Helen's Restaurant

2/9/13:

Stars: 4.25 out of 5

Pros: Layout, Drinks, Taste, Bathrooms

Cons: Food Temperature

     I'm becoming a bigger fan of brunch as the weekends go by. I used to do brunch occasionally in Blacksburg, but that usually consisted of Chinese buffet. Don't judge me. Or, it was a meal made in the comfort of someones home. Never really went out for it so I didn't get a chance to appreciate it. But here in Richmond, different story. Brunch is a culture here, a way of life. People push through all week just to get to the weekends for brunch. Such is the case for MC and I. We enjoy our brunch and today we sought a new place. Helen's Restaurant (Helen's Restaurant) won the battle royale for the day. We got there early, like 9:45, which meant we got a table right away. Within half an hour, the wait was long. Get there early folks.

     Helen's is a nice little restaurant. It's got plenty of seating, especially in front of their large windows at the front. The bar is located at the front of the restaurant. It's not big and flashy. It's there to serve it's purpose without bringing attention to itself. And right down next to it is their open kitchen. It's nice to watch the cooks  bustling through orders. It helps add to the appeal of the meal. Also liked the table tops. I know that may sound weird, but it's true. The were all covered with copper sheeting. They had that dull gleam to them that just gives them a comfortable timeworn look. I like that look personally, but I'm sure that some find it out dated.

     The brunch menu is a decent size. It's just a front and back, but they cram a lot of things on there. It's all basic stuff that you would expect to get at a brunch. Surprisingly, that's when I have the hardest time choosing what I want to eat. Give me something new and unique, I'll try that. But give me your regular stuff and I'm torn. As it was here. Thankfully, we got drinks first. On that, not torn. Give me a mimosa please. Served in a pint glass? Well, if you insist... Now, back to the menu. I finally decided on the Salmon Florentine. MC was on the same page because she went with Eggs Blackstone. So, when our waitress brought back our pint o' mimosa's we placed our order. I added a house made biscuit on as a spur of the moment decision. As the conversation turned to community gardens and our wish for fresh heirloom tomatoes, we tried our mimosas. They were pretty damn good. Not overly orange juicy and a perfect temperature. I would go back, just to start out my day with one.

     Our meals arrived after about 20 or 25 minutes, which I felt to be a fairly long wait. Granted, as I said before, the place filled up. But it's breakfast food... it doesn't take that long to make. But, what do I know? Our food looked amazing when we got it. The eggs looked perfect. There was a nice amount of Hollandaise sauce. I was ready to tear into it. First bite I had all the components; egg, sauce, salmon and english muffin. It was excellent, very tasty. The only issue I had, and MC had the same issue, was that our food was lukewarm. It obviously been sitting for a bit waiting to be picked up. Unfortunately that detracted from it a bit, but it was still very very good. The potatoes were well seasoned, but I could have used a few more. I split the biscuit with MC. It was very good. Not fluffy, but not overly dense either. It was a great vessel to soak up all the leftovers on the plate. Had this meal been hot, it would have been great. As it was, it was a decent meal.

     My final thought on Helen's happened after 2 mimosa's and about 8 glasses of water. I had to use the restroom. Not something I generally mention in my reviews, but this one stood out for me. The men's room is located on the outside wall of the restaurant at the very back. It's thin and freezing cold. There is hardly room to stand to use the bathroom. I LOVED IT! I like my bathroom being cold. I HATE walking into a bathroom at a restaurant or bar and the heat is going full blast. It makes me uncomfortable. Keep it cold. It discourages people from camping out and holding the rest of us up. And, this bathroom was fairly clean, if not old looking. Except for the graffiti...

     Helen's is an often overlooked and forgotten place, at least in my world. But, that seems to have been a mistake that I hope to correct in the future. If the brunch is any indication of what dinner is like, I'm willing to give it a run.

Don't Look Back Taco Bar

2/8/13:

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Drink Specials, Service, Food

Cons: Price

     Friday night... the week has dragged on and been a mind-killer. The weather at the end of the week was crappy, rainy and cold. Pretty much just the kinda week that makes you want to quit and go be a bum on the beach somewhere. Unfortunately, that isn't a logical option for EG and myself. So instead we wondered where we could get some dinner and a drink. I, being a fan of tacos, suggested Don't Look Back Taco Bar (Don't Look Back Taco Bar) in Carytown. It has the words taco and bar in it. Where could we go wrong? Carytown... AWAY!!!

   Don't Look Back is located across the street from the Byrd Theater in a thin little place. It's long with a patio out back (that we avoided due to the rain). The inside is cozy with tables at the front and the bar along one side in the back. The other side of the back is a big open lounge area. There was a wait for tables, so we decided to sit at the bar. The hostess was friendly and polite. She invited us to take any open bar seat we could find. We were greeted by the bartender, who promptly handed us menus. She answered our questions about on-tap beers. She went so far as to give me some samples in order to help me choose. She also answered our questions about their weekly drink specials, which look pretty decent. Some of them were asking for me to come try them out (they serve Natty Boh on Tuesday's). After we ordered our drinks we perused the menu.

     The menu is very basic. It's just taco's, burrito's and small plates. There are 8 different types of taco including 3 types of vegetarian, which kinda looked good. You can get them served either "traditional" style, which is with lime, onion & cilantro or you can get them "gringo" style, which is with sour cream, cheese, lettuce & salsa. You can also choose corn or flour tortillas. I decided to go with a fish taco traditional style, a chorizo taco gringo style and a carnitas taco gringo style. All on flour tortillas and all are $3 each. I also ordered a beef and a chicken taquito, as they were only $1 each. Can't go wrong there. EG ordered chips and salsa for $2, a chicken taquito and a cheese quesadilla for $4. This seemed like a good range of food which would really allow us a chance to try out the cooks in the Don't Look Back kitchen.

     When our food came out it took up a lot of real-estate. It all looked pretty good and I couldn't wait to dive in. I grabbed some hot sauce (of course) and began on my taquitos. They were super hot, temperature wise, as they had just come out of the fryer. The shell was crispy and crunchy. The inside of the chicken one was flavorful and delicious. I could have eaten 6 of them. The inside of the beef taquito was a little dry. I wasn't a big fan of that one, but the hot sauce helped. As I was finishing my taquitos, I glanced at my tacos. I heard them calling me and who am I to ignore them. I started with the fish, as I assumed it would have the most delicate flavor of the three. The fish was flaky and delicious. It paired well with the cabbage, cilantro and lime. I was very pleased and glad I started off so well. I next attacked the chorizo taco, my hopes high. It was alright, not great. The flavor of the meat wasn't mind blowing, which was kinda disappointing. So, now I've had a great taco and a mediocre taco. Here's hoping this carnitas taco would pull it towards the good side. The meat was cooked perfectly. It wasn't dry or tough in anyway. The flavor on it was smokey and tangy. It was an excellent taco. A meal vindicator, if you please. When I asked EG about her quesadilla, she seemed very pleased. It was big, cheesy and cooked to perfection. It filled her up, but not to the point of discomfort. Another successful meal for us both then.

     The only real complaint I have about Don't Look Back Taco Bar is the price of the tacos themselves. Everything else was fairly priced for the items. Like $1 taquitos. I know you can get like 25 for $1 at 7-11, but those are crap. These are worth paying for. But I feel like $3 for 1 taco is a bit much. And I'm not saying that you need to slash the prices to $1 or $1.50, but come down a little. I would feel much better paying $6 for 3 tacos then paying $9 for 3. Maybe that's just me, but that was my only complaint.

     If you find yourself in the mood for some tacos and don't think that Taco Bell is gonna do it, stop in to the Don't Look Back Taco Bar. Grab a beer and go for the fish taco. You won't be disappointed.

Pie

1/27/13:

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: SERVICE, Food

Cons:

     "Can you help me put a couch together?" This is the request that MC made. She then followed it up with "There will be beer..." Well, I mean, it would be rude not to help, right? So, that's how I found myself on Grove Ave. sitting on a new IKEA couch with a beer in my hand on a Sunday night feeling a bit peckish. What to do about this dinner situation? Then MC suggested Pie (Pie) over on North Lombardy Street. Beer and pizza sounds great and it was a new place to review? I was in.

     Pie has a very assuming storefront. Couple of painted chairs out front, a purple door and an overhang with their name on it. I almost feel like if you weren't paying attention, you would walk right by. You enter into the downstairs bar area. There are a bunch of chairs at the bar and 4 booths along one wall. It's a nice dining area with adequate lighting. Perfect place to chill out and have a beer with friends. There is also an upstairs, which I did not see. That is where they hold comedy night on Saturdays (I'll have to look into that).

     Our waiter handed us menus and took our drink orders. I settled in to look at the menu and was pleased with what I saw. Once again I found myself appreciating the one-sided menu. It means that Pie keeps it simple. As I've said before, I'm a big fan of that. Pie has just a few appetizers, some salads, 3 calzones and lots of 12" pizzas with a variety of toppings. I was of course here for the pizza, so that's where I focused my attention. The toppings varied from your basic Italian sausage and bacon to your slighty different things, like artichoke hearts and red stag onions. But I was drawn to the Hyman Roth (named after the Jewish partner in The Godfather). This pizza had mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce, mushrooms and 3 sunny-side up eggs. That's right, eggs! It sounded perfect. MC ordered the Barzini which had mozzarella, marinara, spinach, mushrooms, garlic, basil and crushed red pepper. AJ also went with us and he ordered the Tattaglia. That had mozzarella, marinara, ricotta, pepperoni and red stag onions. All these sounded good and sitting back to wait was the hardest part.

     After some deep conversation the waiter appeared with the Barzini and the Tattaglia pizzas in hand. As he puts these down he looks at me and says, "They dropped your pizza in the back so they are remaking it now." I looked at him, waiting for him to say "Just kidding," but that never happened. Instead he said, "Would you like a beer on the house while you wait?" So, he was serious... ok sir, I accept your beer. The others started eating their delicious looking pizzas and each offered me a slice. I'm not one to say no to trying new things, so I gladly took one of each. Both pizzas were very good. They were thin crust, which I truly love. The flavors of each were bold and well balanced. I enjoyed them very much, but I was looking forward to my eggs. My pizza came out about 10 minutes later. Let me say this, it was worth the wait. The eggs were cooked to over-medium by the pizza oven so there wasn't a ton of yolk leakage. The mushrooms were cut fairly thick and were fresh. There was plenty of cheese and it helped bind it all together. So very tasty.

     When the bills came and we got ready to go, I got my last taste of Pie's excellent service. My pizza was 1/2 off. So, not only did I get a free beer I also got my food reduced. I appreciate that the server addressed the issue promptly at the table with the beer. I would have been very pleased had that been the whole solution. But the staff decided to ensure my return by also discounting my food. Well done to the team there. Your willingness to correct a negative situation means I will certainly be back. Add your excellent food to the mix and you have a must try at Pie. I suggest you give it a whirl.

NU Nightclub

1/27/13:

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Entertainment, Atmosphere

Cons: Food

     "Want to go to a drag brunch?" This was the text message I received at 10:27 am on Sunday morning from AC. Interesting way to start my Sunday. Why not? She told me to come to her place and we will head to brunch, the show starts at noon. Sounds good, lets do this. But where were we going? She told me we were off to NU Nightclub (NU on Facebook) on Broad St. Never heard of it, so why not.

     NU is located on West Broad St. right across from the Children's Museum. It shares a building with a check cashing place. It's very unassuming and parking is kinda limited. That being said, it's easy to find. AC and I parked out front and went in to meet our group. The host was very pleasant and after locating us on his list sat us promptly. I am pretty sure that you need to call ahead for reservations and judging by how packed it was I would think you should call early in the week. The inside of NU is pretty open with a very big bar. Before the show, lighting is comfortable. Basically, a good place to chat before the show.

     The waitress got our drinks right away and was pretty good about keeping them refilled. She looked to be the only waitress working in the club, so she seemed to get a bit overwhelmed at times. It would have been nice to see one of the 3 bartenders step out and help her a little bit. But they didn't, so she struggled a little bit. The drinks were not overly expensive, my mimosa was $3, but they weren't terribly strong either. As one of our table mates said, "I look for my mimosa to be 95% champagne and just a hint of orange juice, mostly for color." I couldn't agree more. We were dealing with a 25/75% champagne to oj ratio here. The Bloody Mary's were about the same. C'est la vie I guess.

     We ordered our food during the show. The menu is a very basic 1 sided brunch menu. You have traditional breakfast choices and a few lunchy type choices all for under $10. Our table ordered a variety of dishes. I went with the waffles with cubed potatoes. AC went with spring rolls. And EJ had the fried mozzarella. My waffles were mediocre at best. They weren't served with any butter, which is a big no no for me. The potatoes were dry and basic as well. AC liked her spring rolls. She also liked the dipping sauce they were served with. EJ's fried mozzarella was... interesting, to say the least. It was basically a slab of cheese that was deep fried. Kind of bulky. Kind of an awkward presentation. EJ said it was fine, but he didn't seem convincing. Overall, food was boring and plain. Not impressed...

     The show was supposed to start at noon, but it started at 12:30ish instead. Like most women, these ones were late. Once the show starts though it is worth the time delay. It is a lot of fun from beginning to end. The performers are excellent. They keep the crowd involved the entire time. The announcer is great. She keeps the excitement level up while the performers are not on stage. She also hands out some free shots, so I can't be mad at her for that. It was a great great show.

     NU Nightclub's brunch drag show was a fun fun time. The show was great. The food, not so much. So, fill up before you go and prepare to enjoy yourself. It's a different way to spend your Sunday.

Belmont Butchery

1/26/13:

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Service, Selection, Quality

Cons: 

     My final stop on Saturday was someplace I have been wanting to go since I moved to Richmond. So, after AC headed home I walked up Belmont St. to Belmont Butchery (Belmont Butchery). I always have enjoyed stopping in butcher shops, if just to browse. I was hoping, after all I had heard, that Belmont Butchery could maybe entice me to buy.

     Belmont Butchery has a nice little store front. It's not big and it's not pretentious. It's also mostly glass, which lets in a lot of light. Smart, as things always look better in good lighting. When you walk in the front door, the register is immediately to your left. To your right is a selection of local wines and a cheese cooler. Directly in front of you is the happiness. The 2 giant meat coolers are right there, beckoning you to stride on up and gaze in wonder at the treasures they hold. So that is what I did.

     As I stood there, in obvious awe at what I was looking at, a very friendly butcher asked me if I could use some help. Could I ever... He then said, "If you would like, I can walk you through the case." DONE!! We started in the charcuterie section. He went through the pate (which they make in house), the salami (which they bring in from trusted makers), and bacon (which they make in house). It all looked fantastic. But then we moved on to the second case. This was the case filled with the fresh grass-fed beef, the grain raised pork, the free-range chicken, the cage-free rabbit and the house made sausages. Talk about meat overload... I was simply blown away with the selection. I also really loved that they could tell me the origin and diet of all of their meats. A butcher should know where their product comes from and Belmont Butchery's staff does.

     After my tour of the cases I was drawn back to the pate and the bacon. I have always been a fan of Pâté  For all who don't know about pate, let me drop some knowledge on you. Pâté  in this case pork, is basically liver, pork and spices ground up together. It is then shaped into a brick and chilled. Don't worry, everything is cooked. Pâté can be served warm or cold, but it's best flavor is reached after a few days of chilling. I got the Pâté Maison, which is their house pâté. I also bought a loaf of french bread from a local bakery (sold at Belmont) and some Tallegio cheese to go with it. Tallegio is a spreadable soft Italian cheese. It complimented the pâté very well. The pâté itself was rich and flavorful. It was excellent and I will certainly get some again.

     I also had to buy some of their house cured bacon. It's bacon! Thick cut and smokey. I went with their peppercorn maple bacon. The butcher suggested I bake it instead of fry it due to the sugar content in the flavoring. He said it would burn if I tried to fry it. So, I baked it at 325* for about 20 minutes. Amazing!! Again, I will be back for some more of that.
     Now I will say this about Belmont Butchery, it's certainly not cheap. They charge more then Kroger or Martins, but you are also paying for product. You get what you pay for. They have a great product. It's worth the extra money. As a friend of mine said, "You should pay more for meat. You should know where it came from. It shouldn't be $5 for a chicken. Pay for quality if you want quality." She is 100% right on this. That's why I will certainly return to Belmont Butchery and pay for their products. They do things right. I suggest the next time you need to make a nice meal or even just want to treat your tastebuds, head to Belmont Butchery.