I just returned from having lunch with my two boys. Our kids take their lunch, for a couple reasons … cost and nutrition.

What shocked me today was what I was seeing come out of the school lunch line. Apparently the children had a few choices left to their own judgement. Big mistake.

One boy who was sitting across from my son sat down with a slice of pizza, an apple, a generous helping of chocolate pudding, chocolate milk and a large ice cream sandwich. Let me see if I can understand what was the protein, the vegetable and the fruit. Someone will need to help me with this because apparently I’m not as smart as the Williamson County Schools here in Tennessee.

Maybe all isn’t lost. I also observed another student with was looked to be fried fish sticks (which were left uneaten), strawberry milk, mixed vegetables, frozen fruit-pop dessert and again a large portion of chocolate pudding. I even saw one boy, who apparently is mature beyond his years with a respectable salad. But that was by far the exception.

Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Mike Looney … if you’re listening (or happen to Google yourself) please get your board (D’Wayne Greer, Janice Mills, Janine Moore, Tim McLaughlin, Gary Anderson, Terry Leve, Susan Graham, Pat Anderson, Barry Watkins, Eric Welch, Mark Gregory, Vicki Vogt) to take a serious look at what the school cafeterias are offering to these children. Take a look at the obesity rates in Tennessee. Not good. Look at the stats on diabetes in children. Even worse.

I’m proud to have a great school for my children to attend. The schools here have so many great things going for them. But, parents are entrusting the health and safety of their children to you and what I saw concerns me.

I would venture to bet that teachers would be in favor of cutting back greatly the amount of carbs and sugar the children are being fed during lunch period. I can only imagine the hyped up kids just after lunch and the carb crash they get a couple hours later. This is a bit much to expect our teachers to handle.

How about taking a stand for the health of all these children!

When I received an email offer from Living Social for a $40 Basil certificate for $20 I didn’t delay in grabbing it in anticipation of a rare Friday night date with my wife. After all, aside from being Mr. Critical I’m also Mr. Cheap.

Months ago we had a great dining experience at Basil so we were up for a repeat. One of our favorite ways of dining out is to let the waiter/waitress order for us. To date this approach has provided good experiences while also expanding our palettes, and this time was no exception. Even though I wouldn’t rate this the top of our “order for us” experiences, it certainly wasn’t a disappointment.

When we presented our young waitress with this opportunity she showed a little hesitation but seemed up for the task. She timidly returned to our table a couple times to make sure we’d be “OK” with certain decisions she wanted to make on our behalf. We kept encouraging her that “It’s all fine. Go for it.”

To start, she brought us lettuce wraps. Sure they were good, but I think she could have been a bit more bold in her selection. Apparently lettuce wraps are popular and that was part of what factored into her decision. To me, lettuce wraps are too pedestrian for a special night out when you want to experience new uncharted flavors, particularly when you have a restaurant like Basil where their unique offerings make this dining spot a favorite.

Next up was a duo of sushi … Red Dragon Roll and Sunset Roll. We love sushi rolls and these did not disappoint. The Red Dragon Roll was incredible. The eel was tender and the flavors within where just perfect plus a little punch of what appeared to be a red chili sauce made this a candidate for a repeat at a later date. The Sunset Roll was very good as well – crunchy shrimp with generous portions of tender crab strips on the outside served with a tangy sauce. While we ate every bit of what we were served I wish our waitress would have varied her selections a little more rather than bringing us two sushi dishes.

Completely satisfied (or as my mother would say “I have dined sufficiently”) we were presented with the question of whether we wanted dessert. My only question for our waitress was “do you have anything chocolate” to which she replied “Yes” and before she could explain what the chocolate dessert would be I quickly interrupted with “Bring that!” (If you know me, I have a heart-broken girl’s appetite for chocolate.)

What showed up was beautifully presented Flowerless Chocolate Torte served with raspberry sauce. One bite would prove that this was the climax of our evening as Basil. Oh my goodness, the chocolate was incredibly smooth. It was beyond smooth. Let’s just say it was “be-smooth” and perfectly sweet, rich and tart at the same time. I just have no words to adequately describe it other than “perfect.”

So what’s next? We will return to Basil and we will ask our waiter to order for us … with permission to go for it.

I am Mr. Critical.

Basil Asian Bistro is a locally owned and operated independent restaurant located in Franklin, TN. www.basilasianbistro.com

In the spirit of venturing out and doing something special for Valentine’s Day, Amy and I found ourselves at Basil restaurant in the Cool Springs area of Franklin.

Basil is what I’d classify as a low-maintenance establishment. A nice simple atmosphere but not over the top and not trying to be something it’s not. And, thankfully, the price points reflect this.

As is my usual M. O. these days I tend to let the waiter order for me as if I’m a guess at someone’s home … rather than me pouring through the menu and looking for something that catches my eye.

Michael started us with “Angry Tuna” – an eight piece sushi roll setup that was wonderful. It was a mix of textures and the presentation was beautiful.

Next was soup. Let there be soup. I went safe with Miso and Amy had Coconut Chicken. Michael informed us that each cup is made from scratch rather than just a huge vat of simmering soup waiting in the back. Fresh indeed. Mine was just what I needed, being that I’m nursing a cold. I had a taste of Amy’s and it was very flavorful … must have been the cream, curry and cilantro.

For our main course we split Curry Tilapia plus white and brown rice. This was plenty for two to share and it was a very nice blend of flavors. Having had a bad curry experience over 15 years ago I’m still hesitant to face my fears but this was comforting and very well done.

Conclusion? We’ll be back for sure. The nice thing, we won’t have to wait for a hugely special occasion since it doesn’t requiring mortgaging the house to patronize this fine eating establishment.

- Kyle (Mr. Critical, but satisfied.)

ps. Because their presentation was so nice, I’m going to have to approach them about doing some food photography for them. I know I would enjoy it.

I’ve pretty much decided that I like anything and everything about food. I enjoy reading about food. I enjoy cooking and backing. I enjoy photographing food. I enjoy the tools used for preparing food. And, I enjoy being critical about food … as well as the things related to food.

Last week on an editorial food photography assignment I took a break and actually ate where I was shooting. Rotier’s in Nashville, TN. If you ask anyone who has been in Nashville for more than a year or so they’ll tell you that Rotier’s in the place for an excellent burger. It’s full of history and charm. It’s a Nashville icon.

So, what were the results from my visit to Rotier’s? The food photography turned out very nice. I was pleased, particularly given the lighting conditions I was having to work with. Secondly, the service was great. Everyone there was very friendly … what you’d expect from any Nashville establishment. Thirdly, the hamburger I ordered (not the one we photographed – it was cold and dead by the time we finished shooting) was excellent.

There you have it. Another entry into the critical archives of Mr. Critical.

Kyle Dreier (I am Mr. Critical)

(In the spirit of full disclosure, I admit that my review/opinion herein may contain some bias. You see, I had the opportunity to spend a long day with some of the Red Pony staff while doing an extensive food photography session. My experience that day revealed that they are a great team, working together, committed to exceptional fare and service. But enough about that, let’s talk about last night.)

Last night, the day before Valentine’s Day mind you, Amy and I had the pleasure of a 6:00 seating at Red Pony Restaurant on Main Street in Franklin, Tennessee. I don’t know about you, but for us, when we’ve got someone to watch the kids all night we’re going to go someplace special … and we’ve been pining to go to Red Pony for as long as we’ve know about it.

If you’ve ever had the leisure of walking up and down Main Street Franklin then you know it’s filled with charm, history and a moderate dose of cuteness. Red Pony adds an element of eclecticness to the mix. The feel at Red Pony is progressive, artsy and even a little metro hep urbanism – I’ll leave the interpretation of that to your own imagination.

When our waiter asked if we’d eaten there before you could see from from his expression that we were up for a great experience. Unannounced he brought a little something to the table that we’d likely never know how to order … Gnocchi (“no-key”, I think). These little dumpling-like mini-balls were set in a cream sauce and were just waiting for our approval. They got it. These were really a fun little treat. Normally these are made from potato but these were light – made from a pastry base. What a great little surprise for us.

So, what to order? Earl, our attentive waiter, informed us of a beef spring roll which was not on the menu. I’m always up for something “not on the menu”, especially food with any Asian influence. To me “not on the menu” means the chef (Chef Jason in this case) had a whim and intentionally made this an offering for this special evening. Chef Jason has an impressive pedigree (I know this because I “googled” him) so I’m up for any fare he dreams up. So how was this beef spring roll? It was yummy. Even though I’m not usually a spring roll fan, I enjoyed the freshness, the flavor, the texture and it helped set the stage for what would be the main performance … Flounder.

Well, Flounder for me that is. Amy was much more adventurous and went for the Seafood Paella. More on the Paella in a minute. The Flounder was spectacular. I can’t find a single thing to criticize … and that’s what I do being Mr. Critical and all. It was flaky but not dry. It was light but not bland. It was topped with tender crab meat … who can resist that! There was a creamy sauce of some kind but just a little. Not enough to mask any of the other flavors. This was all on a bed of fresh shavings of squash and zucchini. The last bite was just as splendid as the first. Throughout the entree I would get a little hit of fresh black pepper every now and then. This is definitely up for a repeat performance. Oh, and I didn’t even mention the assumed … the presentation was very nice.

Amy and her Paella … this I have to convey second hand. While I’m a fan of the ingredients in Paella – rice, shrimp, muscles, etc – I didn’t try any of hers – I was too busy enjoying my Flounder. Paella to me looks like a seafood version of “goulash” … basically dump a bunch of good stuff together to make it more good. She said it had a bit of a kick, which is probably expected since it has some Spanish origins. All in all, Amy didn’t show any signs of remorse with her choice. She stopped just shy of licking the bowl clean. If you know my wife you know that would be a funny sight. Did I mention that Amy also had a nice spinach salad? I guess she had been saving up her appetite for the evening. She said the salad was very good as well. Nothing too fancy, just fresh, good and … well, good.

So, with all this fine food now represented by empty plates, what would we be considering for dessert? This is an easy choice for me. Actually, I came predisposed to their creme brulee. You see, on the day of our photo shoot I managed to clean off a spoon that contained some creme brulee and then learned it was worthy of my taste buds. It’s smooth, it doesn’t leave a pasty, sticky film on the roof of your mouth and it even has some fresh vanilla bean seeds in the base. You know, the tiny little black specs. It had the right amount of caramelized sugar to break through. Tap, tap, tap … break. It had the right smoothness. It had the right flavor. However … and this is the only “however” from our evening at Red Pony … Amy and I both concur that creme brulee should be served either warm or at room temperature. We have a very high bar set for creme brulee. In fact, all creme brulees are measured against the Raspberry Creme Brulee we experienced at The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, Texas. I believe Chef Dean Fearing was the Executive Chef at the time. The Red Pony creme brulee is just a bit shy of the Holy Grail of Creme Brulees.

You’d think we’d be done by now, but as a nice way to cleanse our palette Earl brought us a couple slices of Asian pear with thin slices of Parmesan cheese. What a neat flavor combination. A couple bites and that topped off our wonderful evening. Thanks to Red Pony, Chef Jason and his entire staff for a very nice evening for me and my hard working wife and mother of three boys.

– Kyle Dreier
Mr. Critical

note: I am a Nashville based Food Photographer. If you want to see some of the food photography from our shoot at Red Pony then go here: www.dreier.com

If I had my choice, I’d likely spend my days in and around food. I enjoy creating food and working on its presentation but I also enjoy shooting food.

As a food photographer I get the pleasure of watching, and learning, as others prepare these works of art. The better they are, the easier my job.

I recently shot for Red Pony Restaurant in downtown Franklin, TN. Here is a select shot from that photo shoot.

I look forward to working with additional chefs in and around Nashville, TN to do more food photography assignments.

- Kyle

If you know me then you know I have an appetite for food and image. I’m fortunate that I can combine the two passions in my food photography. This week I spent a day with two assistants, a chef and two restaurants shooting various dishes none stop.

The great thing about being a Nashville food photographer is I get to work with a wide range of clients who create a wide range of eclectic fare. That’s a long way of saying I like variety.

Monday was a day with SOL Restaurant and Red Pony Restaurant in downtown Franklin, TN. These two sister establishments are lead by chef Jason and his very talented chefs and crew.

I’m looking forward to even more days of shooting with them but in the meantime, I’m going to take Amy on a date to go, sit, eat and enjoy.

Here’s one food shot from our day. You can see food photography at Kyle Dreier Photography.

Enjoy,
Kyle Dreier

Well, if you know me then you know that I enjoy both … food and photography.

So, with this I am able to “feed” two passions.

To see more of my food photography check out my photography portfolio at www.dreier.com.

-Kyle