State urged to boost rice sales
Ministry
determined to reduce stockpile
Published:
23 Dec 2014 at 06.30
Newspaper
section: Business
Writer:
Phusadee Arunmas
The
government is being urged to improve selling procedures next year to ensure
faster sales in order to keep pace with market requirements and to classify
grain quality more clearly. Prospective bidders inspect the quality of rice
prior to the auction called by the Commerce Ministry yesterday. The ministry
put up almost 390,000 tonnes, mainly broken rice, white rice and glutinous
rice, drawing an active response from potential buyers. KITJA APICHONROJAREK
"Rotten rice stocks should be eradicated to let the market
know the exact amount of the government's rice stocks. This will affect rice
prices and eventually lead the market to return to normal," said Chookiat
Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters
Association."Given the massive volume held by the government, the chance
for prices in the market to increase by US$50-100 a tonne would be
difficult."He said the overall market was expected to remain tight in 2015
due to anticipated higher supplies by other rice-producing nations such as
Vietnam and India.
Mr Chookiat predicts Thailand will export 10 million tonnes next
year.The Commerce Ministry forecasts Thailand will ship 10.7 million tonnes
this year, a surge of 60% over last year, with value up by 29% to $5 billion.Of
the total, the government has shipped 1.06 million tonnes including 230,000
tonnes sold to China.The Commerce Ministry targets exports of 10.5 million
tonnes worth $5.2 billion in 2015. Next year's production is estimated at 35
million tonnes of paddy or 22 million tonnes of milled rice, down from 37
million tonnes and 24 million tonnes this year, respectively.Prime Minister
Prayut Chan-o-cha, who chairs the National Rice Policy Committee, last Friday
said the government had vowed to dispose of the 17 million tonnes left in its
stockpile over the next two or three years through domestic sales as well as
exports.
The government could sell the stocks on both a whole-warehouse and
a stack basis and plans to beef up local sales.The committee also acknowledged
the recent audit of state rice stocks, which counted 17.8 million tonnes,
although that included 400,000 tonnes already sold and 390,000 tonnes
missing.Of the 17 million tonnes still present, 2.35 million were found to be
of good quality, 14.4 million substandard and 694,000 rotten.
Rice-subsidy schemes covering 15 harvests since 2004 have resulted
in losses of 680 billion baht from total costs of 1.1 trillion used to buy 85
million tonnes of paddy. The subcommittee inspecting the accounting of several
governments' rice-subsidy schemes earlier revealed that of the 15 programmes,
four were rice-pledging schemes initiated by the Yingluck Shinawatra government
with total losses of 518 billion baht.The Commerce Ministry yesterday put up
almost 390,000 tonnes for the fourth auction, mainly broken rice, white rice
and glutinous rice, drawing an active response from potential buyers.
Duangporn Rodphaya, director-general of the Foreign Trade
Department, said the government yesterday agreed to sell 247,000 tonnes from 52
state warehouses to 21 buyers.The ministry sold a combined 348,836 tonnes in
the first three auctions, raising 3.6 billion baht.Ms Duangporn said the Commerce
Ministry was committed to selling the state rice stocks on a continuous basis
until next March before new supply from the second crop entered the market.
Tell
More than 200,000 tons of rice sold in the latest round
of auction
Date : 23 ธันวาคม 2557
BANGKOK, 23 Dec 2014 (NNT) - A total of 246,000 tons out of the
400,000 tons of rice were sold in the 4th round of auction this year with 21
companies able to clinch the deal, out of the 34 participants. The Department
of Foreign Trade would officially announce the auction result at a later date
after receiving the approval from the National Rice Policy Committee which is
expected to meet after the New Year’s holiday. The Government would seek to
strike a deal with the private sector on the remaining 150,000 tons, whose
prices in the last round of auction were still lower than the minimum prices.
Meanwhile, Director-General of the Department of Foreign Trade
Duangporn Rodphaya stated that this year’s rice exports should be as high as
10.7 million tons worth about 5 billion US dollars. She predicted that next
year’s volume would be slightly lower, but the value would increase to 5.2 -
5.3 billion US dollars, due to lower global output affected by natural
disasters and drought, contrary to the rising demand.
Rice exporters expect weaker sales to G2G
markets in 2015
VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese rice
exporters say they are uncertain about export volume to the concentrated market
(government-to-government, or G2G) in 2015 because of stiffer competition in
the market.
“We have sufficient information to predict demand in the G2G
market in 2015,” said Huynh The Nang, general director of the Southern Food
Corporation (Vinafood 2), one of the two most powerful rice exporters.However,
the market will be fiercely competitive because of the presence of strong rice
exporters.Nang said the Philippines, which has suffered from typhoon Hagupit,
now has the demand for 600,000 tons of rice.The country plans to invite bids in
January 2015, though NFA, the country’s national food agency, has denied the
possibility of importing more rice than was initially planned, because of
Hagupit.
Some other markets including
Malaysia and Indonesia have also announced their estimated demands.It is
expected that the demand from G2G markets, including the Philippines, may reach
2.5 million tons in 2015 (common white 5 percent, 15 percent and 25 percent
broken rice).
Also, according to Nang, though
Vietnamese rice exporters have received signs from importers about demands,
they still have not obtained any contracts with considerable export volume for
2015.“The demand is big. But whether we can sell rice will still depend on the
competition between us and other exporters,” Nang commented.
Meanwhile, analysts warned that Vietnamese exporters should be
aware of Thailand, a strong rival that now has a high inventory index.An
analyst said it is difficult to predict how much rice Vietnam will export in
2015 because of the instability of the Chinese market.China is now Vietnam’s
largest rice importer. However, according to Nguyen Dinh Bich, a renowned rice
expert, China is also being eyed by Thailand and India.“We have been relying on
the Chinese market, but the market’s demand remains an unknown,” he said,
adding that Vietnam will face big challenges in the short term and medium term
with other exporters, especially in exporting common rice.
An official of the Vietnam Food
Association (VFA) noted that the existence of too many rice varieties has
reduced Vietnam’s rice competitiveness.“In the common white rice market segment,
for example, we offer at least 10 rice varieties. Meanwhile, some importers
only accept rice with homogenous quality and variety,” he said.The official
noted that Vietnam has not been able to successfully exploit African markets
which import 14 million tons of common white rice a year. It still cannot
penetrate East African markets, and has only exported small volumes of rice to
Ghana and Ivory Coast in West Africa.
Thanh Lich
Tags: Rice exporters,rice
exporting, rice farmers,
Using
weedy rice traits to boost cultivated rice yields
Weedy Rice
Genetic traits in the taller
weedy red rice scattered in this field may help new varieties of cultivated
rice adapt to climate change. (Photo courtesy of ARS News Service.)
Posted: Tuesday, December
23, 2014 12:00 am
By Sharon Durham, ARS News Service
Genetic traits in weedy rice may
someday be used to develop sturdy, high-yield varieties of cultivated rice that
will flourish in the face of climate change, thanks to findings by scientists
at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This work, conducted by Agricultural
Research Service plant physiologist Lewis Ziska and his colleagues.Ziska, who
is with ARS’s Crop Systems and Global Change Laboratory in Beltsville,
Maryland, studied several rice cultivars to determine if changes in temperature
and CO2 levels affected seed yields.
He also looked for visible traits
that could signal whether a plant cultivar has the genetic potential for
adapting successfully to elevated CO2 levels.The investigation included weedy
red rice, which infests cultivated rice cropland. Despite the plant’s
downsides, previous assessments indicated that weedy rice growing under
elevated CO2 levels had higher seed yields than cultivated rice growing under
the same conditions.Ziska monitored the different rice cultivars at current and
future projections of atmospheric CO2 and a range of day/night air
temperatures. He observed on average, all the rice cultivars put out more
aboveground biomass at elevated CO2 levels, although this response diminished
as air temperatures rose.For seed yield, only weedy rice and the rice cultivar
‘Rondo’ responded to elevated CO2 levels when grown at optimal day/night air
temperatures of 84 degrees F and 70 degrees F.
In addition, only the weedy rice gained
significant increases of aboveground biomass and seed yield under elevated CO2
levels at the higher temperatures expected for rice-growing regions by
2050.Seed yield is a trait linked to seed head and tiller production. Tillers
are stalks put out by a growing rice plant. As the plant matures, the seed
heads-where rice grain is produced-develop at the end of the tillers. This
suggests that crop breeders might someday be able to use this weedy rice trait
to develop commercial rice cultivars that can convert rising CO2 levels into
higher seed yields.These findings were published in “Functional Plant Biology”
in 2013. This work supports the USDA priority of responding to climate change.
ARS is USDA’s chief intramural scientific research agency.
Pier 1 Imports Now Covered by Johnson
Rice
Equities researchers at Johnson
Rice initiated coverage on shares of Pier 1 Imports (NYSE:PIR) in a research report issued on Monday.
The firm set an “overweight” rating on the stock.Pier 1 Imports (NYSE:PIR) opened at 15.23 on Monday. Pier
1 Imports has a 52-week low of $11.42 and a 52-week high of $23.60. The stock has
a 50-day moving average of $13.6 and a 200-day moving average of $14.39. The
company has a market cap of $1.394 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of
16.05.Pier 1 Imports (NYSE:PIR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on
Thursday, December 18th.
The company reported $0.20
earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the analysts’ consensus estimate of
$0.20. The company had revenue of $484.50 million for the quarter. During the
same quarter last year, the company posted $0.26 earnings per share. On
average, analysts predict that Pier 1 Imports will post $0.99 earnings per
share for the current fiscal year.The company also recently declared a
quarterly dividend, which is scheduled for Wednesday, February 4th. Investors
of record on Wednesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $0.06 per
share. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of
1.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th.PIR has
been the subject of a number of other recent research reports. Analysts at
Credit Suisse reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Pier 1 Imports in a
research note on Friday.
They now have a $15.00 price
target on the stock, up previously from $13.00. Separately, analysts at
Deutsche Bank raised their price target on shares of Pier 1 Imports from $15.00
to $17.00 in a research note on Friday. They now have a “hold” rating on the
stock. Finally, analysts at Nomura set a $19.00 price target on shares of Pier
1 Imports in a research note on Friday. They now have a “buy” rating on the
stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen
have assigned a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued
a strong buy rating to the stock.
The stock currently has a
consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $16.35.In other Pier
1 Imports news, EVP Gregory Humenesky sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock
on the open market in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 19th. The
stock was sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total value of $225,000.00.
The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange
Commission, which can be accessed through this link.Pier 1 Imports, Inc (NYSE:PIR) is a global importer of
imported decorative home furnishings and gifts.
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Rice exports are expected to total more than 1.5
million tonnes this financial year, the largest quantity since the 1960s
The rise comes despite the rice trade being slowed by an
import clampdown from China, Myanmar’s biggest rice export market.About 900,000
tonnes have been exported so far in 2014-15, according to Myanmar Rice
Federation joint secretary U Lu Maw Myint Maung. The Myanmar financial year
begins April 1.“At present, things are going well,” he said. “Over the next
three months, we hope to export much more to China, Europe and Africa.”U Lu Maw
Myint Maung, who is also one of the country’s largest rice exporters, said he
anticipates exports totalling over 1.5 million tonnes this year.
The export industry had been hard-hit by China’s decision in
September to crack down on rice shipments from Myanmar. While rice exports to
China are legal from Myanmar’s point of view, China officially outlawsrice
imports from Myanmar, though had been generally turning a blind eye. While
Chinese officials have not publically explained the crackdown, traders say it
has been loosening since mid-November, and most rice shipments through the
Muse-Ruili border crossing are now making it through.“Rice exports to China
have now almost returned to a normal situation, though the price is a bit lower
than what was offered two months ago,” said U Lu Maw Myint Maung.He added
Myanmar has also been exporting small quantities of high quality rice to Europe
and larger volumes to Africa. It has also been adding new buyers, most recently
Sri Lanka.African countries together have traditionally been the largest
importers of Myanmar rice until the last two years, when Chinese demand grew.
The country is also set to top its 2013-14 exports of about
1.2 million tonnes, despite the border shutdown.Officials and businesspeople
from both China and Myanmar have held negotiations to ensure similar problems
don’t happen in the future. Myanmar has put together a 36-member team to
negotiate the issue, including representatives from the Myanmar Rice
Federation, traders, millers and commodity market officials.Much of the talks
have been aimed at finding a way to comply with the health standards China demands
for its rice imports. There are signs of a breakthrough, and Myanmar Rice
Federation secretary U Ye Min Aung has said the first-ever official exports to
the country would start with 200,000 tonnes this month. Half of this quantity
is to follow the usual route by land across the Muse-Ruili border crossing,
though the other half is to be transported by ocean vessel to China’s eastern
seaboard for the first time.
The quantity of rice Myanmar is able to export to China each
year is still under discussion, with the Myanmar side requesting to be excused
paying tariffs for a specific quantity each year. China for its part has
offered to lower the tax rate it has been levying at the border.“After
finishing the process of making the market legal, the current methods of rice
trading will not be favourable, and doing things legally will be better for
both sides,” said U Ye Min Aung.
Adani
Wilmar forays into branded basmati rice segment
Company says many families are
actually switching over to branded basmati rice over loose ones
BS Reporter | Ahmedabad
December 22, 2014 Last Updated at 20:57 IST
One of India's leading cooking oil
brand
Adani Wilmar is
foraying into the
basmati rice market this season.Traditionally,
in Gujarat households stock up rice and other grocery essentials during this
season, and Adani Wilmar's release claimed that many families are actually
switching over to branded basmati rice over loose ones.Atul Chaturvedi, chief
executive officer, Adani Wilmar said, "Our experts source the finest
quality of basmati paddy from the basmati growing regions of Punjab and Haryana.”Fortune
Traditional Basmati Rice is available in packs of 5 kg, 10 kg and 25 kg.
Adani Wilmar has plans to invest Rs
600 crore this fiscal to expand capacity in its refineries across the country,
the company had said in July this year. It has already forayed into the soya
chunks market under its 'Fortune' brand.The company's revenue stood at Rs
17,300 crore in FY14. The company, which is a 50:50 joint venture between
Adani Group and
Wilmar International of Singapore, exports its products to 19 countries in the
Middle East, South East Asia and East Africa
Source with thanks:BUSINESS JOURNAL
New Yield Data Available
WASHINGTON, DC -- Yesterday, Farm Service Agency (FSA)
Administrator Val Dolcini announced that Risk Management Agency (RMA) certified
yield data has been made available for producers at FSA county offices. Producers are encouraged to contact their
local FSA offices to see what data they have on file from RMA.
This data will help producers make the one-time decision to update
their commodity program payment yields or keep their current yields for the new
Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) programs. The data on file will be available only to
the producer associated with the crop insurance record and the yield update
decision must be made by February 27, 2015."The collaboration between FSA
and RMA to provide producers with certified yields should help streamline the
process of updating yields for the new safety net programs," said Ben
Mosely, USA Rice Federation vice president of government affairs. "Producers should take advantage of this
opportunity and make appointments with their local FSA office as soon as
possible."
Contact: Evan Spencer (703) 236-1476
Little Rock Chef Proudly Supports
U.S.-Grown Rice
Chef Brian Deloney
LITTLE ROCK, AR -- U.S.-grown rice has a keen supporter in Little
Rock chef Brian Deloney, an enthusiastic participant in the USA Rice
Federation's restaurant promotion at the 2014 USA Rice Outlook Conference held
here earlier this month. Deloney is the
owner of Maddie's Place, a Little Rock restaurant that features inventive
variations of Southern-style comfort food with a distinctive Creole
influence.Chef Deloney trained under world-famous chef Emeril Lagasse for more
than ten years at restaurants from Las Vegas to New Orleans, before returning
to his roots in Little Rock to open his own restaurant.
Named after Deloney's
daughter, Maddie's Place serves Cajun-style dishes including an infamous
Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo with Steamed Rice.Deloney emphasizes his
commitment to serving creative dishes with homegrown ingredients such as
rice."I love buying local ingredients, I do support that," he
said. "I like really good, simple
food done right with love. Rice is an
integral part of our menu, absolutely.
We use rice all over the place."When asked about his preference for
using Arkansas-grown ingredients on his menu, Deloney said, "The rice I
use comes from Arkansas. Since rice is
such a big deal in Arkansas, it is pretty easy to get and a big part of what we
do here."
Contact: Colleen Klemczewski (703) 236-1446
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
CME Group (Preliminary): Closing Rough Rice Futures for December 23
January 2015
|
$12.185
|
+ $0.025
|
March 2015
|
$12.415
|
+ $0.030
|
May 2015
|
$12.685
|
+ $0.025
|
July 2015
|
$12.850
|
+ $0.025
|
September 2015
|
$12.230
|
+ $0.025
|
November 2015
|
$12.190
|
+ $0.025
|
January 2016
|
$12.200
|
+ $0.025
|
|
Best Eats 2014: The 12 top
Huntsville-area dining reviews from this year
ChuckWagon BBQ's Three Meat Plate with ribs, brisket,
chicken, slaw and potato salad. (Matt Wake/mwake@al.com)
It doesn't really matter if a restaurant employee notices the
AL.com/Huntsville Times entertainment reporter is seated over there at table
nine. Or if they don't. Because with all internal and external variables
involved in the wild animal that's the restaurant business, getting
well-prepared food out to a tableful of people in a timely, courtesy and
interesting manner is never truly easy. To use a baseball analogy, a major
league pitcher knows he's supposed to throw a strike into the catcher's mitt.
But that doesn't mean he'll be on target when there are 20,000 fans in the
stadium. Or that he'll get the ball past the batter. That's why restaurants and
food trucks that do pull off stunning food and sterling service deserve much
respect ... and a place on our Best Eats of 2014 list.
Please note: Pricing, available
items and hours of operation indicated below reflect those on the date the
dining review was conducted. Please call ahead for latest information.
ChuckWagon BBQ
8982
Hwy. 20, Madison
256-772-5179
Monday -
Wednesday: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Thursday:
11 a.m. - 2 p.m.; 5 - 8 p.m.
Recommendations:
Chicken, ribs, pulled pork, brisket.
Price
range: Most main dishes $7 - $16.
Suspense builds as you get to the front of the line at
Chuckwagon BBQ. A tall gray bearded gent wearing a cowboy hat - and looking
like he just finished shoeing a horse - brandishes a large knife and presides
over a steaming table of various meats. The ribs are excellent - smoky, tender,
a subtle sweetness - and paired well with ChuckWagon's medium barbecue sauce,
which has enough kick for most folks. There aren't many barbecue joints in
Huntsville that take a stab at brisket. ChuckWagon nails it. The chicken, my
serving was basically a breast halved, might have been my favorite main dish
here - a pronounced smokiness, super tender well-cooked white meat.
The Eaves Restaurant (Sunday
brunch)
501
Church St.
256-489-1752
eaveshsv.com
Sunday
brunch: 10:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Recommendations:
Surf & Turf Omelette, Crab Cake BLT, Bourbon Peaches & Cream Signature
Stuffed French Toast.
Price
range: Most entrees $9 - $22.
The Eaves brunch menu indicates the Bourbon Peaches & Cream
Signature Stuffed French Toast ($15) requires extra prep time. It's worth the
wait. Dusky, spicy bourbon notes imbuing the gooey peach stuffing inside the
two large planks of French toast, which were expertly cooked. Golden. Right on.
The fresh whipped cream on top was super rich and super airy, and when combined
with the bourbon peach filling made for a truly decadent experience. The side
of bacon, thick cut, Applewood-tasting was a smart, savory counterpoint to all
that lights-out sweetness.
Brasserie Juno
964
Airport Road S.W. Ste. 3
256-880-9920
junohsv.com
Tuesday
- Thursday: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Friday -
Saturday: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Sunday:
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Recommendations:
Tour du Fromage, Duck Au Poivre, Charbroiled Flounder, Chicken Provencal.
Price
range: Most entrees $10 - $22
If you've never eaten snails before, it's actually not a
freaky experience. The Escargot ($10) at Brasserie Juno is quite lovely,
broiled in a subtle garlic-butter and the snails themselves, served sans shell,
had a bouncy texture not dissimilar from clams and a woodsy, Portobello-like
flavor. Squeezing the accompanying lemon wedge over the Escargot really made
this dish pop. Virtually every molecule of our meal at Brasserie Juno -
formerly the long-running German restaurant Café Berlin which ownership
rebooted in mid-July as a French place - was assured and elegant. Transportive.
And flat-out delicious.
Viet Cuisine
405
Jordan Lane
256-361-6067
Monday -
Saturday: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Recommendations:
Lemongrass Chicken, Dry Phnom Penh Noodle, Tofo And Mixed Vegetable On The
Skillet, Seafood Pho.
Price
range: Most main dishes $7 - $8.
The Lemongrass Chicken ($7.25)
arrived on a sizzling skillet similar to those Mexican restaurants utilize for
fajitas. A perfect portion of tender stir fry chicken, supported with a
balanced amount of green bell pepper chunks, red onion (caramelized sweet),
baby corn, mushrooms and, in a deft move, a few bits of pineapple. Served with
white rice. Several sprigs of cilantro imparted exotic, fresh notes. Minced
chili pepper added pow. An awesome dish.
Rollin Lobstah
256-690-6494
Visit rollinlobstah.com for locations, dates and times
Recommendations: Connecticut
Lobstah Roll, Maine Lobstah Roll, Mac & Cheese Bacon Lobstah Bites.
Price
range: Most items $7-$11.
When Lobstah debuted this summer
at a Downtown Huntsville Inc.'s Street Food event, people were waiting in
90-minute lines to order from this food truck. An hour-and-a-half. Just to
order. The Connecticut Lobstah Roll ($11) is particularly excellent. Warm fresh
lobster chunks on a toasted lightly buttered bun (with a favorable
lobster-to-bun ratio), and this is one of those dishes where the ingredients
meld into one.
Abuela's Mexican Bar and Grill
8694
Madison Blvd. Ste. 7
256-425-1231
Monday -
Thursday: 10:30 - 9 p.m.
Friday-
Saturday: 10:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Sunday:
10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Recommendations:
Marinated Pork Enchiladas, Tortilla Soup, Diablo Shrimp.
Price
range: Most entrees $6.50 - $13.
They might as well all be
franchises of some chain called McMexican's. Those interchangeable, boilerplate
Mexican restaurants that serve food so similar you could be in Topeka or
Tennessee. Many of us still eat at them on the regular. Mostly because of
proximity to work or home. Located in Madison, Abuela's Mexican Bar and Grill
is about a 15-minute drive from downtown Huntsville and not particularly
convenient to here but I'll be driving back there soon. Fresh, higher
quality ingredients and a menu with some delicious deviations from the norm are
the primary reasons why.
1892 East (vegetarian lunch menu)
720
Pratt Avenue
256-489-1242
1892east.com
Lunch:
Monday - Friday 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Dinner:
Monday - Saturday 5 - 10 p.m.
Brunch:
Sunday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Recommendations:
Mushroom Pot Pie, Portobello "Burger," Crispy Tofu Sandwich.
Price
range: Most items $9 - $12.
My cheeseburger at 1892 East was juicy, plenty, rich, savory,
tender ... and completely meatless. The Portobello "Burger" ($10) is
served on a soft, bakery-style roll, the Portobello Burger was ideally grilled.
Balsamic aioli imparted bright notes while Wright Dairy white cheddar cheese
contributed lush texture. The green leafy lettuce, onion slices and ultra-ripe
tomatoes served with all the sandwiches we ordered upped the ante, as did the
abundant and crunchy fresh-cut fries.
5 A's Restaurant
6297
Highway 53
256-852-8089
5asrestaurant.com
Tuesday
- Saturday: 10:30 a.m. - 9 p.m
Sunday:
11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Recommendations:
Feisty Feta Spread, Chicken Kabob Plate, Kataifi, Vegetarian Plate.
Price
range: Most items $5 - $10.
Just because food is served on a Styrofoam plate doesn't mean it
can't look and taste phenomenal. Witness the Chicken Kabob Plate ($7.99) at 5
A's Restaurant, a two-year-old-plus Greek eatery in Harvest. Tender, juicy
chunks of chicken breast, crisp lettuce, sliced cherry tomatoes, olives, feta
cheese, soft pita triangles plated attractively atop perfectly cooked,
long-grain basmati rice. This entrée really delivered some subtle-yet-zesty
flavors while retaining a relatively healthy vibe. The accompanying,
on-the-side tzatziki sauce offered cucumber coolness, garlic zip and clean
creaminess, and the hummus boasted lothario levels of smoothness and
earthiness.
The Bottle (lunch menu)
101
Washington St. N.E.
256-704-5555
facebook.com/TheBottleHuntsville
Lunch:
Monday- Friday 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Dinner:
Monday - Saturday: 4 - 11 p.m.
Recommendations:
Apple and Blackberry Mixed Green Salad, Pan Fried Trout, Seared Ahi Tuna
Nicoise Bowl.
Price
range: Entrees $13 - $16.
The skin-up plating of trout
always looks a little crazy to me, but you cannot argue with the flavor. The
Bottle's Pan Fried Trout ($16) possessed - snow-soft texture, flaky, hints of
buttery sweetness. It started off tasting good and got better with each bite.
And there were lots of bites. Generous portion. The accompanying lemon meuniere
sauce - dotted with a constellation of capers - evoked earthy notes, and
whenever I bit into a caper, it added an intense bright burst. The few
neon-green drops of basil oil added some sweet and leafy kicks, and I found
myself searching the plate for a few more dots.
Brix (lunch menu)
964
Airport Road
256-881-3396
brixhuntsville.com
Dinner:
Monday -Thursday 4:30 - 9 p.m.; Friday - Saturday 4:30 - 10 p.m.
Lunch:
Tuesday - Friday: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Recommendations:
Brix Salad, Chicken & Waffles.
Price
range: $9 - $15.
If you've ever been underwhelmed
by chicken and waffles, try the version on Brix's lunch menu. The problem you
can run into with this dichotomous dish, as prepared at soul food restaurants,
is the chicken is often three or so fried wings. So the protein is skimpy and a
hassle to eat with a knife and fork. Brix's Chicken & Waffles ($12.95),
ordered on a recent Monday, featured a sizeable, boneless chicken tenderloin,
fried juicy-crisp without being overdone or greasy. Granted, Brix is a
white-tablecloth restaurant. But this is an upscale refinement that really,
really works and a fair trade for whatever "funkiness" is lost.
Cotton Row Restaurant (lunch
menu)
100
South Side Square
256-382-9500
cottonrowrestaurant.com
Lunch:
Wednesday - Friday: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Dinner:
Monday through Saturday 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Recommendations:
Gnocchi Spinach Soup, Pan Seared Corvina, Grilled Mahi Mahi, Chicken Pot
Pie.
Price
range: Most lunch items $11 - $17.
Ever since star chef James Boyce
opened Cotton Row in 2008, the downtown-square fine-dining spot has earned a
reputation for transcendent food and car-payment sized tabs. While Cotton Row
dinner entree prices are no joke, the restaurant's fantastic lunch menu
is much more accessible. I ordered the Grilled Mahi Mahi ($14). When the
gorgeously plated Mahi was placed in front of me, it felt like I was living
inside a cookbook photo. The fish couldn't have been cooked better. Super,
tender flaky interior, and a slightly-crispy exterior which was subtly salt and
herb seasoned. The fish was served atop sunset-soft ringlets of house-made,
slightly buttery fettuccine. Wow.
Nick's Ristorante
10300
Bailey Cove Road
256-489-8280
nicksristorante.com
Monday -
Saturday: 4 - 11 p.m.
Recommendations:
Veal Saltimboca, Pasta Nicky, Crab-Stuffed Portobello "Jaclyn."
Price
range: Most entrees $18 - $39.
Nick's Ristorante is located in a South Huntsville strip mall,
so approaching the humble exterior you might wonder, "Is this really
somewhere I want to drop some big coin on dinner?" The answer is a
resounding, 72-point font "YES." The Veal Saltimboca ($24) was
possibly the best in a strong field of entrees we ordered. Layers of veal,
prosciutto, cheese and, I believe, sage, resulted in a dish that was
sophisticated and supper-comfy. Our server recommended mushroom risotto as a
side, and man, was she right-on. Chunky, woodsy and a must-do side.
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