Buz and Neds

5/7/13:

Stars: 3.75 out of 5

Pros: Price, Booze Selection

Cons: Setting, Expectations

     JK and family just bought a new house, which is AWESOME!! He finally got a chance to show it to me the other day. It's fantastic and I'm excited for them. After we got done discussing plumbing, painting and landscaping we decided that we deserved a beer. Discussing is tough work. It's almost like doing the work involved in plumbing, painting and landscaping. We decided to go to Buz and Ned's Real Barbecue (Buz and Ned's), as it was fairly close. We also had heard many good things about them. Richmonders seem to be big fans so two boys from the North figured we needed to find out what we were missing.

     Buz and Ned's is a straight BBQ joint. That's what they are known for and that's what they do. And when you approach the place, that's the feeling you get. The outside, well of the one we went to, has a very old Westy vibe to it. It certainly doesn't give off the air of fine dining, but it works. It sets the mood for BBQ, which was the aim.

     I will admit, the inside was NOT what I was expecting. I thought this was a regular restaurant with a waitress and such. How very wrong I was. It's essentially a fast food restaurant with a bar and a massive dining room. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that's bad. If that's what Buz and Ned's envisioned then they nailed it. It just was not what I was expecting, which led to my confusion and disappointment. In retrospect, I should have seen it coming. But, you know what they say about hindsight...

     JK and I pondered the menu board for a minute, taking in all the choices. I will say the menu encompasses all BBQ has to offer. You can get anything from ribs to catfish to sandwiches. All of it seems reasonably priced. JK and I decided to just order 1 large pulled pork sandwich meal and split it as it comes with 2 sandwiches and 2 sides. So, for $6 each, we both got a sandwich and a side. He went with hush puppies and I went with mac n' cheese (of course). We also got a side of wings. We were then left to find a seat while the food was being made. It would be brought out to us after.

     We sat at the bar because our main goal was a brew. Buz and Ned's has a great booze selection. They have a variety of beers on tap from craft beers to standards like Coors. There was plenty of variety to choose from. They also have a great bottled beer selection. And, at the time, they were running a special to get rid of some of their older bottles. I got a very very good IPA for $2. Can't beat that. JK got something in draft that he had been wanting to try. The bartender was very friendly and quite knowledgeable  She offered suggestions, comparisons and a few jokes. In the future I would come to Buz and Ned's just to grab a few beers, if nothing else.

     Our food was brought over to the bar and we got down to business. I started with the wings, which come in an order of 5 (who does odd numbers of wings?). I would like to see a touch more size to them, but maybe they just use young chickens... They were very crispy, but still retained their moisture in a very pleasantly surprising way.. They come unsauced with a ramekin of sauce on the side. We went with the spicy sweet sauce. It had a nice heat and a great fruity flavor to it. It went perfectly with the crispy wing. My sandwich was good with a nice smokey flavor. You could tell the pork was treated with respect during cooking. I topped it with the house sauce which added nice bite to the meat. The mac n' cheese was mediocre, but certainly not terrible. I got the feeling it had seen a few minutes under a heat lamp. Overall the food was good and filling. I didn't leave hungry.

     Overall, Buz and Ned's Real Barbecue was good. It wasn't great and I think that is part of my disappointment here. I have heard so many great things about this place which builds up a huge feeling of excitement inside. For Buz and Ned's to not reach that level is a big blow to my experience. Now, this is certainly just as much my fault as anyone else's. I could have done a slew of things differently to change my experience.  I can't lay this solely at the feet of the restaurant and demand perfection to my liking. Instead, I will use this as a reminder to forget the hype and go in without an opinion already formed. I would be willing to go back and willing to try it again in hopes of being blown away, which I have no doubt that Buz and Ned's is capable of.

     Richmond, I don't even really need to encourage y'all to go here as it seems you love this place already. But for those transplants and visitors I will say this, give them a shot. Try the BBQ, but go int with a clean mind. The food is good and the staff is friendly. You will certainly not regret that you stopped by.

Coppola’s Deli

5/3/13:

Stars: 4.5 out of 5

Pros: Selection, Service, Quality of the Product

Cons: Price for Serving Size

     Friday is quickly turning into my favorite day to have off. I can go do things and not fight a crowd. Like, tastings at a cidery followed by a walk on the flood wall. No crowd to contend with in either location. And that is exactly what NK, MF and I did. The cidery was great (this is another future post) and the flood wall was beautiful. Walking along the river certainly does one thing though... builds a hunger that only a fresh deli sandwich can satisfy. MF suggested one of his favorite places, Coppola's Deli (Coppola's Deli). We hiked back to the car and headed over.

     Coppola's Deli is located at the end of Carytown down by the Byrd Theater. It is located right on the corner in a brick building. There is a little outside seating, but it was a touch too chilly for us to be sitting outside. The building is deceptively deep with a big counter and plenty of seating. I loved the feel of the place as it screams deli with the jars of pickles and deli meat everywhere. Just being in there excited me for my upcoming sandwich.

     There is plenty to choose from at Coppola's, depending on the type of sandwich you are looking for. There are vegetarian selections as well as pastas to choose from. Their big thing is, of course, deli sandwiches. There are plenty of different meats, cheeses, breads and condiments to choose from to craft your own master piece. You can also go with one of their sandwiches, which is what all of us did. NK went with a grilled cheese. MF went with the Industrial. I went with the South Bronx. I'll describe all of these in a moment. The guys who took our order were super nice. They gave suggestions when we were stumped. They laughed and chatted while they cooked. Generally just pleasant helpful people.

     We found a table we liked and our food was out to us in roughly 5 minutes, which is super quick. The sandwiches looked and smelled great. NK went with your basic grilled cheese, which was cooked perfectly. The cheese was melted, but the bread showed no signs of burning. This is sometimes a harder feat then people think to accomplish. MF went with The Industrial which is basically an Italian sub with Genoa salami, mortadella, capicola ham, and provolone
cheese. There were also onions, peppers, lettuce and tomato on it. It was certainly very good. The bread had a fresh taste to it and the veggies added great texture. All of the meat had great flavor. It would have been my choice had I not decided to branch out. I got The South Bronx. This sandwich had a lot of things I very very very VERY rarely order, if at all. But, I felt it was time to give them all a shot. It was a grilled sandwich with corned beef, sauerkraut, and pastrami covered with melted Swiss. It's served on rye bread that is toasted with a house made dressing. This was a big branch out for me, so I was hoping I wouldn't have buyers remorse. I did not! All of the ingredients blended together perfectly. The meats were bursting with flavor and the sauerkraut was delightfully tangy. The rye, one of my favorite breads, was perfectly toasted. It was an excellent sandwich.

     The only complaint I have is that you get this great sandwich, bursting with flavor, but that's it for $8.50... That seems high for just a sandwich. Most places you go to you also get chips and a drink for that price. I added a fountain drink to my order and it brought the total past $10. That is a bit excessive. I would have felt better with a combo for $8. But, it is as it is. Just note that before you get there that Coppola's is not going to be your cheapest sandwich, but it is tasty.

     Coppola's Deli is truly all a deli in Richmond should be. They have excellent food and quality service. Even the pickiest eater will be able to find something off their menu. It's certainly a place to hit up for lunch or even to grab a sandwich to go, maybe for a picnic or Friday Cheers... Viva la deli!!

Church Hill Dog Park

4/28/13:

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Lay Out, Crowd

Cons: Waste Disposal, Dog Entertainment, Lack of Seating

     It was a quiet Sunday morning before work. Kamea, my Doberman, was restless and in need of an adventure. Thankfully my neighbor, B, had 3 dogs with the exact same issue. So, B and I decided to head up to the Church Hill Dog Park, also known as Bark Park. We piled all the mutts up in the SUV and off we went.

     Bark Park is located in Church Hill's Chimborazo Park off of East Grace St. Chimborazo Park was created in 1874, but the dog park was created MUCH later then that. It's not a big park and the road makes a giant loop so drive around if you can't find Bark Park. It's located down a bit of a hill, so keep your eyes peeled.

     Bark Park is probably one of the most efficient dog parks I have ever seen in terms of layout. It's 2 fenced in rectangles right next to each other. One for big dogs and one for little dogs. No weird shapes or random structures in the middle. Just basic rectangles. This is amazing because it gives you a perfect place to throw a tennis ball or a Frisbee with out having to toss at a weird angle and hope for the best. I, personally, could not ask for anything better.

     Make sure you keep your dog on the leash all the way into the gate and then all the way back to the car. Animal patrol finds itself in the area writing tickets frequently, from what I was led to understand. As soon as Kamea got into the park she immediately had to "take care of some business". Like all good dog owners, I needed to clean it up. I went to the bag of bags only to find that someone had cleaned up their dog waste and then put it in the empty bags bag. No bueno man... I had to look around to find the lone, beat up trash can into which I could place Kameas poo's and this extra bag of poo's. I would like to see one or two more trash cans around the area. It's one of those little things that encourages better poo maintenance.

     As the dogs ran around I took the time to find a tennis ball, as Kamea loves to chase them. As I wandered around, I only found 4 and 2 Frisbees. That's a surprisngly low (and disappointing) number. I will guess that people are either not bringing any tennis balls or they are taking them with them. I urge you, as a dog owner, to bring some tennis balls to this park. I have gotten in the habit of bringing 1 for Kamea and 1 for the park when I go. It just leads to less fighting and more fun for the dogs.

     When B and I first got there it was only us. Within about 30 minutes there were 7 or 8 additional people with their dogs. And the seats went fast. There are 2 tables at the park and they went quickly. A couple more benches along the perimeter would have been great and helped to spread the dogs out as all dog owners know that the pack clumps around the people. This would be a great service project for a local boyscout troop or school group. A couple of benches in both areas of the dog park. Someone please get on it.

     That being said, the crowd was good. Very friendly and talkative. Everyone seemed to monitor their dog while engaging in conversation, which can be rare at some parks. It was a younger crowd, mostly 20 somethings. It was a nice mix of guys and girls. A very good place to mingle and possibly pick someone up. I have heard the afternoon tends to bring a bigger crowd. The dog park could be the new grocery store. It helps that you start with a common point of interest...

     Overall Bark Park is a nice place. It's a great lay out with a great crowd. I had a few personal gripes, but they were very minor and in no way would discourage me from going again. I suggest you go as well. Your dog (and possibly your dating life) will thank you for it. And bring afew tennis balls!

Hollywood Cemetery

4/22/13:

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Lots of History, Well Maintained

Cons: Few People to Talk To? Cause They are Dead... (It's a cemetery... are there really cons?)

     I needed to get out of the house and get a little Richmond in my life. And for free, cause I was broke. What to do, what to do... Ahhh... Hollywood Cemetery (Hollywood Cemetery). I've been wanting to go there for awhile, but it just never seemed to work out. Today would be the day! The weather was nice both for photos and for a stroll. Today I will not only get some history in me, but I might just get a little exercise doing it. To the history!!!!

     Hollywood Cemetery was established back in 1849 on land owned by William Byrd II. It covers 130 acres, which is quite a bit of land so make sure you wear comfortable shoes. It was designed in the rural garden style, which means that landscaping was incorporated into it's design. Trust me, that is evident in a good way. There are trees, flowers and bushes aplenty. The headstones and mausoleum blend beautifully in with the carefully planned landscaping. The grass is kept, the bushes trimmed and trees monitored for dead branches. I, having worked in a cemetery, truly appreciate that it's well kept and looks good.

     Hollywood Cemetery has a lot of history to it. There are U.S. Presidents, Jefferson Davis (the Confederacy President), Confederate generals, Confederate soldiers, poets, doctors, writers, etc. There are old and intricately carved headstones. It's truly an interesting place to just wander around and look. It's one place where you can go out and touch history at it's most somber. There are also guided walking tours available for those that want a little direction. I plan to go back and take one one day this summer.

     I will end this post a little nontraditional today. I will say that yes, I recommend you go to Hollywood Cemetery. Take some time one day and go learn a little history and take in something that is just pleasing to the eye. It makes for a nice little day. Now, I will end with a few more photos to just try to help you appreciate the trip.