Alamo BBQ

8/2/13:

Stars: 4.9 out of 5

Pros: Menu Selections, Beverages, Food

Cons: Nature

     My buddy JT's sister was in town for a visit so he invited BN and myself out to dinner with them. She had lived in Richmond in days gone by and she wanted to go to Alamo BBQ (Alamo BBQ). I had never been there and I heard it was some very high quality BBQ so I was instantly in. We decided to meet there for dinner before I had to work. I was pretty stoked.

     As I walked up to Alamo BBQ, I found myself engulfed in a wonderful smoke that came from their large outdoor smoker/grill. It smelled wonderful with notes of oak, tangy sauce and juicy meat. I need it made into an air-freshener stat. That is how my house would smell. The seating area is a large wonderful patio with lots of tables. It truly would be the only way to respectfully enjoy BBQ. Outdoors on a wonderful summer night. I arrived first and was impatiently patient while I waited for the others.

     Once they all got there we stepped up to the giant menu boards and the ordering window. I was torn with so many good things to choose from. I knew I could easily go broke and get super fat if I lived near here. After much debate (and everyone else ordering) I went with a portabella taco and a Texas Train Wreck with chicken. I made both these choices knowing I would have to return to try everything else because it all screamed delicious.

     I was also very impressed by the drink selection available. They serve plenty of homemade drinks and the one that called out at me was their version of the Arnold Palmer. Now, being a Northern boy, I had never really heard of an Arnold Palmer (sometimes called a Half 'n' Half) till I moved to the South due to our lack of sweet tea drankin' up there. I also know that a traditional Arnold Palmer is half sweet tea and half lemonade, making it one of the most delicious drinks ever. The Alamo BBQ version is half sweet tea & half house-made lime-aid. Ummmm... YES PLEASE!! It was fantastic! Amazing! Stunning! Thirst quenching! And I had 3 due to free refills. Get it! Do it! Love it!

     When our orders were called out we each sat down to a mountain of food. BN got the well recognized Alamo Cuban Sandwich with chicken. (Named "State Sandwich of VA"). It looked wonderful and I PROMISE that it has been haunting my dreams. I'll be getting one soon. JT and I each got the Texas Train Wreck. That is your choice of meat over baked beans, mac & cheese and corn bread with onions & jalapenos sprinkled on top. It's the Southern version of a garbage plate. I went with chicken on mine. It was a wonderful blend of flavors and textures. Each piece of it on it's own was complex and satisfying, but when combined together it was a gift to the palate. As if that wasn't enough, I also had the portabella taco as a side dish. Granted, it was big enough to be a meal on it's own. The portabella was cooked wonderfully. It was marinated in a flavorful sauce. The taco shell was a hardy one which is certainly required with all they pack in. It ALMOST makes me consider turning vegetarian. Almost...

     The only thing that caused me distress was nothing that Alamo has control of, hence I only took off .01 stars. Nature is a wench man. There were quite a few persistent flies that would NOT leave us the hell alone. Now, I can't blame them. If that was my existence I would try to hang around the most quality food my pin point sized brain could find. But for the love of all things holy, stay away from MY food. I am not one to mess with.

     Alamo BBQ has moved itself to the top of my BBQ list. They put out a quality product for a wonderful price to feed the masses. And they do it quietly, letting the food speak for itself. Kudos to you Alamo BBQ. Here is my hand and here is my heart. They are both yours till you decide to shutter your doors forever (don't let that be for the next 90 years or so till I'm dead).

Dot's Back Inn

7/29/13:

Stars: 4.4 out of 5

Pros: Décor, Service, Food

Cons:

     I will admit the following freely and with no shame, I devote 30% of my tv watching to sports and 70% to Food Network. I can’t help it, I love food. I think one look at me would indicate this. I can make no apologies. That being said, I follow the places that Food Network ventures and strive to go there. One such place is in the north side of Richmond. Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives visited Dot’s Back Inn on one episode and I have been dying to go there myself. My friend AK was in town so I figured now was as good as ever.

     Dot’s Back Inn is located in a quiet residential section of Richmond. It’s sandwiched between an apartment building and what looks to be some sort of theater? I couldn't really tell. Dot’s has a nice big front porch which looks out on the quiet street. It is an ideal place to enjoy a drink late on a summer afternoon. Unfortunately for us, the porch was full which led us to sit inside. Not that that is bad necessarily.

     Dot’s Back Inn is very much eclectic old school diner-esque. It is decorated like such as well. There is a big long counter (I hesitate to call it a bar) that has old-fashion bar stools. It doesn't have a ton of tables and I’m sure it gets packed on a Friday night. The walls are covered with old posters, metal signs and the like. It’s just a cool place to sit and look around. I’ll be honest, I’m a sucker for old metal John Deere signs. Dot’s has plenty of them and that hit me right in the heart-space.

      Our server was very prompt and polite. She provided us with menus and joked with us a bit before taking our drink order. She returned while we were pondering the menu. AK was pondering a bowl of chili as a starter. The waitress confirmed it was worth it. So, AK went with that and a steak and cheese sub. I went with a Mexicali burger (salsa, jalapenos & Provolone) as rare as humanly possible. I know that is not most people's bag, but I feel like you only really experience the meat when it's rare. We started chatting as the kitchen set about preparing our meal.

      They were super quick with the chili, which is appreciated with a started. It came out covered in a bright yellow slice of good old fashioned American cheese. It was served with a side of tortilla chips which are perfect for dipping in the chili. Our first few mouthfuls had us puzzled. There was a flavor to the chili that it took us a minute to put our hand on. It wasn't spicy. It wasn't tangy. And I wouldn't say it was really sweet. More so just a different flavor. I am about 89% sure it was cinnamon and 11% unsure that it wasn't nutmeg. Either way, it lent a pleasing and not terribly over-powering taste to the chili. I would potentially get it again.

     While we were finishing up the chili our waitress brought us our meals. They smelled very good, I'll say that much. The steak and cheese sandwich looked wonderful. It was heaping with both steak and cheesy goodness. AK was very very pleased with it. It was big enough that she couldn't finish it. My burger was fantastic. It was rare to the point where it might have still been alive. I couldn't have asked it to be more perfectly cooked. There was plenty of jalapenos on top providing a nice heat to it. The salsa was not even noticeable, which was a bit disappointing. Overall, great burger. I was a giant fan and will certainly order it again.

     The meal was excellent. The decor is old-school. The servers were polite and nice. Over all, Dot's Back Inn is the classic neighborhood joint that you should be sad that you haven't visited yet. It's the place you never think about going to, but you'll be glad when you remember it. Give it a try. Worst that happens is I was wrong... I'm never wrong.

Latino Village

7/27/13:

Stars: 4.99 out of 5

Pros: Secretiveness, Service, Price, Fresh Quality, Portions

Cons: Secretiveness

     I will begin this post by making sure I give all credit to the one person that deserves it, MC. Now, on with the post. It was a Saturday much like any other Saturday, I was hungry as were BN and MC. We were torn with indecision. Where to go? What to eat? So many questions... And then MC had answers. "How about Mexican? I know a place in the back of a store that is the shit." A secret restaurant? Count us IN!!

     When you first pull up to Latino Village you realize that you have driven by this place 1000's of times with out giving it a second glance. It doesn't have anything special to it and there is no mention of a restaurant anywhere. When BN and I got there we were almost certain we were in the wrong place. MC arrived and set our fears to rest. She assured us that some of the best Mexican food in Richmond could be found behind those glass door. A hidden gem among the chili peppers and plantains. The suspense alone made this meal worth it. I will also note here that the .01 of a star I took off is because had MC not told us about it, I would never had found this wonderful gem. Shame on you Latino Village. Advertise your wonderful self.

     At the back of the store you find yourself at a counter with a small seating area. The menu is posted above the counter with a little description to help us confused white folk. The selection isn't vast, but that was fine. I think more choices here would have made this way too hard. We were greeted in a very friendly manner by a lovely middle-aged Hispanic woman. She spoke Spanish to us and you could see the glint of hope that we would understand. We quickly extinguished that glint, but she remained pleasant none the less. She took our order (MC and BN went with tacos while I went with zopas) and told us we pay at the end. She pointed out where drinks were, showed us the salsa bar and told us to sit anywhere.

     Each of our meals cost the exact same wonderful price, $7.99. That comes with no sides and no drink, but it does get you 3 tacos or 3 zopas (handmade thick tortillas). I can't argue with fresh, handmade food for just $7.99. And we could see the women in the back cooking. They pressed out my zopas and they freshly flattened the tacos. The meat was diced up and thrown on the flat-top grill. All of the toppings were chopped fresh. It was the real deal for $7.99. Kudos to Latino Village.

     Our plates came out LOADED to the maximum. The three tacos lay propped against each other across the entire plate. Both BN and MC went with a different meat on each of their tacos. They were topped with cilantro, sour cream and a massive hunk of avocado. They looked pretty amazing. My zopas were huge discs covered in meat, sour cream, lettuce and cotija cheese. I went with 3 different meats because variety is the spice of life. There was no way I could manage these beasts without a fork and knife. The first bite caused my eyes to roll back in my head as a feeling of utter happiness washed over me. Not only can you taste the freshness, but the meat juices mix with the cold sour cream and soak into the tortilla. The lettuce is nice and crunchy. The cheese does what any good cheese does: makes everything even better. It is the perfect mouthful every single time. That is all I can say really...

     Latino Village is a hidden gem that I was very hesitant to even share with you, my loyal readers. It is like a secret that you know you should keep all to yourself, but just can't stop your mouth from blabbing about. I truly hope that the next time you seek good Mexican food you drive yourself down to the West End and visit Latino Village. There is no way you could be sorry with your decision.

Travels of the Taste Buds- Boston's on the Beach in Delray Beach, FL

7/21/13:



Stars: 4.4 out of 5
Pros: Decor, Service, Food
Cons: The Band



     The weekend in Florida moved quickly. The wedding was amazing (Colombians really know how to salsa, I do not). I got to spend the last full day hanging out with my family on the beach, which was very nice. We also got to have one last big meal together. Other wedding guests recommended Boston's on the Beach (Boston's on the Beach) as it was close to the hotel and had decent grub. It was agreed upon and we strolled right down the street to get some dinner.

     As it was off-season, we were seated fairly quickly. Boston's is a fairly large place with a big outdoor seating area that has views of the ocean. We chose to sit indoors (which was a slight mistake later). The theme of Boston's is kinda cheesy, but still neat enough. It focuses on all of Boston, MA's sports teams. Being from the North this seemed funny to me, but I forgot we were approximately 1,444 miles from Boston. And that most people who retire to Florida are Yankee's. Having not really been to Boston in several years, I appreciated all of the Celtics and Patriots decor and memorabilia. My mother, being an avid Yankees fan, did not love the Red Sox stuff. She got over it though.

     Our server was very nice and super friendly. She greeted us with a big smile and kept it going the whole time we were there. She paid attention to our drink glasses and kept them filled. Big kudos on that as I tend to put away a lot of liquid at a meal. She also made sure my niece's food came out way before the rest of the meal so that my sister was able to feed her and focus on her meal. That is excellent table management in my opinion. Very good work on Boston's end on hiring and training good staff.

     My family always starts out with appetizers and beers as we ponder the menu. I chose not to get a brew so I didn't even really pay attention to what they had. But I know what we got for apps. We started with a family favorite of calamari and we also got artichoke & spinach dip. The calamari was decent. Not the best we have ever had, but still decent. The artichoke & spinach dip was phenomenal. It was cheesy, creamy and warm. It had just the right amount of artichoke chunks and bites of spinach. And the toasted pita it was served with was the perfect bread to use. I would highly recommend it.

     Once again my family bounced all over the menu when they ordered. I only needed a quick glance to focus all of my attention on fish tacos. I mean, we are on the ocean so it can't be shipped from that far away right? If it is, don't ruin this for me. I ordered them grilled, because the fish should always speak for itself. The tacos were great. Instead of diced up fish shoved in a shell it was giant pieces of excellent fish in a wonderful taco. The spicy tomato salsa and the chipotle aioli were excellent compliments to the fish. And I could not have asked for a better side dish then the island mango slaw. It was spicy and sweet at the same time. I could have eaten a bowl of that alone. It was great.

     My only complaint was the band that was setting up while we ate. They were very crass and rude, in my opinion. Now, I will never begrudge someone a cuss word or 2 as I am not a clean mouth myself. But when there is a 2 year old around, I try really really hard to watch myself. They took no notice and continued to drop several profanity laced conversations in loud voices. Not something I wish to hear in a restaurant anyways, but certainly not with a baby in the group. Had we been at the start of our meal, I would have said something. But we were finishing up so I let it go. Still, it's annoying...

     Boston's on the Beach was a very good spot for us to have a last meal as a family. It worked out well and we all enjoyed ourselves. If you are in Delray Beach anytime soon and need a taste of the North, stop in at Boston's on the Beach. Make sure you get the fish tacos.

Travels of the Taste Buds- The Blue Anchor Pub in Delray Beach, FL

7/18/13:

Stars: 3.5 out of 5

Pros: Draft Selection, Appetizers

Cons: Service, Main Course

     Weddings have been one of the few things that cause me to scrape together my limited funds and travel outside the state the past year or so. So, I found myself boarding a plane and headed to Delray Beach, FL to be there for my uncles wedding to a wonderful woman. Once I landed and met up with my family we got settled into our hotel rooms and talked serious business, dinner. Seeing as none of us were familiar with the area and hadn't really eaten all day we began wandering the streets. We happened across The Blue Anchor Pub (The Blue Anchor Pub) and went in to quell the grumblings issuing from our stomachs.

     The outside of the building (according to the menu) was built in England and shipped across the Atlantic to be erected here in America. It certainly has the look I, as a simple American, would expect from a classic English pub, having never been to England myself. The inside provides the same feel. There is a large central bar and ample seating. As it was fairly empty (it's off-season) when we arrived we were quickly seated at a large table. The waitress handed us menus and left us in peace to ponder our choices.

     I will interject this early so we can move past it. The service wasn't horrible. It was mediocre at best. The waitress was forgetful. She would leave us for long stretches of time with out checking on us. She just didn't seem to be there 100%. She was certainly nice enough, just lacked a little on the attention side of things. We all know this is a pet-peeve of mine hence I knocked stars off for it.

     The beer list at The Blue Anchor Pub is quite impressive. They make it a point to let you know they don't serve Budweiser, which I wholeheartedly applaud. They focus on craft beer, which is the way that it should be done. They even had one of my favorite beers on tap: Wychwoods Hobgolin. I could drink that beer by the barrel full. I didn't hesitate to order one. After our beer orders were placed and delivered I dove right in. The one thing I could do without was that all their draft beer is hand drawn, which means it isn't as carbonated as regular tap beers. It gives a different flavor to the beer, but I ignored it. I know in the future that I do NOT prefer it that way.

     We started off with some appetizers as we looked at the menu. We got an order of the Black 'n' Tan onion rings and an order of the Irish Boxtys. These are basically deep friend balls of whipped garlic cheese potatoes rolled in cheddar. The onion rings were good. The batter was flavorful and the rings were crisp. Exactly what you want from an onion ring. They came with a side of horseradish sauce that was wonderful. It was an excellent accent to the the onion. I saved some to use on my meal. The boxtys were on a different level. They were nice and crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. The flavor was exceptional without being over powering. I am not a huge potato fan, but these alone may be the start of my conversion. They were good enough to make me order them as my side dish to my meal.

     We ordered a large variety of entrees as there were 7 adults and one toddler. I can't begin to list them all, but they ranged from chicken dishes to shrimp to steak & kidney pie. That would be me folks. Steak & kidney pie hooked me the moment I saw it. I have never had it, but I have always wanted to try it. I'm a giant fan of the ingredients so why not see if I like them all together. It came with peas, carrots (which I detest) and a side of my choosing. Boxtys, you are the winner there. As we waited it was nice to catch up with my family of whom I see too little of (always room for y'all to visit...)

     The presentation of my dinner was very nice, when it arrived. It was a balanced plate that highlighted the pie nicely. I was excited to dig in. For the most part, it wasn't bad. I ate the carrots first as the less time those vile vegetables soiled my plate the better. The peas were tender and lightly buttered, which is a very nice way to serve them in my opinion. The pie itself gets mixed reviews. The crust was flaky and crisp, which I truly appreciated. The gravy was rich and thick. It was made with Guinness, but I won't claim I tasted it. Still, it was very nice. The meat itself caused me the biggest bit of disappointment. The kidney chunks were tough and chewy while the beef was too thinly shredded for my liking. I was hoping for a slight bit more tenderness to my kidney, which I understand isn't the easiest thing to attain. And I guess I was expecting chunks of steak instead of shredded steak. Would I get it again, probably not. Was I sad I ordered it, no, not really. It's faults were mostly balanced out by it's positives.

     The rest of the family seemed to enjoy their meal. I will say that this isn't the normal fare my family eats, but it served it's purpose. The Blue Anchor Pub fits it's niche of a local English pub wonderfully. A little out of place in posh Delray Beach, but well worth the visit if you are looking for a hand-drawn craft pint and some rugged fare. Give it a shot if for no reasons but the boxtys.

Cielito Lindo

7/17/13



Stars: 3.9 out of 5
Pros: Friendly, Fun Choices, Taste
Cons: Long Wait, Doesn't Travel Well



     JT, Brandon and I found ourselves at the Grow RVA (Grow RVA) farmers market at Hardywood (Hardywood), as we do many Wednesdays. We were there to get our fresh produce from Da Farm (Da Farm) and I needed to find some dinner before going to work. Thankfully, the Cielito Lindo (Cielito Lindo Truck) truck was there serving up fresh-made tacos to fill my belly. Now, to make it to work on time...

     The staff at Cielito Lindo was extremely friendly from the moment we walked up. The woman taking orders engaged us and took the time to answer our questions. She also provided suggestions. Even when the wait for food was long due to the volume of the orders (and my ticket getting skipped) she maintained excellent communication. She offered apologies for the delays and aided in every way possible to move us through quickly. I appreciate that because it made me feel like she was actually concerned about me as a customer which is something you don't always see from companies anymore.

     The menu is heavy on tacos and quesadillas, but the variety they provide make that ok. They have different kinds of meat including several varieties of seafood. They also had a vegetarian taco made with roasted red peppers which sounded excellent. But, my meat eating roots would have none of that this day. I like that they marinate the meat for their Carnita Heat taco in Hardywoods Chcolate Heat Double Chcolate Milk Stout. I had to get one just to see if it captured the beers flavor well. I also went with the Barbacoa taco as the avocado jalapeno salsa intrigued me. I love both those things and I was wondering how they worked together. I got both of mine to go as time was of the essence.

     Like I said, the wait to get our food was long. I'm not sure what caused the back-up in the kitchen. I will assume, because it's a happy assumption, that the cook was taking his time personally crafting each dish to ensure the freshest flavors possible. Or, they just were busy. Either way, it was no bueno for me being in a hurry (which is all my fault really). Like I said above, the staff did a great job of keeping in touch with us to let us know what was happening. And a minor set-back like this would certainly not dissuade me from going back.

     As I got mine to go the woman did a very efficient job of wrapping my tacos. I don't think the truck is used to people getting their food to go as they had no real containers. She wrapped both tacos in several layers of foil, which effectively contained them. Unfortunately, it also allowed them to steam for my entire trip to work. Now, I can't really blame Cielito Lindo here as they expect the furthest people "to go" is the 15 feet to a table. But, maybe as a thought for the future, they can keep one or two to go containers on hand for the unique situation where someone needs it to actually go.

     Once I got to work I finally got a chance to enjoy my food. Both tacos were delicious, if not a little sweated. My picture does them no justice. The flavor was well developed and the marinating helped to make the meat nice and tender. I'm always a fan of condiments that accent and the avocado jalapeno salsa certainly did that. It was flavorful with the creamy coolness of the avocado mellowing the bite of the peppers. All in all, a great group of flavors in each taco.

     Cielito Lindo provided me with another great Thursday night meal. They are a friendly group of people that put out a quality product. Next time I order from them I'll make sure to eat it right away and not make it travel long distances in foil. I also want to give the actual restaurant a shot in hopes it matches the quality of the food truck.

Habanero Mexican Grill Food Truck

7/11/13:

Stars: 4.4 out of 5

Pros: Variety, Price, Quality

Cons:

     Another Thursday, another food truck experience at Hardywood. I'm sure someday this will get old and boring, but that isn't today. Normally I cruise around looking for a new truck. This time I just had to turn around as we had chosen to sit right in front of the Habanero Mexican Grill truck (Habanero Mexican Grill). JT was all about getting some tacos so we headed up to the glistening sliver trailer to order up some goodness.

     Now, I need you all to follow my logic on this next part. I appreciate the variety of products offered by Habanero Mexican Grill even though they appear limited. Sure, they only offer tacos, burritos, taco salad and chips. But you can get so many different meats. That means so many choices to me. You steak burrito is a different world then someone else's chicken tacos. Which, to me, means that with little effort Habanero is able to offer a variety of products. It's science people.

     I decided to go with 3 tacos for $7. I went with one chicken, one steak and on Al Pastor because why not get a sampling of each. As we all know, I am very price aware due to the fact that I'm poor as a traveling rotatory phone salesman. To me, $7 for 3 fresh made tacos is a good deal. Sure, I could go to Taco Bell and get 6 tacos for $7, but I prefer not to get my filling out of a meat gun (True story: They once told my old roommate he couldn't order something because "Our meat gun is broken"). Part of what I pay for is the freshness of it. So, I was very pleased with the price.

     The plate they handed me was loaded with three wonderful looking tacos. They were fully dressed with onion, cilantro, tomatillo salsa, cheese, sour cream, lettuce and tomato. I truly enjoyed the tomatillo salsa as they are one of my favorite additions to Mexican cuisine and I feel they are under utilized. I will also admit that I really detest cilantro due to the heavy pervasiveness of it's flavor. Thankfully, I feel that the cook in the case used just the right amount. It didn't seem to burden the rest of the foods with the responsibility of covering its taste. It actually seemed to buoy and support the other components. All of the meats had good flavor. They weren't tough or chewy as I have seen from some places in the past. Over all, I was fairly pleased.

     Habanero Mexican Grill proved to be a wonderful choice to enjoy with my beers. They reinforced the wonderful harmony of fresh cooked foods and fresh made craft beers. If you happen to catch them out, give Habanero Mexican Grill a shot and see if you agree.