The Avenue® Murfreesboro will host the sixth annual Taste of Stones River in support of the Primary Care and Hope Clinic on Saturday, August 25, from 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. The popular culinary festival will feature signature menu items from the area’s finest restaurants, live entertainment from local bands and a variety of children’s activities in the Kids Fun Zone.

“Taste of Stones River is a fun and affordable family event that offers visitors an opportunity to sample local restaurant fare without spending a lot of money,” said June Bilbo, Taste of Stones River Committee Chair. “It’s also a great opportunity for restaurants to promote themselves to local residents. Last year’s event featured more than forty restaurants and vendors and with the space provided by The Avenue Murfreesboro, we have plenty of room to grow.”

Event admission is free.  Sampling tickets are fifty cents each and can be purchased the day of the event.  All proceeds from the Taste of Stones River will benefit the Primary Care and Hope Clinic, a non- profit healthcare clinic serving uninsured and underserved families in Rutherford County.

“We’re looking forward to a fun community event that will provide activities and entertainment for the entire family,” said Lisa Terry, CEO, Primary Care and Hope Clinic.  “Funds raised through Taste of Stones River are directly utilized to strengthen our mission of serving uninsured and underserved families in our community.”

The Primary Care and Hope Clinic is a not-for-profit healthcare clinic providing quality, affordable family health services to medically uninsured, underserved, Medicare and Medicaid families in Rutherford and Cannon Counties. The clinic operates on a sliding fee scale based on income and family size.  For more information call 615-893-9390 or go to www.hopeclnc.org.

For information regarding Taste of Stones River restaurant participation contact Kristy Davis at 893-9390, for sponsorship opportunities contact June Bilbo at 678-386-8020 or visit www.tasteofstonesriver.org to learn more.

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Poison Prevention Tips for Holiday Cooking

The holiday season has finally arrived. Oftentimes, the best part about the holidays is spending time with family … and eating of course!  However, even for an experienced chef, cooking a feast for a large group can be quite daunting.

“The average home chef might consider cooking for two, three or even six people a manageable or even easy task,” said Josephine Darwin, Director of Community Outreach. “But during the holidays – when your guest list can reach 15, 16 or even 20 people – it is important that your guests leave with full stomachs and not food poisoning.”

According to Tennessee Poison Center, food poisoning is generally a mild illness that most commonly results from poor food handling practices. Food poisoning usually occurs two to six hours after eating the contaminated food and can include nausea, fever, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea. Depending on the exact type of food poisoning, how your body reacts to the toxin and the amount of contaminated food that was eaten, symptoms may last from several hours to two or three days. Food poisoning can be serious for people in poor health, for the very young and the elderly.

Practicing basic food safety preparation and storage is the best way to protect against food poisoning. Experts at Tennessee Poison Center offer the following recommendations to prevent food poisonings:

• Wash hands with soap and warm running water for at least 15 to 20 seconds before preparing any foods and especially after handling raw meat, poultry, fish or eggs.
• Keep preparation and storage areas clean; this includes countertops, stovetops and refrigerators.
• Wash utensils between each use. Never reuse utensils; this is a source of contamination.
• Do not defrost meat or poultry on the counter at room temperature. Thaw it in the refrigerator or microwave instead.
• Use a meat thermometer to confirm that meat, pork and poultry are properly cooked; visit www.foodsafety.gov for proper temperatures.
• Do not prepare food if you are sick or have any type of nose or eye infection.
• Store raw food below cooked food in the refrigerator so raw food cannot drip into cooked food and contaminate it.
• Use separate cutting boards for meats, poultry and fish.

And to ensure that the leftovers will be just as good the next day, properly seal and store leftovers in the refrigerator as soon as possible. Leaving perishable foods, including meats and dairy products, out longer than two hours significantly increases the risk of food poisoning. Throw food away if you are unsure how long it has been sitting out.

Be sure to keep these tips in mind as you cook and entertain family and friends this holiday season. And if you have questions about food poisoning or any other poison exposure, call Tennessee Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222.

By Tennessee Poison Center

The Chill Spot is located at 1513 East Main Street in Murfreesboro. The restaurant is open Monday through Friday from 11:00-8:00, Saturday from 11:00-5:00 and closed on Sunday. The Chill Spot can be reached at 615-396-8641.

Ambiance – 6
Price – 9
Service – 10
Food – 9
Cleanliness – 8.5
Total – 8.5

Murfreesboro, TN – It’s been a few weeks since I’ve been able to do a restaurant review and let me say, I miss you guys! HobNobMurfreesboro has been busy this fall with the 12 Days of Christmas coming up and all the things Murfreesboro has been doing to get ready for the big 200^th birthday. We’ve been busy! So coming back out after B McNeel’s it is important to do something you guys will really enjoy. Close to the MTSU campus is a little restaurant called The Chill Spot that offers Bubble Tea. Ever heard of it? Yeah, I hadn’t either. So maybe it’s worth a shot!

Adam Kinder of Affordable Water joined me just before noon up on Main Street. We’d both been working all morning and were just famished! So my thought to The Chill Spot before going in was, “challenge extended!” Adam likes to hit the gym and I’m sure the guy could eat me if he wanted to. Just inside is the counter where you can clearly see the menu and get the necessary evil of ordering food out of the way (why can’t they just read minds?!). The menu is simple. Wraps cost $6.99. It comes with salad or chips. Adding a Bubble Tea adds $1.99 to the price. There are numerous varieties of both teas and wraps so order away! You will have plenty of opportunity to change your order each time and keep experiencing new flavors and combinations. I ordered the Strawberry Turkey Wrap and because I’m such a coffee snob, added the vanilla coffee taro bubble tea. Taro is a root that has a very pure taste similar to hazelnut. Very yummy! We sat down to see the place while we waited. The only reason I give The Chill Spot a 6 in the Ambiance category is because they are in the middle of renovations. When they are finished (we were shown the plans) it is going to be a great place to, like the name suggests, come in and just… wait for it… chill!!

Bubble Tea gets its own paragraph. The milk based tea (you may also do ice if you choose) is mixed with a sort of… jelly-like bubble substance. The look of the bubbles with the thick straw made me very nervous. You aren’t supposed to ever be able to chew a drink. But it was a very pleasant surprise! Coming from a guy who just loves to eat, it was like getting a bonus bite with every swig. I felt like I was cheating the system. Very cool! Not to mention the taste was just awesome!

The food came out in 17 minutes, a little slower for the Power Lunch but just perfect if you really like the person you are with. Now the strawberry turkey… wow. Such an exact blend of sweet and meat (say it out loud, it’s fun) to create a delectable sensation. Each bite was extremely tasty and enjoyable. Highly recommended. It was the first time in all of the HobNobMurfreesboro restaurant reviews that I have packed up a doggie bag simply to enjoy the taste again later. Oh yeah, it was just as good the second time around. The best word I can think of to tell you about it was simple, fresh! Highly enjoyable and quite filling too.

All in all, it’s a great choice. The quality is higher than the price and you will really enjoy yourself. The guys behind the counter are great and are excited to start conversation or to help you with your Bubble Tea experience. Take a friend or a valued co-worker buddy and have a great time. It’s a good Friday lunch spot or light dinner spot. Sipping on a Bubble Tea I could picture sitting outside in our picture perfect fall weather and just chatting with my friends and watching the sun go down over Main Street. Enjoy!

3 Brother's Deli is located at 223 West Main Street on the square in Murfreesboro.  The restaurant offers food, beer and periodic live music.  3 Brother's Deli can be reached at 615-410-3906.

Ambiance - 8.5
Price - 9
Cleanliness - 9.5
Service - 9
Food - 8
Total - 8.8

Murfreesboro, TN - Yeah, I know.  We've done 3 Brother's Deli before, but do you remember all that has changed since then?  I mean, the place practically burned to the ground!  Walking in, you can see a few differences from when the doors first opened.  First, the stage has moved to the other end of the dining room (it used to be by the front door).

Banker Brian (the Suntrust guy) met me at 3 Brother's right at 11:30.  There were three other tables seated, which was about ten percent of the restaurant.  We were seated right away and Amy greeted us.  She made a joke at one point to not pick on her because it was her third day but Amy, you did great.  I ordered the Stones River Club for $6.95.  The menu ranged from $4 to about $12 with a catering menu on the back.  Here is my only burn on 3 Brother's: the food took too long to make a legitimate day's lunch.  Brian was on a timed lunch and had to scarf his meal to be able to get back to work in time.  It took 24 minutes to get our food after placing the order.  In the meantime though we were entertained by being brought someone else's French Dip.

The food itself was good.  Good meat, well prepared and the bread and condiments were just as high quality but that can usually be expected when working with turkey.  Oh yeah!  Make sure to try the spicy pickle that comes with the sandwiches.  Oh man!  It was incredibly hot!  Brian and I were both taken back.

All in all it was pretty good.  I can't imagine suggesting it myself or going on my own.  I would definitely meet someone there if they were to suggest it on their own.  It's a good place to go hang with friends, maybe a spot to waste away the afternoon or just have a beer outside.  Enjoy!

P.S.  The Cupcake Crew made a donation to 3 Brother's Deli today.  If you have not seen or tasted what the Cupcake Crew is doing, you need to check them out here!!

B. McNeel's is located at 215 North Church Street on the Murfreesboro Square.  The restaurant can be reached at 615-896-1002.  Brunch is available on Sundays from 10:30am - 2pm.

Service - 10
Price - 9.5
Ambiance - 10
Taste - 10
Cleanliness - 9.5
Total - 9.8

Murfreesboro, TN - Alright, here we go.  B. McNeel's, the final chapter.  Many Murfreesboroans (I think that's right) contacted me about the last review's perfect 10.  "What are you thinking?!"  "You are limiting yourself!"  But I got equally as many messages that looked something like this, "I was thinking you were crazy until I went for myself.  You were exactly right.  B. McNeel's is an amazing restaurant."  Since the Sunday brunch is the one meal I haven't reported on, it was definitely worth one more review.

My friend Jonathan from Immanuel Church in Nashville joined me for this trip.  I've already described the beautiful interior, so check prior reviews fro the layout.  We walked in at 1:00pm and were led to the upstairs dining room and we were blessed to have Maggie again (she actually goes by Magnolia).  I kid you not, she is probably the best server in Murfreesboro.

The meal is easy, $14 gets you a full breakfast and lunch buffet as well as a cook-to-order menu.  There are something like 40 items in all to choose from.  For the warmup round we picked up beef tenderloin, scallops, salmon cakes, strawberries, biscuits and gravy, spicy coconut shrimp, eggs Benedict (with fresh, homemade hollondaise sauce), Belgian waffles, french toast, and a few space fillers.  yeah, it was a very good day.  I won't talk about everything individually, there's no time (but there are pictures below, so scroll down).  Know this, everything was as fresh as it could possibly be.  NO single bite lacked the least bit of flavor or quality.

A few notables on the food: the spicy coconut shrimp is still the best shrimp I've ever had in my life.  So juicy and tasty and finger lickin' good but it might be too proper a place to do that.  The beef tenderloins were succulent.  In fact, I wish I had some right now.  Bite size slices of paradise.  The french toast was incredible.  They have a very unique and incredibly tasteful preparation.  Every bite of fruit felt like it was just recently pulled from the vine, washed and placed on the plate.  I wish there was more time to go through every bite, but there' so much to say!

This is one of those places you are going to have to just try for yourself.  The same way a photo cannot truly display the beauty of the Grand Canyon or a shuttle launch, this restaurant review cannot fully communicate the angelic, and dare I say, orgasmic taste of B. McNeel's Sunday brunch.  Go THIS WEEK.  Get out of church, climb our of bed, whatever it is you'll do Sunday morning, and get down to B. McNeel's.  You get the HobNobMurfreesboro guarantee of a great experience.  Enjoy!

More than forty restaurants and vendors will participate in the 5^th Annual Taste of Stones River scheduled for Saturday, August 20 from 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. The Avenue Murfreesboro will host the event which is held in support of the Primary Care and Hope Clinic.

“We’re looking forward to a fun and flavorful evening that offers something for everyone,” said June Bilbo, Taste of Stones River Committee Chair. “Visitors will have an opportunity to sample a wide variety of delicious food from local restaurants while supporting a great cause.”

Taste of Stones River is a culinary festival that features signature menu items from the area’s finest restaurants, live entertainment from local bands and a variety of children’s activities in the Kids Fun Zone. Event admission is free. Sampling tickets are fifty cents each and can be purchased the day of the event.

Restaurants and food vendors participating in this year’s event include: Bar-B-Cutie, Blue Agave, Chili’s, Chuy’s, Coca-Cola, DET Distributing, Donut Country, Edible Arrangements, Embassy Suites/Gateway Grille, Entenmann’s, Fanatics Sports Bar, Five Senses, Fulin’s Asian Cuisine, Funky Monkey Shaved Ice, Genghis Grill, Gigi’s Cupcakes, Goodness Gracious Catering & Café, Hooters, Longhorn Steakhouse, Jason’s Deli, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, McAlister’s Deli, Mimi’s Café, Mi Tierra Mexican Restaurant, Newk’s Express Café, Office Depot, Papa Murphy’s Pizza, Pisghetti’s Greek and Italian Café, Papa John’s Pizza, Publix Super Markets, Puleo’s Grille, Purity Dairies, Reddy Ice, Sam’s Sports Grill, Smoothie King, Stones River Total Beverage, Sun Drop, The Chop House and Which Wich Superior Sandwiches

All proceeds will benefit the Primary Care and Hope Clinic. The Primary Care and Hope Clinic is a non-profit healthcare clinic that provides quality, affordable family health services for medically uninsured, underserved, Medicare and Medicaid families in Rutherford County and the surrounding area.

“The Primary Care and Hope Clinic is grateful for the generous support we’ve received from local restaurants and event sponsors,” said Lisa Terry, CEO, Primary Care and Hope Clinic. ” Funds raised through Taste of Stones River are directly utilized to strengthen our mission of serving uninsured and underserved families in our community.”

Taste of Stones River is presented by Coke. The Kid’s Fun Zone is sponsored by Riverview Family Chiropractic. Event sponsors include: Middle Tennessee Medical Center, World Outreach Church, Blue Cross/ Blue Shield of Tennessee Community Trust, Murfreesboro Medical Clinic, Pinnacle Bank, The Avenue Murfreesboro, Publix Super Markets and Anti- Aging Body and Face Medical Cosmetic Center.

To learn more about Taste of Stones River, visit www.tasteofstonesriver.org or call the Primary Care and Hope Clinic at 893-9390.

Las Palmas is located at 2450 Old Fort Parkway in Murfreesboro. The restaurant is open Sunday through Thursday from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm, Friday and Saturday from 11:00 am to 10:00 pm. Las Palmas can be reached at 615-494-0477.

Cleanliness – 9
Ambiance – 8.5
Price – 7
Service – 4
Food – 7.5
Total – 7.2

Enchiladas Tapatias - $7.95

Murfreesboro, TN - Here goes round two. Some of you already know that I came out here more than a year ago. That experience was quite abysmal. Every category was tanked from the review. The food was pitiful, service was terrible, and ambiance looked like a cheap frat party. Suffice it to say, the review reflected the experience, not good. So when I got and email from Cheri in Murfreesboro, saying that Las Palmas really has some good things now, I promised her I’d try again.

I met Aaron Walls, recent winner of Fox’s Free pizza for a year texting contest, at 2:00 pm down Old Fort Parkway, across from Kohl’s. Las Palmas has decorated the outside of the store to look as though it were shipped in from Cancun. The interior design has drastically improved from before. Last time out, it looked as though Las Palmas was decorated from the Wal-Mart clearance aisles. Now it looks similar to, dare I say it, a restaurant. It was very clean and at the time we went in, one other table was occupied.

Juan was our server. Can’t even really use the phrase “He took care of us.” About every serving courtesy I know was ignored. He would come to the table, open his book and just stare at us. He wouldn’t refill glasses unless we moved the cup to the end of the table. Actually, at one point, Juan left my empty cup on the table while he briskly swept Aaron’s cup off the table’s edge. He never came by to check on the meal. After dropping off our food, he didn’t come back until the plates were empty.

The food was better. Not great, but better. I ordered the same thing as the last review, Enchiladas Tapatias. The chicken inside the enchilada was well prepared but the sauce used on top is still a bit unsettling. The tomato paste concentrate in the sauce has been toned down but is still overwhelming.

The price is still in the high side. High side for the food quality or quantity. It’s just simply not worth it. If the portions were larger or the taste were better. Even if the serving experience were more enjoyable, I’d be willing to pay $10.00 for the whole meal.

So the final tallies: Has the food gotten better? Yeah. Ambiance? Oh yeah! Price? No. Cleanliness? Sure. Service? Absolutely not. It may have even gotten worse. All in all, Las Palmas in Murfreesboro has gotten closer to deserving patronage. However, it’s still not enough for me to put HobNob’s stamp on it. If you wanna try it yourself, knock yourself out. But when it comes to Mexican restaurants in Murfreesboro, go anywhere else.

Culvers is located in The Avenue at 2411 Medical Center Parkway in Murfreesboro. The restaurant is open daily from 10:30 am to 10:00 pm. Culvers can be reached at 615-624-6677.

Food – 9.5
Service – 8.5
Ambiance – 7
Cleanliness – 8.5
Price – 8
Total – 8.3

Bacon Deluxe Double Basket - $6.79
Concrete Mini Mint Oreo Mixer - $2.39

Murfreesboro, TN: Have you been to Culvers? Wait, who said no?! Go stand in the corner! If you’ve not been to this Midwestern chain, you have missed the best thing they’ve sent south since Eminem. It’s one of the newer additions to The Avenue, one of the first places you see coming down from Broad.

Bernard James of Exit Realty met me at Culvers right at 11:00. Since Culvers is famous for their frozen custard and also butter burgers, I decided to try `em both! The menu features $4 snack pack meals and ranges from $2.59 to $10.99. Selection varies from frozen custards to burgers and even seafood. Shaketha took my order and was a little playful, but overall pretty solemn. Probably would have helped if she’d smile a little more.

After ordering, you’ll be given a number and a drink. The station is to the left where you can completely deck out in drinks, condiments and even a nifty lid distributor that looks more like a vending machine than stacks of lids. In four minutes the food was on the table. It looked and smelled amazing. The fries have the thickness of Red Robins and the taste of TGI Fridays. Big and well seasoned. The burger…oh wow. Double stacked beef (ordered that way) surrounded by bacon, lettuce, onion, tomato, mayo, and fun-wrapped with a white fluffy bun. Each bite danced on the taste buds. There’s good news and bad news. Bad news is that you have to swallow eventually. Good news is that there are more bites!

After emptying the tray, I ordered a masterpiece, a mini mint oreo frozen custard. Check your wallet. Do you have $3.00? It’s the best $2.39 that you will ever spend. Go treat yourself. It’s small enough to get away guilt-free. It’s good enough to get lost in each spoonful. Oh man I’ve got goosebumps writing about it.

While I pack up and go back to get another custard, you should pick a day to go. Right now. What is it? Scream it out. Okay, stop. People are staring. Recommend you grab a buddy, co-worker or even a stranger on the square. Culvers is a fun environment with good prices and very tasty food.

There you go Murfreesboro Facebook Page… I talked about the food. Enjoy!

Cathay Asian Bistro is located at 1845 South Church Street in Murfreesboro.  The restaurant is open Sunday through Thursday from 11:00AM - 10:00PM and Friday through Saturday 11:00AM - 11:00PM.  Cathay can be reached at 615-904-2221.

Cleanliness: 8
Price: 7.5
Service: 9
Food: 9
Ambience: 10
Total: 8.7

Murfreesboro, TN - So, I’ve received some comments lately that the only restaurants I tend to review are those which are moderately priced.  “What about the high end places?”  they say.  Well, other than the obvious answer that I pay for the reviews myself and I’d be homeless on that edible-torial route, the biggest reason is that I would rather review a place that you could go tonight, whether it is or isn’t a big enough occasion to celebrate.

This weekend was my birthday.  Since my parents came to visit (Hi Mom!) and the lady friend also came to town so we celebrated everyone coming together at Cathay Asian Bistro! Now, if you’ve never been, listen up.  These guys have put a samurai effort into giving you the rich history expected from the asian culture.  Statues and large columns line the outside walls in a very zen-like manner.  Are you in Murfreesboro or Tokyo or Hong Kong? You will have to decide for yourself.

We went in right at 7:00 and were seated immediately by reservation.  The inside exchanges rich history for modern, minimalistic chic.  Our server was nice and humorous, setting the tone for an enjoyable evening.  Every table I could see outside the bar was set up hibachi-style (chairs set up 8 at a time around a 3 corner open grill).

Menu items range from $10 - $30 per entree.  I have learned a very valuable thing from eating around the world; if the restaurant is hibachi and highly decorated, expect to pay for the pleasure, no matter the quality.  I ordered the hibachi salmon with fried rice.

It took about 30 minutes for our chef to arrive.  He was very funny, very entertaining and very good.  Have you ever seen a hibachi chef stack an onion and light it?  Well, he did two layers of... onion... volcano.  Yeah, he rocked.

Overall, we had a great time.  The cost of a show and dinner was just about justified.  If I have a big something-or-other in which to commemorate, I’ll definitely go back to Cathay!  Have the corporate card to take a client wining and dining?  This is an excellent choice.  Did you finally get that dream date and want to make a lasting impressions?  Cathay will do the trick.  Whatever the occasion, Cathay Asian Bistro will be a great choice.  Enjoy!

Paulie’s Italian Grill is located at 3080 South Church Street in Murfreesboro. The Italian Grill is open Monday through Saturday 11:00am to 9:00pm and Sunday from 12:00p to 5:00p. Paulie’s can be reached by phone at (615) 439-6095.

Food – 8.5
Price – 8
Ambiance – 10
Service – 10
Cleanliness – 9
Total – 9.1

Mushroom Provolone Burger - $5.99

Murfreesboro, TN: Whoa, whoa, whoa. There’s a new restaurant on South Church next to Food Lion where Pawbowski’s Hot Dogs was formerly located. From the outside, it looks like a typical restaurant: brick walls, floor to ceiling windows, etc. However, going inside works out to an Italian Café with marble tables and vineyards crawling the walls.

I went into Paulie’s before the lunch rush at 11:30. Deb came to me right away and opened a very warm heart. She is probable the kindest person I’ve spoken to all day. She helped me narrow down the delicious menu to the Mushroom Provolone Burger. The menu itself ranged from $3.95 to $12.50 and offers burgers, sandwiches, pastas, salads and desserts.

In six minutes, I was looking at a beautiful plate of tasty food. Do yourself a favor and ask for a side of the special sauce. It’s a phenomenal blend that works well on burgers or fries. I’m thinking of mixing it with my oatmeal tomorrow morning. Okay not really. But it was great.

Paulie came out and sat with me for a few minutes. That’s one of my favorite things about local places. You almost always have the chance to meet the visionary behind your enjoyment. He told me about a lot of things he’s been doing around town, including Outer Limits Ribbon Cutting at Jackson Heights Plaza Friday at 11:00. Hmm…why did the restaurant review guy talk about that? Oh Yeah! Free chance to try some of the best Italian food in Murfreesboro! Doi!

I’m telling ya. Date night galore. Single guys, find the prettiest girl you can, promise her a night she won’t forget. Girls, say yes. You married peoples…get a sitter. This is a promise for an incredibly romantic evening for a great price and you don’t have to feed those baboons at Shell Oil in the process. Enjoy!