Gus's Bar & Grill

2/1/14:

Stars: 3.0 out of 5.0

Pros: Nice Open Seating, Good Beer Selection

Cons: Spotty Service, Small Wings

     As the hunt for Richmond's Best Wing continued with a stop at Gus's on W. Broad St. we all had high hopes. Our first stop had been a success so JK, MK, the boys and I all were excited to keep the train rolling. Yelp had clued me into Gus's being a good wing choice so off we went to our second spot.

     Gus's (Gus's Bar & Grill) is located on the corner of W. Broad and Mulberry St. It occupies a sizeable corner spot. The entrance is a touch weird in my opinion, but it's not something I would truly be upset over. Just didn't like the restrictive railings. But, I digress... When you walk in the bar is directly in front of you. It's a big bar with lots of seats. There are also plenty of tables and booths spread out. There is no crowding, which is very nice. Each table has it's own space.

     I got there about 2 minutes after the K family so they already had a table. I took a moment to glance over the beer menu and I was quite impressed. They not only had the typical massed produced beer but they had quite a wide selection of craft beer from across the country. As I become more of a snobby beer drinker, I always like to see that. Nicely done.

     Our waitress took our drink order and when she dropped them off, answered our questions about food. MK inquired about the buffalo wing sauce, specifically if it was very hot. Our waitress, either out of confusion or an amazing display of full disclosure, responded with "It's just Franks Red Hot." I was a little taken back by that and let me explain why. As a restaurant, you want to breed a little air of mystery and a touch of your own flavor. Add a dash of smoked paprika or maybe so extra chili powder. Add anything so that you can tell me "It's a house blend that has a little extra kick to it" or any other statement. I want to think that someone put a little effort into the sauce and didn't just open a bottle. Still, I ordered it so I can't bitch too much. JK also got buffalo and MK got spicy garlic.

     We hardly saw our waitress after that. She maybe stopped over once or twice more. She didn't even bring us our food, which was odd to me, Some guy, who I assume was the manager, brought our stuff out, plopped it on the table and hurried along.What I will say is that when our waitress did stop in, she was very helpful and polite. It was her long absences that caused me concern. The worst one, for me, was after she took our debit cards to run them. She was gone along time which breeds concern for 2 reasons: 1) I don't like my card out of my sight for 10 minute stretches. I worked for a credit card company so I know things and it's always in the back of my mind. I certainly don't think that there was any reason for the delay except she was busy, but it's still uncomfortable. 2) When the check comes, I'm generally ready to go. My drinks are gone, food has left the building and conversation is wrapping up. I'm ready yo. So, there was all that...


     I will only speak briefly on the wings as I will cover them more in depth soon. I was disappointed. They were nothing impressive, but we did order an appetizer as our meal. The spicy garlic was the best of the two flavors, which surprised me as I'm usually a buffalo man. Overall we were underwhelmed. Stay tuned for more.

     We left Gus's feeling a little disappointed. It surely has some fine bonuses, but it also has some negatives. I am always willing to try a place again in hopes that it was an off day. And I'll give Gus's the same consideration. I'll just avoid the wings.

Bellytimber Tavern

1/26/14:

Stars: 4.7 out of 5.0

Pros: General Convenience, Pleasant Beer Selection, Excellent Food

Cons:

     I brainstormed several new things I wanted to feature in my blog this year. One of them was a Best Of Richmond section. Basic theory: choose 10 places known for _____ and see who makes it best. My friends were quick to jump on board, which I truly appreciate as I needed varying opinions. First up: wings. As I did my research for 10 known wing places in Richmond, I came upon Bellytimber Tavern. My only trip to Bellytimber was just over a year ago, which is unfortunate as it was so very good (Bellytimber-Tavern 1st Visit). So, I made it our first stop on the challenge. I was hoping for a winner right out of the gate.

     Bellytimber Tavern (Bellytimber Tavern) is a located just west of "Uptown" (which is a weird concept) and VCU on Main St. It sits on a corner with plenty of available parking on all the surrounding streets. Both cars we took were able to park very close, which is key for JK & MK with the boys. When you walk in you get a sense of how deep the building really is. There was plenty of seating and we didn't have to rearrange any furniture to accommodate the group. The beer menu was prominently displayed and clearly written. There was just a feeling of general satisfaction and convenience about every thing. It set our trip off correctly.

     The waitress was very pleasant as we got settled. She gave us all our menus and silverware set-ups before attending another table as we looked things over. She was back fairly quickly to take our drink orders. I ordered a Lost Rhino Face Plant IPA, which is always a very good choice. As we were waiting on her to bring our drinks, we all discussed how pimpalicious the boys looked in their matching hats. Please reference the below picture to see what I'm talking about. After we got our drinks we discussed the rules and regulations of the wing challenge (all this will be revealed in good time). We also discussed the merits of a good pizza. It was agreed that wood-fired pizza was a very acceptable companion for wings, so all that was left was to order.

     The boys love them some french fries. Every time we all go out, it's good money to assume that along with the edamame, dried fruit and meat of the day, they will have fries. Almost immediately it was noted how flavorful the fries were. Hell if I can tell you WHAT they were seasoned with, but those were some damn tasty fries. As we were devouring the boys fries (ok, they had 75% and we split 25%) the rest of our food came out. LB had gone with a very paleo-friendly salad that looked monstrously tasty. CB, MK, JK and myself all went with wings. CB also got a pizza and JK & I split a pie. JK & I went straight buffalo wing sauce, CB did honey BBQ while MK went with the spicy garlic. The smells coming off the dishes were indescribably good. Wing trading began almost right away and then the eating began.

     The pizzas were both delicious. I split the Pork Pie with JK, which is a wood-fired pizza topped with  local pork sausage, garlic and red onion (we skipped the diced tomato). It had great flavor and a wonderful crisp crust. The sausage provided a nice bold flavor that was backed up by the subtle, but present, garlic and onion. A good pie, to say the least. CB got the Buffalo Chicken Pie which is a splendid combo of pulled chicken, red onion, buffalo sauce and tomatoes with blue & fontina cheese. I traded a piece for a piece. It wasn't bad at all. I would have loved a hint more buffalo sauce because I like the spice, but that didn't detract from the pizza's savory flavor. All three flavors of wing were great, with the clear best flavor being the spicy garlic. I don't want to get too deep into the wings here, but know they were a must order.

     For our first stop on the Great Wing Adventure, Bellytimber Tavern proved to be the perfect spot. Everything we had was well appreciated, as evident by the empty plates. I just hope that I don't wait another year to come back and feast again.

Richmond Foodies Coalition

     As much as I like to think I am the end all be all of food blogging in Richmond. The number one writer. The only one that anyone should ever read. But lets be honest, EVERYONE knows that's not true. I also think that my photos (From The Viewfinder) are awesome, but others (B is for Bull) put that to shame and that's a whole different post.... I'm just one of many great writers who take time out of their lives to document what they experience. After finally getting a chance to meet a few of them at an event and then having dinner with them, I was fully humbled. Allow me to tell you who they are.

     I'll start with the first food bloggers in Richmond I can remember following on Twitter. Dana and Shakir are a married couple who write the blog Plate N Conquer. They are also on twitter as @PlateNConquer which is where they are truly active. They are both former Yankees, like myself, and they are wonderful writers. Their simple view on how restaurants should behave and what they are looking for when they go out to eat is refreshing (and way less judgemental than mine).

     Second we have a girl who's creative eye for photo's and skills in the kitchen make it seem as if I'm still using a My First Camera and an Easy Bake Oven. Marcella's honest approach to blogging can be found at Broad Appetite or on Twitter at @broadappetite. Her blog is a multi-use space that combines her photography, her recipies and her restaurant adventures. It's truly just a simple joy to read.

     Third we have one of my new reads and new associates with Grub Like A Girl. Also followable on Twitter @grubgirl3, Bethany's insightful and sharp look at the places she eats is fresh. Reading her posts makes me realize how amature I truly am. She pulls no punches in her call'em-as-she-sees'em reviews. A must read if that's your style.

     Finally, we have someone I hope to partner with on many projects, 2 Gutsy Girls. Sarah (Twitter alert: @2GutsyGirls) is formerly of Jacksonville, FL which is where that blog is based out of. Since moving to Richmond, she has devoted quite a bit of time to her new site, Living Swell RVA. She is a brillant girl who is willing to take on everything from your social media to your marketing. Email her, trust me on this.

     Each of these blogs is brilliant, interesting, creative and informative. The people who write them are that and somuch more. I sat down to a meal wth them and the feeling was like no other. The drive and determination to be great at what they do is blatently apparent. They allocute elegatly on topics far and wide. They know who they are and where they want to be. In short, they are worth your time and effort to read. I promise.

Jewish Food Festival

1/20/14:

Stars: 3.9 our of 5.0

Pros: First 2014 Food Festival, Big Crowd, Excellent Food

Cons: Food Not Ready

     I was just minding my own business, cruising the Facebook's one afternoon when I get an update from a group I'm in called Richmond Bucket List. This group is a few friends of mine who appreciate that Richmond always seems to offer us something to do. In this case, it was the Jewish Food Festival. I can't say I'm very up to date on Jewish culture or food, but I always enjoy a solid festival. We all planned to meet at the Weinstien Jewish Community Center (Weinstein JCC) for a Jewish food lunch.

     I wish I knew more about the background of the Jewish Food Festival (Jewish Food Festival) as this would make this post WAY more informative. As it is, I know the following: Jewish food will be served at the Weinstein JCC. I also know that it held the distinction of being the first food festival of the 2014 year in Richmond. Kudo's on that. It's best to be the first when it comes to most things and food festivals are no exception. If nothing else, that alone got me pretty jazzed up.

     Once we met we all took some time to look at the menus being handed out. There was a lot of different food being served, some I had before with way more I had not. You could either buy tickets with cash from the people walking around or use your card at a table to aquire some. We found it smart to try to do the math ahead of time so you knew how many tickets to bring to the food purchasing stations (regardless of this theory, I was still short 1 ticket. Damn you math). We then jumped into lines depending on what we were getting. There was a ton of people there, which is nice to see. I think it's great that the community came out to not only eat, but to support other memebers of the community. Plus, a big crowd usually means someone is doing something right.

     I had decided on the roast chicken with potato latkes and kasha varnishkes (buckwheat with noodles and onions) as my meal. Once I stepped up to the serving area I took a moment to reevaluate. The trays and pans of food they had out looked amazing. Each one wafted an inviting and unique deep into my nose. My brain couldn't get my eyes and nose to focus together long enough to process anything. Finally I had to take a deep breath and make a choice. I stood firm with my original decision as it seemed to cover all I desired. I put my order in and the woman uttered these tragic words, "We currently have no latkes ready. Would you like to wait or choose something else?" NOOOOOO!! This threw me into a state of indecision and panic. Do I replace them with maybe a broccoli kugel (a broccoli casserole) of maybe a sweet bit of tzimmes (honey covered vegetable stew). I suddenly heard myself say "No... no ma'am, I'll wait." It was as if my mouth got annoyed with my brain and took charge of the situation. Thank god for that. So, I stood off to the side and waited. It took about 10 minutes for a new batch of latkes to come out, but I was the first served. She plopped a nice healthy spoonful of applesauce on them and off I finally went to find a seat.

     All of the food was excellent. The potato latkes were crisp and warm. The applesauce provided a nice touch of sweetness and a little moisture. They were well worth the wait. The chicken had nice flavor. It wasn't drenched in a seasoning, but instead dusted with flavor. It had cooked nicely and came off the bone very easily. The kasha varnishkes had a very earthy flavor to it. The buckwheat provided nice texture to the sauteed onion and the noodles. No one flavor dominated the others, but all seemed to work together well. I would eat it all again. I also had option to have some dill pickle on a stick. It was excatly what one expects from that. Everyone else's food looked great too. The matzah ball soup was a giant portion and full of veggies/matzah balls. The falafel, I was told, wasn't heavy in flavor but it wasn't shy in serving size. The hope is that in the future the falafel held just a bit more spice/flavor. Over all, reviews were positive. I was satisfied.

     The first food festival of 2014 left me pleasantly satisfied. It was very well organized and nicely executed. It allowed me to try new foods, none of which disappointed. I look forward to next January when I can try new things. If you get a chance next year, ring in the new year of food festivals with the Jewish Food Festival.

The Grill

1/18/14:

Stars: 4.6 out of 5.0

Pros: Great Space, Friendly Service, Quality Food

Cons: 

     NK and I were ready for some breakfast. Pancakes had been dancing through my mind for days now (let's be honest, they always do) and I needed to scratch that itch. I had been looking to try The Grill for some time now and this was a great time to give it a shot. As it is close to the house, NK was very enthusiastic to go. So, we skipped off to eat our Wheaties.

     The Grill (The Grill) is located on the corner of Libbie and Patterson. It's a nice looking building with a big front porch area. Parking is a little tough, but not impossible. Just drive around and pay attention to where u-turns are actually legal. Getting a ticket prior to brunch is no bueno. Once we stepped into The Grill I was shocked at how big it actually was. There is the front porch, the dining room and a separate bar area. I would never have guessed that looking at it from the outside. It's a wonderful space complete with old photos of the Richmond area. I tried to take in as much as possible while we waited for our server.

     As we sat chatting were heard the sound of dishes falling to the floor. One of the waitresses had dropped a bowl of grits onto not only the floor, but also most of her clothing. We watched her cleaning up as the hostess brought menu's to our table. She was friendly and quite personable. She explained that she would be our waitress as the other one was understandably busy. I confirmed breakfast was still being served and then she took our drink orders. I noticed that they had Breckenridge Vanilla Porter on tap, so I had to get a breakfast beer. I also got a glass of water and a glass of milk. It is breakfast after all. I then began to study the menu like a man preparing for his bar exam.

     The menu had a lot of very good looking options on it. Three Cheese Chili Nacho's, for example, get hopping off the page at me. So did the Pimento Cheese Burger. But this is breakfast time man, FOCUS! Now a tough issue I have when it comes to breakfast is what kind of day am I having: is it a French Toast day? Waffles? Pancakes? Maybe eggs? If eggs, do I want an omelet? What kind of meat product sidekicks do I want to garnish the plate? Truly a set of questions more puzzling than people who rally behind Justin "I Am A Worthless Part Of Society" Beiber. That's when I saw that I could get a custom made omelet with home style fried potatoes AND a short stack of pancakes for only $7.95. Done and done, with a side of pancakes. So, I got that and NK went with 2 eggs over medium with bacon and a biscuit.

     Our food came out of the open kitchen (I like being able to watch the cooks) in a respectable amount of time. My omelet was not a monster, but was nicely packed with ham, broccoli, mushrooms and Havarti cheese. Each bite had a little chunk of something in it. It was quite good. My potatoes could have stood for a touch of sauteed onion to give them a little pop, but they were still pretty good. The pancakes were truly what I was looking forward to. They were fluffy and light, just the way they should be. They absorbed both the butter and the syrup nicely. All in all, quite a pleasing breakfast. I also got to sample NK's as she never eats her full meal. I'm not a biscuit man, but with the egg and bacon on top, it made a tasty vessel. It wasn't my idea of a breakfast, but it worked.

     The Grill is good, plain and simple. The staff was pleasant and the food was tasty. The drink menu is big enough to provoke me to return in the future. And I'm looking forward to the warm weather so I can try dining in their outdoor area. It's the quintessential neighborhood bar and I like that. I shall return.

RVA Coffee Love

2/14/14:



     Do me a favor. Don't worry, it's not hard and it will only take a second. Think really hard about the past month. Name the last selfless act of kindness you did for somebody. Nothing immediatley springing to mind? Ok, then let's cut the time down. What selfless thing did you do for someone this week? Hell, name something you did today.

     What did you come up with? Did you hold the elevator for that person you saw coming a ways behind you? Did you stop to help someone pick up something they dropped? How about give an older person that closer parking spot even though it means you had to walk further in the cold? Or, did you really not go out of your way to do something selfish, but just what was conveniently polite (guilty).

     Let's face it... as much as we never admit it, there are plenty of us who make no effort outside of what fits into our "now moment" to do something thankless for someone else. It doesn't make us bad people. It doesn't make us selfish. And it certainly doesn't mean we never do anything nice. It just means that we are typical humans trying to survive our everyday lives. It's easy sometimes to forget that we aren't the only ones who battle against a variety of odds that make up our everyday lives. There are others out there fighting our same fight. And sometimes one simple gesture can change their whole day.

     This coming Friday, there is a group of Richmonders who are trying to show the difference one spot of kindness can have. RVA Coffee Love (RVA Coffee Love Facebook) has a simple mission for you this Valentines Day: buy a stranger a cup of coffee. Small. Basic. Beautiful. The best kind of selfless giving there is. You and I both know you'll be stopping to get coffee anyway. So, why not buy an extra cup? Think about how you would feel in that situation. It's already Friday so you're already happy. It's early and all you need is that little pick-me-up to get through the day just to embrace the glory of the weekend. Then, boom! The person in front of you turns around and with a gentle smile hands you a hot steaming cup for free. Friday complete! So, pass that amazing feeling onto someone else.

     Once you buy that cup of coffee or are on the glorious receiving end, let Richmond know how you feel. Use the hashtag #RVACoffeeLove on your social media. Or, just accept the shocked thanks you'll get with a warm "Have a wonderful day" and go out into the world with your head held high. Either way, share a little love this Friday.

The Halligan Bar & Grill Revisit

1/11/14:



Stars: 4.4 out of 5.0
Pros: Plenty of Space, Quality Chicken Wings
Cons: Rough Seating, Weird Lighting



     I will admit it, I have been to both Halligan's multiple times since my first review (Halligan's: Take One). My writing style has changed quite a bit over the year between posts, don't ya think? Anyway, I have been a bunch of times. I just never think to take photos all the time. So, when CB, LB, JK, MK and the boys invited me to meet them for lunch, I vowed this time I would remember. And remember I did as we all met up on a cold rainy day.

     We all met at the Halligan Bar & Grill (Halligan Bar) in Short Pump. This one is located in the same plaza as Whole Foods, REI, The Childrens Museum and Chuy's. I'm sure that plaza has a name, but I'll be damned if I know what it is. It's a nice location with a TON of space. The restaurant has a front and back bar, an outdoor patio and a huge dining room. It's not a bad place to go if you have a large group. Unless that group contains 2 year old boys. There are so many tall bar tables that it was a bit of a struggle for the wait staff to pull enough regular tables together for us to sit at. Especially because there was another family with little kids there at the same time we were. It certainly couldn't hurt for Halligans to trade out some tall tables for low ones.

     The menu at Halligan Bar is BBQ based and fairly vast. It allowed for LB, who is eating Paleo ( mostly just stuff cavemen would have had access to) to find something she could eat as well as MK was able to order food for the boys. The others took no time in choosing their meal. I worked out a deal with MK that involved trading half my burger for half her wings. I'm getting soft in my old age with all this sharing I do... The waitress brought out the boys fries way before anything else, which was a very smart move. That allowed them a few minutes to cool and kept them quiet. Now, before you judge, MK & JK had packed a whole lunch of chicken and edamame to accompany the fries. So, quiet conversation occurred until food arrived.

     Once all the plates were set down, my friends all know it's my duty to be the annoying guy who takes pictures of all their food. Normally this is a quick, no hassle process. The problem with Halligan is that it's poor lighting (please see EVERY picture). Everything is dark with a deep red tinge to it. I was not pleased. Neither were they as I took several shots of each dish (sorry guys).

     After photos I split my burger and made the trade of burgers for wings. Thankfully, MK doesn't like the house-made pickles at Halligans and gave hers to me. I LOVE them so I accepted the bonus. The burger was good. It was cooked to a medium-rare/medium as a compromise (I prefer still cold rare). It was juicy and the meat had good flavor. Toppings were fresh and still had good texture. The bun was a little big, but it wasn't overwhelming. I wasn't disappointed in my choice. The wings were outstanding. They were big and meaty sans a hint of a dinky one anywhere. They were nicely sauced without drowning. They retained a bit of crispness regardless of the sauce. The sauce itself had complex flavor. It was smoky, spicy and tangy. It sat gently on the tongue reminding you of it's spice without making you feel like you must scrape your taste buds off with sandpaper (I personally don't hate that feeling, but most people do). Just a good solid wing.

     Lunch overall was wonderful. Any time I get to spend with this group (even though it was missing someone *cough SB cough cough*) is great. They are the best non-blood related family I could ask for. And Halligans provided a nice backdrop fr us to get together. Next time you find yourself shopping Short Pump and dealing with the horrors of traffic there, take a break at Halligans. You'll feel much better after.