Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner

Finally together again after almost 6 months!  I was reunited with my partner in faith Carolyn for another church and feast adventure.  My last blog was January 23rd,  which is totally ridiculous that our schedules have been so out of whack for the last 6 months that we couldn't even manage a single trip to hang out with the big J,  and share our experience over a nice meal.  But alas it has happened,  and I've got something to say about it.  As I'm sure Carolyn has already so eloquently put it (i don't have the pleasure of reading her blog before I finish mine,  because she forces me to do mine under the guise of "i have to link it to mine) our adventure "under the bridge" was spiritual,  uplifting,  a smidge scary (there was a participation element that we lapsed catholics tend to get a bit antsy about) and utterly amazing.

Next stop after feeding the tired,  the poor, and huddled masses,   was feeding our own asses.  We took ourselves to Pomodoro East,  formerly Coopers on Porter in the 3 points area of East Nashville.  Once a Nursing home it was transformed into a retail space about 2 years ago,  and after the short lived gastro pub (Coopers) Pommodoro moved in and opened in the early spring of 2012.  Brought to you by the same folks that bring you the Eastland Cafe,  and Park Cafe.  This rustic Italian joint attempts to bring authentic italian cuisine to the hip eating culture of East Nasty.  This is my second time to Pomodoro,  and I have to say I have not ruled it out yet.  This place seems to me to be a solid 6.5 anytime you go.  The food is solid,  the service is solid,  and there is nothing that says "i will never go back to this place again"  On the same token there is not necessarily anything that keeps you coming back either.

Obviously it had been awhile since we had seen each other,  and we had a lot to cover,  so first things first we had to get some wine.  Weather dictated the wine choice this evening.  With a solid 93 on the old thermometer we chose a crisp white wine from the Tuscan hill town of San Gimignano.   Vernaccia di San Gimignano is the local white of this small town considered the Renaissance equivalent of New York City due to all of its tall buildings (thank you Contiki Tour guide).  It was cold,  crisp,  and most importantly contained alcohol,  so we were sold.

Mozzarella Spedini with Lemon Caper Sauce

We each started off with an appetizer,  Carolyn had the house salad ($8) and I went with the Spedini ($9)  Carolyn's salad looked delightful, with mixed greens,  olives,  roasted red peppers drizzled with an Italian Vinaigrette.  Many of you might be wondering what a Spedini is,  well funny thing so was I.  It is possible that Spedini maybe one of those terms that people use for a dish that is italian and they don't have a name for it.  For example I once had something called a Spedini,  and it was essentially a salad stuffed into a flatbread.  This was not that.  Then I looked up Spedini,  and it is described as any type of skewered meat (an italian kabob if you will)  this too, was not that.  Pomodoro's version of a Spedini was what I would refer to as Mozzarella en Corroza.  The forerunner to the ever popular "Mozzarella stick"  it is essentially a mozzarella cheese sandwich that is breaded (or battered) and then deep fried.  So once I figured out what I was eating,  I actually liked it.  Served with a picatta sauce (lemon,  white wine,  butter, and capers)  it was delightful.  

Moving on to the main course Carolyn went for the Lamb sausage pizza with braised fennel ($11),  and I had a 1/2 order of the spaghetti which was described as "scampi,  broccoli raab, and garlic".  Again the menu description had me a bit stumped.  "Scampi" ok, going back to my product knowledge days at CIA,  i seem to recall that Scampi is not only a type of sauce typically served on shrimp,  but also a type of shrimp or shrimp like creature (i.e. prawn,  langoustine, etc)  but that was really pushing my limits so i wonder if a casual restaurant goer would tune into that.  Thinking about it now,  Im just reading way to into it,  cause most people are going to see the word Scampi and think shrimp.  I on the other hand was saying well will there be shrimp or is just going to be spaghetti with broccoli raab and a garlic butter sauce.  It seems to me that a tiny bit of knowledge can often get you in trouble.  The good news was whether this dish had shrimp in it or not,  I was down and was going to be fine with whatever came out.  Low and behold when my dish arrived it had.......wait for it.........Shrimp in it.  Very plump,  tender pieces of shrimp that were not the slightest bit over cooked (not an easy feat) the spaghetti on the other hand was slightly beyond al dente,  but the wine had kicked into the point that I was ok with it.  Carolyn's lamb sausage pizza which I had had on my previous visit,  was quite good although I might have talked it up a bit to much cause she didn't seem to go crazy over it.  What I appreciated about it,  was that it was consistent with what I had had previously and that is half the battle.
We opted to skip dessert,  and head to another place for dessert,  and by dessert I mean another glass of wine :)
So overall,  Pomodoro did not disappoint.  It did not over promise,  nor under deliver.  It was good.  My most favorite place ever?......   not at all.  Will I go back.......Probably.

If you would like to try it out,  hit them up 7 days a week (a big plus for somebody looking for a decent place on monday night) 5:00 to 10:00 (9:00 on sundays)  happy hour from 5-6:30 on week days.  1/2 priced apps,  $5 Wine and $3 Drafts

701 Porter Street in East Nashville