Dinner at Rhubarb in Asheville

While the dining room at Rhubarb was packed on a weeknight, the bar was readily available with a cozy corner table near the front window. The menu offers Southern fare with a twist and a whole bevy of local cheeses.

Entrance to Rhubarb

The bartender was happy to answer our questions about the menu and we had some mighty fine eats.

Fried Hominy with Lime and Chili - Great item to share

Berber Pie - I had no idea what a Berber Pie was. Turns out to be a hand made savory pie. This one was stuffed with Rhubarb Jam, Benton's Prosciutto, and Spiced Onions. So tasty!

Roasted Sunburst Trout stuffed with  Fennel - Delicious local fish

Local Cheeses with Rhubarb and Chutney

The menu tends to change seasonally and with the variety of large and small plates, everyone should find something to make their taste buds happy.

Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling at the Richmond Jazz Festival

Yesterday hubby and I attended the Richmond Jazz Festival* at Maymont.  We arrived around 1PM, survived the humidity and the rain, and had a fantastic time. We spent most of our time near the Virginia is for Lovers stage. There was lots of great music. We particularly enjoyed Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue. Check these guys out if you have the chance.

Tucked in among the vendors Chateau Ste. Michelle had set up The Reason for Riesling Tent, pouring three different Riesling styles from the Washington State producer. All were from the 2011 harvest and ranged from dry to sweet.

First up we tasted the Dry Riesling. With the very first sip we felt a tongue tingling effervescence. Apple dominated this Riesling, thus, even though this wine was dry, it had enough fruit to please the palate. This wine would be a great base for a white wine sangria. It would also be a nice accompaniment to shrimp or scallops.

The next wine was the Columbia Valley Riesling. This medium-dry offering sported a heavier mouth-feel and reminded us of the weight of an Alsatian Riesling. We picked up apricot essences. Because of the weight of the wine, this turned out to be our favorite of the three.

We could see ourselves sipping this on a warm afternoon or enjoying with a roasted chicken and sauteed green beans. It would also pair well with some of the food offerings from the Jazz Festival vendors like Chef Mamusu and the Curry Fried Lake Trout with Jollof Rice, Greens and Cornbread.

The last wine tasted was the Harvest Select Sweet Riesling. Lower in alcohol (10%) and definitely sweeter than the first two Rieslings. However, not cloying sweet like some dessert wines. This wine which showed some hints of peach was the crowd favorite and would be a good choice for folks who prefer non-dry wine styles. We could envision the multitude of pairing possibilities: spicy food, macerated peaches, or cheesecake.

All three were delightfully quaffable. Summer is a great season to enjoy Rieslings, including the variety from Chateau Ste. Michelle.

*Full disclosure here: I was contacted by a social media marketing company and asked if I would be willing to review the three Chateau Ste. Michelle Rieslings at the Richmond Jazz Festival. In order to taste the wines, we were provided passes to the Festival. We truly enjoyed tasting the wines.  We also really appreciated the incredibly talented musicians at the Festival.

Portrait of The Roosevelt - What Appeals To You?

Earlier in May we headed to The Roosevelt early to snag a table. We had a delicious time. I took a bunch of photos. Which ones look the most appealing to you?

Window Sign

Interior

The Clawhammer - Bourbon, Aperol, Sweet Vermouth, Fig Jam

A Blend of Cab Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot

Crab and Avocado Salad with Grapefruit

Fried Chicken Slider with Kimchee Mayo

Trout with Grits, Sea Island Peas, and Sunchoke Relish

Fried Fingerlings with Ramp Aioli

Steak Tartare with Chopped Egg and Apricot Mostarda

Let me know what you have savored at The Roosevelt.

Out to Pasture

A couple of Fridays ago we stopped by Lemaire to have $5 Manhattans during happy hour. We would then wander downtown to find dinner. Since Pasture was near by, I wanted to stroll over to at least see what the place looked like. To our surprise they still had numerous tables available so we stayed and ate.

I liked the bright green colors against the white walls and wood. I liked the soaring ceilings and the large storefront windows.

The menu offered lots of Southern-influenced variety. All small plates meant to be shared. We started off with a Chinon (Cab Franc) at $29. We like wine from this French region and this red did not disappoint.

We ordered quite a few plates. Some were outstanding, others had us shaking our heads. Here is a run down:

Pimento Cheese $4

Both hubby and I liked this starter. I have never been a huge fan of the stuff even though I grew up in the South, but this one was creamy with finely shredded cheese with a hint of pimento pepper throughout. Easy to share with Ritz-style crackers. From a taste and cost perspective, we would consider ordering again.

Deviled Eggs $7

While decent-tasting, fairly ordinary. My sister-in-law produces about the same (minus the salmon roe which did not impart a lot of flavor) for a lot less money. We would pass on this small plate next time.

Sweet Tea Smoked Trout $11

Kick ass. Loved this dish. Lightly smoked and moist. I would order this dish every time.

Brussels Sprouts $6

Hubby enjoyed them. I thought they were okay, but I'm not a huge sprouts fan. The portion seemed small for the price.

Fried Oysters $10

Served with cole slaw. Hubby (who is my fried oyster aficionado) said they were decent, but a small helping. The slaw was just okay. Pasture would not be his go-to fried oyster place.

Pork Rillettes $8

While hubby was not a fan, I really enjoyed this dish. The intense pork flavor and creamy fat with crostini-like toast was fabulous. Served with quince and whole-grain mustard, fresh parsley, and pickled fennel. I thought the amount and quality of food for the price was also good. I would order this again.

Fried Chicken $11

Served with spicy honey (a nice touch) and potato salad. Some of the best fried chicken ever outside of my mom's (about the only dish she can make) and my husband's grandfather (cast iron skillet on the grill). The potato salad was just so-so. I took some of my parsley from the pork rillettes and mixed it with the potato salad to give it a flavor boost. So even though the chicken was great we kept talking the price and the smallness of the plate. We weren't sure if we could continually justify the price when I can make pretty good chicken at home.

While the Candy Bar looked tempting for dessert, we had ordered a lot and decided to pass on the sweet stuff.

We had attentive, casual service throughout the evening. As our dinner progressed the place filled up and got a bit louder. The number of cars using the valet parking service astonished us. I guess for the later diners, it was the thing to do. For us, we left with full bellies, a few memorable dishes, and a few misses and wandered back to our car parked about a block away from The Jefferson.

 

A Tribute to Wonderful Restaurant Staff

It's so nice to go into a favorite restaurant and be recognized, indeed, appreciated. I'm sure all of us search for that special place with good staff and good food. And good staff must come first! Last week we found ourselves patronizing two such places: Bouchon and Tastebuds American Bistro.

When we walked up to the bar at Bouchon Olivier immediately recognized us and knew that the last time we had sat down at Bouchon was during the InLight exhibition. How awe-inspiring! We ordered a nice Chinon (cabernet franc)

and then perused the bar menu finally deciding upon trout and chips

and the burger and frites.

The trout was light and topped with almonds, herbs, and a squeeze of lemon. A touch fishy, but I'm hyper-sensitive to fishiness, and still a nice dish for a nice price. The housemade chips were simply divine. My hubby raved over the burger (and the frites were, of course, wonderful). He kept remarking that the burger was not really seasoned, but surprisingly tasty. Olivier told us that the burger was a blend of ground brisket and ground skirt steak. And then another bar patron let us know that the meat is ground only after a burger is ordered. As we left the chef came out and asked if we enjoyed our meal. Folks, we have a winner!

And then a few nights later we wandered over to Tastebuds and caught the lull in between the early crowd and the late rush. Valentina warmly greeted us. Patty has waited on us the last few times we dined here and she served us once again. She knows we like to take our time and sip our cocktails before ordering. We also like talking to her about wines and cocktails both here and at other establishments. She has a wealth of knowledge and a refreshing down-to-earth attitude. A sidecar and Bordeaux martini graced our table this evening.

Delicious. I believe Tastebuds has some of the least expensive specialty cocktails in town.

For wine we noticed some new offerings and selected a Duckhorn Decoy. Incredible!

Dinner consisted of the tuna special

Mozzarella filled risotto cake with a spicy marinara

Sliced beef tenderloin with arugula and fava bean puree.

Can you say yummy? Imaginative and satisfying.

As we were finishing up Andrew came over to tell us about the December 6 sparkling wine dinner. 5 courses paired with different sparklers. $50 a person. Just to whet your appetite, the first course is: Sweet Corn Aged Cheddar Flan, Smithfield Ham, Micro Salad, Blackberry Vinaigrette with Wine Pairing: Fitzritter, Sparkling Riesling, Germany. Can you say yummy again? Make your reservations now...


And thank you Bouchon and Tastebuds for making our dining experiences special.

La Chaumiere

Today - it's cloudy and muggy. I'm doing laundry. My cat threw up on the tablecloth in my dining room - more laundry to do.

Since today is not so great, I'll reminisce about dinner last Friday at La Chaumiere in Georgetown.

A classic French restaurant with a rustic charm. We are suckers for these type of places, especially my husband. While we saw a few other tempting boites, we could look no further once we perused the menu.

The interior, bedecked with half-timbered walls, ancient jars of preserved fruits, crisp white tablecloths, and wooden farmhouse chairs, made us feel cozy and comfortable. We were casually dressed and no one batted an eyelash.

The wine list contained many tempting French reds, but in the end we ordered a 2007  Owen Roe Ex Umbris Syrah from Washington State. Lovely.

As an appetizer I ordered one of the specials - smoked trout with radishes, capers, and seaweed salad. I did not think the trout and the seaweed salad paired well, but individually, they were phenomenal.

Hubby tried the baked, stuffed oysters. An unusual choice for him - he generally only eats the fried variety, He liked them very much.

For the main course, I had to order the duck breast with black current sauce accompanied by wild rice and veggies. This duck had a huge breast - all good. The sauce was the right balance of fruit and pan juices. I also liked the addition of the wild rice. A bit of a nutty side dish that paired well with the meat and sauce.

My spouse had the medallions of beef with a red wine sauce. The dish came with three medallions, progressing from almost medium well to medium rare  (a bit inconsistent, but because the beef was good, it was acceptable) and very tasty mashed potatoes.

The apps and entrees were so big that I could not contemplate dessert, which was a shame since chocolate souffle was listed (maybe next time). Hubby did have room for an after dinner coffee with creme de coconut.

Our service was attentive, yet unobtrusive, and the food delicious.

A Night at Lulu's

Back in the beginning of December we finally made it down to the Bottom and had dinner at Lulu's. Loved the decor, especially the Trask paintings. We were lucky enough to arrive right before the masses walked in and were seated at an open booth immediately.

We ordered an inexpensive but tasty Cabernet.

And I could not resist trying an appetizer - Smoked Chicken Nachos on Crispy Wonton Chips, with avocado creme and chipotle aioli. Oh yes! I loved the smokiness of the chicken. The wontons stayed crispy. And what's not to like about avocado and chipotle? My mouth is watering all over again.

For entrees, I stepped out of my food box and had Pan Fried Cornmeal Crusted Carolina Trout stuffed with dirty rice, and tasso ham gravy. Gotta give a thumbs up on the trout head. The cornmeal crust tasted like the trout was wrapped in corn bread, which I really liked. But because of the presentation, the fish was served skin side up and I had to flip it over to avoid the skin. I also encountered a few bones, so I had to be extremely cautious in eating and chewing (part of the reason I do not like fish). My trepidation impeded my enjoyment. The rice seemed a bit bland.

My hubby could not resist ordering Steve’s Meat Loaf and Mashed Potatoes w/ vegetable du jour and mushroom demi-glace. He thought it was decent (but not like Mom's - of course not, it was Steve's!).

While our dishes did not wow us, the service was great and Lulu's sported a good wine list. We would be willing to go back again and try other dishes...and order more smoked chicken nachos!