A Double Dose of Food Happiness

Last weekend we had opportunities to dine at both Wild Ginger and Osaka at River Road. Yummy, yummy!

We went to Wild Ginger after partaking in the wine tasting at Vino Market. Vino tasted out an unusual South African white that was awesome! The name began with a "C." It was so good they sold out and I had to order some. Unfortunately, the weather has deterred me from picking it up. If you ask for it, Hunter and Dave will know what you are looking for.

Anyhow, we stepped into Wild Ginger fairly early and the place was fairly empty and could easily accomodate a couple without reservations. Later on all of the tables were filled.

Always a plethora of delectable menu items and specials. This time we both decided to have steak for the main course, so we ordered a bottle of Ladera Cabernet Sauvignon to enjoy with the meal.While decent, not the best considering the price. We would have been better off choosing The Prisoner. Oh well, we wanted to try something we had not tasted before and sometimes disappointment ensues.

No matter, the food was fantastic. To start we shared the special lobster tempura roll with lettuce, avocado, and kani. Lovely.

For entrees hubby ordered the special teriyaki glazed NY Strip with asparagus and three oysters rockefeller.

And I had the filet mignon with fried wontons stuffed with wasabi mashed potatoes and served with a black pepper sauce.

My spouse's steak was HUGE and tasty (we had to take some of this beef home). And the glaze was very light, so the sweetness did not overpower the dish. The oysters were cheesy and satisfying. My filet was plain, but perfect and oh-so-tender. I liked the black pepper sauce that came on the side. I could use as little or as much as I wanted. Nice touch. The wontons were a cute side dish with hints of wasabi, but nothing that blasted out one's sinuses.

No dessert - we were stuffed and happy.

A couple of evenings later we popped into Osaka.

This time we ordered the Patricia Green Osaka Cuvee. Osaka managed to obtain its own blend from the famed pinot noir producer.

When we tasted it, the wine seemed a bit on the thin side and young (2009). Not what we were used to from other Patty Green offerings. We sipped and ordered the special appetizer to share: smoked duck spring rolls.

The spring rolls were amazing. The meat was slightly smoked. The wine paired very well with this dish.

For entrees, hubby selected the shrimp and vegetable tempura. Great shrimp, but he was dissappointed with the veggies. He was not expecting sweet potato or plantains and the broccoli and zucchini did not taste fresh.

I had the shrimp tempura roll. Always good. And the yellowtail and scallion roll.

This tuna roll with the soy sauce was the quintessential food pairing with the Osaka Cuvee. Absolutely incredible! I highly recommend this wine/sushi combination. It's difficult to pair reds with sushi and given our initally assessment of the Osaka Cuvee, we thought we were destined for disappointment. It was so nice to be overwhelmingly wowed.

A Tacky Light Encounter

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On our way home from Wild Ginger we cruised in search of festive lights.

Definitely Not BFF

Right before Thanksgiving we decided to dine at Amici's. The last time we were there was before the renovation. We sat on the patio with the outdoor heaters keeping us warm. It was an intimate, magical setting and we had some good food.

This time, not so much. The patio is now enclosed and is bright, crowded, and loud. We chose to stay anyway because we remembered the delicious fare. One waiter seated us and reviewed the specials. The waiters then switched up on us and our new one spouted the specials again (leaving one of them off of his list). No matter. We ordered an inexpensive Valpolicella and was served a bread basket with a garlic spread. The bread was fine. The garlic spread was more doughy than garlicky, really quite bland.

For entrees hubby ordered penne pasta with a piedmontese style meat sauce. Similar to bolognese. As soon as he had a bite he leaned over to me and said mine was better. While a decent dish, a bit pricey if I can make something better at home. I decided to have baked homemade cannelloni pasta filled with veal in a tomato cream sauce. Very creamy, very cheesy and absolutely no flavor at all. I ate half of it and did not ask for a to go box. Is cannelloni not supposed to have any taste??

Our waiter asked us if we wanted dessert twice and took a long time bringing us our bill.

After some really good recent experiences with the Richmond restaurant scene, Amici's only served up bitter disappointment. It was definitely not the old friend we remembered.

Happy Happy Sparkling Sparkling

Tastebuds American Bistro hosted a divine sparkling wine dinner last night. We were fortunate enough to have attended the sold out affair. As usual Tastebuds served up thoughtful imaginative pairings.

Course 1

Sweet Corn and Aged Cheddar Flan with Smithfield Ham, Micro Salad, and Blackberry Vinaigrette

Fitzritter Sparkling Riesling, Germany

Probably the best food/wine pairing of the evening. The riesling stood up to all of the flavors of the dish, especially the spicy micro greens. And when sipping with the flan it enhanced the cheddarness of the flan.

Course 2

Autumn Squash Gnocchi with Calvados Gastrique, Crispy Pork Belly, and Local Fuji Apple

Santa Margherita Prosecco, Italy

Hubby could not stop raving about the pork belly and I liked the gnocchi with the syrupy Calvados drizzle. The prosecco was our least favorite of the sparling choices.

Course 3

Pan Roasted Black Grouper with Brunoise of Root Vegetable, Lemon-Fennel Essence, and Lavender Butter.

Baumard Cremat de Loire, France

The French sparkling was very herbaceous with a hint of anise. An unusual taste, but a great choice for this course. The lavender butter that bledned into the dish was pure genius. And I truly enjoyed the grouper. Good restaurants will eventually turn me into a fish eater.

Course 4

Duo of Duck - Sliced Breast with Leg Confit Bread Pudding and Curried Pumpkin Sauce

Barbolini Grasparosa Lambrusco, Italy

I signed up for this wine dinner because of the duck course. The breast was sliced and medium to medium rare. Yummy! But the leg confit bread pudding was to die for. So rich and flavorful. I hope they offer this on the regular menu. And, yes, we had an Italian red sparkler to imbibe. It worked well with the dish and curried sauce.

Course 5

Creamy Brie, Bartlet Pear Marmalade, Polenta Cookie, and Sour Cherry Coulis

Cresta Azul Semi-Sparkling Cava, Spain

I am not a brie fan and am still not a brie fan, but I enjoyed the polenta cookie and cherry sauce. I thought the cava was not as sweet as it should have been for this dish.

What an incredible evening. It was great to have such a warm, glowing feeling on a particularly chilly evening.

Tastebuds ususally hosts wine dinners about once a month. They are $50 per person and are always good.

All I want for Christmas...

All I want for Christmas..., originally uploaded by pjpink.

A fun way to recycle wine corks.

Last Day of SOJ

Farewell South of the James Market until next year. I want to thank all of the participating vendors. Both hubby and I looked forward to going to the market every week. You guys work hard and produce lovely fresh produce as well as other delights. I was not able to take any photos today, but here are a few from before Thanksgiving.

A Fave

A Fave, originally uploaded by pjpink.

One of my favorite places to eat in Richmond.

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.

Glasses, menu, and cocktail at Amuse

DSC_0242, originally uploaded by pjpink.

Last Friday we ate dinner at the bar at Amuse. The VMFA was adorned with lots of fancy dinner parties, black ties, and glitzy outfits. We arrived in chic blue jeans and sweaters. No matter. Tommy, our bartender took very good care of us starting with an Amuse sidecar (cognac, cointreau, pear puree, and a dash of lemon) - a heady slice of liquid autumn. We followed up with a Frog's Leap Sauvignon Blanc, celery root bisque (exquisite), seafood stew (yummy), and steamed clams. Everything except the clams pleased us. And the clams and broth were good, but the broth contained potatoes that were crunchy. I really detest crunchy potatoes.

We had such a good time eating and drinking at the bar that we did not have time to wander around the exhibits. Thank you Tommy, for making our evening such a delight.

Get Your Seafood On

A few weeks ago Fatback and Foie Gras posted an article about sugar toads at Arnest Seafood Restaurant in Manquin, VA off of Route 360 as you head toward Tappahannock. Based on the write up we decided to try the place for lunch.

Arnest is located in a non-descript strip mall. Nothing to draw your attention per se except word of mouth.

Booths and tables were generic. In the back was the seafood case with shrimp, flounder, other fish, and frog legs. I liked the lighting over the booths. The bulb was ensconced in old oyster cans.

Fried shrimp, hushpuppies, fries, and green beans. The shrimp were nice and meaty. The hushpuppies, perfect balance of corn meal, sweetness, and a hint of onion. The fries, so-so. The green beans were cooked Southern-style with a hint of ham.

Flounder sandwich and crab chips and a bowl of shrimp bisque (new to the menu).  The bisque was more chowder-like. Creamy and filling (only available by the bowl). The flounder was a nice size and satisfying. The crab chips were AWESOME!

When I am craving fried shrimp, this will be on my list to visit. Casual and laid-back. Everyone else who came in for lunch were local and knew all of the other diners and restaurant staff. If you go, make sure to get the crab chips as a side dish. They are house made thick potato chips with just the right amount of seasoning.

SOJ Photos - Beginning of November

The South of the James Market continues through the first Saturday in December. Enjoy a few Fall photos from yesterday.

If you have pictures of any of the local markets, post them here.

Restaurant Week Experience

We ended up going to two "official" restaurant week places. The first was Charles City Tavern with friends.

An old farmhouse tucked away along Route 5. Complete with porch and friendly kitty (had to pay a belly rub toll to enter).

The butternut squash soup was fantastic and suited the region's return to Autumn.

The crabcakes (sitting atop corn and ham saute) were almost pure lumpmeat crab. Very nice. The corn was yellow and out of a can.

The wine list was short and short on bottles under $50. In fact, one of the under $50 bottles was sold out. While we had nice-tasting bottles, it was tough to pay the equivalent of two meals for a bottle of wine. Because of the wine expense, we will probably not make a point of returning to Charles City Tavern on a frequent basis.

On the final night of restaurant week we popped into Water Grill for a drink at the bar and ended up staying for dinner.

Wine choices were more varied and more reasonable. We had a very nice Hendry Cabernet.

For apps, we had fried oysters and the lobster and shrimp pot stickers. Hubby loved the oysters. The pot stickers were extremely disappointing. Gummy and not a lot of flavor. The soy sauce that accompanied them killed whatever flavor was present. Another sauce that complimented the dish needed to be presented. I would not order these again.

For entrees we had a tenderloin with whipped potatoes (for me) and crabcakes  with whipped potatoes (for hubby). He really liked the crabcakes (I liked Charles City Tavern's better). My beef was most excellent. Tender and tasty. The potatoes were dry and tasteless, unfortunately.

Good for the restaurants for supporting the Central Virginia Food Bank. I was disappointed in all of the controversy over who was "allowed" to participate (as if no other restaurant could donate to a worthy cause). Once again, I prefer to make my own donation and eat where I want.

One last question - why was restaurant week held at this particular time? Wouldn't it be better to hold it in the dead of winter when restaurants are traditionally slow? We didn't even bother to eat at Acacia's because we knew it would be zoo-like.

And a final shout-out to RVA News for keeping everyone up to date on the restaurant line-ups and their menus. You guys rock!

A Thump on the Head to Libbie Market

Specifically, the wine aisle and the wine manager (or assistant manager) and the wine rep. I was trying to view the wines. These assholes were standing in the middle of the aisle totally engrossed in their inventory. I actually turned to face them and they ignored me and did not bother to move.

I did an about face and did not even contemplate buying wine from them. Instead I dropped some bucks at J. Emerson.

Too bad, Libbie Market.

Exercise Your Right - Vote Today!

IMG_3640, originally uploaded by pjpink.