What Not To Do With Dessert

Boston Cream Cheesecake a photo by pjpink on Flickr.

This Boston Cream Cheesecake at Stronghill Dining Co. was freakin' awesome except for the raspberry drizzle on the plate. Why oh why do restaurants ruin the dish with unneeded adornments? Why oh why can't someone warn a restaurant patron that the dish is about to be ruined?

If decoration has to happen, choose chocolate.

We did enjoy the Alligator Bites and Steak Frites (we asked for the pimento cheese on the side since we knew it came with the dish).

Greek Burger

Greek Burger a photo by pjpink on Flickr.

Belly up to the bar at Dot's Back Inn and indulge in a Greek burger. A honking amount of ground beef with a generous portion of feta. Underneath, a layer of cool tzatziki sauce and served on a toasted wheat bun. And don't forget the fried potatoes!

Lasagna for the People, Baby!

The weekend's over. You survived work on Monday, but just barely. Even though you should be preparing dinner at home, you're just not up to the task. And since you spent too much money on food and drink whooping it up over the weekend, expense is an object. Besides how many local places are open on a Monday with decent food that fits your budget needs?

Enter Camden's Dogtown Market and Lasagna for the People every Monday night. Saved at last! The Manchester market and restaurant gem offers a great deal on Monday nights: salad, bread (a wide variety of slices), lasagna (your choice of meat, seafood, or veggie), and choice of dessert (always a bread pudding option). All of this for $15! And no corkage fee for any of the wine purchased in the market to have with your meal.

Since this is not a cheap date night thing, you can go alone or with a bevy of friends. Heck, you can even bring your cheap date and get different types of lasagna or dessert. Possibilities abound.

And, of course, the food was awesome. The portions were generous. The meat lasagna was a mix of beef and pulled pork. I had enough to eat for lunch the next day. I know you are expecting photos, so here they are:

Cabernet Sauvignon for less than $15. There are several wine selections for $10 or under, too.

The salads were large and tasty.

Meat Lasagna - Mmmm!

Chocolate Mousse with Blueberries and Whipped Cream

Camden's Dogtown Market serves other menu items for dinner the rest of the week as well as Saturday brunch. Go chow down soon!

A Spring welcome on each table along with olive oil for the bread.

Enoteca Sogno Deliciousness

Since Enoteca Sogno is now in my neighborhood, we visit more frequently and can walk there. Lucky, lucky us.

We have enjoyed everything we have ever ordered. On this night we ehoyed some of the evening specials.

Seared scallops with balsamic vinegar. Some of THE BEST scallops. The pan searing - perfect without drying out the little seafood morsels. The drizzle of balsamic enhances the flavor without hiding what the scallop has to offer.

Burrata with tomatoes. We fell in love with this soft mozzarella with the creaminess inside while we were in Italy. Here, it's hard to get burrata. Enoteca Sogno sourced it from a producer in Maine. Heavenly.

Roasted Cornish Game Hen with a mustard-influenced sauce. A very healthy hen where I was tempted to pick up the bones and gnaw on them to get at every last bit of flavor. Since the bird was big, I took half of it home and gnawed my bones in the privacy of my own abode.

We washed it all down with a 2008 Rosso di Casanova di Neri. Mmmmm!

Salad Days

It's hotter than it has ever been here in March. I refuse to turn on the air conditioning. It's so wrong. Cafe Caturra on Grove contains the answer: Chargrilled Romaine with white cheddar dressing, tomatoes, and grilled chicken. The grilled lettuce and the dressing were the standouts.

And even though baby, it's hot outside, we still spring for red wine: 2007 Farther Petite Sirah.

Maybe I'll survive March after all.

Prosciutto Shrimp

Prosciutto Shrimp a photo by pjpink on Flickr.

Occasionally, Tastebuds American Bistro will feature Prosciutto-wrapped Shrimp as a starter. Delicious! The prosciutto is paper thin to ensure that the shrimp is not overwhelmed.

Yes, I Ate at Peter Chang's, Too

And I want to go back. Real soon. We arrived on a Saturday at 4:45 PM and lined up with the other eager eaters. Folks navigating the parking lot from Walmart slowed up and gawked at the line up. The doors opened promptly at 5 PM and we were seated along with two friends who had joined us for dinner.

Peter Chang sports a decent wine list!! Hooray! We ordered a Silvan Ridge Pinot Gris from Oregon. A nice complement to the bit of spiciness ahead.

Pinot Gris

For starters Spring Vegetable Rolls and Steamed Buns with Beef. The rolls were nice and crispy. The beef had a hint of spice. Unfortunately, the buns were okay. (We were so spoiled by the Duck Buns at the now defunct Ejay Rin. May the buns and kimchi be resurrected in another life!)

Spring Vegetable Rolls

Steamed Buns with Beef

For entrees, a mix of beef and duck dishes. Orange Flavored Beef was tasty and traditional (at least from an American point of view).

Orange Flavored Beef

The Beef Stew in Clay Pot was unexpected and very tasty. Presented in a big cauldron of a pot and consisting of beef brisket, potato, carrot, and tomato in a special sauce that was spicy without being hot. The beef was extremely tender.

Beef Stew in Clay Pot

My favorites, of course, were the duck dishes. Guangdong Gulu Duck was boneless, deep fried, and served with a sweet and sour sauce. And such a beautiful presentation. Hubby really liked the taste and flavor of both the meat and the sauce. He was also very pleased that the water fowl was boneless.

Duck with Sweet and Sour Sauce

I ordered Tea Smoked Duck with Deep Fried Onions. Lovely smoky duck! This fowl did include the bones, but tender enough to strip away the delicious morsels. The onions reminded me of onion straws, but had a prodigious amount of red pepper flakes mixed in. A bit of heat (and even hotter heated up for leftovers the next day!). I thoroughly enjoyed this dish.

Tea Smoked Duck

And what's so great is that Peter Chang offers even more duck dishes as well as a wide variety of other delectable dishes. I want to go back. Real soon.

Biggest Breakfast in Town at McLean's

BBIT a photo by pjpink on Flickr.

Three eggs your way, choice of breakfast meat, choice of sides (I have to have the home fries!), choice of toast or biscuits, choice of juice, and grits if you want 'em. No wonder this place is packed!

Leap Day Wine Dinner

Four Italian reds. Four delicious courses. Wine dinner at Enoteca Sogno.

We finally attended one of these celebrated events! and now that Enoteca Sogno has moved to the Northside, we can even walk there.

Communal Table

The Veneto region was highlighted for this evening with wines from Nicolis. The winemaker, speaking Italian, and the distributor, who translated gave explanations that were amusing and informative. Gary, the restaurant owner, was also on hand to explain the paired dishes.

2007 Nicolis Testal with Pasta and Bean Soup - The wine featured corvina grapes. The soup was an intersection of elegance and peasant (at least to my mind) with some of the soup being pureed with whole beans and pasta added. Both simple and tasty.

Bean and Pasta Soup

2008 Seccal Valpolicella Ripasso and Baccala with Polenta and Radicchio Gratin - This was my favorite wine. Hearty and in-your-face, but still displaying fruit. Baccala consisted of dried, salted cod reconstituted. The cod by itself was a bit too salty. The polenta a bit on the corny bland side. The marriage of the two, divine. And the radicchio gratin balanced bitterness with the richness of the cheese. Lots of taste sensations going on and the wine held it own throughout.

Hearty Ripasso

2006 Amarone della Valpolicella and a Cheese Plate - The Amarone was smooth and supple. We enjoyed it with a trio of cheese - taleggio, gorgonzola, and aged asiago. The simplicity of the strong cheeses with the sensuousness of the wine was perfect after the somewhat heavier second course.

Sensuous Amarone

2006 Recioto della Valpolicella and Tiramisu. A lovely little dessert wine that took on a few port-like qualities. The tiramisu was some of the best I had ever had. The lightness and freshness of it amazed me. This is why folks should rave about this dessert. I'm glad I had the opportunity to experience it.

Heavenly Tiramisu

Sandwiches and Raku

We visited the Visual Arts Center for First Fridays and learned a bit about the art of Raku pottery. We selected a bisque pot or bowl, dipped it in a glaze, let it dry, and loaded it into a kiln.

While the kiln was firing, we strolled up to Olio to have dinner. A Secco-Bertani Valpoicello Ripasso accompanied a couple of yummy sandwiches - a Sicilian - hot soprasatta, capocolla ham, and provolone with hot cherry peppers on ciabatta and a Proscuitto di Parma with fresh mozzarella, basil, greens, red pepper, olive oil and balsamic on ciabatta.

Sicilian with Black Bean and Corn Salad

Parma di Proscuitto with Tuscan White Bean Salad

After eating we returned to the art center for the real show - opening the kiln and cooling the pots.

Opening the Kiln

Transferring glowing pots to metal cans, then trowing sawdust over the pot and closing the lid so the pots can cool.

As the pots cool, they produce a lot of smoke.

It only takes about 15 minutes for the pots to cool.

As the pots cool, the glaze produces a crackled effect. We then cleaned them up with water and comet scrub and took them home!

Lots of fun for a Friday evening.

Friendly Hospitality

Last Saturday we traveled east to Quinton for a fantastic home-cooked dinner with friends. What a fantastic feast!

Here's the line up so you can be envious:

Olive Medley with Mahon, Parrano, and Idiazabal Cheeses

Country Pork Pate with Cornichons

Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Soup

Mashed Potatoes and Celery Root Graced with Chopped Celery Leaves

Ox Tails

Broccolini, Carrot, and Pepper Medley

Brussels Sprouts with Mushrooms and Bacon

Caramel Sea Salt Ice Cream

With dinner we enjoyed a Brunello and a Vacqueyras. With dessert, a special treat - Russell's Reserve Bourbon infused with maple sugar. OMG! Stupid good.

What a wonderful evening with friends.

In Arcadia

While the Shockoe Bottom location is anything but pastoral, the interior of Arcadia portrays an idyllic notion. White tablecloths, a river of round mirrors flowing down a soft yellow wall, cozy tables for quiet conversations.

We arrived early with no reservations and were promptly seated. The place did fill up as we progressed with dinner, so reservations are recommended.

Menu options include starters, salads, small plates, and entrees and then a selection of Braveheart Beef steaks along with a la carte sides. We spent a lot of time sipping our Manhattan cocktails ($10) (my cocktail of choice for the last couple of months) and deciding what to order. The menu held lots of tasty options in various price ranges.

Once we decided on our eating strategy, we selected our wine. Arcadia sports four wine lists: Wines by the glass, $20 bottle wines, $30 bottle wines, and reserve wines. The $20 and $30 lists are the some of the best restaurant wine prices in all of Richmond, maybe all of Virginia. For this evening we chose the Sharffenberger Brut Sparkling from Mendocino, CA for $30. Lovely bubbles.

For eating we began with Deviled Eggs with White Truffle Oil and Caviar ($6) and Shaved Iceberg Salad with Duck Bacon, Roma Tomatoes and Creamy Shallot and Mustard Dressing ($6).

The yolks of the deviled eggs were whipped and fluffy and had a slight earthiness from the truffle oil. We liked them because they were slightly different from what we grew up with. The presentation of the iceberg lettuce salad was delightful. The dressing was flavorful and I loved the duck bacon.

Next we ordered two small plates: Grilled Agave Basil Shrimp with Curry Basmati Rice ($12) and Braised Chicken Thighs with Ricotta Spaetzle and Beet Oil ($12) as well as a side dish of Yukon Gold and Sweet potato Fries with Truffle Oil and Sea Salt ($6).

Hubby raved over the shrimp and rice. The shrimp were plump with just the right amount of grilling. He could have eaten another plate of just rice - it was that good. And the thighs were perfect. I usually do not order chicken in a restaurant, but the dish intrigued me and did not disappoint. And, of course, the spaetzle delighted the palate as well. We had a generous portion of fries to share.

Upon hearing the list of desserts, we decided to share a Della Nonna Lemon Torte ($7) and Illy coffee ($2.50).

Not too sweet, not too tart. A nice finish to the evening.

Lauren, our server, was delightful. She gave us time to decide what to eat and drink. She expertly opened our bottle of sparkling and continued to fill our glasses until the bottle was emptied. Well done! And John Van Peppen, the owner, glided from table to table asking how everything was. Great service, inviting atmosphere, delicious food, affordable wine.  Arcadia.

Pleasant Weeknight Pairing

This week past week after a hectic day at work we decided to visit Cafe Rustica. It had been forever since we last ate here. Both of us were extremely pleased to find Schweineschnitzel still on the menu accompanied by red cabbage and pan-fried spaetzle. Yummy! I so enjoy schnitzel and the spaetzle is fantastic. I love the flavor the pan frying gives this little German dumpling. And the the pork was large enough to take half of it home and scarf up as leftovers the next evening.

Then, we came to dessert - Grilled pound cake with lemon curd. Simple, yet so satisfying. The grilling of the cake caramelizes the sugar in the pound cake. Delicious!

Thank you Cafe Rustica for a delightful evening!