Brunch at Amuse is an Awesome Thing

Amuse is serving up a wonderful brunch. My current favorite dish is the Pork Chop Biscuit with Fried Eggs and Mushroom Gravy. Such a delight for the taste buds.

And don't forget to also see the Kehinde Wiley exhibit, A New Republic, before it leaves town. Big, bold, bright, beautiful!

We in RVA are so lucky to have VMFA!

Lunch Time at Amuse

Always great to have lunch at Amuse.

Green Salad with Prosciutto and Comte Cheese

Curry Fried Oysters

Amuse Serves Up French Bistro Offerings for Rodin Exhibit

And, c'est si bon. Deceptively simple and just in time for the Fall/Winter season, Amuse serves up some yummy, hearty entrees along with kick-ass cocktails and Absinthe service (if you dare).

The Age of Bronze cocktail features scotch.

I am in love with the Cassoulet. The white beans were thoroughly cooked (a must) and the duck leg almost made me swoon.

Hubby raved about the steak frites. Herbed butter permeated the plate.

No need to ponder where to eat. Treat yourself to Amuse.

Fried Chicken with Grits and Kimchi at Amuse

Fried Chicken with Grits and Kimchi a photo by pjpink on Flickr.

Traditional fried chicken with a hot little twist at Amuse. So good.

The Green Fairy - I Dare You

The Green Fairy a photo by pjpink on Flickr.

Ah Absinthe. That seducing green liqueur. I am fascinated by the myth and tales of over-indulgence unto death, even. I tackled the fairy during a soiree at my humble abode a while ago. We drank Death in the Afternoon, a simple concoction of sparkling wine and absinthe. The next day I called it Death the Next Afternoon. I may have looked a bit green even.

However, for those of you uninitiated Amuse is able to serve the green nectar to you and three friends in the proper setting with a cube of sugar and a slow drip of water via a lovely apparatus designed just for said purpose. Make sure you are either walking home, engaging a designated driver, or employing a taxi. 

Cheers!

Carolina Cheer at Amuse

Amuse a photo by pjpink on Flickr.

What a wonderful summer cocktail at Amuse. The Carolina Cheer features Bulleit Rye Whisky, Cheerwine reduction, Strega, lemon juice, and a splash of soda water. Mighty fine.

Notes and Observations

A few rants; a few raves.

I received an email from Acacia Midtown advertising a to-go lunch special. I usually do not open these since I am not available to take advantage of the offering, but last time I read about the crab cake and this month my mouth watered over the Banh Mi with duck sausage. In both emails (and past instances going back a few years) Acacia has stated this as the routine for ordering:

YOU KNOW HOW THIS WORKS..........

EMAIL US SOON, THEY SELL OUT FAST

YOUR NAME:

PHONE NUMBER:

NUMBER OF ORDERS:

CREDIT CARD NUMBER:

EXPIRATION DATE:

And apparently they sell out every time. Hello? Listen up people: NEVER SEND YOUR CREDIT CARD INFO VIA EMAIL!!!! You are opening yourselves up for identity theft. This is not a secure communication method. I emailed Acacia last time and expressed concern. No response. I emailed them again this time. No response. While I would trust Acacia with the preparation of food. I cannot trust them with how they would handle my credit card. Shame on Acacia for placing their loyal patrons at risk.

Let's face it. Fat Dragon is basically a bar with okay food. I appreciate the fact they have 24 taps and feature local brews. Their cocktails are strong and tasty. They even have impressive wine service. But the food did not wow us like their sister restaurants. Nothing wrong with being more bar than restaurant. And I love taking photos of the place.

While I have yet to find a bread that I like at Sub Rosa Bakery, they have THE BEST croissants. Both the plain and chocolate are to die for and transport me back to Paris when I eat them.

I am so pleased that Little House Green Grocery now carries shallots, onions, potatoes, and garlic! They also have fresh butter from Mountain View Farm in Fairfield, VA and KimKim sauce. Every week brings new delights.

The waiter that made us avoid Amuse for so long is not working there anymore (I have no idea where he went or when he left). Hubby and I rejoiced by having a luxuriously leisurely lunch there a couple of weeks ago.

View from our table

Kaleidoscope Sparkling Cocktail

Fried Oysters

Hangar Steak with Turnip Puree and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

While it looks like bonvenu has finally married up the menu prices on-line, on the printed menu, and in their charging system, in mid-January they had not. Based on our waitresses response when we questioned the bill, it seemed like a known problem. While our food and service was good, unaligned prices do not thrill me.

The Rocket Shrimp at Mekong continues to be a favorite and while Beer is the Answer, they also have a fine list of wines at truly incredible prices.

Rocket Shrimp

Beer may be the answer but Sass is in the glass

Shout outs to both Tastebuds American Bistro and Enoteca Sogno. Northside is so very lucky to have you both. We took out-of-town guests to Tastebuds and they were mightily impressed. We met three friends for dinner at Enoteca - all with different tastes, personalities, and allergies. Enoteca accommodated everyone with grace and deliciousness.

Last weekend we tried The Grey Hill Cafe, a food truck crafting sandwiches located in the Once Upon a Vine parking lot. Hubby enjoyed one of the largest crabcake sandwiches I've ever seen. I had turkey and meunster with arugula on marble rye. Very satisfying.

Finally, Northside (and for me specifically Ginter Park and Bellevue areas) needs, no, is desperate for, a GOOD local pizza delivery company. Zorba's on MacArthur was sold to someone else and the pizzas have not been the same. While the former Zorba's was not spectacular, we had figured out what to order and was happy (we also loved Mike, the delivery driver). Now, not so much. Mike left and we have tried Zorba's Express a couple of times and just can't order from them in their current state. We have not been impressed with Arianna's either. While we enjoy the chicken parm subs on occasion, we were disappointed in the pizza.  Please, any of you budding pizza makers or any old pros, please, please, consider a pizza delivery service for Northside!

Amuse Pictorial

We enjoyed brunch at Amuse last Sunday.

A Hemingway

DSC_0661, originally uploaded by pjpink.

A Hemingway cocktail at Amuse. Vodka, citrus, and grapefruit foam. Refreshing and oh-so-drinkable. On this night the table service was delightful.

Drool-worthy Parsnip Bisque

DSC_0406, originally uploaded by pjpink.

A couple of weeks ago, I took the day off and hubby and I finished up our Christmas shopping. We stopped in Amuse for a well deserved respite and enjoyed parsnip bisque with serrano bits. The soup was extremely good (I'm still drooling). Please order it while it's still on the menu.

Unfortunately the service was less than stellar. I've eaten at Amuse several times both at table and at the bar. Table service has been good; bar service has knocked out socks off. I'm sure that this one time was an anomaly.

It's just a shame to ruin such outstanding food with less than adequate service.

Glasses, menu, and cocktail at Amuse

DSC_0242, originally uploaded by pjpink.

Last Friday we ate dinner at the bar at Amuse. The VMFA was adorned with lots of fancy dinner parties, black ties, and glitzy outfits. We arrived in chic blue jeans and sweaters. No matter. Tommy, our bartender took very good care of us starting with an Amuse sidecar (cognac, cointreau, pear puree, and a dash of lemon) - a heady slice of liquid autumn. We followed up with a Frog's Leap Sauvignon Blanc, celery root bisque (exquisite), seafood stew (yummy), and steamed clams. Everything except the clams pleased us. And the clams and broth were good, but the broth contained potatoes that were crunchy. I really detest crunchy potatoes.

We had such a good time eating and drinking at the bar that we did not have time to wander around the exhibits. Thank you Tommy, for making our evening such a delight.

VMFA, Amuse, ArtWorks, and Cafe Rustica

Last Friday was busy. We visited the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to wander and have cocktails at Amuse.

Friday around 5 PM turned out to be an excellent time to check out the sculpture garden.

Folks had not quite arrived for the evening, so we thrilled to the fact that the wide white airy expanse was bare.

Two barstools awaited our arrival at Amuse. Tommy fixed a Blackhound for me (vodka, muddled blackberries, elderberry and thyme syrup, and grapfruit juice).

For hubby - a Richmond Summer (rum, vanilla bean syrup, mint, orange, and club soda).

With drinks tossed off, we headed for the 20th century section and enjoyed some of the more colorful details of the collection.

And then, off to ArtWorks for the August All Media show benefitting the Richmond SPCA (a photo of my darling kitty had also made the art show cut and is proudly displayed along with the other wonderful pet-related art). While at the show we hopped next door to Russell Projects. I was most impressed with the paintings of Susan Jamison - bright, eclectic, thoughtful, provocative.

We then headed back across the James to eat at Cafe Rustica. A 2007 Perrin and Fils Gigondas called to us and we answered "Here!" Bright cherry at first taste. As the bottle received air, it became more hearty with a deeper fruitiness.

The Tuscan bean soup was delicious.

The German pot roast with roasted bacon potatoes turned out to be most excellent comfort food as well as the Jaegerschnitzel with red cabbage.

We believe that Cafe Rustica is the only place in Richmond serving German cuisine. We are glad of it.

Food, Art, and Market

My folks came to visit this past weekend. A fairly big deal since they hardly ever come. And we showed them parts of Richmond that they had never experienced before. Somewhat of a risk, but I think they enjoyed it.

We enjoyed Torraine Sauvignon Blanc, Whiskey Smash, and Sunday Paper at Acacia. The tiny bar alcove was free for relaxing and catching up on news of all of my relatives.

We then traveled to ArtWorks for the All Media Show reception. I have a couple of photos on display. It had been quite some time since they had been on that end of Hull St.

We had dinner at Avenue 805. Veal Picccata; Veal Saltimbacco; Ribeye Steak; and Crab, Scallop, and Shrimp Cake with a 2003 Lan Rioja Riserva.

Wonderful veal served with housemade pasta and marinara. My mom raved about the seafood cake. Very good. The ribeye looked overcooked to me and not as appealing as the other dishes. The restaurant was very hot. But prices were reasonable and the wine, divine.

The next morning we visited the South of the James Market. Wonderful as always (but extremely hot!).

Then on to the Virginia Museum to look at stuff - both old and new. We met my sister for lunch at Amuse. The L'Ecole No. 41 Syrah was very tasty as well as the polenta fries, hangar steak, tuna tartar and avocado, and crab cake. And the service seemed to have gone up a notch.

We then went to the special Tiffany exhibit. My favorite part was discovering how the studio made the stained glass pieces so three dimensional though layering and folding glass.

My other favorite part was looking at the favorite art work that my nephews and niece picked out. All different. All intriguing. All contemporary.

It was a good visit.