Sandwiches and Raku

We visited the Visual Arts Center for First Fridays and learned a bit about the art of Raku pottery. We selected a bisque pot or bowl, dipped it in a glaze, let it dry, and loaded it into a kiln.

While the kiln was firing, we strolled up to Olio to have dinner. A Secco-Bertani Valpoicello Ripasso accompanied a couple of yummy sandwiches - a Sicilian - hot soprasatta, capocolla ham, and provolone with hot cherry peppers on ciabatta and a Proscuitto di Parma with fresh mozzarella, basil, greens, red pepper, olive oil and balsamic on ciabatta.

Sicilian with Black Bean and Corn Salad

Parma di Proscuitto with Tuscan White Bean Salad

After eating we returned to the art center for the real show - opening the kiln and cooling the pots.

Opening the Kiln

Transferring glowing pots to metal cans, then trowing sawdust over the pot and closing the lid so the pots can cool.

As the pots cool, they produce a lot of smoke.

It only takes about 15 minutes for the pots to cool.

As the pots cool, the glaze produces a crackled effect. We then cleaned them up with water and comet scrub and took them home!

Lots of fun for a Friday evening.

Simple, yet so good

A negroni and white beans and arugula with crostini at Enoteca Sogno.

Welcome to Northside Enoteca Sogno!

At last! Enoteca Sogno in Northside! We waited and waited. I'm so very glad we are in walking distance. I'm thrilled that the building has been spruced up. As we entered Farouk enthusiastically greeted us, seated us, and proceeded to serve us.

We ordered a nice Albe Barolo.


A hearty splurge


We then shared the white beans and arugula crostini and the trio of salami from Olli Salumeria. Yummy, yummy!


One of my favorite dishes - simple and elegant




The first we have tried this brand. It will not be the last

 For the main event we selected the pasta with bolognese. Mmmm!


Fresh pasta and lots of meat. Mmmm!


And we continued to get our Italian on with some espresso.


Gettin' our Italian on with some Illy


Oh so lovely and a great way to celebrate a wedding anniversary! Thank you Enoteca Sogno. We are glad you are here.

Saturday Brunch at Lulu's

After wandering down to Great Shiplock Park, we needed sustenance. We tried to visit Aziza's on Main. Alas, no lunch service on Saturday (one day I will eat at this place!). After looking at a few other places, we decided to head for Lulu's and were extremely pleased that they were serving brunch on Saturday.

We perused the menu and both ordered the same thing: Paco's Barnyard Romance - two chicken tamales, fried eggs, salsa verde. The tamales were nestled amid black beans and the over easy eggs covered fried potatoes.

SO GOOD! The egg yolks added decadent richness and the touch of salsa verde added the zing that put the dish over the top.

Tastebuds Is Always Good

If you have not tried Tastebuds, get off your tuckus and go eat there!

Last week after a trying day at work, I announced to my hubby: "I don't feel like cooking. Where are you taking me to eat?'

While hot, it was not 105 degrees, so we walked to Tastebuds. While the little bar chef urged martinis, we opted for a French 76 and a Dark and Stormy. Finally, a chance to sit back and unwind.

We probably frustrated our waitress because we just needed to relax and think about our next plan of attack food and drink-wise. And since Tastebuds offered reasonably priced and tasty reds and whites, we needed to decide on eats first.

Finally, we chose the red Cotes du Rhone.

For dinner we began with salads - a Tuscan white bean and arugula for me and spinach, goat cheese, and pickled onion for the other half. Both very enjoyable.

For entrees, I selected the Pork Adobo Taco appetizer. Very spicy and hearty. Hubby had the Margeurite pizza with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil.

Imaginative cuisine at reasonable prices. We ate and watched the shadows play across the wall.

Go eat here.

Any Interesting Recipes for Butter Beans?

At last our back yard garden produced a better-late-than-never crop of butter beans. While I use them in Brunswick stew and my hubby eats them plain or with corn, that's about it.

What else can one do with butter beans that's good?

Red Beans and Rice

Unfortunately, I was under the weather for the Richmond Folk Festival. I did manage to catch Phil Wiggins and Corey Harris on Sunday. While I was soaking up the sun rays, I also consumed the meaty red beans and rice from Send-a-Chef. Great blues and fantastic food.

Send-a-Chef was impressive.

Unfortunately, just that activity tuckered me out and I had to go home.

A Vote For Tastebuds American Bistro

Yesterday was quite a day in more ways than one. Some of my descriptors include:

Exhausted – I am an election officer and spent about 19 hours manning the polls.

Excited – To see 80% of my precinct cast their votes. Hats off to the residents of Northside!

Inspired – As I welcomed and cheered many first-time voters who were enthusiastic and proud to exercise their democratic rights.

Grateful – Tastebuds American Bistro said yes to serving one more couple late in the evening.

Satisfied – To imbibe a delicious 2004 St. Francis Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County for $30.

Overwhelmed – By a $13 entrée: Cassoulet...Duck Confit & House Made Pork Sausage Baked with Bread Crumb Topping served with Warm White Bean Salad. At last duck confit! And non-crunchy beans! What a FANTASTIC dish!

Surprised – To learn that Obama carried Virginia. (and very pleased!)

Hopeful – As our nation chooses to enter a new era.

Where Is The Joy In A Crunchy Bean?

On Wednesday evening we tootled over to Six Burner. It was nice to see them busy. We took advantage of their $10 carafe of red special. On this night we enjoyed a Powers Cabernet Sauvignon. A yummy bargain, indeed. My husband ordered the fried oyster appetizer and the heirloom tomato and mozzarella salad to arrive at the same time. Six Burner served up a generous portion of the seafood. The salad was good, too with shaved (possibly aged?) mozzarella. I had the pork shank which was oh-so-tender and moist. It was served with sautéed Swiss chard and applewood smoked bacon lardons and an apple cider vinegar sauce. I usually detest Swiss chard, but the bacon and sauce did not let any bitter green taste touch my tongue. I was pleased until I encountered the lima beans. These beans looked fantastic – pale, plump, enticing. Alas, every single one of those suckers was crunchy. What I would consider raw with no opportunity to soak up any of the mouth-watering sauce. I have to give our waiter high praise. When he stopped by to inquire about our dinner, I had to confess that I simply could not eat the beans. He sympathized and said that was how the chef intended to serve them. But he also offered a side of garlic mashed potatoes or polenta as a substitute. I asked for the potatoes and was quite comforted. We finished our meal with illy coffee which we love to drink, but haven’t made the monetary commitment to serve at home.

So, now on to my rant. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the South, but, in my opinion, any bean – lima bean, butter bean, navy bean, pinto bean, October bean, black bean, cannellini bean, great northern bean, kidney bean, cranberry bean, or for that matter black-eyed peas needs to be COOKED! Crunch has no place in the above line up (please note, I did not include green beans in this bean roll call). The beans can be firm, but the tooth jarring simply hardness must disappear. I’ve been to a couple of places where the waiter insisted that this was the intention of the chef. To my mind it just seems like the kitchen was slacking. Where is the joy in a crunchy bean?

More Fun with Frisee

I just had to do something else with frisee. In this case I loosely chopped up about ½ a head of the spindly stuff. I whisked up a tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and tossed with the greens and set the bowl aside. I minced up a small garlic clove and a small shallot. I added the garlic and shallot to a pot with a regular can of Cannellini beans. I turned the heat to medium; let the beans boil; turned the heat down to simmer for about 5 minutes; drained and rinsed the beans; set them aside to cool to room temperature. I chopped up one cooked Surry sausage link (available at The Fresh Market). Added the sausage to the frisee and then added the beans and tossed. We enjoyed it with a French baguette.

This spur of the moment bean salad was definitely inspired by the White Bean and Arugula Bruschetta appetizer at Enoteca Sogno. And since I had the Surry sausage on hand, it seemed like a good thing to add some smoky/meaty goodness to the dish.

I Now Know Beans

Thursday evening – potentially bad weather approaching, my hubby might or might not bring home a friend from work (and we might or might not be eating dinner together). We have dealt with chili and its aftermath for days. The friend did not make it. I did not pick up anything to prepare. The frozen stuff was completely out of the question. So, we went out. We pointed the car in the direction of downtown, but still mulled over options – Millie’s, Lulu’s, Café Rustica, Tarrant’s – all good choices. But do you ever run down a list and none of them ignites a spark of “Yes, that’s the place for tonight!”? Nothing clicked. As we approached Broad St. Enoteca Sogno popped into my head. Perfect for this evening. We bee-lined to mid-town.

We had dined at this unassuming Italian restaurant a while ago. Their steaks, especially the herb-roasted T-bones are heaven. Alas, rib-eyes were the steak of the evening. We don’t favor this particular cut and decided to branch out to other menu options. On this night about 75% of the tables were occupied, but even so, the place maintained a calm and quiet demeanor. Perfect for enjoying wine and conversation. A casual, relaxed wait staff enhanced the tranquility.

We poured over the simple menu. A few appetizer choices, a couple of salads, pasta and gnocchi with multiple sauce options, chicken and veal dishes, a brief list of specials. We decided to share the Crostini with White Beans and Arugula. This had been a heavily negotiated choice. I wanted something to share. My husband wanted to order soup or Calamari. Neither of those options appealed to me. After a little more wrangling, we compromised. And a happy mouth time was enjoyed by all. We received a plate with a pile of very large white beans surrounded by toasted baguette-style sliced bread. Sounds plain and simple, huh? But the beans were tossed with a few arugula leaves, red onion slivers, olive oil, salt, pepper, and a very, very scant amount of vinegar. All of the beans were done – no crunchies (I detest going to a restaurant and getting crunchy beans). And quite delicious. We kept raving about the beans. They had picked up the flavors of the other ingredients. Such bean perfection is rare to encounter. We raved about those beans the entire evening. And congratulated ourselves on remembering this place as a dining option.

For entrées I chose the Veal Piccata and my spouse ordered Penne with Sausage and Rapini. I had three nice-sized pieces of slightly seared veal with a sauce that hinted of lemon, but did not overpower the dish. The dish also came with a side of spaghetti with just enough red sauce for flavoring, but did not compete with my main dish. Very delicious. My husband also enjoyed his dish. He was particularly please with the quality of the pasta.

We toasted the entire evening with a bottle of 2001 D’Orcia Brunello di Montalcino. A wine that kept its flavor despite the vinegar in the beans and the lemon in the Picatta sauce. What a wonderful evening.