3 Fellers Bakery - Gluten Free Products

The other day we drove out to Goochland along Patterson Ave which turns into River Road West and happened upon 3 Fellers Bakery. This is a gluten-free bakery. While you can pick up delicious cookies, cakes, etc. at the bakery itself, we also discovered that Ukrops, Whole Foods, and Good Foods Grocery carry 3 Fellers products. The M & M sugar cookie was quite nice. And while I do not need gluten free products, I have friends who need to steer clear of the stuff.

Kudos to this local business who is bringing sweetness to folks.

Westwood Fountain

Ah, there's just something about drug store lunch counters. These days they are few and far between. And for me they do not jump out as a place to go for lunch, even though I grew up with them and enjoy eating at them.

Well, this past Wed. we were headed for Goochland and thinking about a place on Patterson for lunch. Suddenly..."Let's go to Westwood!"

And so we embarked upon our first dining experience at this very experienced and expanded lunch counter. Of course, many others already knew about the place. Neighbors and friends stop by, recognize each other, and chat.

And while my hubby ordered a club (which was decent, but the bread could have been toasted more), I went for a more bold choice employing a large part of the grill - A Cheesy Western - a hamburger, American cheese, and a fried egg and an order of fries along with a Coke.

Such a mouth-satisfying delight.

I need to drop by for breakfast. The Egg in a Nest would make this bird chirp sweetly.

Some Bright Colors for a Dreary Day

Enjoy some Northside colors this evening. I hope all of you are warm and dry, well-fed, and curled up with a favorite companion.

Krispy Kreme Honoring Vets

A big shout-out for all Vets and current military personnel. Krispy Kreme is honoring military personnel of all stripes with a free doughnut today.

Another Meal at Acacia Mid-town

It's unusual for us to go back to a restaurant so soon, but Acacia Mid-town features 1/2 price wine night on Tuesdays. We were both off on Wednesday this week. Woo hoo!


My previous post talked about Acacia holding forth with grays and greens. We sat in a slightly more lit area and the colors are actually browns with green accents. The place buzzed. A big group held forth in the back and during the mingling phase, the place was quite loud. Once they sat down to dinner, the noise level reduced somewhat.

We tried different sumptuous cocktails - Basil Smash (a grown-up version of whiskey sour) and Thomas Street Maple (whiskey, fernet branca, maple syrup). Delicious! Our waitress gave us plenty of time to enjoy our drinks and strategize our food and wine pairings.

After some agonizing minutes we decided to order the 2005 Simi Landslide Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley ($29 for the half price evening). Bright on the front of the tongue with a tannic coating mid-palate. Lots of tastiness that our mouths and pocketbooks appreciated.


Acacia Mid-town also featured a 3 course prix fixe menu for $23. While tempting (and a bargain - especially when the wine is 1/2 price, too), we ordered from the main menu, which changes up from day to day.

I had to get the parsnip and pear soup again (no shrimp this time). And it still did not dissappoint.

My husband had to try the fried oysters. And he loved them.

On the entree front, we selected the same thing and veered towards the basic - Grilled sirloin with local roasted potatoes and a spinach salad stuffed onion ring.

The steak was excellent. Very tender and a very nice cut of beef (and very generous portions). The potatoes were good - nothing special, but an expected accompaniment. The spinach salad featured a honey mustard dressing inside a huge, crispy onion ring. I liked it, but my spouse quickly tired of the dressing (he's not a huge fan of mustard).

I could not finish my steak and had no room for dessert, but we peeked at it anyway. My hubby found room for a Chicory Chocolate Cake with Olive Oil Ice Cream. He still is a sucker for ice cream. This time the ice cream was not very sweet (it reminded me of intensely cold and thick, unsweetened whipped cream with a hint of olive) and while he enjoyed the cake, it did not knock his socks off. He had also been tempted by the Maple Creme Brulee - If any of you try it in the next few weeks, let me know how it tastes.

Sometimes going back to a place so soon can lead to heartache. Not this time. We enjoyed our 2nd experience just as much as our first. And if we can swing it, we need to dine on Tuesdays to enjoy more 1/2 price wines.

A Mighty Fine Bordeaux

Even though we had leftovers last night, we still pampered ourselves with a lovely 1997 Bordeaux. It took about an hour of breathing to display its full fruity complexity. Each sip better than the last...

$25 Credit at Fleming's

Now until Dec 30, when you make dining reservations at Fleming's through the link on their site, they will give you a $25 credit automatically.

Here is a bit more of the fine print:

$25 Dining Credit must be redeemed using the specified reservation link between 11/1/09 and 12/30/09. Limit one $25 Dining Credit per check, per visit. The $25 Dining Credit is valid in the main dining room only. $25 Dining Credit is not valid for gift card purchases and cannot be combined with other promotions or applied towards special limited-time offers such as Fleming's Memorable Meals, Prix Fixe Menus, 5 for $6 'til 7 Bar Menu or Prime Burger Bar.

While a chain, they do cook a mean steak and offer a wine list that elicits a Pavlovian response.

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?

A Most Excellent Thai Dinner

A friend of mine is moving back to Thailand at the end of this year. Last night she invited us over for a most excellent dinner of traditional food that is usually not seen in a restaurant.

We discovered spicy eggplant:

Seafood soup with a lemongrass broth:

Braised tofu, chicken, and mushrooms:

Hard boiled eggs, deep fried, topped with fried shallots in a tamerind sauce:

To drink - 2008 Maude Pinot Gris from New Zealand:

Very unusual dishes for us, but very tasty. We particularly enjoyed the eggs. What an incredible amalgam of flavors. We were very honored to get a glimpse of real Thai cooking.

I Practice Plaqueusephilia

My friend John who manages The Wine Cellar alerted me to this fact. And I have the picture to prove it.

Acacia Mid-Town Part 2

We went to Acacia to participate in Richmond Restaurant Week and make a small contribution to the Central Virginia Foodbank. Last year we had a miserable experience at another establishment during restaurant week. Acacia restored our faith in restaurant week this year.

After we had exquisite drinks at the bar, we were seated in a modern grayed space with wisps of green for accent. We ordered wine - 2006 Domaine Berthet-Rayne Chateauneuf du Pape. Mmmm.


And then on to the difficult part - choosing what to eat. Acacia offered a great variety for the special menu. For an appetizer, my husband had Pan Seared Scallops/Cauliflower Puree/Brioche/Gremolata. He raved about the scallops! and wished it had been an entree selection. I ordered Curried Parsnip Pear Soup/Fresh Shrimp/Creme Fraiche. I raved about my soup! Continuing my exploration and budding romance with root veggies other than potatoes, I took a chance on the soup and was not disappointed. A great balance of flavors.

For the entree I went straight for the Duck Stuffed with Roasted Pears, Wrapped in Bacon, Carraway Gnocchi, Red Wine Braised Cabbage, Lingonberry Sauce. The duck carried a smokey flavor throughout and was oh-so-yummy. A delicious updated take on German-influenced cuisine. I could not have asked for anything better. And hubby stuck with seafood and selected Baked Crabcake, Cheddar Cheese Grits, Creamed Leeks, Greens, Herb Garlic Sauce. He also was well pleased with the flavors and tastes. And both entrees did not skimp on the food. While it was not an over-abundance, we were quite satisfied.

And then came dessert. A Parsnip Spice Cake/Fromage Blance Ice Cream/Pear Sauce for hubby. He was always a sucker for ice cream. This one was like a whipped cream ice cream and paired very well with the spice cake. I had the Vanilla Mascarpone Panna Cotta/Rich Chocolate Torte. I ordered it because of the chocolate (dense, intense dark chocolate), but the dessert was memorable because of the panna cotta. While not a usual panna cotta fan, this one rocked. It featured a grapefruity, puckery sauce that was out of this world.

We had a great dinner. We contributed to a worthy cause. Acacia gained two additional fans.

Bin 22 Hosts Bartholomew Broadbent Dinner Nov 10

Bin 22 is hosting Bartholomew Broadbent from Broadbent Selections Tuesday November 10th at 7pm.


The menu sounds divine:

*Broadbent Vinho Verde Sunflower -- rockfish ceviche


*Ferreira Esteva Douro Red-- Belmont Butchery charcuterie sampler


*Bodega Weinert Malbec-- bourbon & peppercorn hangar steak with root vegetables


*Ferreira Dona Antonia Port-- chocolate & blue cheese plate


$40 per person by reservation 358-4501

Just to sit and chat with Mr. Broadbent would be cool and I really enjoy his Vinho Verde - very dry and sparkly. Of course, the charcuterie sampler should also be quite yummy.

Bin 22 3200 W Cary St Richmond Va 23221

Election Day in Virginia - GO VOTE!

It is Election Day here in Virginia. If you are eligible to vote, please vote for the candidate of your choice.

And if you are so inclined, bring something yummy to share with the election officers...

Acacia Mid-Town Part 1

On Halloween we spent a lovely evening at Acacia Mid-town. This post will concentrate on the bar and cocktails. The day before Halloween we had stopped by Once Upon a Vine (Northside) and sampled some offerings from Barboursville Vineyards - Octagon was very good. The ever charming Jason Tesauro performed the honors. As we chatted we mentioned dinner plans at Acacia. He immediately said we HAD to have a drink at the bar. Arthur (and later we discovered his unnamed bar mate) was a fine mixologist and made his own infusions and syrups. He also utilized a myriad of unusual liqueurs.

Well, get a load at part of the cocktail menu above. Green Chartreuese, Fernet (that hubby and I had just discovered), Absinthe, and Ramzotti Amaro. On Halloween we toasted each other with Pear Blossom and Last Word.

Unusual and tasty. And the other cool thing - both bartenders took great pains to make each cocktail right. No slinging crap around; this was a slow, meticulous application of fine spirits. It was a pleasure just to watch them at their craft.

Cheers!

The Calm Before the Halloween Storm at Can Can

Can Can. Pre-Dinner lull. Halloween.