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!