Aji - Collegdale Peruvian

[editor's note: this is a second attempt.  the first was composed on-phone, and when complete and submitted, the first attempt vanished into the aether.  argh.]

We have actually been to Aji a few times before, but I had not thought to blog about the experience.  That was an oversight, now to be corrected.

Collegedale is community near Chattanooga, wrapped around the campus for the Seventh Day Adventist Southern university.  It's a short drive from our neighborhood, and there is a nice walking path and playground there for some active family fun.  Collegedale's commercial development is primarily of the strip mall variety; as it turns out, strip malls are often allow small scale ethnic eateries to flourish.

Aji is focused on Peruvian foods, and is staffed by folks who appear to be of Peruvian extraction.  The space is simple, with maybe 8 tables, and is decorated with large format photos of llamas, people in Incan costume, and amazing mountain vistas.  The menu is biased to fish and veggie options (Seventh Day Ad.s are vegetarian); Aji is one of few places in the area to offer ceviche, and theirs is worth trying.

This day I opted for the Chicharron, freshly cut nuggets of fish rolled in a seasoned batter and fried.  The fish is served simply on a bed of lettuce and fried yucca, and topped with some lightly marinated onion.  On request, they brought me a side of a spicy red sauce for dipping.  My lunch was fantastic.

In likely deference to the 7DA's celebration of the Sabbath, Aji is closed on Saturdays.  Also, while they offer a splendid array of S. American fruit juice drinks, they do not offer beer or booze.

We like Aji and will return.  We also want to particularly support small, local options that offer food from outside the SE Tennessee mainstream.

212 Market

I've known about this spot for a while, and not just because they are perennial sponsors of the local public radio station.  One lovely prom night in the early 90s, my party checked in at 212, briefly, before heading across the street to TGI Fridays.  Those were simpler times.

Tonight, we got a seat on the upstairs patio, so we decided to stay for dinner.  212 focuses on fresh, local, and organic ingredients.  We knew the food would be up our alley.  Unfortunately, the space (the inside dining rooms and bar) have not changed since that night in the 90s...we won't hold it against the place, but they could really use a new paint job.

We opened with some cocktails (mine was called "honey badger", haha) and their pork belly appetizer.

(the pictures aren't great tonight - maybe a combination of the strong evening sun and the shadows, or maybe the terrible photographer?)

Both of us chose fish options off of the daily specials menu: she took the salmon and I chose trout.

Her salmon was lovely, and my trout dish was nice - I'll spare you that picture.

All in all, the dinner was well prepared and the service was nice.  I might think that 212 is still at a price point and atmosphere better suited for "special occasions", if not prom nights...

Totto Sushi

It was a dark and rainy night...so we went out for sushi.


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We had seen Totto on previous trips to Frazier Ave.  This new (apparently newer than Google's last streetview pass through) is between BrewHaus and Stone Cup coffee, two places that we like pretty well.

Chattanooga and sushi may not be a match made in heaven, given that the nearest coast is hundreds of miles away, and the nearest major airport, in Atlanta, is about a 2 hour drive down I-75...the point is that there is not a ready supply of super fresh seafood.

But all in all, dinner tonight was not a disappointment.  I generally defer the ordering of rolls to my wife, and she picked three diverse options and we tucked in.  The boy had some chicken fried rice, as well as some broccoli and sundry items taken from home.

One (positive?) thing that stuck out about Totto was the beer menu and pricing...they had a wide selection of bottled domestic and "Asian" beers, and the menu as well as several permanent looking signs around the room advertised the beers as "half price".  Indeed, they sold us 20 oz Kirin Ichibans for $3.75, which is roughly half of what we pay at our neighborhood Thai spot.  I worry what this scenario means for Totto in the long economic run...

Service was not a high point, although I would allow that maybe the one lady working the tables was having an off night...she did seem very preoccupied with her cell phone, but maybe when we try Totto again (and we will!), things might shake out a little differently.

Sorry for the lack of pics - working chopsticks with one hand, tending the boy with the other, and drinking 20 oz KI with the third leaves no hand for the camera!

Easy Bistro

Tonight was our second visit to the Bistro...the first was a birthday dinner without Baby, but tonight was the 3 of us plus a good friend recently moved back to town. I didn't get any pics tonight, but dinner was fantastic.

We adults started with cocktails, the boys with a Chattanooga whiskey, some aromatics, and bitters- they were a nice start. We also shared a fig mostardo and mozzarella app...this was a server recommendation and it came off fresh and light and a good way to ease into dinner.

For the entrees, we chose a bottle of a Super Tuscan. The wine list seemed a little pricey, with the least expensive bottles starting in the $30s...so the bottle we tool was a little expensive, but it was a very inoffensive red.

My special lady friend ordered a potato ravioli with some seasonal veggies. The boys both chose the steak frites- they serve the beef sliced and with some chilled herb butter.

The service was impressive. Often, when you are among the first seatings of the evening, you get the sense that the kitchen and wait staff aren't quite "on" yet, but the team tonight was top notch.

I'm not a dessert guy, but my dinner companions ARE. We had profiteroles, a pot de creme, and some coffee drinks (the beans sourced from Chattz down the street).

All told, it was a wonderful time, but at a price point that will prevent super frequent returns.

Market Street Tavern

First off, let me just say that I love love love (and appreciate) it when places that serve interesting beer and cocktails are proactive in telling you what they have on offer.

local meat, local beer, fancy cocktails - Oh My!

This place was apparently once located across the street, near Miller Plaza, but has been open at 809 Market St (the map points to the old address.  Google hasn't updated yet!) for a couple of months.  The space was nothing fancy, but was comfortable in a neighborhood bar kind of way.  The MST is a "sister bar" to one on the north shore, Tremont Tavern.  I had been there before, and they may have mentioned the Market St option, but it slipped my mind and we lived our lives unaware of this cozy spot for dinner and drink for far too long.

Earlier today I was on the Google looking for information on local supplies of grass-fed beef, and I ran across a review of MST, where some lucky diner had enjoyed a burger of locally raised meat...I called to make sure they were open, that they didn't allow smoking, and that adventurous toddler reviewers were welcome.  Check, check, check, and we three were off for a 6 pm dinner date.

I tried one of their signature cocktails, named for the building the MST now inhabits.  It was a blend of two rye whiskeys and some bitters - it was ok, but I would probably try something else next time.  The Lady chose a New Belgium shift tall boy, and the short boy chose high quality H20 and some whole milk.

Dinner was a pretty straightforward affair, and mi hijo was as patient as we can expect out of a 20 month old.  He got some mac&cheese (one of the evening specials was "pimp your mac", where you get a base of noodles+cheese and can add toppings, pizza style, to customize your plate.  He got noodles and cheese.)  My wife of 6 years chose the fried chicken, but subbed in some roasted brussel sprouts in place of fries, and I took the pulled pork, under slaw, and over cornbread.

The food was nice.  There were no real off notes, and we will go back.  It's not a place that I would bring my foodie friends to show off, but for a basic, comfortable meal sourced from high quality, local ingredients, this spot could well become a regular for us.