On a related note, we highly recommend that anyone who has lost or found a pet check out the East C.A.N. website for more information on what to do in such a situation. There are a lot of common-sense tips there that can save you a lot of time and hassle and give you the best chance of helping your animal get back home safely. You can read more about East C.A.N., an organization started and run by concerned East Nashville neighbors, in the August/September issue of The East Nashvillian magazine.

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1. Nashville Flood: Not-So-Thirsty Thursday
2. East Nashville Community Acupuncture
3. East Nashville Belly Dancing Workshop

It's Iron Fork time in Nashville!

For the third straight year, the Nashville Scene is putting on its own version of Iron Chef here in Music City. The Iron Fork competition, which goes down the night of April 21st at the Country Music Hall of Fame, will feature five top chefs from the Nashville area competing in culinary battle. Proceeds from the evening will benefit Second Harvest Food Bank and Manna-Food Security Partners.

This year’s participants are Chris Cunningham from Sunset Grill, Andy Hunter from Acorn Restaurant, Hal M. Holden-Bache from Eastland Café, Jason McConnell from 55 South, Sol, and Red Pony Restaurant, and defending champion Jeremy Barlow from Tayst. All five chefs will have to cook two different dishes, twice each – once for presentation, and once for the judges. They’ll also have contend with a secret ingredient, announced only 10 minutes before the competition begins, that must be worked into their recipes. Whoever wins over the panel made up of local foodies and celebrities will win and a full cookware set from Le Creuset, bragging rights for the next year and the coveted “Gold Fork” award.

We've got your Iron Fork right here.

If you’re interested in watching the battle for yourself instead of reading about it here after the fact, all the while enjoying free cocktails and samples of award-winning cuisine, you can pick up tickets for the event here. They’re $30 until April 14, after which they’ll go up to $40. For the more enterprising among you, there is an alternative: win your tickets from EastNashvilleBlog.com! We’re giving away a pair of tickets to Iron Fork, and all you have to do to win them is complete two easy steps:

1. Follow us on Twitter. If you don’t already have an account, you can sign up for one in no time flat.

2. Send us a message on Twitter telling us about your favorite food in East Nashville and why you love it. For instance, your message might read like this: “@eastnashblog My favorite East Nashville food is Mas Tacos Por Favor because I like my fish tacos on wheels.” The rules: you can only win if you’re on our Twitter follower list when the contest closes, and all entries are limited to one single tweet of 140 characters per account – so, no spilling over into multiple tweets.

Maybe it’s a particular local restaurant, maybe it’s grilling out with friends on Sundays, or maybe it’s the food from the garden in your backyard – whatever your favorite grub is on the East side, we want to know! But make sure to tell us soon – the contest closes at midnight, Saturday, April 17th, at which point we’ll poll our staff in a highly unscientific manner and give away tickets for the winner and a friend to attend Iron Fork.

So what are you waiting for? The contest starts … now!

Related posts:

1. 2010 Iron Fork Recap
2. Win an All-Access Pass to the 2010 Americana Music Festival
3. Dining Out For Life in East Nashville

Dave serves up sandwiches at Mitchell's Deli

I have to admit the decision was strongly influenced by tales about the proportions of their bacon. I was not disappointed. At Mitchell’s the bacon is cut thick. For 75 cents you get a triple-thick slice off the hot bar that is so intensely flavored that one or two slices is more than enough.   All of the other items offered on the hot bar were sold by the pound, making it a great option for getting only as much as you want at a fair price. The homemade sausage was good and I definitely will have to give their gravy a try next time. We also sampled some of their home fries, which were a mixture of regular and sweet potatoes seasoned with just enough salt and pepper to accentuate the sweet and starchy combination. The biscuits and the eggs were passable at best, but I’m extremely picky about biscuits and there isn’t much that can be expected from scrambled eggs off of a steam table.

While I was there I also had to sample something from their deli counter because it seems a bit ridiculous to go to a deli and not try their sandwiches.  I love bagels with lox to the point that I crave it once a week, so when I see it on a menu, I can’t resist putting it to the test. Served closed style, this sandwich was pretty traditional: cream cheese, red onions, capers, and tomatoes. I suspect their lox was actually smoked salmon, but it was quality, so I’m okay with that. The bagel was crusty and fairly dense; I don’t know why anybody would want it any other way. I wasn’t specific about my order, but being a full service shop, I’m sure they can customize.

The rest of the deli offerings looked appetizing and included roast lamb, sopressata, and mortadella, a wide variety of cheeses, and fresh breads. I think I even saw some olives. Overall, Mitchell’s isn’t the kind of place that makes a big show, but given the quality of food and the laid back atmosphere, which includes outdoor seating, they’ve established a strong foothold as East Nashville’s deli.

Check out the Mitchell’s Deli Myspace page here. Follow Mitchell’s deli on Twitter here.

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1. Nashville’s Eastside Brunch Guide, Volume 1
2. Fresh Baked Tradition: Sweet 16th Bakery
3. Hot Chicken Goes High Society With Thomas Keller

Read about the film in the Tennessean’s article from today. Visit the Belcourt’s website here, or follow them on Twitter here.

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1. Have You Lost Your Dog in East Nashville?
2. Hot Chicken Goes High Society With Thomas Keller
3. Win Two Tickets to Iron Fork 2010

There was a bit of light rain but that didn’t stop a healthy crowd from showing up. Under a tent in the middle of the market was a three-piece acoustic bluegrass band, complete with stand-up bass. There were a number of non-food vendors selling handmade soaps and jewelry. For those who couldn’t wait to eat some of the goodies the fine folks from Moose Head Kettle Corn had plenty of tasty treats available. (For those of you who Twitter, check out @MooseHeadCorn.)

Several vendors had already sold out of a few choice items before we arrived, but there was still plenty to look over for our next week’s meals. Delvin Farms had three different kinds of kale, including a neat-looking one called Dinosaur Kale, not to mention shiitake mushrooms. The only seasonal fruit we saw was strawberries, though that should change in the next few weeks or so. We got the chance to sample some delicious sugar snap peas from Foggy Hollow Farm in Joelton – they’ll be on our shopping list next week for sure.

In the end we bought a pound of green beans from Delvin Farms, a pound of pork chops and some dog treats from Peaceful Pastures, and a block of chipotle colby cheese from Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese. That ought to tide us over until next week, when we plan to get there at 3:30 p.m. so we can scope out everything that’s available for early birds.

Related posts:

1. East Nashville Farmers Market Wednesday
2. Market to Table: Dang Good Eastside Pork Chops
3. A Drunkard’s Brunch: Mitchell’s Deli