"Ebelskiver" is Swedish for "yummy delicious stuffed pancake balls"

I don't know how Williams-Sonoma does it, but it drives me crazy.

It all started when I bought a lovely granite mortar and pestle at a market stall on Granville Island in Vancouver. I happily lugged all ten-plus pounds of that mortar and pestle home in my carry-on, even though I had to empty my bag to demonstrate to the security officers at the airport that I wasn't smuggling enriched uranium home in my backpack. It was gorgeous, it was unique, and it was a steal, so it was well worth the hassle.

Barely a month later, I flipped open the Williams-Sonoma catalog and what did I see? The EXACT same mortar and pestle. Everything was the same -- the curve of the bowl, the smooth carved interior, the polish on the nubby exterior. But I was comforted by the fact that the Williams-Sonoma version was easily twice the price, even if they had totally knocked off my awesome mortar and pestle.

Fast forward a few years, and I come across this device while perusing the latest Williams-Sonoma catalog. The stuffed-pancake concept sounded right up my alley, so I pointed the image out to J-P. "OH!" he said, "That's an ebelskiver pan! My dad has had one for years."

Harrumph. Another nifty, obscure unitasker be-corporatized and marketized by the power that is Williams-Sonoma.

But, that is all prelude, because the real story here is the ebelskivers, which can be described simply as little balls of pancake wonderfulness, cooked in a special pan, and often stuffed with sweetness -- jam, apple sauce, fruit, you name it. (And, in case you're wondering, it's pronounced able-ski-ver, emphasis on the "able.")

Before that fateful day when I flipped open the Williams-Sonoma catalog, I had never so much as heard the word ebelskiver, let alone tried one myself. But when we were in Idaho recently, I had the distinct pleasure of tasting my first ebelskiver (and my second, and third, and fourth...), cooked by my dear father-in-law, in his decades-old ebelskiver pan.


Some we ate with a strawberry rhubarb compote. Others we sprinkled with lemon juice and powdered suger. Some were filled with cherries, others with apple sauce. And some we just popped in our mouths plain, hot and right out of the pan.


Williams-Sonoma's knock-off may look pretty, but I'm pretty sure it's got nothing on this one.

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Nashville restaurant round-up: It's getting hot in here edition

J-P and I have been eating at home a bit more often since we gifted ourselves a new gas grill. That said, we've still had some restaurant meals, good and bad, worth mentioning.

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For my birthday lunch earlier this month, J-P and I had our first taste of Bobbie's Dairy Dip. And LOVED IT. I am such a sucker for an old-school drive-up-style burger. Bobbie's cheeseburger was perfect. Not too big, not too small, tasty fries alongside, and they even mixed me a proper black and white milkshake (that's vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce). We sat at a picnic table in the shade and enjoyed the fifties-era doo-wop blaring from the loudspeaker. Perfection.

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Then, for my birthday dinner (how lucky am I to get not one but TWO celebratory birthday meals?) we drove out to the 'burbs to finally check out Peter's Sushi and Thai. We had planned to just try the sushi, but our neighbor's penang curry looked and smelled so good we couldn't resist. The curry was excellent, quite possibly the best we've had in Nashville, and the nigiri sushi compared favorably to that at Ichiban, which is our more-accessible source for quality sushi. The downside to Peter's, though, is its location. Never mind the twenty minute drive down I-65 -- it's the soulless suburban strip-mall location and its Stepford-esque denizens that will keep us from going back. Strangers in a strange land, indeed.

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At last, there is an East Nashville brunch option other than Marche. Don't get me wrong, I don't have any problem with Marche, but it's nice to have options. Enter Sky Blue. Yes, there can be waits on the weekends, but just as often, there's not. Yes, the service can drag, but what better way to savor a morning cup of joe than in that comfortable, sunny space? Plus, when I asked for the eggs in my benedict to be very soft and runny, Sky Blue's kitchen complied admirably. Other breakfast standouts include the (positively gluttonous) breakfast bowl and the spinach omelette, and I quite enjoyed the veggie melt, served on thick, crusty bread slices, from the lunch menu.

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I ended up (and I say "ended up" because it certainly wasn't by choice) at Cantina Laredo for lunch a few weeks ago. You've heard of Cantina Laredo -- it's the new "upscale" chain Mexican in the Gulch. Think of it as the Mexican P.F. Chang's or the Mexican Carrabba's. And then subtract anything you might like about P.F. Chang's or Carrabba's. And that's about it. Without wasting too much bandwith, because it hardly deserves it, the food was bland, not even remotely authentic, and way overpriced. I had the spinach enchiladas, and much prefer the same dish at the humble Las Maracas. The table-side guacamole service was mildly entertaining, but at $10 for just one-and-a-half avocados, I could easily make three times that at home for half the price. And I haven't even touched on the service. Without going into a blow-by-blow, our waiter was distracted and brusque at the best, surly and argumentative at the worst. Needless to say, I won't be going back unless dragged by my earlobes.

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In trying to brainstorm a final entry for this roundup, I realized to my SHOCK! and HORROR! that I have somehow neglected to write about City House, not that there is too much I could add to the many accolades the restaurant has already received from other quarters. That said, it's good. So very, very good. Without question, my favorite restaurant in Nashville. The food is excellent -- more on that in a minute -- but one of City House's strongest suits as the adaptability of both its menu and its atmosphere. I've been there for happy hour-esque hors d'oeuvres and cocktails, for dinner a deux with J-P, and for a raucous extended dinner with a bunch of food-loving friends from New York and, in each instance, City House impressed. As for the food, the kitchen produces pizzas with the perfect combination of crispiness and pliancy; standouts include the belly ham pizza and a special clam pizza, although even the straightforward margarita is an oasis in this pizza-deprived town. The kitchen also does wonders with tripe, especially the Roman-style tripe stew. A salad featuring tender leaves of kale gave me and my companions a new appreciation for raw kale, and the homemade pastas are cooked perfectly al dente and thoughtfully sauced. Also not to be missed are any of the house-made pork products, including the ham antipasta and the sausage entree. Unfortunately, the only dessert I've tried is the baked ricotta, but that's only because it was so good the first time that I couldn't pass it up on a successive visit. If you haven't been yet, go. Just go.

I couldah been a condendah

Man, I totally should have entered the Risotto Challenge, because this baby -- risotto with corn and bay scallops served over fried green tomatoes -- is a winner.

Let's take the risotto first. I started with plain ol' yellow onion, mostly because I had no shallots or leeks on hand. I sauteed the onion (about half of a large one) in a little butter and olive oil and then threw in a cup and a half or so of arborio, which I stirred around until it was glossy. Next, I added a few glugs of white wine from a bottle I'd just opened and then, scoop by scoop, homemade chicken stock that was simmering in another pot, about three or four cups in all. As the rice got close to done, I threw in several healthy handfuls of corn kernels -- the last of the stash that I had frozen last summer -- and about a half a pound of tiny bay scallops. I finished the risotto by gently folding in a good grate of romano cheese, another knob of butter, a handful of chopped fresh chives, and kosher salt.

Sounds good enough, right? But you just wait.

While I was handling the risotto, my love was busy slicing up the first of the season's green tomatoes, giving them the flour-egg-cornmeal 1-2-3, and then pan-frying them in peanut oil. A few of these fried green beauties were the base of our dish, and the extras made for some lovely sandwiches the next day.