Have a Delicious Evening at Accanto

Okay all of you living in the Far West End/Short Pump area - Listen up! Accanto is nestled amongst you and it is very good.

Accanto is connected to Little Venice and located on Ridgefield Parkway. It was tough for us to find, but all of you locals out there should be able to zero in on the location very quickly.

When you walk in, the space looks like a bar. Well, it is a bar, with contemporary black bar stools and furniture. A full complement of cocktails can be mixed. A decent wine list is available.

But the best thing about Accanto is the chef - Ryan Baldwin. Ryan used to delight my taste buds at Tastebuds American Bistro. He decided to try a new venture and landed at Accanto to showcase his considerable talent. His menu is creative and inventive.

I'll let a few pictures entice you.

Guajillo Duck Confit Tacos with radish, pear-jicama-tomatillo salsa, crema, queso fresco, plantain chips

I'm always a sucker for duck. This was very good. I loved the plantain chips as well as the pear-based salsa. 

Ginger Pork Barbeque Spring Rolls with cucumber-cilantro dipping coulis, daikon, and mango

Crispy roll, but not oily. The pork had a lovely smoky flavor.

Braised Pork Belly Sliders with Scotch Bonnet Goat Cheese

This dish came with three HUGE sliders. The pork belly was oh-so-tender. The goat cheese was not scorching hot. I ate one and took the other two home to make tasty leftovers.

with Grilled Pineapple Jicama Napa Slaw

This was such an incredible slaw/salad. Perfect for summer time dining. A bit of sweet, a bit of crunch, many mouthfuls of delight.

Curry Salmon with Marcona Almonds

Hubby is usually a sucker for salmon. Very satisfying for him.

Lavender Creme Brulee

We both marveled at the floral tones and we were very pleased with the presentation.

Yummy, yummy.

Of course, we wish Ryan were closer to our home, but Accanto is worth visiting. Ryan is a talented young chef and can conjure up dining magic. If you live nearby and you are pining for delicious creativity, you must go! At last you will not have to venture into the city proper (and the tax is only 5%!).

Bastille Day - Celebrating Old School Style

We've been fortunate enough to visit France several times. We love the traditional cuisine. No matter where we ate, it was delicious. If we are able we try to relive some French memories on Bastille Day and dine out at a local French restaurant.

This Bastille Day we visited a place that we had not been to in 6 years: Chez Max. Chez Max has that old school Americanized version of a French country inn. Dark paneling, country lace curtains, white linens, bistro-style chairs. Quaint and cozy.

We were warmly welcomed and we received attentive service.

[Just an aside on service. Actual French service is kick ass. The wait staff may seem aloof because they are not interested in your life or activities, particularly tourist activities; but their attention to detail and timing is impeccable. The silverware is replaced after every course; the wine is always poured before your glass is empty; the main course is never served before the first course has been finished and dessert is never considered until the rest of the meal is done. The pace is never hurried and we have time to discuss, consider, and appreciate the meal. We also experienced this type of service, for the most part, in the province of Quebec from the local pizza joint to the fancier places. I know that pay scales differ here and staffing constraints may be a challenge as well. I know it's a tough job; but after experiencing consistently great service, which is the normal expectation in France, I always make comparisons. I do appreciate the personable touch from a lot of the wait staff here in the Richmond area. If they could combine that quality with French-style attention to detail, the outcome would be the fantastic. Thank you for putting up with my rant.]

Now back to our Bastille Day celebration. Of course we needed to select a French wine, although Chez Max also has selections from other parts of the wine-producing world. We decided upon a 2009 Chateau Haut-Surget from Lalande-de-Pomerol. Hearty, yet smooth going down. A very pleasant combination and able to pair well with a variety of dishes.

We shared an appetizer special: Tuna Tartare with capers and pickled ginger. Yeah, this was good. A wonderful summer starter.

For the main dish, hubby selected the Atlantic Halibut with a Dijon mustard sauce. The fish was very dense and meaty. He really liked it and I was much impressed with the bite I sampled.

And I had the only dish I could really have ordered: Roasted Duck Breast with green peppercorn sauce. It did not disappoint. The duck breast was pink and tender; the sauce, divine. The wine worked incredibly well with the meal. I loved the potato ring as well. A nice added touch.

We saved room for dessert on this evening. Hubby had the Creme Brulee and I decided upon the Chocolate Souffle. The brulee was lovely, warmed with a delicious sugar coating. The souffle was a bit disappointing. Instead of the delicate melt-in-your-mouth experience I expected, the dessert had more of a chewy texture. I would not order this again.

Traditional, old school French cuisine that met our expectations. Happy Bastille Day!

The First Week of April in Richmond

This year April has been a perfect month for residing in Richmond. Hubby and I have done quite a bit and eaten even more. I wanted to share some of our local adventures with you for the first week in April.

Right at the beginning of the month we attended the Homestyle Brunch at Six Burner hosted by Chef Philip Denny and The Marinara. I got to take photos! Check them out here. We had three flavors of sous vide fried chicken (Thai iced tea, tandoori spiced, and Korean spiced) along with greens and waffles and kimchi. All yummy.

The Virginia Historical Society invited all of Richmond to the inaugural Food Truck Court. Lots of excitement was generated and lots of people and lines. We ended up getting dessert first at Mister Softee (chocolate milkshake).

Mister Softee

We then wandered over to Caliente to enjoy burgers (half price on Tuesday nights).

With the burgers we enjoyed a Petite Syrah from Foppiano. We had heard earlier that day that old man Foppiano had recently passed away at the ripe old age of 101. We toasted the venerable vintner.

Santa Fe Burger with Roasted Peppers and Avocado

Lot 96 Petite Sirah from Foppiano. 

On the the first Friday in April we went to the VMFA to view the silent ode to Communism - Battleship Potemkin. What really made this special was the band Goldrush. The super talented musicians performed live while the movie ran. So cool.



And afterwards we headed over to Carytown for a lovely dinner at Amour Wine Bistro. After taking a little bit of time figuring out the menu options and eventually getting a wine list to peruse (everyone wanted to suggest wines by the glass and I wanted to know what they had by the bottle and the price range), we decided on the 3 Course Prix Fixe Menu and a bottle of 2008 Chateau Lyonnat Bordeaux.

A Lovely Bordeaux

The amuse bouche was a grilled ramp on crostini. Such a nice ode to early Spring.

The Season for Ramps

We proceeded to enjoy a garlic and leek soup and grilled beef tenderloin. Dessert was chocolate creme brulee with caramel and sea salt. What a delight!

Incredible Dessert!

The  South of the James Winter Market is still going strong and Ault's Family Farm had a fresh chicken waiting for us. Yeah! Spring onions, greens, and asparagus are now available. Of course, the pooches are also out in full force.

Time for Spring

Onion Variety

Oh Joy!

For Easter we had brunch at the Empress and enjoyed a pitcher of mimosas.

Mmmm...Mimosas

The pulled pork and eggs were outstanding. The biscuits with the eggs benedict were most excellent. But I think it was just a wee bit early for the kitchen. One of my eggs was missing and the seasoned potatoes were almost not done. Breakfast potatoes need to be cooked until extremely tender. Maybe if we had wound up there after Easter on Parade we would have hit the kitchen in its stride?

One-eyed Benedict

  In any case make sure to see the mural on the side of the building by Lelo. Bright and colorful.

Isn't this cool?

Easter on Parade is always fun. Bunnies, eggs, a yarn bomb, bonnets, dogs. And this year the Art 180 project. I'm glad that residents found front yard homes for these young artists' works after Easter.

Art, entertainment, and FOOD! Go out and enjoy Richmond in April!