I was recently invited to enjoy a complimentary dinner at Red Lobster so that I could experience first hand the newly remodeled decor. Red Lobster restaurants across the U.S. have undergone a redesign that includes updated coastal touches both inside and out. The new design, inspired by the seaside village of Bar Harbor, Maine, aims at providing guests with the opportunity to experience fresh, delicious seafood in a vibrant, nautical setting.

Red Lobster guests in Wilkes-Barre, Scranton and Williamsport can now experience an atmosphere clothed in dark-wood paneling, warm-toned fabrics, nautical décor, shingle and stone towers and Adirondack-style benches, all intended to transport guests’ minds to the coast. Once the winter comes to Northeastern Pennsylvania, I know I will appreciate having a nautical place like Red Lobster to escape to while the snow is falling outside and the streets are covered with dirty slushy ice.
 

While I am usually wary of the food at chain restaurants, Red Lobster really has its perks and was named by Eat This, Not That as the healthiest chain restaurant in America! First, I like Red Lobster because there are many healthy options available on the menu that aren’t laden with unncessary chain-style sauces scoured with copious amounts of sugar, salt and fat.  Red Lobster’s “Today’s Fresh Fish” menu lets the delicate taste of seafood shine through and is updated daily to reflect the wide variety of fresh fish available. Options typically will include fresh salmon, cod, tilapia, shrimp and trout that can be broiled or prepared over an open flame of a wood-fire grill.  Red Lobster also bravely but proudly debuts the nutritional information for all of the items on its menu on its website.
 
Second, who can resist the famous Cheddar Bay Biscuits at Red Lobster, even if you are planning on only eating grilled fish?  These flavorful little dinner rolls are served warm and with each bite you can taste a perfect combintation of butter, oil, garlic and hints of cheddar. They may be the best part of the meal. They make me nostalgic for my law school days when I used to make pillsbury biscuits and dinner rolls and add my own seasonings. (Note: one cheddar bay biscuit is supposedly 4 Weight Watchers points – so indulge and enjoy, just don’t eat the whole basket!)

Third, I enjoy Red Lobster because of the service there. Once I am seated at the table,  I know my food will be served promptly and that I am not going to be there forever, nor am I going to be rushed. Most importantly, everyone is always very kind there and very knowledgeable about the items on the menu, which is often an overlooked but necessary component to a successful restaurant.
 
Lastly, my favorite part of Red Lobster (besides the Cheddar Bay Biscuits) is actually its website, which is really fun and informative for seafood lovers like myself. Not only does Red Lobster provide a generous amount of creative recipes for seafood dishes including some featured menu items, but they also provide educational how-to videos which explain how to grill the perfect piece of seafood, etc. These are really great tools for people who are intimidated by the idea of preparing their own seafood entrees and also for more experienced cooks who are looking for new ideas for preparing seafood.
 
As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am a big fan of brushchetta so I really enjoyed the Wood-Grilled Shrimp Bruschetta. The round and thick baguette slices were crunchy and tomato mixture very flavorful.  Please see the recipe provided by Red Lobster for the Wood-Grilled Shrimp Bruschetta and the Peach-Bourbon Shrimp and Scallops below. I absolutely plan on making the shrimp bruschetta – its a perfect recipe to enjoy on a hot July day because it combines crisp, fresh flavors of local seasonal produce for a light meal. I will probably alter this recipe just a little bit because I like my bruschetta hot. If you would like your bruschetta hot, when you get to step #7, simmer the ingrediets in a saute pan and add in the basil at the end.  Also, do not chill the grilled shrimp as directed in #4. Instead, dice immediately.

Wood-Grilled Shrimp Bruschetta
Serves 4

12 medium-count shrimp
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 loaf French baguette
¼ cup melted butter
2 tsp granulated garlic
2 vine ripe tomatoes, diced
2 large, fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 2 tsp prepared fresh basil)
2 Tbsp diced red onions
¼ cup balsamic dressing (use your favorite or substitute equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Non-stick cooking spray, as needed
4 bamboo skewers (soaked in water for 2-3 hours)

1. Place three (3) shrimp each on four (4) skewers, all facing the same direction. Push shrimp together tightly to hold together.

2. Brush shrimp skewers with canola oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.

3. Prepare the grill by spraying the grates with non-stick cooking spray. Turn grill to high. (DO NOT SPRAY grill grates while the grill is on; aerosol can may be dangerous around high heat.)

4. Grill skewers for approximately 2 minutes per side, until shrimp are opaque and firm. Remove skewers from grill and chill in refrigerator for 3-4 hours (shrimp skewers can be made one day ahead).

5. Slice French bread in ½ inch slices. Brush with melted butter and season with garlic and salt and pepper to taste.

6. Toast baguette slices in pre-heated 350-degree oven for 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and hold at room temperature.

7. Combine tomatoes, basil, onion and balsamic dressing in small bowl; toss gently to incorporate dressing.

8. Remove shrimp from skewers and toss with tomato mixture.

9. Top toasted baguette slices with shrimp mixture.

In addition to the shrimp appetizer, here are some photos of the dishes that we sampled while dining at Red Lobster:

New England Clam Chowder 

Caesar Salad

Wood-Grilled Salmon Fillets

Crab Fest Special Feature: Snow Crab and Fried Shrimp

Lastly, here is another recipe for Red Lobster’s new Bourbon Shrimp and Scallops:

Peach-Bourbon Shrimp and Scallops

Serves 4

24 jumbo shrimp
16 sea scallops
16 strips of bacon
1 cup peach-bourbon BBQ sauce (recipe below), divided
¼ cup canola oil
2 cups wild rice (prepare your favorite variety)
8 bamboo skewers (soaked in water for 2-3 hours
Non-stick cooking spray, as needed

1. Place six (6) shrimp each on four (4) skewers, all facing the same direction. Push shrimp together tightly to hold together. Refrigerate until needed.
2. Wrap each scallop with one strip of bacon, so the strip slightly overlaps (trim excess bacon if needed). If crispy bacon is desired, slightly pre-cook bacon in a pan or in the microwave for approximately 2 minutes.
3. Place four (4) scallops each on four (4) skewers, inserting the skewer where the bacon strip overlaps. As with shrimp, push scallops together tightly to hold together.
4. Prepare the grill by spraying the grates with non-stick cooking spray. Turn grill to high. (DO NOT SPRAY grill grates while the grill is on; aerosol can may be dangerous around high heat.)
5. Brush skewers lightly with canola oil.
6. Place shrimp and scallop skewers on hot grill. Grill approximately 2 minutes per side. Use caution with scallop skewers so as not to burn the bacon; you may have to turn them or move them to a cooler section of grill, depending on grill temperature.
7. Once skewers are cooked and seafood is opaque and firm, brush both sides with peach-bourbon BBQ sauce. Grill another 15 seconds per side to slightly caramelize sauce on skewers.
8. Serve one shrimp and one scallop skewer per person over your favorite wild rice blend. Mashed potatoes or couscous make a delicious dish as well.

Peach-Bourbon BBQ Sauce:
2 cups prepared BBQ sauce (choose your favorite)
½ cup peach preserves or canned peaches, well drained
3 Tbsp Kentucky Bourbon

1. Place all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth.
2. Pour mixture into small sauce pot over medium heat and bring to light simmer. Simmer 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking.
3. Remove sauce from heat and refrigerate until needed.

Notice below that you can now post a link to this blog on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Post a link to this blog on Twitter and include my name @fairytalefeasts for your chance to win a $10 gift card to Red Lobster! 🙂 I will be sending two of them out through the mail!
Enjoy!

Anyone who knows me knows that there is, in fact, one thing in this life that I love MORE than food: MUSIC! In honor of this one true and unconditional love, every year I travel to Nashville, TN with my beloved crew for the CMA Music Festival, which is undoubtedly the best live country music event anywhere EVER. (Think: the Bonnaroo of Country Music).  For four nights at LP Field (the home of the Tennessee Titans), a celebration of the best of country music takes place. Artists this year included Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellem, Martina McBride, the Zac Brown Band, Blake Shelton, Trace Atkins, Josh Turner and my girl Miranda Lambert. On September 1 at 8PM this event will be featured on ABC. Being present for this yearly event feels like partaking in an absolute fairytale. Sampling the best foods of Nashville is no different. I’ve posted some highlights below. 
This year we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend the CMT Music Awards, which we immediately followed up with excessive pitchers of beer at from the Paradise Trailer Park. Hey, it is Tennessee after all and it was sweltering hot. But it made the greasy food we ordered all the better. Excellent grilled cheese sandwich on whole wheat toast with sweet potato fries with Carolina BBQ sauce. Other members of the crew enjoyed a chili cheese dog, chili cheeseburger, and macaroni and cheese. All served on top of wax paper in paper cartons on a red cafeteria style trays. The Paradise Park is one of our favorite drinking places downtown because it’s cheap and really fun – there’s always great live entertainment and great food! 

Another one of our Nashville staples is Rippy’s BBQ for multiple reasons including cost, convenience, atmosphere, speedy service and most importantly: AMAZING food!  This year we were a little disappointed because Rippy’s featured a special events menu which meant that our favorite Nashville sandwich of all time, the Pork Loin Sandwich on Texas Toast, was unavailable. (The horror!) But we still enjoyed their pulled pork bbq with a side of baked beans with jalapeños.  The cornbread is also a must have at Rippys – it’s as light and buttery as a pancake. 
One of our favorite things to do when we visit Nashville is to take a trip on the General Jackson Showboat.  This river cruise is an amazing way to enjoy the gorgeous TN weather. Good food, good drink, good company … there’s nothing better. We enjoyed a traditional southern bbq buffet on the outdoor deck before putting the bartenders to work inside. It was ridiculously gluttonous but worth every cent and every calorie. I attempted to capture the essence of this luncheon in one dish, seen below. 
A tossed mixed green salad, hot house grown cucumbers, grape tomatoes, blue cheese, croûtons and ranch dressing. (For some reason, it seems like everyone in the south LOVES Ranch dressing. It’s everywhere! This one tasted particularly fresh and may have been homemade.) To my delight, there was a fresh tomato and basil salad. “Rachel’s Sour Cream Baked Potato Salad” was absolutely amazing! I’ve never had this before and am wondering this twist on the potato salad is a southern trick? Rachel, if you are out there reading this, I would love this recipe! 🙂 
For the entree, we were treated to Coca-Cola Braised Beef Short Ribs, Buttermilk Fried Catfish and Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo. (Loved the gumbo – but I think that mine was just as good!) The sides were country herb roasted yellow potatoes, country style garden vegetables. For dessert, a vanilla bread pudding. 
The view from the General Jackson boat was beautiful but it was a little bittersweet as well. Remnants of the devastating flood were evident along the riverbanks of the Cumberland and it really saddened my heart to think about what the people of Tennessee went through and how much they have lost. Our driver tearfully told us how she lost all of her furniture in the flood. Thankfully, half of the proceeds of the CMA fest benefited flood victims of Middle Tennessee.  To learn more about how you can help: click here to visit the Red Cross; click here to visit the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee; and click here to visit Feeding America

All the barbecue in Nashville can seem a little bit overwhelming at times, so thankfully we were able to scour out a few places where we could find real lettuce, vegetables and other edible items not swimming in barbecue sauce, sugar and mayonnaise.  One of my favorite salads was the Hummus and Goat Cheese Salad with Grilled Chicken from the Big River Grille.  It’s a heaping pile of lettuce with roasted red peppers and tomatoes topped over warm grilled flat bread and drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. I was very happy with this salad. 
Our server also recommended trying the Smoked Tomato Bruschetta with fresh basil and asiago cheese, claiming it was the best in at least 5 states.  As soon as she said it, I knew it probably wasn’t but I appreciated her recommendation and ordered it anyway. The capers in the bruschetta were a nice touch, but I wasn’t really crazy about the fact that the tomatoes were not served directly on the bread and they were room temperature. My family has been making bruschetta from home grown Pittston tomatoes so I am a little bit spoiled and bias. But I enjoyed this dish nonetheless. I also included a pic of the lemons I ordered – which tasted like little pieces of heaven squeezed into my glass of cold water on a 98 degree day. I cherished those first few sips.
My only problem with this restaurant was that we waited a ridiculous long time for our food and an eternity for our check. But it was the CMA Fest and they were understandably extremely busy. (Or maybe people in the south just aren’t as rushed as we are? I’m not sure.)  But props to the the Big River Grille for even being open after the devastating flood! I’d go back again. And I’d get the Hummus and Goat Cheese salad. 

Another option to try if you are looking for a salad is Tazza Restaurant which is on Church Street downtown.  This place got mixed reviews online but I enjoyed it and would go back again. It was an Italian pizzeria and we felt at home inside. My Mediterranean Salmon Salad with strawberries and creamy feta cheese was refreshing and crisp and the service was really great. Our server was so sweet and really tried to give us some good suggestions about what to order. 
Another highlight of our trip was the Josh Turner fan club party. For $35 a ticket, we enjoyed an intimate private concert by Josh, one of my favorite country artists.  We were pleasantly surprised that this price even included a catered Cracker Barrel Country Style Breakfast.  I tried biscuits and gravy for the first time in my life – they weren’t bad either! he servers looked shocked when I firmly passed on all the hot fruit toppings though – the idea of hot fruit on pancakes is not appetizing to me, but apparently it’s a huge thing in the south.

Hope you enjoyed my pics! Check back soon as I will be posting more on my fairytale feasts from Nashville soon! 🙂