Memphis In May World Championship BBQ contest!

Memphis In May World Championship BBQ Contest!



Now, in Memphis, that line means a lot to all of us! Memphis is the best for Blues and BBQ.
I mean if you don't know anything about BBQ, you best MOVE.
It is that serious. Even Veggies have to be smoked and sauced!

Memphis in May is a month long festival that celebrates Music and BBQ and Soul Food.



I knew I wanted to be a BBQ Judge when I was like 5 and after I went to White House, they let me take the Judge's Class, so I would be prepared when they asked me to be a Judge.

Now this is an honor for anyone and I took the job super serious! I brought my A game and tried to be as serious as all the people in the room.

Believe me they were not too easy on me - standards are high, they went from Suspicious to Curious to Respectful to Happy!

I ate. I judged. I upheld the long line of BBQ lovers and hopefully made Memphis proud.

I know you may not understand the depth of the Honor I was given, but trust me I did!

All I can say the food was good. ok, out of this world! I judged exotics, beef, seafood, RIBS, and WHOLE HOG! I mean The Shed won the entire thing, I might have helped judge that!

Thank you Memphis in May and Thank you Judges. It was an honor to sit with you!

Love the Cabbage Leaf,
Logan

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Wolfgang Puck's The City Walk LA

While I was in LA I got to go to The City Walk several times and try some of the food.

My first stop was Wolfgang Puck's, he is a pretty famous chef and the restaurant looked fresh and clean. It had a fast food, sit down style mixed together. You order at the front and then they delver pretty good food. 

I love fried calamari so I ordered that and a meatloaf. The calamari was fresh, lightly fired and pretty darn good. It is the first time I have been served the tentacles which I see is a trend now. I am not too sure I like that. The little O's have a better flavor and mouth feel. 

I did not like the meatloaf and had some envy for the huge burger my Mom ordered. This time she did not give it up because she hates meatloaf so I was stuck with it! Sigh.. I mean it would have been good if it had been a bit fresher or less dense but it was not. Fortunately we had the calamari so I did not go hungry. My mom's burger looked fantastic and she ate every bit! She said it was fantastic.

So if you are wandering around the city walk try it! You might like it too. Just stay clear of the meatloaf!

Love the Cabbage Leaf

Logan Master Chef Junior contestant

Wolfgang Puck LA Bistro

The Ultimate Meat Extravaganza Texas de Brazil

Texas de Brazil is downtown and it is fancy. It is known for the endless meat, it just keeps coming endlessly. I think it is an Brazilian steak house. The guys who bring the meat wear gaucho pants and are always carrying meat.

They have a huge salad bar in the middle of the restaurant with tons of yummy things to eat with the meat - like olives, cheeses, black beans, the chimichurri sauce and, well, salad.

I LOVE to go. Normally I don't eat much meat but at Texas de Brazil the meat is so good, I get stuffed. I really enjoy the flank steak, the sirloin, the ribs, the sausage, the lamb, the fillet and sometimes even the chicken - basically all the meat. It is all  really delicious. I even like how they will bring it out and cut your pieces for the perfect temperature for you. I like medium rare. I think they brine it first to make it tender and juicy.



Dad likes to go for lunch instead of dinner because it is a bit less expensive and he has all day to get over eating all that MEAT.

So if you want an endless array of yummy roasted meat in a super cool atmosphere with great sides this is the place for you and ME!

Love the Cabbage Leaf
Logan

PS. I really like the blue glasses and the meat!
Just so excited I forgot to take the photos!

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When one eye is good: Patricks

Well, you remember when I did the post about the best burger contest, I went to the next years contest but never wrote about it. I am not to sure why. 
It was a great time, sun, burgers, food, dogs, kids- Burgers!
We were walking around looking to try burgers and one was a clear stand out for me a Burger by Patricks. It had an egg on it. It seem to me that eggs on unexpected  food are popping up more and more. 


My Dad just had a craving for that wonderful burger and luckily Patricks still makes it. I
My Dad and I both ordered the One Eyed Jack it was really good. The burger and egg go together like two pieces of a puzzle.

The burger was nicely seasoned but with out the egg it would have lacked every thing, The eggs a key piece of the burgers success. 
The curly fries were great and seasoned well.
Patrick's is an older place and had a sporty atmosphere decorated with licence plates and signs. It did take a  while to get the food out but the grizz were on a projector screen and it was a good time. 

My Mom got the club smokestack but they forgot the cold cuts and so that was a bummer. 

Go try this local burger in a local hangout it is sure to make you smile.
Love the cabbage Leaf,
Logan

Patrick's Steaks and Spirits

Tug's on Mud Island

I got to go downtown to Mud Island and try Tug's. It has a Coast Guard, tug boat kind of theme with some really tasty food. It is on the river so it fits.

 I tried a BBQ burger on a brioche bun and was surprised at how tasty it was. The sweet bread would normally not appeal to me but with the BBQ sauce and the bacon it was really good. 

My Dad has a roast beef/prime rib type sandwich, which he liked, however he had burger envy!


There were lots of people enjoying Lobster Mac and Cheese and a Rib Eye special but that was not what I wanted. It did look really good. 

The restaurant was very busy but we did not have to wait long. The food was fresh and tasty. It seemed like a good date place- but what do I know I am only 11.

Love the Cabbage Leaf,
Logan Tug's

Bombay Chaat Corner

Put on your traveling hat and embark on an adventure to the Indian Bazaar and the Bombay Corner  The little restaurant serves Indian Street Food. This is definitely an out of the box little dive. It is clean, yummy, and inexpensive. Just talking about it gives me a craving for the Samosas. It is making my mouth water just thinking about the golden pockets filled with spicy potato and peas. Please Help!!

I normally don't each much Indian food but yesterday was an exception  We ordered 3 small plates that had a ton of food. One was Samosa - 2 golden fried severed with a  spicy sweet sauce. Samosas with chick peas- also very good. I liked the plain better. There was a bowl of beans and yogurt sauce with these crunchy things in it. Please don't ask me what they were- I let my Mom eat most of it! It had a complex spicy flavor but the texture was too much for me.

I also had a glass of fresh Sugar Cane Juice. It was milky and sweet but not so sweet you could not drink it. I enjoyed it. It complimented the spicy food very nicely. I really wanted a bigger glass of it. It cut the heat of the food very well. I did get a small juice box of lychee juice too which was also quite nice. 

I would go back for the Samosas and the chick pea dish. I want to try the Dosa which looked very delicious.  So if you are feeling adventurous and want to try something out of the box. Try Bombay Corner. You can also do some exotic food shopping too. I got Gran Masala Lays Potato chips made in India- I mean who knew!

Love the cabbage Leaf,
Logan

Bombay Chaat Corner

Oh Chiwawa!

Overton Square is in the process of a major revamping. The new parking garage is open and the new theater is just starting. Great new restaurants are popping up all over the square. I decided to give Chiwawa a try.

It is located in the old pizza building and it looks really cool. It has a fantastic patio!


I tried the Sledge Dog a long corn dog. It was ok. I had a bite of the German dog it was on a pretzel bun. I really liked it. I had a bit of lunch envy. 

We also got the Jaun Tons which were bigger than I thought and filled with a sausage cheese filling. 

I almost forgot my fish taco, which was good too. It had a complex flavor but really needed more fish and less slaw. 

If it is a pretty day and you want to try something new- this is the place to go.

Love the Cabbage Leaf,
Logan

The Brushmark

Did you know there is a restaurant in the Brooks Museum?
There is- The Brushmark.

I recently went there for a fancy lunch. Any time you can enjoy a meal in a museum you are in for a treat. The environment is so unique. I LOVE the Brooks. My favorite painting is the Bookshelf up on the third floor. I do get to go to the Brooks often, but this is my first meal there. 

So what was the food like?

It was fancy and elegant but still classical. I ordered the gazpacho and a Reuben.  I have to say I did not care for the gazpacho it was too cold and well, a bit strange. I have never had it before so I might not be the best judge.  I like the Reuben it has a great raisin mustard, and a bacon flavor that was pretty nice. 

My Mom had a delicious salad and the crepe of the day. Chicken and Ricotta with a Monterrey jack sauce. The crepe was light and perfectly prepared. The chicken was wonderfully seasoned and had a nice Mexican flair. We both thought it had too much ricotta. But it was still very good.

The cheese cake for dessert was pretty nice- not as good as my Mom's but, still was pretty tasty.

The view out the window into a very luscious green space was stunning. 

My only complaint was not price- this is a very affordable spot for lunch- but our waiter was a bit,
well, stiff. He did not seem comfortable with kids. 


That being said you probably aren't a kid, so get dressed up and head out to the Brooks. Feed your artsy side.

Love the cabbage Leaf,
Logan

  Brushmark Restaurant