touch sweet, and very refreshing, especially after a long day of traveling. A close second to the twist on this classic drink was the Blackberry Smash. It's sweet too but darker in flavor. It has a transparency that activates all parts of your tastebuds. Elway's was great.

For a good, more affordable dinner Blue Sushi is wonderful. That's where we ate dinner after the million dollar appetizers and drinks at Elways. And it's a pretty awesome place to dine even if you're with friends who don't care for raw seafood. Also, there are really cool presentations with lava rocks and other random stuff I've never seen done with food.

Not a bank breaker, good portions, a lot of zen, blue decor.

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Hangover Break

DenBisCo (Denver Biscuit Company) is possibly the most bread I have seen at one meal. Motown Music going, biscuits, gravy, eggs, bacon, cinnamon rolls, self-serve coffee, and more biscuits. I am not big on bread, but this place was filling and curing, especially after a night of imbibing. Loved it. It's a Denver must.
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I got the privilege of going to a few breweries during the short time I spent in Denver. Among my favorite was River North Brewery. I ran into some UM alums, which was cool (and apparently a normal occurrence in Denver for anyone who went to a big school). It's pretty much a bar attached to an indoor beer garden. The space is very open and made for standing and talking and drinking tons of beer. You don't have to squeeze through tons of drunken idiots spilling drinks on you. I wish I could tell you all the beer there was, but there is A LOT to choose from. Everything ranging from standard brew types to more adventurous creations. By far one of my favorite places.

While on the subject of big schools and alumni, I also visited a bar called Whiskey Bar. It's a big hangout for Mizzou graduates. This phenomenon of alumni bars was really surprising and pleasant. Denver is a city full of people who aren't from there. So no matter where you are from, you can find a home away from home. Whiskey Bar was cool. Standard bar. Lots of whiskey and televisions. 

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Healthy Break

Red Rocks is a Denver staple for people who appreciate nature, love music, and enjoy hiking.

How can you hate that? There are miles on miles of hiking opportunities in the park. I couldn't do any this go around because of my knee injury. But just seeing it was spectacular. Musically, Red Rocks may be one of the most famous amphitheaters in the world. It's been around since 1908, I believe. The Beatles, Widespread Panic, Jimi Hendrix, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Stevie Ray Vaughan... They've all performed there. But what do I know? The history of this amphitheater is rich beyond what I can write here. You have to see it (and hear it) to believe it. There is a museum that features many aspects of this widely appealing wonder. Among those features are past performances of great artists just in case you're not visiting during concert season. 

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The last food/drink establishment of note was The Kitchen. It's a new Denver restaurant. The decor is clean, open, and slightly industrial with the exposed brick, metal ceiling beams, and wooden floors (they may be wood laminate... this place is very "conscious"). The staff is very young but attentive and helpful. From start to finish, the food was tasty. I had a steak with kale greens tossed in braised lentils. I almost finished it all. It was a lot of food and I eat at an annoyingly slow pace. For desert there was a caramel toffee pudding concoction. I don't even know what all was in it but it was served warm and it was addictive. My only qualm was that the restaurant didn't carry some of the standard spirits that you would find at most places such as Woodford Reserve or Beefeater. But I guess the trade off is that they have a lot of locally distilled spirits, which in the restaurant's defense were very good.

Well, this blog has been long enough. I had a lot of fun in Denver. I would seriously consider living there. Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) was on my plane ride home. Random.

Oh, and Stranahan's Whiskey (distilled in Colorado) is awesome.

Here's an ever-ambiguous article about the distinction between Whiskey and Whisky: http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/whiskey-versus-whisky/

Long Island Iced Teas

So a guy walks into a bar. Perch, actually. He asks the bartender, *cough* mixologist for a long island iced tea. The mixologist replies, "We don't do long islands." True story. I was there. I won't tell you what I was thinking or what I wanted to say. But I assure you, none of it was good.

But seriously? Your perch is so high that you're above a bar staple?

As a boy from the Midwest, I really appreciate simple things such as meat and potatoes vs. filet mignon and whipped potatoes, bartenders vs. mixologists, and elegant vs. elitist. While these "mixologists" approached simplicity with a decidedly snobbish air, Perch was a great dining experience. The menu varied nicely in price and presentation, decent service for a Saturday night during the dinner rush, and there was even live entertainment.