Phil's Continental Lounge

I have a confession to make. I've lived in this city for almost 10 years and commuted to work and/or school for many years before that and I had never been to Phil's Continental Lounge. Let the groaning and rolling of the eyes commence. I deserve it.

I finally remedied the situation albeit in the new location. Bright colors of the new building and patio added some cheeriness to the gray day.

We went on a Saturday for lunch and the placed was mobbed! We waited 10-15 minutes for two spots at the bar. I ordered a limeade. And enjoyed it.

I ordered the grilled pastrami and Swiss on rye with chips. Delicious and satisfying,

Hubby took a chance on the special - meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans. One may ask why this selection would involve any kind of risk. I'll tell you. The meatloaf was not made by his mom and anytime mashed potatoes are ordered there may be instant (fake) flakes involved. We were pleased to note that the potatoes were real (yeah!). And hubby thought the meatloaf was as close to his mom's as he had come by in the River City. This declaration was truly impressive. First time EVER he had gone gaga over restaurant meatloaf. He had tried many with high hopes. Phil's succeeded.

While I regret never having been to the original Phil's, I'm glad to have made his acquaintance in the new location. May this be the start of a beautiful friendship.

Remember the Alamo BBQ

Order window. Mis-matched outdoor seating. A wood pile. A smoker in the back intoxicating the neighborhood. Trophies in the window. A long line to request food.

Alamo BBQ - Why didn't we visit you sooner?

Goodness walks out of this door.

Look at the pulled pork BBQ with slaw.

Sauce - not too sweet with the right touch of heat. Meat smoked to perfection.

Texas caviar.

Tacos - one with pulled pork and one with beef brisket topped with slaw and Texas caviar.

Wash it down with a limeade.

YOU MUST GO!

Sticks

For lunch yesterday we wandered over to Willow Lawn to try Sticks Kebob Shop.


Originally, from Charlottesville, they have recently opened in Richmond. The space is brightly painted and art work from the Crossroads Art Center graced the walls, which I thought was a very nice local touch. The ordering concept features picking a sandwich ($5.99 - $7.49), salad ($6.75 - $8.25), or platter ($7.49 - $8.99). Then pick a stick (or kebob). Options include mixed veggies, chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, or lamb. Select a sauce for your kebob – Cucumber-Yogurt, Fire-Roasted Pepper, Sesame-Lemon Vinaigrette, or Creamy Cilantro-Lime. If you pick a platter then you also pick a side – ranging from Hummus to Tabouleh to Roasted Eggplant Salad. Fries ($1.99) and onion rings ($2.49) can be ordered as extras. Limeades, Mango Lemonades, the usual assortment of beverages and beer are available in the liquid refreshment department.

We had a lot of decisions to make. I chose the sandwich (no tomato) with the African Spiced Pork Loin kebob and the creamy cilantro-lime sauce ($6.49). I added grilled onions for an extra $.75. The kebob was wrapped in a grilled flatbread. To drink I ordered the “fresh squeezed” limeade ($1.95). My grilled kebob delicately sported some spices, but the taste was lost with the sauce and the onions. And while the sauce, onions and grilled flatbread were all tasty for the $7.25 price tag, I did not seem to get a lot of food. And even though the limeade said “fresh-squeezed” it came out of one of those beverage circulators. All of the squeezing must have occurred in the morning before opening (I hope).

My hubby ordered the platter with the Chili-Spiked Beef Sirloin kebob ($7.99) with the cucumber-yogurt sauce and Tabouleh. The platter came with Basmati rice and grilled flatbread.


Once again the sauce over-powered the slightly spiced beef. He really liked the rice and the Tabouleh was decent. Still, for the price, the meal seemed skimpy.

Sticks has a neat concept that focuses on grilled preparations and not fried ones. It also offers plenty of veggie options. But we paid almost $20 for lunch and non-alcoholic beverages and left wanting to go across the street and order a Dairy Queen Blizzard because we were not satisfied. With Jason’s Deli just a few doors down and Panera Bread and Chipotle across the street, the competition will be fierce.

Sticks
Willow Lawn Plaza
1700 Willow Lawn Dr. #115
804.282.7010

Captain Buzzy and Libby Hill

After the Italian Festival we stopped in at Captian Buzzy's Beanery. We did not want our day to end, and we discovered that we were thirsty. As we entered we were greeted by a marvelous coffee aroma. But neither of us felt like coffee. I ordered a Limeade. This was more like a limeade extreme. Very sweet and very tart (the juice of an entire lime for the small size!). I loved it. My husband wanted an Arnold Palmer (1/2 tea and 1/2 lemon). Alas, no lemons. But the Captain's crew member suggested a Tiger Woods - 1/2 tea and 1/2 lime. A fitting substitute.



With beverages in hand we strolled over to Libby Hill Park and admired the view.

Kuba Kuba

We got take out from Kuba Kuba last night. Located in the Fan at Lombardy and Park and a staple of the community for years. I didn't feel like cooking and my spouse did not want to go out to eat. I love this hole-in-the-wall place. I walked in, put in my order, and sat on one of the counter stools and enjoyed a limeade while I waited. Kuba Kuba's limeades are more tart than the ones at Croaker's Spot. As I waited I surveyed the kitchy items on the wall and watched the laid back wait staff deftly handle more limeades, meals, and espressos. When I arrived home with the goods, we ate outside on our deck (probably one of the last times we will be able to eat outside without sweltering). Dinner was Cuban Pork sandwiches. It had been a while. Tender roast pork, thin slice of ham, melted cheese, sliced dill pickle, yellow mustard - what a great combination. And don't forget, everything is stuffed into a generous Cuban sub roll and then pressed. Panninis have nothing on this. We washed it down with a 2000 Muga Rioja Riserva. Divine. The only thing missing was the Cafe con Leche (with sweetened condensed milk) for dessert.