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.

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.