Off-tune karaoke, Strange and exotic foods, dragons marauding through the crowds. No, it wasn't a godzilla movie, it was our day O' food. El Manjar, Baraka Bakery and K & S market were the scenes.
Our first stop was El Manjar. It's an Oaxacan Mexican restaurant in the old Walmart, now Lowe's shopping center at Old Hickory Blvd and Nolensville Road. Michael and I always try the most unusual items on every menu and this was no exception. We had Cabesa (pork head) tacos, Lengua (tongue) in Red Sauce and Cuitlacoche (corn fungus) Quesadilla. The Cabesa and Lengua was so tender it practically melted in your mouth when you ate it. Cuitlacoche, also known as corn smut, is a fungus that attacks corn, swelling the kernels up to 10 times their size and turning them black. U.S. Farmers consider it a plague and destroy infected corn. The Aztecs however, considered it a delicacy. Michael and I have eaten several meals at El Manjar and every dish has been exceptional. The only down side is the extremely off-tune, non-relenting Spanish karaoke. I mean bad!!! Bring earplugs!!!
The next stop was the Bakara Bakery. It has a diverse selection of ethnic groceries leaning towards the middle eastern influences. They have assorted canned goods, Halal Meats, Produce and middle eastern bakery goods. We purchased dill water, orange flower water, blueberry juice and mayonnaise in a tube. Who could pass up mayo in a tube!!!
Our last food stop for the day was the K & S Market. It's just south of Harding Road on Nolensville Pike.They also have a sister restaurant on Charlotte just off White Bridge Road. It was the first day of the Chinese New Year and as we pulled into the parking lot there were two of those long festival Dragons. Each Dragon had two people under them doing acrobatics accompanied by a woman with a mask and gong. It was very cool. The K & S Market has probably the best selection of ethnic foods in Nashville. The have all kinds of produce. Live fish, eels, crabs and lobster. As well as fan assortment of fish on ice. There are all kinds of cuts of duck, chicken, pork and beef. ie: feet, offal meat, beaks, all kinds of crazy stuff. There is a huge selection of canned goods, dry goods and frozen items. It's a fantastic market and I recommend going on a field trip to explore and shop! If you pick something up or see something you don't know how to cook or wonder about, just drop us an email and we will either send you a recipe of impart what little wisdom we have. In future Emails I'll let you know about other fabulous groceries in town until then....
Happy Exploring !
Our first stop was El Manjar. It's an Oaxacan Mexican restaurant in the old Walmart, now Lowe's shopping center at Old Hickory Blvd and Nolensville Road. Michael and I always try the most unusual items on every menu and this was no exception. We had Cabesa (pork head) tacos, Lengua (tongue) in Red Sauce and Cuitlacoche (corn fungus) Quesadilla. The Cabesa and Lengua was so tender it practically melted in your mouth when you ate it. Cuitlacoche, also known as corn smut, is a fungus that attacks corn, swelling the kernels up to 10 times their size and turning them black. U.S. Farmers consider it a plague and destroy infected corn. The Aztecs however, considered it a delicacy. Michael and I have eaten several meals at El Manjar and every dish has been exceptional. The only down side is the extremely off-tune, non-relenting Spanish karaoke. I mean bad!!! Bring earplugs!!!
The next stop was the Bakara Bakery. It has a diverse selection of ethnic groceries leaning towards the middle eastern influences. They have assorted canned goods, Halal Meats, Produce and middle eastern bakery goods. We purchased dill water, orange flower water, blueberry juice and mayonnaise in a tube. Who could pass up mayo in a tube!!!
Our last food stop for the day was the K & S Market. It's just south of Harding Road on Nolensville Pike.They also have a sister restaurant on Charlotte just off White Bridge Road. It was the first day of the Chinese New Year and as we pulled into the parking lot there were two of those long festival Dragons. Each Dragon had two people under them doing acrobatics accompanied by a woman with a mask and gong. It was very cool. The K & S Market has probably the best selection of ethnic foods in Nashville. The have all kinds of produce. Live fish, eels, crabs and lobster. As well as fan assortment of fish on ice. There are all kinds of cuts of duck, chicken, pork and beef. ie: feet, offal meat, beaks, all kinds of crazy stuff. There is a huge selection of canned goods, dry goods and frozen items. It's a fantastic market and I recommend going on a field trip to explore and shop! If you pick something up or see something you don't know how to cook or wonder about, just drop us an email and we will either send you a recipe of impart what little wisdom we have. In future Emails I'll let you know about other fabulous groceries in town until then....
Happy Exploring !
