Zenato Ripassa

Zenato Ripassa a photo by pjpink on Flickr.

My new favorite Italian from Enoteca Sogno. Very hearty.

Richmond Restaurant Week Highlights

We managed to hit up three places during the last week in April. Two spots have been participating in RRW for a while and we had yet to experience the places. The third place we frequent regularly, but this was their inaugural stint with RRW.

Since so many RRW patrons have blogged, tweeted, and FB'd about the event, I'll stick to some brief highlights.

First up was The Hill Cafe. No, we had never been. Yes, they were busy, even on a Monday. We liked the short two-seater booths (very cute) and we liked the neighborhood feel. If we lived in the area, we would probably be regulars. I need to go back to try some of the Blue Plate Specials.

I enjoyed the Crab and Artichoke Dip with the chips. Yummy, rich, and a very generous portion.

Crab Meat and Artichoke Hearts with Fried Flour Tortilla Chips

Hubby went for the fried oysters and you know he liked them.

Crispy Fried Oysters with Red Skin Mashed Potatoes, Sauteed Spinach, and Lemon Dill Creme Fraiche

The Apple Crisp Pie was a bit disappointing. Nothing crisp about it and the pie should have been heated.

On Wednesday, we tried Helen's (since 1935!). Can you believe this was our very first Helen's experience?? We did not have reservations and they were not as busy as we were expecting. We had our choice of a table in the back or eating at the copper bar. We chose the bar. I had no idea the chefs cooked  at the lower end of the bar. Way cool.

The Mussels were The Bomb. The broth was so flavorful, they offered to box it up so I could have it later in the week with some crusty bread (yes, that was good, too).

Steamed Mussels with Pernod Broth, Herbs de Provence, Matchstick Potatoes, and Lemon Aioli

The Grilled NY Strip was also tasty. The Pave Potatoes with cheese were so rich, I had to take them home (used them in a frittata later in the week).

Grilled New York Strip with Potato Pave, Rainbow Swiss Chard, Wild Mushroom and Green Peppercorn Sauce

Our last place was Tastebuds American Bistro. I was pleased to see them on the list (as well as some other newcomers).

Hubby enjoyed the Flounder. Tastebuds always offer either salmon or flounder. While I'm not a fan of either, hubby is and he's happy about the consistent quality of the fish.

Paneed Flounder with Asparagus and Fennel Saute, Lemon Cous Cous, and Roasted Fennel Nage

I devoured the Sirloin. The arugula added a nice touch of Spring to the dish.

Pan Seared Sirloin with Grilled Polenta, Mushroom Ragout, Arugula and Caramelized Leek Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

After dinner we splurged on Irish Coffee. Tastebuds does it up right.

A Perfect Ending to Richmond Restaurant Week

After a few disappointing years of attending RRW, this round made up for it. We explored places new and old and were well pleased.

Homefry Pizza

Potato and Rosemary Pizza a photo by pjpink on Flickr.

New Potato, Rosemary, and Truffle Oil Pizza from Pizza Tonight. We consumed this lovely pie for breakfast during Maymont's Herbs Galore.

Yummy!

Return to Acacia

Acacia. We had neglected you. Thank you for the warm bar welcome on a Tuesday before restaurant week. We missed the precision crafted cocktails. We were pleased to order a couple before dinner.

Ginger Smash - Buffalo Trace Whiskey, Clement Creole Shrubb, Mint, Orange, Ginger Ice Cubes

Sharp as a Barb - Catoctin Creek Mosby's Spirit White Whisky, Wild Turkey 101, Aperol, Lemon Balm, Housemade Rhubarb Soda

 We like to sit at the bar just to watch the cocktails being concocted with great care. One of my favorite details is the mint pop. The bartender places the mint sprig in her palm and then claps her hands. This brings out the mint essence that you can smell as you lift the glass to take a sip. Brilliant.

And wine on Tuesday nights is half off. Yes!

Hearty Red

 The appetizers offer interesting choices (pork belly with kimchee) as well as consistently traditional options (fried oysters - my hubby's favorite).

Crispy Pork Belly with Kimchee, Fennel, Radish, Apple, Green Onions

Fried Oysters, Southern Coleslaw, Spicy Mayo

 Entrees consisted of flounder and bacon-wrapped duck (how could I resist?). The duck dish was so good that I even raved about the broccolini.

Sauteed Flounder, Basil Cauliflower Puree, Roasted Colorful Cauliflower and Baby Carrots, Sweet and Sour Mango Sauce

Pan Roasted Bacon Wrapped Duck Breast Stuffed with Apples, Smoked Gouda Polenta, Garlic Braised Broccolini, Lingonberry Sauce

 We ended with Sambuca coffee.

Yummy!

Good times.

One Jam-Packed Saturday in RVA

A couple of Saturdays ago there was so much occurring right here in RVA. We partook of a few of the festivities.

To begin with we stopped by Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden early in the morning. We had already planned to stroll along the rosy paths before we realized what else was going on. Took a few shots of the lovelies.

We headed over to the French Food Festival hosted by The Little Sisters of the Poor. This is our third year attending. The food is getting better and more diverse. The Sisters put on a delicious show. We were pleased to see Lady N'awlins strutting her stuff (have to go eat there soon - it's on the list!).

We enjoyed the Bouchee a la Reine (chicken, veal, mushrooms, and peas in a white sauce over puff pastry), a Bordeaux, and some wonderful macarons from Petites Bouchees (the macarons with the geranium essence were pure heaven).

In the early afternoon I needed to enter a photo into the All Media Show at Art Works. As we approached Manchester via the Mayo Bridge, we ran smack into the Earth Day Festival. We quickly did a u-turn to park.

Fun times. (And my Nuttall's Market photo is on display at Art Works - go check it out!)

After the impromptu distraction, we high tailed it to the Byrd Theatre to see the matinee showing of John Carter. I know, it got all manner of bad reviews, but me and hubby had read the books and had to see it. What better way than for $2 and the biggest screen in Richmond? I'll admit that Disney took some liberties with the story line (at least this was a work of fiction to begin with and not the trashing of Pocahontas). Still, a rollicking western on Mars.

 For dinner we hit up Bonvenu again. We had such a comforting experience there we wanted to go back. We started with Fried Calamari (decent with a light batter), a cheeseburger (satisfying), and a roasted turkey and bacon sandwich with mashed potatoes (so good, I ordered it on this visit, too). Washed down with a tasty Italian red.

Busy jam-packed day. How did you get your RVA on?

An Over the Top Evening

A couple of Fridays ago we dined at Osaka on Huguenot Road. I always enjoy their sushi as well as the yellow tail sashimi. This time I even tried the tobiko (flying fish roe) - out of this world. Osaka also offers lovely wines at fairly reasonable prices.

For this post, I want to rave about a dish from the chef's entree selections - Grand Marnier Shrimp. Jumbo shrimp, lightly battered and fried, glazed with Grand Marnier sauce. The shrimp are succulent and perfectly fried. The sauce is rich and decadent. The presentation is stunning. A feast for all of the senses.

To top off our evening of overindulgence, we headed over to Shyndigz on Patterson for dessert. The Salted Chocolate Caramel Cake served with Vanilla Ice Cream. Oh baby! Yes, this takes decadence to a new level.

And while hubby ordered the traditional version as pictured, I ordered the Cake Shake version - a Vanilla Milkshake with the Salted Chocolate Caramel Cake mixed in. When I was growing up, we always had the traditional cake and ice cream for every birthday party. The Duncan Hines box mix of your choice with chocolate or vanilla ice cream (if you were really lucky, the ice cream was Bryer's). I always wanted a thin slice of cake and a few scoops of ice cream on top. Once the ice cream softened a bit, I mixed the two together into one big mushy, cakey mess. Joyous memories. As soon as I learned what the Cake Shake was - an over the top version of my childhood favorite - I had to try it. Yummy!

But beware: Over the top evenings can lead to beached whale sightings once dessert has finished.

More April Awesomeness in RVA

This April I did something I had never done before - go to a home baseball opener. I'm not a baseball fan, but The Flying Squirrels always gives one lots of distractions. First up was the No BS Brass Band. Yeah!

We actually won with lots of hits and runs!

And then we had fireworks.

The night proved to be a bit chilly, but fun all the same. And yes, I really came for the fireworks.

On Friday the weather warmed up so we had mojitos at Havana 59. I enjoyed the Hennessy Mojito.

But beware, the wait staff will tell you that appetizers are half off for Happy Hour and then lets you order one. When you get your bill she says only certain appetizers are half off. Way to represent the profession.

Never fear. For dinner we went to one of our favorite spots: Aziza's on Main. Caleb Shriver fixed this most amazing appetizer: smoked trout with grilled asparagus and gribiche. Gribiche is an egg based sauce with mustard, spices, and pickles. This stuff was out of this world! I go nuts over smoked trout and the cold sauce was a perfect pairing. But wait for the kicker - I absolutely hate asparagus. My family did not eat this darling of spring (it did not grow in my grandparents' garden, so we did not eat it). In high school (when I would hardly even touch a salad), I had a teacher that made the entire class try asparagus. The worst part was, the stuff was canned. I gagged and almost threw it back up. That experience scarred me. Occasionally, hubby would get asparagus (the fresh variety) and sing its praises. Every time I tried it, the high school memories vividly appeared. Could not enjoy the green spears. On this night, I decided to be brave and have a taste. With the gribiche, it wasn't all that bad. I ate an entire spear and survived! The great chefs/cooks of this world make anything taste good. So hats off to Caleb. That man can prepare asparagus and he has a wonderful way with eggs (love his Perfect Egg, too!).

We also enjoyed a white pizza with cow mozzarella and pancetta. Aziza's pizza always reminds me of the pizza we consumed multiple times in Florence. Thin crust, wood-fired oven, fine ingredients, delicious.

While in the neighborhood we got a preview of the G40 Street Art Summit. The murals near and around Have a Nice Day Cafe are very cool and adds even more character to the neighborhood.

On the Saturday of the Street Art Festival we decided to check out Thai Corner in Jackson Ward. We have always liked the Thai Cabin food cart and wanted to see how the lunch spot measured up. The Nur Nam Tok delighted the tastebuds. Grilled marinated beef with kaffir leaves, lime, chile, red onions, and roasted ground rice. On a scale of 1 to 5, my heat level was a 3. Whew!

We proceeded to enjoy other murals as we made our way to the Canal Walk and the old power plant.

So much talent. And we had fun peering around buildings to see if we could spot more.

When we reached the festival we could see art in progress.

It was great to see RVA out in force supporting the artists.

On Sunday we headed over to the newly reopened Parkside Cafe for brunch. I indulged in a very sweet Cherry Shrub (non-alcoholic) and a wonderful Turkey, Avocado, and Bacon Sandwich. The avocado served as an alternative to mayo. Very good!

We also checked out the Tree Skirts at Maymont put together by VCU students. Whimsical entities in cotton and red bric-a-brac.

The Japanese Garden at Maymont turned 100 this year. I encourage you to visit this local treasure. The koi in the pond are huge. It was fun watching them draw lazy, languorous loops through the water.

As this second week of April proved - it's a great time to be living in Richmond. Go out and get your own RVA on!