anyone tried this? http://www.bakonvodka.com/
made in oregon, this stuff looks errr.. fun. i would love to know if anyone has tried it and their thoughts. ????
sadly, i have been resigned to ordering it off the internets or waiting till i make it to the northwest.
i liked lemaire before it remodeled. while seemingly pretentious, i never had a problem with the food. the dressing-up, the collared shirt bs, and the reek of old money just made it so we went other places. the suggestion of “the jefferson hotel” was not one that ever came up when deciding where to go for dinner. this past weekend, it did.
and, wow. WOW.
the bar (as i have said) is utterly beautiful. the place seems warmer, somehow. the food is stellar. most expensive thing on the lemaire menu is 30.00. (i want to write that statement again. it is so damn surprising.)
we called just to make sure that our jeans would not preclude us from saddling up to this rock masterpiece and having a drink. the female on the phone used the word casual for the dress at lemaire. (she said “casual, like jeans” actually.) so in our jeans and flops, we rolled in.
i ordered an nice “quartino” of gruner vetliner. 6plus had a quartino of syrah. a “quartino” is a quarter of a liter of wine, hence the name. said to be originally conceived by joe bastianich (owner and wine director of babbo ny), it is an excellent way to allow for more wine choices by the glass, less wine spoilage, and drive down wine prices. our quartinos were 10.00/each.
as for food, we started with pimento cheese and billy bread. absolutely stunning and i am talking about pimento cheese. served with olives and garlic, it was a real delight. the olives and garlic should have been left off as they were not in quality or taste up to par with the rest of the offerings we tried. the cheese itself however was sharp and spicy.
our next dish was a small plate soft shell crab. i always have thought the dale reitzer really knows his soft shells (and he does) but last night the hampden-sydney and st. chris graduate blew my mind with his ssc styling, truly off the chain. fried delicately with no breading, the crab was all taste. while our entire meal was superb, this dish was definitely the highlight. (and we had foie gras.)
the foie was nummy. served deconstructed on toast with peaches, it was seared sensationally with a light crust on the outside. just barely ripe peaches paired with lavender cream cut through the saltiness to bring a nice sweet and sour aspect to the small plate.
lastly, we had wild mushroom risotto, dave and dee’s wild mushroom risotto actually. if you haven’t heard of these two mushroom growin’ kids, check out their website, real cool insight on some fungi. bundy’s risotto is less creamy than i expected it to be. packed with flavor (i am thinking that mushroom broth added most of the flava), it was served with tiny pieces of aspragus. extremely comforting and much lighter than i anticipated.
a couple to things to note about the new lemaire: it has a new farm to table philosophy. surry county sausage, loch duart sustainably raised salmon and organic and free range bison all on the menu to show this new directive. it is perfect for happy hour. the wine list is spectacular and if this quartino rage catches on it could be a fantastic stop-in for that wine you have been dying to try but is out of your price range. it is not just small plates.
i have nothing else to say other than go!, go now and go often.
*just learned i was there letweet night. ha! all ya’ll could have had a bite of my tasty arse dinner.
i have a tough time with 1 north belmont. dinner six months ago was stuffy and quiet. one night (unless you are a member of a well-known richmond family or well-known publication and really like to flaunt it), the waitstaff could give a flying you-know-what as to whether you stay and eat (or not). the next dinner night- far less busy, we all got the service equivalent of a hug?
taking our chance with the service roulette, we went for dessert one random evening. almost hitting 9:30 pm, we called 1 north to make sure we would be ‘aight to come in and order a quick sweet bite. while the individual on the phone cautioned that we would have to eat at the bar, that the restaurant wraps up at 10 pm and that ONLY dessert would be served to us, she did so cheerfully and ended the conversation with a “looking forward to seeing you/drive safely.”
we booked over there as fast as the traffic laws would let us raced to the bar threw back chairs ordered coffee both souffles and then took a deep breath.
if you have never experienced the coffee service at one north, it really is a good reason to go and check out the scenery there. a bit pricier than your average cup of joe, the additions that it comes with are spectacular: three different types of sugar, heavy fresh whipped cream, dark chocolate chunks, etc. posh and decadent, it is a great way to end an evening. (make sure you whisper to your date, however . the place is not the easiest to have an after dinner conversation or any conversation, really. we learned that the third twilight book was NOT a favorite and about an affair- as did everyone else in the intimate, drop-a-pin quiet setting.)
listening, we waited the 20 minutes that a souffle typically takes and out came the most delightful concoctions in richmond dessert: grand marnier and chocolate.
richmond really does not cherish after dinner sweetness. so many restaurants in the ric lack a good ending to any meal. at 1 north, the dessert souffles are brilliant. fluffy and dome-shaped, the grand marnier kept the taste of the liquor but didnt overwhelm. the chocolate was rich and sinful. i couldn’t get enough. while we knew that two souffles would be too much.. we still mowed through them as though we didn’t eat dinner before.
if you find yourself searching for a sweet finale – i’ll offer up 1 north for a good wrap up.
a few notable items: the place is eexxppenseeve so if you are watching your coin, it might not be the place for you. the place is quiet. you and your eight buddies rockin’ it over from a heavy happy hour are going to make a huge scene. AND i hear a peanut butter souffle is forthcoming.
a bunch of weeks ago, we posted this. we wanted to perform a little follow-up to see if this local organic deliv. was really delivering the goods.
there has been some real mixed reviews.
a few pointers that may help with this most lovely of ideas:
a.) it has been brought to our attention- while lover-ing the fact that recipes are included to help serve up the veggie madness, they rarely coincide with what is in the box. perhaps this can be changed?
b.) another concern: what is in the box? for example: a bitter tasting lettuce (quite yum) was a delivery two weeks ago. WHAT was it? if someone were to try and purchase some of these items, they would be completely at a loss as to where or what they are. maybe an addition of a content list?
c.) is there anyway to tell my delivery person to try and not put my box in direct sunlight? all leafies were wilted and radishes shriveled beyond true fixable status. would this be feasible?
d.) so happy to have found these peeps, really want to thank them for bringing some super healthy into our lives with little to no stress.
these are questions that have been brought to our attention here. wonder if dominion harvest might be able to help rectify some of them.*
*we know that delivery of fresh produce is tough and all manner of things can go wrong.
i- for one- am looking forward to July 8th when we will get the opportunity to be a part of this “black-granite-masterpiece”. brandon reynolds has a nice post about it.
i want to know your thoughts on how this beauty will be received? will it be the new chic goes freak after 10pm? will it stay current with the food trends but not the clientele? is it posh/hipster/trendy to sling/swing drinks at a hotel? is there a “bar/restaurant” in the ric that has a bar scene/food scene worth being a part of? (please do not say that horrid place stuck to the holiday inn on the southside.) thoughts?
fyi, the bar is spectacular.
for a very soon trip up to the district, i have been doing some research on the food selectiones to partake in during many, many free dinner times.
knowing little about ALL of the lovely places to dine, i am hoping to get some “i know more” from yous’ guys. if you have been somewhere that knocked your socks off, i wanna know.
*in my reading, i have come across some super cute bloggy ladies. worth a peruse: metrocurean and counter intelligence. drop by and get sucked in as i did.
i feel like we have been everywhere in the last couple of weeks. my schedule with work, traveling and other social er, stuff just won’t quit – i have bags under my eyes and have consumed my fair share of fried.
in the midst of all this movin’ and shakin’, there have been some very, VERY nice highlights of the food persuasion. a recent jaunt to annapolis produced one of them.
settled in at the back of the bay is a waterfront ol’ school restauranty. a little research tells me this restaurant has been around for a while and sadly the place looks it. far away from dilapidated but nowhere close to renovated, this throw-back sports shabby carpeting and old chairs- sitting inside feels “easter brunch after church” BUT sitting outside feels like “vacation”. (and that is cake, imo.)
we snapped up the last umbrella table over-looking the boat-filled bay and opened the menu. this online menu is nowhere near (save the scallops) close to the menu handed to us. so if you are looking to take a gander before you travel, i would suggest a ring to their blower for a fax copy.
a round of cocktails (and coffee -for the hungover member of our posse.) later, we laid out our game plan for food. four appetizers and two entrees were spouted off to the accommodating waitress and she sped off to check on other patrons.
again, i must pay homage to the scenery from the landing where we were sitting. boats gliding by large and small, waterfowl and other marine life all with the added bonus of water breeze made the very short wait for our appetizers seem even shorter.
appetizers in no particular order: tuna tartar served over sushi rice with wasabi and ginger – stacked circle-y, the dish was beautifully presented and tasted just as extraordinary. simple tuna, rice and seaweed made for clean and light bites. prosciutt-wrapped asparagus with blue cheese mousse: i love married pork and vegetables and this satisfied that love. the blue cheese mousse being the stand-out in this dish with a creamy buttery texture that worked surprising well with the pungent balsamic. if they had only given us more than three asparagus spears…. fried calamari: average and elevated none by the jar marinara that it was served as its dipping sauce. sea scallops: hands down, my favorite appetizer. served rolled in julienne phyllo, two ginormous scallops fried expertly were melt in the mouth delicious. the incredibly generous addition of lump crab and proscuitt -balancing flavors made this whole dish go from “this is sick!” to “my goodness, you can’t be serious.” excellent. i would repeat my visit for this alone.
entrees arrived with excellent timing as our all-but-one empty appetizer plates were taken away. a jumbo (JUMBO!) lumb crab cake was notable and had it been served with any great additions than it could been a contenda’. it was 98% crab and seared pretty darn well. scallops tequila was a highlight and brought out more of those large sweet scallops. brown- edged skillfully for the exorbitantly large size, they were only made better when chowed down with the salty, spicy griddle cornbread and the wilted peppers. however for 25.00, i would have like more than three.
normally, i would lament here about pricey bs and wax poetic about side dishes being as important as main dishes. with the sun shining and the boats passing, i just can’t bring myself to do such. if you are in the nautical mood or fancy a tennis ball-sized scallop, this is worth checking out.
last year i had a real tough time with this festival. when i got there, most of the lovely chefs/restaurants had run out of food.
this year, we volunteered. WE SERVED BEER. (so fun.)
our breakdown:
1.) THANK you, veron and cute hubs. if you hadn’t brought us the delish macarons, we would have missed out. peeps: if you have not tried these delightful treats – post haste it over to here and order online.
2.) risotto is not an under-a-heat-lamp type of dish. sensi was serving up some delish butter poached lobster over a lemon risotto. while all the flavors were there, the risotto just didn’t quite make it during the transition. (for three dollars, i would eat it again.)
3.) if you were drinking beer, hope you tried the new sam adams’ harvest. made with wet hops (as opposed to dry) and three different types of hops from new zealand, this is a mouthful of taste in a beer. it really stood out among the tasty beverages that were being served at our truck.
4.) other highlights in no particular order: harry kollatz- looking loverly in his seersucker suit, bourbon bread pudding- oh so delish and a stand-out shrimp and grits from the yellow umbrella (which you can purchase to-go from the store).
if you were there and found something lip-smackin’- i would love to hear about it – drop me a line.
while the food at kona can be considered well, meh. the happy hour prices are very attractive. with three and four dollar onion strings, sushi rolls and sliders and discounted wine/beer specials, it makes it hard during these beautiful nights NOT to stop by the patio location for drinks.
it seems that i have found a reason to locate another hot spot for imbibing. if the patio and lounge at kona can not accommodate any more individuals, you are relegated to the dining room. attractive and low lit, this (in itself) is not a terrible thing. however as a diner there, you can not take advantage of the happy hour prices.
the manager, when asked about this, merely stated either we come earlier or we resign ourselves to the fact that we can pay 6.00+ more for items that two feet away are being eaten for 5.00 or less.
just an fyi for those that may want to rock a cocktail at the chain in the near future. either leave work early or pay double. (those that have the option to not work until five/six, go and enjoy.)
