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)

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

I was surprised the other day when I went for my long time favorite … Nabisco Graham Crackers … suddenly I’m seeing that they fit all to well into a glass of milk. Upon further inspection indeed they have reduced the size dramatically. The box appears to be the same as there is a great deal of movement of the contents.

I feel deceived, cheated and disappointed. The disappointed part is that I won’t really get the opportunity to teach my boys the art of breaking graham crackers on the perf so optimal milk dunking can be performed.

What next? I bet a gallon of milk will not be a gallon of milk.

Our economic system was setup with checks and balances (supply/demand) to work out any issues relative to the buying and selling of goods and the sustainability of companies. Get out of the way!

What the Washington DC politicians are trying to sell us as a “stimulus” package is nothing more than a SPENDING package. Stop it!

I’m fed up. I run three small businesses. I have to operate within my means. I have to provide services which are of value. I have to navigate change. I have to watch my bottom lines. I’m not alone. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb to say that small business is what keeps the economy going.

What if the government were to make the tough decisions we have to make with our personal budgets and with our small businesses. Cut spending. Do without. Let people go. Adapt. Instead, it feels like our government is going the direction a selfish adolescent would go with an attitude of entitlement and lack of fiscal responsibility.

I’m SICK OF IT!

I’m writing my senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker to tell them to simply vote against ANY that increases spending. Just stop it. Stop spending. Stop trying to distribute money. Stop. Stop. Stop!

There are a lot of “good” programs that should lose funding. It’s a time of tough decisions. I believe the great and worthy programs would survive through other means if forced to. Yes, I may be naive but I’d rather test it than head down the road we’re headed … broke at a country!

Get out of my pocket. Get out of the way. Let the strength of our economic system cycle through this downturn and watch as people adjust, businesses adjust and see that less government is better.

- Kyle Dreier
always Mr. Critical

Yesterday’s outing was filled with expectations. Taking a family of 5 to the movies is expensive. So, we combat that by going at the matinée time. It still costs us $32. Ouch. You don’t even have to ask if we bought popcorn or drinks.

My highest expectation is that by picking a G Rated movie it might be appropriate for my 3, 4 and 6 year old. I sat there through 20 minutes (no exaggeration) of previews in a state of miff and anger. Not only was the decibel level uncalled for but the imagery and content were NOT age appropriate for a G movie audience.

As for the movie itself, The Tale of Despereaux was mediocre at best in my opinion. Sure, the animation was fun and the story premise was OK, but it didn’t find it terribly entertaining. Granted, I did just spend more than I think is reasonable for admission and did sit through 20 minutes of inappropriate trailers.

Maybe next year I’ll just hand over $32 to my boys and let them go buy sacks for of candy.

- Kyle Dreier

I have the utmost of respect for my pal, Johnny Rogers, who recommended this book to me. I think I’m just not as smart or as patient as he.

In the book, Asher is preoccupied with his gift of art. I can relate. He and his art are not fully understood by those around him. I can sorta relate. The part that kept me from getting further than half way through was that the author Chaim Potok didn’t further the story … at least not at a pace to keep my attention.

Part of my problem is that I think I prefer non-fiction. I was interested in the human elements surrounding the Jewish persecution but would have been more interested knowing it was historically accurate. I may have been but I don’t know. Once again, my ignorance revealed.

I’ve had other artists recommend this book so I really really fought hard to finish it, but it just wasn’t going to happen. I did, however, pull a Harry from “When Harry Met Sally” and read the last page. It was the same at the first half of the book. Asher, his art, his whining, his not being understood.

I guess one redeeming nugget from the book is that I need to spend less time reading about art and artists and more time doing art. Maybe then I’ll have a better basis for my criticism.

– Kyle Dreier

Anyone that lives in Nashville knows that The Bluebird Cafe is the paramount place to go to hear artists and writers. Wednesday night was my first time to cross the threshold of this landmark here in town.

For nearly 10 years now I’ve driven by this place and have created what turns out to be a romanticized image of what this venue is beyond the understated facade. Once inside my first impression was “This looks like it used to be a Japanese restaurant.”

The place was filled with friends, supporters of the artists and I assume some music business executives or wannabe’s. Not much, if any, pretension – which is nice. This venue was pretty much just an intimate (shoulder to shoulder … “is there a fire marshal in the house?”) relaxed environment … at least for the audience. The artists commented on how it can be a little intimidating to play without all the lights, stage, tech that goes with big venues.

The event was an “ASCAP Presents: In The Round with …” and they had four artists/writers. For my taste I was really struck by the talent of Kelleigh Bannen and Meghan Kabir. All four were far more talented than I could ever hope to be but the style of these two really caught my ear.

Kelleigh Bannen had a style and tone that reminded me of Patty Griffin. Meghan Kabir made me think of Fleming and John. It was fun hearing their voices and enjoy them in a pure and unproduced environment.

I’ll never bill myself as a music critique but I certainly know what I like and do have an appreciation for people’s talents.

- Kyle Dreier (Mr. Critical)

The messy process.

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Some neat things happen in the mess.

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The mystery of curious feet that found the paint. I still don’t know which child this was.

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The fun of trial and error.

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Forced into some calculation but resisting along the way.

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Artist Statement ~ December 4, 2007

I love the quote from Walt Disney “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

For me, I have to shut up, shut out and start doing. But, there’s a constant struggle for me – so often I feel that when I start a “fine art” project it’s as if someone handed me a musical instrument I don’t know how to play and put me up on stage in front of a critical audience.

I go ahead and try to play as best I can but have to close my eyes on my imaginary audience and forget they are there. I have to work at making my art for me, not to perform, but to let out whatever unresolved creative energy or muse is in me.

I don’t paint to decorate. I paint to purge my creative tank. What comes out isn’t always pretty. If someone wants pretty “sofa-art” for their living room then Pottery Barn is better suited than I. So often I bemoan that I ever started a project, but I eventually come to some resolve as I push forward despite my desire to turn it in to firewood.

While my attitude ebbs and flows I persist and take the hesitant step to allow others to see what results were produced … despite the aesthetic value, or lack thereof. I wonder what God thinks.

- Kyle

“I have only made this letter longer because I have not had the time to make it shorter.”
- Blaise Pascal, (1623-1662) Lettres provinciales.

Not that the story need be long, but it will take a long while to make it short.
- Henry David Thoreau

If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.
- Marcus T. Cicero

You know that I write slowly. This is chiefly because I am never satisfied until I have said as much as possible in a few words, and writing briefly takes far more time than writing at length.
- Karl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855)

It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what others say in a whole book.
- Nietzsche

The more you say, the less people remember. The fewer the words, the greater the profit.
- Felelon

No one who has read official documents needs to be told how easy it is to conceal the essential truth under the apparently candid and all-disclosing phrases of a voluminous and particularizing report….
- Woodrow Wilson

“If you want me to give you a two-hour presentation, I am ready today. If you want only a five-minute speech, it will take me two weeks to prepare.”
- Mark Twain

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A special thanks to Jaden and Colsen for their tender friendship and to cousin Brad and Rose for their burlap gifts.

Here’s to more backyard fun for all!

-Kyle

(aka Mr. Critical)