Toast

2/16/14:

Stars: 4.8 out of 5.0

Pros: Pro-Active Twitter Presence, Accommodating Staff, Fun Menu, Fresh & Flavorful Food, Dessert

Cons: 

     Now that all us food bloggers had met, we decided we needed to get together more often and review new places. An email chain got started one night and we all decided to descend upon Toast for a Sunday night dinner. It's a place I had yet to visit for food, but it was on my list. Once it was agreed, the massive tweet conversation began. The excitement was palatable and it tasted awesome.

     Toast (Toast) is located in The Village shopping plaza on the corner of Patterson and Three Chopt. It isn't hard to find as it's big, simple sign sticks out. The front isn't gaudy or pretentious, blending in well with the rest of the storefronts. It's a surprisingly big place, being much deeper than outside appearance leads you to think. It's not very bright inside, but lighting is sufficient for dining.

     I will be the first one to tell you that I am almost 30 years old and I forget that making reservations is a real thing. Don't ask me why, because I truly don't know. It just never occurs to me that with large groups, restaurants would love a heads up. I'm not that important (yet) that places will just accommodate me whenever I see fit. Thankfully, there are others out here who have embraced being a grown-up. Due to their vigilance on social media, Toast picked up on our (probably excessive) chatter. They reached out to us to see if we had reservations. When I told them no, they took care of us right away. They set us up with a table and a person to talk to when we got there. I appreciate that they look out for their customers like that.

     We all arrived a few minutes apart from each other, but we were able to wait at the bar. We got some drinks while the group assembled. As soon as we all arrived (plus our newest member Bethany) the manager seated us at a big table perfect for 6 people. She left menus and promised our server would be right with us. As we sat chatting over came Mira. She was truly an exemplary server. She was friendly, attentive and helpful. As you all know, I'm big on service. Mira was the picture of a perfect server. I hope that Toast holds on to her as long as they can.

     The menu at Toast is pretty impressive. It's not a big menu, which is always a positive. The type is big enough to read without squinting. All the choices looked great. Toast is an American gastropub so most dishes would be easily recognized by the average Joe. The specials that rotate all looked fantastic. The standard menu items were all intriguing which made deciding hard to do. Thankfully, appetizers were bought to give us some time. Someone ordered the polenta corn dogs and someone else ordered the bacon cheddar fritters. Between placing the order and getting it we all focused on figuring out our order.

     The polenta corn dogs were excellent. I think the polenta brought a little sweetness to the batter. The hot dogs themselves were cooked well. I could have easily eaten a few of these and called it a meal. The bacon cheddar fritters were an awesome combination of flavors. They were salty and sharp from the cheese & bacon. They were served with both a chive aioli and maple syrup. The aioli certainly added to the flavors, but the syrup is what knocked these out of the park. That sweetness really helped these flavors muddle together in an artistic way. You could hand me a dozen of these fritters and some maple syrup everyday for a month & I would celebrate the taste like it was my first time each time.

     Time came for us to order and I was ready. I went with the Cuban Reuben (with veggies) for a few reasons. First, I love Cuban sandwiches with what could be considered a deep passion. So much pork, mustard and pickles! Second, I have been trying to appreciate Reuben's more. I like all the ingredients separate so I'm sure I'll like them together. Finally, that is a fun name to say. Because it rhymes. And I've the mind of a 6 year old. I make no apologies. Moving on, the others ordered a wide selection off the menu, but I can't remember exactly what, See the photos below if you want to take a stab at it.

     When the food arrived I was impressed by the fact that it was all the right temperature. That is hard to do when cooking for a large party. Some things cook faster than others and timing it all out is a skill. Glad to see the kitchen at Toast has that skill. All the food looked wonderful. My sandwich was a monster stack. I liked the presentation, all the sandwich pieces stuck on a skewer. It was accompanied by a big bright side of veggies. It was a visually appealing plate, which is a good start. The sandwich was a combination of amazing on my palate. Here's what is on the sandwich: pulled pork, VA ham, pickles, Swiss, corned beef, smoked mustard, grilled cabbage and 1000 Island dressing. A lot going on, but all blends so well. I was very very impressed. And the sandwich was so big that I, of all people, had some to bring home. Now THAT is a sandwich.

     After we had all stuffed our face, Mira informed us that we had dessert coming. Dessert? Well, if you insist... Next thing we know a slice of cranberry cheesecake, chocolate peanut butter cake and an order of doughnuts with honey mascarpone appeared at the table with 6 forks. I will start with the doughnuts. These warm little pillows of dough were topped with cinnamon and sugar. They were sweet and delicious. The mascarpone was creamy and added a touch of honey flavor to the dough. I want an order fresh made for me every Sunday for breakfast. The cheesecake was just how I like it. It was dense and silky. The cranberry wasn't overpowering, instead lending a hint of tartness to it all. It was all New York style and that's the only way to be. The winner for me was the chocolate peanut butter cake. This is made fresh in the back and it shows. The cake was moist like a good cake should be. It was rich and delicious. The peanut butter frosting was absolutely killer good. I'm a peanut butter freak and this could curb my cravings for a week. It was phenomenal. I will be requesting one for my birthday in June.

     Toast totally stood up and smacked this meal straight out of the park. They did everything just right and have solidified themselves as a go-to restaurant for me. Add in the amazing company I was graced with and this Sunday night meal was all aces. If you already have great dinner company and need a great restaurant, make your way to Toast.

Dishcrawl in The Fan

2/11/14:

Stars: 4.7 out of 5.0

Pros: 4 Restaurants for 1 Price, Great Food, Fun Side Trip, New Friends

Cons: Some Venues Were Tight, Chilly Weather

     The concept behind Dishcrawl is fascinating of itself; bring together a large group of foodies at 4 local restaurants to introduce both entities to each other for an affordable price. To watch it executed is even more amazing. I was fortunate enough to once again attend a Dishcrawl in Richmond, this time in The Fan. After my wonderful experience at the first one in Carytown, I couldn't wait for the night to arrive.

     Dishcrawl (Dishcrawl), for all who don't know, is a 4 for one price outing. What I mean by that is you pay your $45 for a ticket and what you get is a meal at 4 restaurants. No planning ahead. No calling for reservations. No waiting around for a table to free up. No agonizing over menu choices. You show up at the first place and just enjoy the journey. It's an easy way to eat your face off on a Tuesday night.

    Our Dishcrawl Ambassador for our journey was a fellow food blogger that I had followed since her arrival in Richmond, Sarah Choi. According to Dishcrawl law, she did a great job of keeping all of the 4 locations a secret, slowly leaking hints and clues until the day before when she sent us all an email with our first stop revealed, Heritage. All of us arrived primed and ready to eat.

     I will say that Heritage is not built for a group of 30 people, plus the general public. It was a very tight squeeze. Elbow room was at a premium and that was the situation for a lot of the evening. The places we went to aren't huge chain restaurants with massive dining areas. They are small local joints built for small groups and couples. That's just the way it is and is no one's fault. Still, as a husky guy, it made for a slightly rough going.

     Heritage  (Heritage) led off the group with a nice plate of their offerings. They presented us with a beet & arugula salad covered in a horseradish creme, a pimento cheese croquette and a house-made pasta with a pork belly sausage. All the food was wonderful, but to me the salad was the star of this plate. I loved the spice of the horseradish creme with the bite of the arugula. It was spicy and flavorful. Definitely a great start for me.

     Next we made a quick pit stop on our brisk walk to the next restaurant. We stopped at the Visual Arts Center (Visual Arts Center). We met with Caroline Wright who is the Director of Exhibition Programming. She brought us in and gave us a short little introduction to the Visual Arts Center. It's an awesome place offering classes and free exhibits open to the public on a regular basis. The exhibit we saw was work by Tom Condon. It was pretty fantastic stuff. I'll certainly be looking into visiting the Visual Arts Center in the future.

     After seeing the exhibit, it was back out into the cold for our trip to the next restaurant, Rowland Fine Dining. It was cold as all get out outside. Not that I will deduct any stars for weather, but I still need to say how much I hate the winter. It made these walks between restaurants pure misery. But it made getting in the door at the next place even more satisfying.

     Our second restaurant was Rowland Fine Dining (Rowland Fine Dining). When we got inside, we all spread out through out the restaurant. Everyone found a spot to sit where ever there was an open table. I found a seat with 2 fellow food bloggers Dana & Shakir. They were people I had been following on Twitter for a long while and was anxious to meet. So, we sat and talked until our delicious plate arrived. When they arrived, they contained 3 fantastic little bites. There was a carnitas spring roll, a black bean cake with fried egg & pico de gallo and a house-made ravioli stuffed with chicken & topped with a cilantro/caper sauce. I give my vote for favorite bite to the ravioli. It was amazing, and possibly my favorite bite of the night. The flavors were spot on with just a hint of kick to it. The pasta was fresh and unimaginably good. It is on my list of things to get again in the future.

     After we cleaned our plates it was time to move on. We headed down the street to Lady N'awlins Cajun Cafe (Lady N'awlins), a place I've visited before. Once again, we spread out when we got inside the restaurant as it's not really set-up for a group of 30. This time I found myself seated next to another food blogger, Marcella. Again, a person that I have followed on Twitter for a long time now and I was so excited to meet. We sat and chatted foodie things while the kitchen brought us our food. The plate held the following goodness: Oyster (Rockefeller), shrimp on top of grits cooked in cream with lots of butter, a fried green tomato with blackened shrimp & mustard sauce and a wedge of corn bread. Who was the winner here you ask? Well, I vote the fried green tomato with the blackened shrimp. The crisp of the breading was pronounced. The flavor of the breading helped mild the tomato's tart-esque flavor. And the blackening on the shrimp was spot on. It was an excellent part of the dish.

     The time to get ready to end our night was approaching, but we still had one stop left so we all made our way down to Mint Gastropub (Mint Gastropub) to polish off some dessert. When we arrived, the restaurant was almost empty so we were able to all sit as one big group. By this time of the night a lot of new friends had been made among the 30 of us. I got to meet some fellow food bloggers and I'm grateful for that opportunity. It has been wonderful getting to know them since. Any who, back to the dessert course. Chef Malcolm Mitchell prepared a dish that I normally wouldn't order, bread pudding. But not just any bread pudding, but a brioche bread pudding with Don Julio dolce leche sauce & a touch of vanilla ice cream. It was an unreal combination of flavors. It wasn't overburdened with sweetness making it much simpler to enjoy. While we were eating, Malcolm Mitchell came out to chat with us. It was great hearing about what they offered at Mint and what he was trying to accomplish. I wish him luck.

     We all finished up our dessert and began to drift out, a little at a time. Just like the first time, Dishcrawl was a huge success. I left there feeling full and I know that I got to experience 4 new restaurants. And I met a few new friends that I would possibly never had had the chance of meeting. If you get a chance, go to a Dishcrawl. It is a great way to experience a piece of Richmond's dining scene in a fun exciting way.

Strangeways Brewing

2/9/14:

Stars: 4.3 out of 5.0

Pros: Lots of Space, Huge Draft Selection, Creative Beers

Cons: Hit & Miss Flavor

     I think by now that you all realize that I love craft beer. I certainly have said it enough. So, when a trip to Strangeways Brewery gets flopped out onto the table, who am I to say no? I went one night when they first opened, but I never reviewed it. Lucky for Strangeways I thought to take photos this time.

     Strangeway Brewing (Strangeways Brewing) is quite a strange ways from where you expect a brewery to be. It is located on Dabney Rd among various warehousey/officey type buildings. The train yard is very close too. It's off the beaten path to say the least. When they first opened, they only had seating in the big front room with a few picnic tables outside. Since my last visit they have opened a back bar with even more tables. This gives them a massive indoor space and a fairly nice outdoor one. So, you'll be able to find a seat.

     Recently Strangeways upped their tap game in a big big way. In the beginning they had 4, maybe 6 beers on tap at all times. On Wednesday they would introduce a variation or two of existing beers. Now they have 25 beers on tap at all times. That's their promise to us and by god I love that about them. They use their small range of, well we will call them "staple beers", and add fresh new flavors to them. The bounds of their creativity is endless as proven by the constant new flavors that arrive. Now, if they would make an Espresso Woodbooger, I would be a happy man.

     BN and I both each tried one of the rotating custom beers. I can't remember what I had for the life of me, but I know he had a beer that was maple flavored. The maple was there, but it was in a slightly odd way. It left a complex, almost weird flavor to the beer that was very different. Not so much in a good way. We also had a standard Woodbooger, of which I am a big fan. It always has a very consistent, rich flavor which I hope for in a brown ale. I will have to experiment more, but my big concern is that sometimes the beers, especially the experimental ones don't always provide the promised flavor. They are kind of hit and miss.

     Overall, Strangeways is another example of what a craft brewery is all about. They are continuously pushing the flavor boundaries of what a normal pallet expects. Their promise of 25 beers on tap at all times is no small feat and they execute it well. I raise a glass to them and I'll be back for them to fill it when it's empty.

Mai Sushi

2/7/14 & 2/13/14:

Stars: 4.8 out of 5.0

Pros: Convenient Location, Excellent Variety, Fresh & Tasty Sushi

Cons:

     Growing up most of us are taught that in polite conversation we shouldn't bring up politics or religion. I am adding sushi to that list. People lose their minds and become raging experts on the finest sushi in town. Just ask someone sometime if you don't believe me. That being said, I love sushi and I like finding new places to get it. So, when the folks on Yelp suggested I try Mai Sushi, I was in.

     SB and I first tried Mai Sushi as a takeout order at my house. The online ordering was super easy. It's simply a click on the roll you want and it asks you if you prefer a hand roll or a roll. Hand rolls are the cones fit for one person so we always go with rolls. Once you place your order, it's generally ready for pickup in about 15 minutes. Note that while the website doesn't say it, they do deliver if the order is over $15. If you do pickup, Mai Sushi is located in The Village shopping center at Patterson & Three Chopt.

     The restaurant itself isn't very big. Its located behind Estilio down a walkway. There are signs, just pay attention. It's a fairly small place with maybe 15 tables and a counter you can sit at where they make the sushi. The staff is fairly friendly, but pretty quiet. When we ate there, it was pleasant. I would certainly stay in house again.

     The menu has plenty of choices on it. SB and I have tried many of the different rolls. For MK's birthday dinner we did sushi at their house. We ordered 16 different rolls that night alone, and I tried them all. You can get several kinds of seafood from imitation crab to raw scallops to tuna to cooked shrimp. The variety is huge with something for all tastes.

     There are a few rolls SB & I put on every order. One is the Richmond Roll which is rice wrapped around avocado, cream cheese and shrimp. Second is the Tiger Roll which is rice around asparagus, cream cheese & shrimp with raw salmon & avocado on top. Finally, we always get a spicy something, be it tuna, scallop or yellow tail. Each of these rolls is consistently fresh and always very good. We have yet to get a bad roll, or even be remotely disappointed.

     I guess I didn't realize how much of a hot button issue sushi really is here in Richmond. Finally I am able to lay a card down on the table that speaks to what sushi really is. If you are in the mood for a new sushi restaurant, go try out Mai Sushi. It's a little trip to Japan in the West End.