Riffs Pop Up Restaurant This Weekend

Riffs’ Duck Croustade

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Riffs Fine Street Food. I’ve placed many orders at that truck window, and never been disappointed in a single dish. Actually, that’s a big understatement… I’m usually blown away by the creativity and the burst of flavors that hit my palate.

Judging from the enthusiastic talk about them on Twitter, and the fact that they won first prize in this past fall’s Battle of the Food Trucks, it’s pretty apparent that others here in Nashville are fans as well.

But while many of you know Riffs as strictly a mobile food vendor, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them in a different light. When it came time to find a caterer for my company’s intimate Christmas party this past December, I immediately thought of B.J. and Carlos, the chefs behind Riffs.

They enthusiastically took on the project of creating our elegant, multi-course meal, and let me tell you- they hit it out of the ball park.

Riffs’ Snapper with Lemongrass Broth

These photos highlight just a few of the courses we consumed, and as always, my photography skills don’t do the dishes justice. Not only were they all delicious, but they were gorgeous as well. The menu:

Appetizers

Tuna Snaps w/ fried wontons, candied ginger, pickled asian slaw

Smoked Duck breast w/ pretzel croustade, tamarind sauce, micro greens

Salad

Oak Leaf Bibb Salad w/Roasted Beets, Citrus, Noble Springs Thyme Infused Goat Cheese

Warm Introduction

Home-made Pumpkin Honey Ravioli w/Rainbow Chard Walnut Brown Butter

Fish Course

Pan Seared Yellow Tail Snapper w/Heirloom Tomatoes, Lemongrass Kafir Lime Leaf Broth

Meat Course

Grilled Wagyu Strip Loin w/ Fig Tomato Jam and Shrimp w/ Diver’s Paradise Ragout

Dessert

Cream of Walnut Soup
Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Cloud Cake
White Chocolate Bourbon Orange Blossom Water Panna Cotta with Candied Bacon

Riffs’ Wagyu Beef fig tomato jam and Shrimp with Diver’s Paradise Ragout

A note on the Shrimp Ragout dish: Even though it is not prominently displayed in the photo, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a standout. On the contrary, I could eat a plate of this alone. Again and again. Made up of hopper shrimp from Louisiana Seafood Company, scallops, calamari, baby octopus, black eyed peas and heirloom tomatoes, it was INCREDIBLE.

Riffs’ Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Cloud Cake with Cream of Walnut Soup

Now for the reason I’m sharing this divine dining experience with you today.

You too can savor a meal like this one prepared by B.J. and Carlos very soon. As in – THIS WEEKEND.

The guys of Riffs are putting together a pop-up restaurant at a secret location this Saturday, March 17th.  Also a secret? The menu.

That’s the reason I’m sharing my Christmas dinner experience with you. I have it on good authority that these are the sorts of dishes you can expect at the pop-up. While maybe not exactly the same, this will at least give you some idea of the level of dining you’ll be experiencing. It’s definitely not street food!

 Riffs’ White Chocolate Bourbon Orange Blossom Water Panna Cotta with Candied Bacon

The dinner  will feature five courses with cocktail pairings and costs $100 per person (excluding tax and gratuity).  There will be seatings at 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and space is limited, so make your reservations now! Contact (615) 669-8782 or email chefs@riffstruck.com.

For those that make reservations, you’ll receive instructions concerning location via email 24 hours in advance of the dinner.

Hopefully I’ll be dining next to some of you at a top secret location on Saturday night!