Ole!

 

This Christmas my wonderful and beautiful wife got me various gift certificates for a ridiculous amount of money and by ridiculous I mean like $100 worth of certificates for like four bucks. For more info check out restaurant.com. It is partly the reason I decided to go ahead and start this blog. For the first redemption of these certificates we decided to go to a Mid-town favorite, Cafe Ole. Supposedly if you're hip and young and have a craving for Tex-Mex, then this is the place you should go. Below are the items we tried with the restaraunts description in italics.

 

Chips and Salsa

The chips were light and crispy. The salsa was pureed finely and had chili powder, but not enough cilantro for my taste, but some say I have an addiction to this leafy green herb. I would rate it a 5 out of 10, but I prefer chunky and lots of cilantro.

 

CHILI CON QUESO

A creamy blend of cheeses, chili, peppers and spices.

 Well, cheese dip is pretty standard across the board. Abbye convinced me to go for the chili con queso with added beef, and it was fair. Next time I will opt for the plain queso.

 

BACON WRAPPED STUFFED SHRIMP

Five shrimp stuffed generously with cheese and jalapenos then wrapped in delicious bacon and fried. Served with spicy chipotle BBQ sauce.

 

Now these little puffs of goodness were worth the visit alone. We got this appetizer off the suggestion of the waitress saying this is the reason people come here.  They were the best stuffed shrimp I have ever had. But, you must take this for what it is. I am not a connoisseur of stuffed shrimp. I am not a big fan of shrimp engulfed by a sea of bread with a bit of bell peppers and onions.  However, these stuffed shrimp were actually stuffed with more goodness than breading.  It was stuffed with white cheese and jalapenos, which made for great flavor. Of course, you can't go wrong with bacon and on top of that it's fried. However, Abbye and I agreed that the Chipotle BBQ sauce was good (smoky, sweet, and spicy), but kind of took away from the stuffed shrimp.  But, overall this is a must try at Cafe Ole.

 

TORTILLA SOUP

Veggie Spicy Mexican soup with onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, corn tortillas & cheese.

 

Now this could quite possibly be my favorite tortilla soup yet. And yes, it is fair game for all you vegetarian friends. Bell peppers, onion, and mushrooms made for a good overall taste. Most tortilla soups are creamed based and have very little spice if any at all. The spice level was appropriate and the tortilla chips added a good crunch to balance the texture.

 

 CHICKEN DIABLO

 

sautéed in chili butter & Dos Equis beer. Served over rice with fresh sautéed vegetable

This was my main dish of the night. And by that I mean entrée. The rice was unique to other Mex and Tex-Mex spots. The chicken was good and tender and the chili butter with Dos Equis was tasty. The fresh sautéed jalapenos added a good kick and the side of veggies were nice surprise to the most often accompanying fried and re-fired beans. However, my surprise turned to dismay because as most establishments they pour on the butter sauce which really negates the purpose of the vegetables. Overall the Chicken Devil was good, but not worth $17.

 

Conclusion

Café ole is a good place to get a margarita as the Memphis Flyer suggests. Nice atmosphere, decent food, over 50 types of tequila, and a friendly staff with eccentric personalities. If you're in the mood for a mid-town kind of night and want some Tex-Mex then this is your place,  but for my money, I prefer Molly’s La Casita. 

Chicken and Waffles

Chicken and Waffles... 

the legendary late night dinning experience.

So legendary that Gladys Knight and Ron Winan  deemed it worthy for the title of their restaurant. I have to admit I have been quite intrigued with chicken and waffles since I saw the dish on the Food Network. I think it was Guy Fietti on "Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives". It was a brief spiel about the supposed origin. I remember it being something about too late for dinner, but too early for breakfast. Ensue the birth of a signature dish for many restaurants.

Much to my surprise when researching to write this piece I found that there are actually two different styles of the dish. One with pulled, stewed chicken and white gravy atop the waffles, and the better known, fried chicken and waffles with butter and syrup. I have had both boneless and bone-in. Bone-in has more flavor of course, therefore taking the waffle. I prefer wings to breast or legs... probably because I am a big fan of chicken wings ('preciate ya Lafayette, nothing like Chings) Side note: if you're ever in Memphis check out Chings Wings.

Though there are two types, the latter is surely more popular than the one with stewed chicken. Like all legendary dishes the exact origin is not really known. I believe this is a measure by which to test the greatness of dishes, such as chicken and dumplings and the chicken wing itself. Some say Chicken and Waffles originate as far back as the 19th century when slaves were freed and began migrating to the North. It was popular in these days to wring a chickens neck and fry it for breakfast. It would be accompanied by some type of breakfast bread. Another popular version says that it starting appearing in cookbooks soon after Thomas Jefferson brought back a waffle iron from France around 1790 

I believe Chicken and Waffles is not just simply a dish to be eaten but rather the centerpiece for late night stories, sobering up after a night on the town, or possibly a favorite of late night musicians playing for passion more than money or fame. None the less it is an experience to be shared with good friends. 

I recently experienced Chicken and Waffles for the second time. It began with a good friend who is road tripping to Portland, Oregon. Our experience began with attempting to find a place that had the legendary dish. I knew of one fast food place, but was desiring some place that possibly considered chicken and waffles to be their specialty. No such luck. We had to settle for Mrs. Winners fried chicken. I figured I would settle for sitting inside Mrs. Winners, so to check their hours I called. Much to my surprise when someone answered the phone I inquired "what are your hours". His reply was, "Huh??" I asked again and he referred  to his manager. I thought that was a pretty basic question, but anyway we missed the lobby time and settled for the late night drive thru which is always open. We even had a bit of trouble ordering at the drive thru, but who hasn't...

Though this may lead you believe that this late night adventure would rank sub-par it did the opposite. When you deal with fast food you should expect the unexpected. I mean at least it gives the patrons something to laugh about. These orders of Chicken and Waffles were great. The chicken had a thick and peppery batter. The waffles were light, fluffy, and buttery. There was enough syrup to drizzle a bit over the chicken which I feel is an integral part of experiencing Chicken and Waffle. 

To say the very least this was a great way to spend time with and talk with a good friend.  

Foodie for hire

I always joke about how my dream job would be to write a food column for a newspaper or magazine. I don't even know how one goes about getting such a job. Since everybody and there mom has a blog I  debated whether even starting this blog. I mean my wife and my mom  will probably be the only eyes that cast a glance. However, after some convincing from dear friends (Glen and Bridget) I figured why not. 

I mean who knows maybe something will come of it, if for any other reason than a few free meals... at least i can exercise my lack of creative whit that I wish I possessed.  After all I do love food. I love picking dishes apart and figuring out why I liked it or I didn't. I really enjoy trying new and strange dishes, and I also love to cook so I figured why not...