dana cowin approved

Dana Cowin, editor of Food and Wine mag,  listed Richmond's own Pho So 1 in "where i'm coming from" in the July issue. See her shout out here. Way to go, RVA!

the best hangover food - vietnam 1

Well, after a lovely but hot day with friends at the Central Va wine festival (followed by sushi and sake and which may have involved a wasabi eating contest), I had a bit of divine punishment meted out this Sunday morning. By 10 am I was starving and I wanted something mild and comforting. Hubs headed to Vietnam 1, which was packed at 11 am (pho is traditionally breakfast food after all), to get me some bbq tofu with vermicelli noodles. I like mine without lettuce and peanut and with lots of fish sauce and chili paste. I also like crispy onions, but hubs forgot. The tofu was tender with a lovely char and the noodles soaked up the sauce and soothed my ravenous appetite in a way that only simple carbs can do. I perked up in no time. Thank you Vietnam 1! I also recommend this dish for those who are not recovering from an indulgent partaking of adult beverages.

stuzzi

First order of business: an announcement. Rhubarb compote is back at Bouchon! Yep. The BEST dessert in RVa is back. Why a blurb about Bouchon in a post about Stuzzi? Because we wound up there Friday night after an attempt to dine at Stuzzi. Here's how it went down - We were right on time for our 7 pm reservation (which I made a full 5 minutes after the invitation arrived in my inbox) and were told that there was a 1.25 hour wait for a table because they were overbooked. I made hubs leave work early and had really nagged him to get home so we could be on time, so I felt really guilty. And then irritated. What is the point of a reservation if you are going to have to stand on line for a table? Overbooking reservations may get your restaurant full, but it does not make people who took time to make a reservation AND nagged their spouse to make the reservation on time happy. They should have had a first come, first serve policy- the guest list was limited anyway. There is nary a restaurant in this city for which I would wait 1.25 hours for a table, but when I also have a confirmed reservation? fuhgeddaboudit.
Anyway, we left - but not before I noticed that it was a bit warm inside. Fast forward to Saturday. We walked in about 3 minutes after the 5:30 opening and most tables were already full. So, we stood at the door for a bit while 3 employees talked behind the bar and made no attempt to seat us or anyone else that walked in. Again, I noticed that it was warm inside. We were (eventually) seated, walking right past the wood fired oven (thus the heat) and told that the meal was on the house. Don't y'all worry, though - I do not have any conflict of interest -  My good opinion can not be bought. Five minutes after we were seated, I started to glisten (Southern ladies don't sweat, y'all!). The menu was an abbreviated version and featured the Neapolitan D.O.C. Margherita pizza with its requisite San Marzano tomato sauce, house-made mozzarella and basil baked in a wood-fired oven insulated with lava rocks from Mt. Vesuvius. I ordered a glass of chianti which was mwehh. Maybe because it was pushing 85 inside? Parched, I ordered another beverage. Stuzzi has the full complement of San Pellegrino products including Chinotto, which is supposed to be a bitter citrus (I think it tastes like a weak root beer) and which I love! I hear that it is also supposed to settle your tummy. So, we got a few - (more proof that my good opinion can not be bought as our meal totaled 7 bucks)...My pizza arrived and looked scrumptious, but when I picked it up, the toppings slid right off. Slippage was due to the fact that the crust was completely soggy. I don't know if it was 1. the sauce, which could have used some spicing up (is salt against d.o.c. policy?) and which was a bit thin for my taste, was watery or if 2. the cheese, which was skimpy in amount, was not drained well before being added to the pie and unleashed a ton of water when it hit the oven, or 3. if it was just so hot in the restaurant that the pizza started to melt. The crust that did not have sauce or toppings was delicious. My stream of consciousness went something like this eating the crust: teeth sink in to a slightly crispy and flame-blackened exterior, a dusting of flour on the bottom coats my tongue and then dissolves to reveal soft bready goodness on the inside. Truly pleasurable in taste and texture. Also enjoyable were the wee little cannolis. The tubes were cripsy and the creme was rich and satisfying with hints of cinnamon and vanilla. Two bites and you're done. Perfect size for dessert (unless you are eating Bouchon's rhubarb compote - in which case larger is definitely better).  For a soft opening weekend, our waitress was great and I tried not to be too picky. Another waitress brought out our pizza and we asked her for crushed red pepper. She told us that they didn't have any. Huh? So we asked our waitress. They did have it. Otherwise, service was friendly and food came out quickly.
We looked at the full menu which featured many "delicious little things" (ie Stuzzi, for all you non-Neapolitan speakers out there) or antipastos such as olives, meats, cheeses as well as a wide variety of pizzas and topping choices to "make your own",  and pastas.
Assuming they fix the soggy pizza problem and the A/C, I would go back. If these two issues are not addressed, I'll take my cannolis to-go, please. At least until October.

Zeus Gallery Cafe aka Obnoxiousness On Display

I am blogging, which means that I either loved or hated something, and in this case it is the latter. Get ready Richmond, I am going to burst your bubble and do some calling out. I like the concept of Zeus Gallery Cafe which reminds me of this place in Dallas (if y'all are in the neighborhood, swing by... you'll thank me) and I really want to like the restaurant. But I don't. I was underwhelmed again on our 4th visit (brunch is ok.. for RVA standards). Why is this place on Style Weekly's Top 50? WHY?

First of all, I find the owner obnoxious. We had reservations and were given a choice of tables, including the large 6-top at the front of the restaurant. I felt bad taking such a large table for the two of us (large as our personalities may be) but was assured since it was a holiday weekend that it would be fine and that the owner, who seated us, "had been in the business a long time and knew what he was talking about " when he said that RVA was "a small town and we like it that way" (why do I care and what does this have to do with where I sit for dinner and why are you snarkily winking at me? Do you like having the ability to see? Do not snarkily wink at me in a "'that's ok lil' darlin'" way) and which clears out on Memorial Day weekend. Except that following our meal, we went to the Tiffany member's preview at VMFA and it was packed (more on this to follow). I would have appreciated a cleared out crowd for that one.  Anyway, I just smiled and nodded (which is never a good sign) so he would go away. During the course of our overpriced dinner, I heard him greet several customers with "Did you call me?" which I guess is a-hole for "Do you have a reservation?" Those that did not "call him" had to suffer through an explanation of how lucky they were to get a table. Wait.  #1. I thought he was not expecting a crowd as he knew from his wealth of experience how empty RVA becomes on Memorial Day weekend (snarky wink) and #2. I was under the impression that the food service industry relied upon their customers and should be thankful for them, not the other way 'round. He was also overheard telling one table that, "Lesser restaurants would not have survived." I assume he was talking about his own restaurant since his attitude smacked of "eating here is akin to eating ambrosia in heaven" And it was not even a smidge close. Portions were too small, execution was poor, course timing was off and at a snail's pace, the by-the-glass menu did not satisfy and my martini was not dirty enough. When I asked for an unoaked chard, I was told that I should try their house chard, that it was not terribly oaky and if I could "tolerate" some oak, I should get a glass. WTF? Did I not just say UNoaked? As in no oak?

Anyway, my celery root soup had bacon in it. EPIC fail for making me inadvertently eat pork. Which I do not eat and did not expect from celery root soup. Hub's beet salad was the only thing I liked. Yummy sweet but tart balsamic dressing. Entrees of pasta with marinara (so tiny and with a pretentious name) and a nightly special, arugula salad, with red and yellow cherry sized tomatoes were not worth the 50 minute long wait. We wanted dessert, but had to wait so long for entrees and for our waitress after we finished eating that we had to leave to get to the museum on time. This about sums up the food: If hubs and I have to eat cereal when we get home not 2 hours after the completion of our $90 meal, I will never return to the aforementioned restaurant. Not even for stellar service, which Zeus Gallery obviously lacks.

But, the Tiffany exhibit was excellent. Except for the crowd, which obviously didn't know that they should clear out for the holiday weekend. I did not want to leave and could stare at some of those pieces for hours. The glass work truly is amazing. Hubs loved some of the glass mosaics. Afterwards, in the exhibit shop, I overheard one woman ask her husband, "What are you going to buy me?" His response after thoughtful perusing of the jewelry: "Honey, none of these pieces are good enough." Told hubs that he could learn a lot from that guy. I don't think she wound up buying anything either, so even if his statement was not genuine and was a total ploy to get out of there without spending a pretty penny, it was a good one. Come to think of it, the owner of Zeus gallery could do with some lessons from this guy. Flattery is the best way to get what you want. In food service, that means gracious hosting at the very least. Flat out kissing up if your food was as sub-par as this evening's. Not a prolonged discourse from a blowhard who does not have much to go on about.

one year

On this my one year wedding anniversary, I want to pay tribute to the creative and executive body behind (and brag about) the menu at my wedding reception. Lisa Benusa at the Mill at Fine Creek met my request for a multi-course, seated, vegetarian dinner head-on, and boy did she deliver! Hubs and I wanted to reprise many of our favorites encountered from our travels together, while paying homage to our native Texas and Hub's Vietnamese heritage, all the while playing with color and texture. Lisa, thank you so much! You made our reception perfect! We still appreciate your hard work, vision and attention to detail; from the flowers in the drinks to the bamboo rice to the servers' bowtie color!

Our cake was baked by Sheila, formerly of the Mill, who is now opening her own cafe and bakery in Powhatan in June (stay tuned for more info!). The cake was so moist and had small bits of almonds in the buttercream for texture which looked almost like handmade paper. It was so good that my Dad still talks about it and I ordered a small cake for today. Once the store is open, I am sure cakes will be shipped off to Texas at regular intervals...

and so without further ado, our menu and pics...


 

Soup Shooter Trio

Gazpacho           Asparagus, Spinach, Tarragon       Borchst

 Fried Green Tomato with Tomatillo-Basil Sauce

 Ginger-Bamboo Rice Cake  &

Mascarpone, Goat Cheese, Black bean- Stuffed Peppers

 Shrimp & Scallop Ceviche            Green Mango Salad

 Grilled Vegetables, Caramelized Sweet Onions, Goat Cheese &

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto in Puff Pastry

 Lemon & Thyme Sorbet

 Amaretto Wedding Cake     Almond Macaroons     Coffee Liquor Bar

photo credits: Jennifer Colina Photography

and to my husband, i love you. i am so happy to have found my someone to cling to me, stay with me right or wrong. someone to sing to me, some little samba song. someone to take my heart, and give his heart to me. someone who's ready to give love a start with me. life is so nice with you.

the wine loft

the wine loft,  which bills itself as "a sophisticated wine bar" and which has large square tiles in the bathroom that are black faux alligator (the interior reminded me of a cheap hotel trying hard to be chic and contemporary) must be too sophisticated for me. i did not like it,  do not recommend it and will not waste my time detailing poorly conceptualized and overpriced food. if one has to inform one's clientele that one is sophisticated and uber-chic, one is trying too hard.

libbie and grove

Friday night began at Cafe Caturra for a cafe au lait for hubs and an unoaked chard for me. We nibbled on the "breads and spreads." Grilled bread drizzled with olive oil was served with three dips: herbed goat cheese (my fav!), tomato basil chutney (a little on the oily side) and artichoke and white bean puree.  I listened to a barista banter with a customer about classic rock songs in a I-sing-the-song-you-name-the-artist sort of game. He was singing "Born to be Wild" and swearing it was Thorogood. I never told him it was Steppenwolf and that he must be thinking of "Bad to the Bone," because it was not my conversation and I did not want to seem like a know-it-all  (but I really am where classic rock is concerned. a side note: when i was working retail i used to live for classic rock weekends on the radio station because those songs made the day go so much faster. bow down to my classic rock knowledge!) So, off we went across the street to Coast which did not open until 5:30. So, I made a detour into Pearl's Cupcake Shoppe and Elephant's Toe antiques. The red velvet cupcakes were surprisingly good (i'm still scarred from a Carytown cupcakes red velvet misadvenure) and moist. The cream cheese icing was spot on, although I am a red velevet snob and prefer my icing the old-fashioned, Southern way. Which is to say that one makes sort of a light roux and then adds that to creamed butter and powdered sugar for a faboo texture, sans cream cheese. But, I can live with cream cheese icing.  The cupcake itself was missing a chocolate umph! but again, I am spoiled and biased by my Nana's and Mom's red velvet cake. So, not a bad cupcake when all was said and done, just not traditional. And the store interior is cute as a button! They just need a little sitting area by the front windows. I will be back to try the Elvis (bananas foster cake and peanut butter icing) and the Chai honey! Their FB page says that they have gluten free and vegan options as well. The Elephant's Toes antiques stop resulted in the purchase of a pretty little green Jasperware vase.

And here is where I introduce hub's style of food-rating: "Okay" (not really sure I know of anything higher than this other than two instances: upon introduction to a cold melon soup in Santa Fe and a lavender creme brulee in San Fransisco. he will tell you about those two occurrences ad naseum if given the opportunity), and "dookie." The "dookie" meter has varying degrees of which I will spare you (hubs does deal with peoples' innards all day, so forgive him.) Let's just say that Coast was almost at the bottom of the dookie scale. Appetizers were she-crab soup for him and pea soup with housemade cheese for me.  The she-crab was redolent with the sweetness of crab meat and was appropriately thick. It was a bit on the oily side. The pea soup was okay, but not remarkable or memorable. Salads were mesclun greens with fig vinaigrette, which was overwhelmed by raw onion (which I loved and hubs hated,) and a salad special of haricot vert, golden beet, charred sweet onion, pistachios, and blue cheese vinaigrette.  The blue cheese and fig in the dressings were absent. The onions in the special salad were cold and slimy and the temps of all ingredients of the haricot vert salad not consistent. We split the scallops for our entree, the searing of which was perfect on one side and missing on the other, and which had great flavor. The scallops were served over cous cous with pesto, which was more like pesto-flavored green water.  We asked for sriracha and were given chili oil. The service was attentive and unobtrusive, but the food was overpriced and not well executed.

From there we walked down to the Westhampton and saw Chloe. Was very entertaining although the female characters were tragically flawed in a Woody-Allen way. Why can't male screenwriters and directors make female characters more easy to relate to instead of flat-out bonkers? But I love this theatre, especially the back row right in the middle. And one can get Lavazza coffe drinks. The only thing this theatre lacks is Manner bars at the concession.

The previous weekend we had Saturday lunch at Arcade Cafe. I have had nothing but good experiences here, but this one was a miss. We were seated and the waiter hollered in passing that it would be awhile until he could get to us. I was basking in the sun and finishing up this book (scandalous!) so I was okay with that once he brought water over (5 minutes after we sat down, but no menus) Now, I will give him some slack because I used to wait tables myself, and it appeared that he was the only server and he must have been frazzled, but it is not okay to treat your customers rudely. Hubs asked if he could get his egg salad sandwich on Texas toast and was met with a sharp "No!" Which is silly really, because he was asked his bread choice anyway. It was 20 minutes from ordering to food, which is inexcusable for lunch. Especially when that lunch is cold sandwiches and not filet mignon. I have to say that my veggie wrap (the Glenside Drive) was very good and I will forgive them this one time. Although that waiter may not forgive his tip. Hubs is passive aggressive that way.

A stop by J. Emerson, Inc. resulted in a nice chat with Jim, two unoaked chards (maybe I mentioned it's my new fav?) and a Gruner Veltliner. I so heart this place and wish I had more time to talk and browse, but it was a quick drop-in to restock the adult beverage supplies.

I know remiss in  not going to Gearhart's Chocolate but I will correct that soon...

Daily cuteness:

eurasia

howdy lovely readers. i apologize for my absence, but the diet, etc. (fyi. i have been verrryyyy good on the diet.) anyway, on friday we went to eurasia cafe and wine bar.  ok, i'm not really a fan of suburbia or restaurants in suburbia or restaurants in shopping centers (for the most part), and gayton crossing definitely meets the above criteria. hubs was the only non-white in the entire restaurant, which was full of mostly middle age or older bourgeois. additionally, i think asian fusion is overdone and kitsch but still love it, when done well.  i was cheered when my albarino arrived (apple, a bit sweet but crisp) because it was the first adult beverage i had enjoyed all week. yes, a deviation from my normal red, but i had just had my teeth whitened and red wine was forbidden (i know, i know...i talk about bourgeois and then follow with teeth whitening.) we ordered a hot and sour soup and chinese vegetable spring rolls for appetizers. the soup was a very non-traditional take on hot and sour with a clear broth and floating bits of carrot, mushroom, scallion, tofu and cilantro. it was neither hot (by any stretch of the imagination or of non-scorched, non-texan tastebuds) or sour (i like a definite vinegar taste to my hot and sour.)  i think they should rethink the name. however, i really liked it and ordered an extra order to-go.  the spring roll was fried (note to self: never assume that spring rolls in restaurants other than vietnamese will be fresh.) so, i only ate one bite (as is my duty as a food blogger, you see). it was over-fried and soggy instead of crispy. the veg inside: who cares. the sauces: ponzu and spicy mustard which were both very good. for his entreee, hubs had the rockfish special which was served with etouffee. the fish was well, fishy but well cooked and the etouffee tasted like rotel. but my entree, the "focus your chi" soba noodle salad with grilled shrimp was delicious, dressed in a tangy sauce but had limited veg. for dessert (yes, i did) we had the bananas foster cheesecake, which came with bruleed bananas on top. the two or so bites i had were excellent with a cinnamony, crumbly crust and, did i mention the bruleed bananas? beautifully and uniformly crisp crust and warm banana gooeyness.  a good time was had, although the food was hit or miss. it took a while for the waitress to come over to our table, but she was very pleasant. she forgot the mango sorbet substitution with dessert, but remembered and apologized as she handed us the check.  i still had a good time and would go back. maybe my leniency and good will is due to the beautiful and spring-y weather?

in other news, i am still working on the blog response to style weekly's "state of the plate". warning: it may be scathing.

in other, other news, i am enjoying the weather and  will soon make my own planters thanks to the march issue of martha. i got sorta crafty and made "art" for the living room with frames from target and scrapbooking paper from michael's.  here are the results:

and some prettiness i picked up on Sunday

thoughts from center stage

dear richmond, i am ok with y'all not dressing for dinner. i have become accustomed to casual dress at nice restaurants. but, for the symphony? give me a break! granted, i`m from texas and to this day my 84 year old grandmother will put on full on makeup to walk to the john deer tractor-shaped mailbox in her front yard. someone may drive up the dirt road, you see. did i mention that she lives on a farm and the nearest neighbor is 1/2 a mile away? so, this is my heritage and i have spent a lot of time in dallas, where people look fab to go to yoga class. but, i do not understand this laid-back, underdressed thing that richmonders do. part of the fun of going to the symphony is getting dressed up, feeling lovely in your finery, having a nice dinner beforehand and seeing what everyone else is wearing. guys, please. no suits without ties. are y`all neanderthals? and for the love of civility, please at least wear a sport coat to the symphony. Ladies, if I see another one of y'all in jeans, I might just shake you. I do not care if it IS symphony pops.

Love,
Jenni

the food bloggers nemesis

I take my responsibilities as a food blogger very seriously (ok, I lied. I just love to eat and tell other people what I think) but there is one side effect that is commensurate with food blogging... weight gain.  I was embracing the curvy until i could no longer fit in all but 2 pair of my jeans. So, I am on a diet. There, I said it and it is now out in the blogosphere. And now I must abide by the diet. Except Friday nights, which i consider work night. Hey, I still have to have to have something to blog about, right? Because I doubt y'all want to (virtually) listen to me extole the tolerability of Kashi frozen entrees. Or do you? If you want to know, I LOVE the pesto pasta primavera, btw.  I''m hoping to look like I should be sponsored by the Christian Childrens' Fund very soon. So, stay tuned for my Friday night free-for-all blogs.

I received my On The Rocks collection from Spice Rack Chocolates today (thanks, Mary!) and have only allowed myself 2 pieces as dessert. Yes, I am blogging about SRC again, because the amaretto that I have long anticipated is delicious, but the butterscotch brandy is heaven and has a great buttery aftertaste (which is great for my diet, since the flavor hangs around my palate for a while and I do not have to go back for more. Although I really want to. I am the very picture of dietary restraint as it is still Thursday.)  The interesting thing is that Mary uses no alcohol in the chocolates (did I mention they are vegan?). How she gets the flavors is a mystery known only to her.

In other (personal) news, we saw Alice in Wonderland, which was very very good. But no "we're late, for a very important date!" a classic line. But I highly recommend it even though a bit of the symbolism about maturing and developing judiciousness is lost. We also got a great little French movie, Apres Vous, from Netflix. The protagonist is a maitre d' and looks after another character who he hires as a sommelier. It has a cute (but predictable) twist. I am looking forward to Remember Me this weekend, which is not really my movie style, but it stars RPatz, so I can't resist. Also, did I mention that Texas Pete, Tabasco and Cholula have 0, count them 0, calories and Sriracha has 5?! Score!

chocolate and drama

As I watch Bravo for my daily dose of drama, I must mention that I am noshing on the yummiest chocolates EVER from Spice Rack Chocolates.  My favorite is the celtic smoked sea salt and white pepper. I love the texture of the salt and pepper as the chocolate melts. The chocolate collections vary from coffee and tea to herbal combos and spiced fruit. And an entire collection named En Fuego! Wasabi and chocolate? Oh yes, please! Rumor has it there is an amaretto in development. I can't wait!

urban farmhouse vs. the lamplighter

I consider myself somewhat of an expert on coffee and coffee shops. I used to work as a barista in college (Go Red Raiders! even though you fired my beloved pirate coach) and one day I hope to own my own place (although more of a human coffee and pastry/doggie pastry concept).  So, off I went to Urban Farmhouse and the Lamplighter.

Urban Farmhouse - great corner location in the Slip that has an open, airy feel due to lots of windows and jazz streaming from the speakers. "I could hang here for awhile," I thought upon walking in (they would not be able to get rid of me if they served wine.) They also have a dry goods section that is a bit weird in a coffee shop/cafe, but I get it. It's supposed to be more of a market/cafe than coffee shop. Organic, fresh, and local are buzz words here. The lids of the to-go coffee cups are compostable. Speaking of eco-consciousness (read: liberal political agenda. Don't get mad lefties, I'm all about recycling and the Earth and whatnot), they sell Sweet Leaf tea, which is yummy and based in Austin. Y'all should drink it. And if you non-Texans did not get the connection, Austin is very liberal and the home of other eco-friendly companies such as Whole Foods, which I wholly love. Anyhoo (as Nana would say,) Hubs and I dropped by for dinner last week.  Hubs' cafe au lait was served as coffee in a mug and then he was told to add his own milk from the self serve coffee condiment bar. No steamed milk.  This would be a drip coffee with milk. Not an au lait. To be fair,  cafe au lait is not listed on the blackboard of coffee options. But seriously, if one does not know how to make a cafe au lait, how can one deal with the half-caff, half-fat, 2 pump, very little foam (but still some foam) -flavored latte drinkers?   And I do not mean to disparage those who like frou-frou coffee. I have those days as well. It's just that cafe au lait is not a high maintenance drink. On to the main fare... I had roasted red pepper and sweet potato soup and 1/2 a farmer's grilled cheese panini with black truffle oil. I was left wondering where the cheese was (supposedly fontina) but the bread was delish and nicely grilled and pressed. It was served with carrot sticks and Kettle chips. I really could not tell a huge difference between my soup and hubs' carrot ginger in taste. Both were lightly sweet. The texture of the carrot-ginger was more smooth and the garnish was different. My recommendation is to go heavier on the red pepper and lighter on the sweet potato. We split the winter beet salad with oranges, fennel and mint. It was good with a bit of goat cheese. Mint was M.I.A like the fontina. So, the food was not terrible but not stand-out and hubs' coffee was a failure. My cappuccino was fine, btw.  Despite these things, I find myself here late on a Saturday morning, sipping an extra dry cappuccino and typing this blog. There is just a great feel to this place and the employees are friendly.  I will be back to sip and chill and read and blog. I say this as hub's overloaded almond butter and jam sandwich breaks apart and runs down his hand. As an addendum, we got a loaf of bread to take home and in our sack after we left, I found animal crackers in a baggie tied closed and affixed with an Urban Farmhouse logo. Cute!
An aside - ladies, check out the loo. It's a great space, if one can say such things about public restrooms. 

The Lamplighter - we snuck away from work on Thursday (a very rare occurrence, indeed!). The vibe here is Richmond grunge (distinct body odor resonating from some patrons) and does not get a lot of light inside. The space is possibly an old gas station, and it is tiny but clean. It was packed with VCU students. If you are over the legal drinking age, go here to eat but not to chill or get work done. But definitely go here to eat! Hubs' cafe au lait was made perfectly and one can purchase their locally-roasted coffee by the pound or get a custom monthly subscription based on your caffeine consumption. Myriad pastries are displayed on the counter where your order is taken and my eye was drawn to the donut case and an unusual looking donut. Turns out the donuts are from Country Style, Richmond's oldest and only mom and pop donut making outfit (this is what I was told and I WILL be schlepping out to the airport for some donuts soon).  It was unfortunate that there was only one toasted coconut covered donut in the case as hubs and I waged a fork-war over every little morsel. I ordered a 17 1/2, a turkey and swiss with caramelized onions and Caribbean jerk aioli. Hubs got a Cappadonna with capicola, brie and pear. Both sandwiches were on focaccia (made at Lucille's Bakery) which was buttery and soft inside and crunchy on the outside. These sandwiches are good, y'all! The second time we went (yes, we have been again since Thursday) I got a tuna melt (the tuna has capers and is not too heavy on mayo) and hubs can't break out of his Cappadonna habit (no NAGATFT here, baby! He said, "one of my favorite sandwiches in town" I said, "Hello, heart attack and early widow-hood") You get a choice of sides (we recommend the cucumber salad and ambrosia). The sandwiches are large, so the prices are very reasonable. I want to try the Vandenbergehimer, honey balsamic glazed tofu with grilled veggies and sundried tomato pesto. I took one home for dinner, and I expect it to be delicious. I will update if it is not. But don't expect an update.

The compare and contrast paragraph which pretty much sums up the vibes - UF has mags such as Saveur and many mags about running. TL has mags such as Dwell and comic books (including wall adverts for such things as the great richmond zombie book) I will go to TL to eat but to UF to chill and drink coffee which is hopefully made correctly.

In other news, I am still candle making and here are last night's products:

Soy candles with organic lavender essential oil.

up next: a blog about bonvenu and we are going to arturo sandoval next weekend! 

ma ma wok. aka: ma ma wok, no run away

i had it on a very good source (who grew up in china and whose parents run a chinese restaurant) that ma ma wok is THE place to go for authentic chinese food in richmond.  i was surprised when we pulled up in front and it was not the hole-in-the-wall that i expected, but was very commercial, like an old applebees or something.  we were greeted by a very friendly hostess and when i looked around i saw authentics: a good sign. i also saw a sushi bar (at an "authentic" chinese food place): not a good sign. the aforementioned source seems a bit defensive about "american chinese," or chinese food targeted to the american palate. which prompts so many sarcastic retorts from me, i do not have the room (or the energy) to type them. anyway, she instructed that ONLY items ordered from the last page (ma ma wok specialties) are the real chinese deal. so, i honed in on that. hubs loves chow fun which was listed under "chinese noodles." which was not on the ma ma wok specialty page, so according to the source, not "real chinese." um...soapbox time...it is a cantonese dish. as in from canton. which is in china. again, many sarcastic comments could be inserted here. here's what wiki says about canton cuisine:

                "Of all the regional varieties of Chinese cuisine, Cantonese is renowned both inside and       outside China.^[1] Its prominence outside China is due to its palatability to Westerners  and to the great numbers of early emigrants from Guangdong. In China, too, it enjoys great prestige among the eight great traditions of Chinese cuisine, and Cantonese chefs are highly sought after throughout the country."

hmmm. so it seems to me that chow fun (or similar) should be the ultimate authentic chinese. it is highly regarded in china and it is popular outside china.

anyway, i ordered a seaweed salad as an appetizer for my daily does of phytoestrogens, which was neither good nor bad. hubs and i shared the spicy conch. which was not spicy but had a nice cilantro freshness (is cilantro a common chinese herb? hmmm...) the conch was boiled, (not fried, so i ate it in good conscience on my diet) and then mixed with some veg and tossed with dressing. whoever made the dressing was heavy handed with the soy sauce.  i also ordered egg drop soup and hubs had hot and sour soup. both were under-flavored. this conclusion might be a result of my american palate (sarcasm). anyway, we dumped a ton of chili paste into both so we could eat them. the red of the chili paste also hid the preturnatural yellow-orange hue of the egg drop soup. hubs described the beef in his chow fun as "tender" and the dish as "nothing special" "pf chang is better." again american palate. EXCEPT: hubs is from vietnam. hmm... i was happily digging through my bean curd firepot, (which by the way, came from the ma ma wok specialty page and which was woefully underseasoned), when i pulled out something oval and orange with a black rim with my chopstick. hubs told me it was an oyster (yuck). further digging revealed shrimp, scallops and calamari. um, i know i didn't order off of the vegetarian section, but i assumed a BEAN CURD firepot would NOT have shellfish (yuck times infinity to a west texan). i called the waitress over and asked her if the BEAN CURD firepot was supposed to have shellfish. she had to go ask the chef and the answer was that it had SHRIMP only. so a quick leap of logic (which the waitress never arrived at even after i held up the oyster for scrutiny) led me to believe that i had been given a SEAFOOD firepot when i had ordered...say it with me...a BEAN CURD firepot. um...i may have realized what is meant by authentic. perhaps in china they don't care if shrimp are in BEAN CURD firepots (i thought i was safe in the assumption that it was veg. don't think i would be the only one. otherwise, why have a beef, a seafood and a bean curd firepot option?) which was not marked as veg (i will concede that point) or as "with shellfish or with shrimp" but here in america, one may sue. which means that, as a restauranteur, one better be damn sure such things are clearly understood by chefs, waitstaff and the diner. so i ate rice with hot mustard. my entree was not comped nor did the waitress offer to comp it. disappointing experience.  also, during the course of our dinner, i was treated to the black crowes, madonna and poison on the speakers. which was very authentic. authentic american.  we will not go back.

for date night on friday, we went to bouchon (love!) and i discovered my new favorite thing: escargot with sriracha. after the first round, we ordered another. the saltiness of the butter highlighted the sourness of the sriracha like nothing i have ever tasted with sriracha (a long list of items).  i also added it to the truffled mac and cheese and all the other veg i ordered. please, don't tell francis what we did, i think he may pass out. another yummy special: arugula salad with pomegranate seeds and candied nuts. we did not add sriracha to that. or to the fruit filled crepe that we had for dessert. but it gave me a great idea that i will try since i now have a crepe pan (thanks mom and dad!)....mushroom and spinach stuffing with a sauce of butter, garlic (or shallot?) and sriracha.

i ran by barrel thief on patterson to pick up some white for a girl's night in on saturday. got some great recs from booth. took a peak at the menu (look for a future blog on this)  and booth told me that they do tastings and classes. what a great idea for a future girl's night!

my new hobby: making soy candles. i have yet to perfect them and am in the process of researching pouring temps and wick sizes so that no wax is left on the wall of the glass and that melting is even. peace out yankee candle!

my goals: working out and cooking more. i have a ton of books downloaded to my nook. the olympics has backlogged me. up next: wolf hall by hilary mantel about what else? henry the 8th and tudor england. i'm gearing up for the final season of the tudors. here's a trailer:

the shape of things to come and daily cuteness

spring is springing?!

 

merrick and paisley enjoying the new smells now that the snow has melted

 

the republic, a fake out, oilio and shutter island

first off, woohoo for nice, sunny, snow-free weather!

saturday lunch found us at olio. our first time, although i have wanted to stop by to check it out since the wedding of the owners (still the same owners? not sure) was featured in richmond bride back during my own wedding planning days. i recently started following them on twitter, and them had to go in when i saw they had cucumber dill soup. yum! unfortunately, no cucumber dill on saturday, but plenty of cheese! which we bought from the deli and which i had in the le fromage sandwich. this was described to me as "an adult grilled cheese." and it so was. a melted cheese trifecta of provolone, swiss and cheddar snuggled with roasted tomatoes and red peppers, balsamic and garlic aioli. the best part was that i shopped for staples like polenta and cheese (both cheeses were a little dry when i cut them today) and packaged house-made marinara while i waited for my lunch. i had tuscan white bean salad for a side which was redolent with basil and tomato. so good. i wanted to go back sunday, but were  closed. i will be back this week.  my only complaint is that they should upgrade their cheese selection a bit. however, they offered to special order cheeses for me. and i got a tweet that they sell ashley farms chicken, this may be my new favorite place.

my brother and sister in law were in town saturday night and i suggested louisiana flair after receiving a tweet that they were open until 6pm. we showed up at 5:30 and were turned away at the door and rudely told that they were closed as i screamed "that's not what your twitter said!" to chef nate as the door was locked in our face. so, we had to repack the very hungry niece and nephew in the car, had a mini don't-wanna-get-back-in-the-carseat-so-soon meltdown, and wound up at vietnam 1. so i called out louisiana flair on twitter. they replied by saying sorry and they would talk to the boss (who i assume is chef nate?) about it. which is fine, except that the chef was they one doing the turning away. hmph! an update: got a direct message from them this morning saying that i could get the twitter special (bring a friend and your meal is 1/2 off). update redux: received a blog comment (see below), the twitter was an error and closing time on saturday is 4 pm.

sunday morning saw us at a nearly empty the republic. my veggie frittata (hold the 'shrooms) was tasty with dollops of goat cheese but it was was flat, not poufy. more like egg crepes. onions were in the eggs but the other veg was dotted around the top. had a great bloody mary (ordered "spicy, very spicy"). bartender set it down telling me to let him know if i wanted it spicier. could have done, but decided to give my tummy a break. later on,  i mentioned to him that it could have used some horseradish and he told me to tell him next time and he would do. i like him....jr, maybe??? i asked, but forgot in our rush to get to the start of...

shutter island... one of the best movies i have seen in a long time. there's a twist, most of which i predicted (because mr. scorsese can't out-crazy someone that's already a bit nutty) , but which is interesting and complex.  a good time, for sure. i even liked it despite disliking leo dicaprio's for his eco-alarmism, and he portrayed quite a sympathetic character in the end. i liked it despite the fake boston accent. the trailer makes it look more scary-horrific than it is. but then again, i thought silence of the lambs was funny, so you can't judge by me.

balliceaux and the naming of a phenomenon

balli- so good for drinks, but i'll get to that later. first, my version of the garcia effect: NAGATFT, or never as good as the first time. this is a food phenomenon that i have encountered over and over. here's the lowdown: i go to a restaurant and order x. i am wowed by x and think (perhaps too often afterwards) about returning to said restaurant for x. so, we go back and i order x. and it IS NOT AS GOOD. the level of NAGATFT ranges from "what the hell is this?" to very good/close to last time, but the thrill is gone. why does this happen? do i build up the food memory so much that the real thing can't possibly live up to how i have idolized the first experience in my head? am i over thinking things?

so, to balliceaux - both times we have been here we have been received by hostesses with attitude. the first time my meal was okay. i don't even remember what i had other than the pickle plate. which is great if you like sour pickled veg, which i do. hubs had the heritage burger which i tasted. and oh! heaven with the angels singing!. now, i will mention here that i rarely eat burgers and when i do eat them, it is from steak from whole foods which is ground and prepared in my own kitchen and on my grill. i digress. the heritage burger. juicy, nice charred flavor, fat ripe juicy tomato, buttered, toasted and fresh (to the best i can recall, local...that seems to be a theme...local) sourdough buns. hubs barely used sriracha at all. anyway, last friday i was hankering for a burger (you can take the girl out of Texas, but never ever the meat eating Texan out of the girl). despite plenty of open tables, the hostess tried to seat us at a 4-top by the door. we requested a 2-top further back and were met with a scott-hamilton-watching-bad-figure-skating sigh and were told that the tables were reserved. i pointed out to her that, per their website, and the resultant pdf that is downloaded by clicking "FAQ," reservations were taken for parties of 6 or more and that a 2-top can hardly fit 6. another epic sigh, and a "hold on" and a little wait later, we were seated at a 2-top in the middle of the restaurant. our waitress was friendly and came to our table quickly, thus preventing my head from exploding. i ordered the burger, medium, and hubs got the bubble and squeak (mashed taters and cabbage casserole). they were out of the grilled veggie skewers that he originally wanted.  long food story short, the bubble and squeak was unimpressive and the burger was NAGATFT. not even close. undercooked (it's possible that my burger could still moo). no satisfying char. had to add lots of sriracha. the 5 cheese plate featured two house made cheeses and "a cow, a sheep, and a goat" or so we were told. no other explanation was given until we asked (after the mostly unremarkable plate was served). however, i discovered mountaineer. yum! a semi-hard nutty cow from a family run Virginia farm that uses sustainable methods. we had the olive oil cake for dessert. a bit dry but lovely light lemon flavor and meringue-like icing. oh, and the lights still flicker (they haven't called an electrician in the 6 months since our last visit?), which is disorienting when one has some adult beverages on board. speaking of...

on to the heart of the matter: the drinks. fabulous times infinity. before switching to beer (a wheat on tap), i had the ginger snap:  to the best of my memory this had disaronno, vodka, cinnamon syrup and ginger. hubs had a tom yum yum: vodka, rum, ginger, lemon, lemongrass syrup and "local" chili.  both were amazing. the ginger snap was sweet but not sickly so and had actual cinnamon at the bottom of the glass (which i have read is anti-inflammatory and can lower blood sugar. if that's not a great reason to order many ginger snaps, i don't know what is). hub's drink was like a spicy mojito. i will be back. but probably just to the bar.

in other news, i am totally addicted to watching the olympics. yeah sean, lindsey and apollo! very little else gets accomplished once 8 pm rolls around. after 2 weeks, i will have piles of magazines to read.and don't get me started on the dvr backlog. i may never catch up! am going to throw caution (or more likely my money) to the wind and get my car washed tomorrow. i just can't stand it anymore it is so yucky after the snow and crap on the roads. so, prepare for a downpour next week.

a change in blogging tactic

ok. So while the original design was to keep this a strictly Richmond restaurant focused blog, I am morphing the concept. I have been majorly neglecting it because we have been holed-up during the snowmageddon and I have been cooking or we have been eating close to home or hubs picks up dinner on his way home. Same routine and not much restaurant-wise to blog about. I cooked my way through this or at least all the recipes I found interesting. My take is that the recipes usually call for too much liquid. We alternate between the Vietnamese sandwich shop by Vietnam 1, Kitchen 64 and Northside Grille. The last two are predictable but consistently good. The sandwich shop is hit or miss depending on if we eat in or take out. It is best to eat in or the sandwiches get soggy. Cooking or reheating them at home never is as good as the restaurant. On a good day, the baguette is amazingly good. Crisp and yeasty. Since I don't eat pork, I usually get the house-made tofu (decent) or all vegetable. The veggies (carrot and daikon) are pickled (likely rice wine vinegar) a bit of cilantro is thrown in and they will add sliced jalapenos if you request spicy. You can also get bubble tea. I love those little carbohydrate-laded bubbles! So that is the food news.

In other news, we made an emergency after-work run to the vet last night because Paisley would not put any weight on her back leg (her only back leg as she is a tripod). I was fairly freaked out and called the vet to let them know we were on the way. Then I scooped her up (all 65 lbs) and then really started to freak out when I could not make it across the ice on our front steps and driveway to my car safely.  I called hubs who rushed home and transported us to Brook Run Animal Clinic. We got there right as they were closing but they put us in a room and Dr. Yeatman (who totally rocks my world) came in and checked her out. She thought Pais had a sprain/strain (what's the difference, anyway?) and gave her an anti-inflammatory injection and some pills to take home.  We are supposed to "restrict" her activity, so that means no running in the snow, which likely caused the injury. She goes out on the porch (which is covered in who knows how many feet of snow) on a leash with us for potty breaks. She is so good about going there but she looks so sad when the other dogs run past her to the yard. I am thankful and still hopeful that this was a minor thing. I know one day way before I am ready we will have to make a decision about what to do when her poor joints are worn out. But, she is feeling much better today and is her happy self. Here's a vid pre-injury:



In other, other news, I am addicted to Secret Diary of a Call Girl! I love that show. I have downloaded the book that inspired the show to my nook (which I also love) and it is in the queue to read. It is so easy to get on the stair stepper from hell when I watch that show because it is that engrossing. It totally distracts me from the pain of physical activity. That is a high compliment!

That's about it. Valentine's dinner plans at Bouchon (that's a shocker to y'all, I'm sure) and trying to get a ton of work done when the roads are drivable and I can make it in. They (the powers that be in these things) say not to drive summer performance tires on snow and ice for a reason.