Food Cart Derby -- Richmond, VA

So, Sunday, May 20, 2012 was Richmond, Virginia's first Food Cart/Truck Derby at the 17th Street Farmer's Market in Shockoe Bottom. I got there about 3:30 p.m. A lot of things had already shut down. Boka Truck had a line probably 30 deep and seemed to be doing well. The beer was definitely plentiful. I had no problem getting a beer ticket (or two) and then proceeding to the beer lines. Some of the beer vendors had shut down, as well, although this event was supposed to go until 6 p.m.! Richmond needs some more food trucks. Are you ready to run one? We need you! Here are some pictures from my time there. Hopefully we will have more food there next year. There were more non-food vendors at 3 p.m. than food vendors. It would have been better in another location and with a horseshoe formation.

My Autumn Rose!

Pasture -- Restaurant Review

So, as I say on my Review Page, I will only comment on my most stellar dining experiences, this one I have struggled with what to do. Therefore, I am going to keep this short and sweet. The food is why I am sitting here, typing right now. The food was outstanding. That is all I can comment on at this time. My service was not up-to-par, at all. Jason Alley, Chef of Comfort and Pasture, is extremely talented. I found that to be true when I visited February 11, 2012. Wonder if his talent in the kitchen could have been translated to the service at my table that night. ;)

Enough on that. He asked me to email him my story. I did. I have yet to hear anything back. So, that brings me to being accessible to the public. Pasture's website is not up-and-running yet. They do not update Facebook or Twitter very often, either. So how does the public relate here? I am not sure why they are not updating these "free" social networking outlets when their pay-to-use website is not available. I was asked to email my story. I did. I have not heard as much as a "Thank you for your feedback." Odd to me, but the food holds its own.

That night we ordered quite a few of the "small plates." Now, do not think you are going to get a full-sized entree here. It is a Southern small plates concept. I think it works well. I love small plates/tapas. I have raved about that concept before. The menu is separated into three parts; Snacks, Cold and Hot sections. Here's what we indulged in...

Deviled eggs with truffle and salmon roe. Damn! I could never make an egg like that. Absolutely sexy. Can an egg be sexy? Sure it can. Okay, I can start dinner off like this! We then enjoyed barcat oysters, fried so tenderly and cooked just enough. They were served with a celery root slaw. Take a bite of both, and you know this is gonna be good! Next was the braised beef brisket (hello! Gotta do it. Always.) with grits and diced turnips. The brisket was delicately tender and flavorful. Do not confuse this with the regular Texas brisket. It has a different vision, but that vision was spot-on. Upon reading up on Pasture and getting a couple of suggestions, the brussel sprouts kept coming up. So, we ordered them. Eh, they were good. Not as I expected with all the reviews. I felt they could definitely be done in a home kitchen. The crunch of the pecans was perfect with them, though. So, yes, we did the pork belly, too. Yum. The black vinegar was amazing with it. A perfect balance with the apple turnip puree. I finished with the steak tartare with jalapeno, chili ketchup and a beautiful quail egg yolk on top. Stunning. I loved the green onion and the slight spice that it was mixed with. My husband wasn't a fan, but it may have been too sophisticated for him.

Cocktails were average, and I tried a few. But the "Pulaksi" whiskey shot with a pickle juice chaser was totally distinctive! Place was crowded and loud, but it's a new, hip restaurant on a Saturday night. Duh. No pictures. Just commenting on the food. That's it. It was damn good food for me to write this. Going to have to go again and maybe I will update this. For now, don't send your mama.

C'est Le Vin -- Restaurant Review

C'est Le Vin, simply translated to "it is the wine" or "this is the wine," located in the historic Shockoe Bottom of Richmond, Virginia, is preparing for a few changes, folks. I got the opportunity to preview those changes on Friday, February 10, 2012 at their Valentine's Day prequel. They are changing over to a more tapas-based menu with the help of their consulting chef, Jannequin Bennett. I really, really enjoyed my time at C'est Le Vin, not only for the food, but for its cute little boutique-style wine shop/art gallery/restaurant. I like the fact that they are set up for whatever mood you may be wearing that day. If you want to sit at a table and consult with a business partner and need a table to spread your paperwork out, you can do that. If you want to plop your butt down on a couch with your two best girlfriends to discuss an upcoming wedding or maybe even a divorce (?), you can do that, too! If you want to pull up a bar-stool-type-seat and meet that woman who you have been exchanging emails with for a month through match.com, you can. If you want a window seat because you and your wife are celebrating that twenty-year anniversary, it is there! It's great! The staff was wonderful, as well. They were very attentive. They seemed comfortable. When a staff seems comfortable, it usually means they are. That only means it is probably a great place to work, especially when you are in the restaurant business. Think about it. When you have come across a high-stressed waitstaff, it affects your mood at your meal, as well. When the staff is comfortable and happy, you are comfortable and happy. I was definitely comfortable...and happy!

Window Seat -- See the Farmer's Market?

Window Seat

So, we had four different wine tasting stations. I like stations. It makes it easier to go at your own pace, whether that is fast or slow. They chose some really good wines to go with the food that night. I was impressed. I was impressed with the wine bottle prices, as well. Very reasonable! I was also really dazzled with the food, my friends. Everything was spot-on. They have not officially changed their menu on their website yet, but I can tell you what I sampled!

First, I apologize for not taking pictures of the food. I wasn't there to stop the server to snap with my blackberry. Check out www.richmond.com's slideshow for food pics HERE. Each wine tasting station had their olives with lemon & orange and their spiced almonds available. These would be considered their "snacks" part of the menu. As for their soup sampling, we enjoyed the beet gazpacho with a goat cheese mousse and celery. This was served chilled. I am not a fan of beets, but I was a fan of this! The color was an absolute vibrant magenta. Gorgeous. Their Bacalao salad is salt cod with peppers, tomatoes, olives and parsley. This salt cod was divine. I had some salt cod about two weeks prior at another, unmentioned restaurant and it was some of the worst restaurant food I had ever had, so I was skeptical when I heard this was going to be served. This was tender and had just enough saltiness to know it was salt cod, but was not so overpowering that you puckered. Perfect! We also sampled poquillo peppers with herbs and pinenuts. This was served on a small crostini, but I am not sure if this is how it is exactly served for the full menu tapa. It was just a small amount of sweet heat. When they started preparing the shrimp with garlic sauce, the aromas that came out of that kitchen were like o.m.g. Anyone who consumes food, loves the smell of garlic cooking away and I just could not wait! The shrimp was tender and the garlic butter sauce that was served on top was just right. Just enough garlic and just enough richness from the butter to make you look around for more. We also sampled a pork belly that was served over a white bean puree. I kept overhearing people think it was mashed potatoes, so the seasoning was comforting!

For dessert, a goat cheese cheesecake! Ummm, my adoration for goat cheese is beyond belief. Add that to a cheesecake and I am in orgasmic heaven!! They also served a tres leche cake sample.

Everything was great, y'all. I can't think of a better way to gab over a bottle of wine. And you know there are just certain foods and certain places that SCREAM a bottle of wine. C'est Le Vin is this place. Tapas are perfect for a bottle of wine. So is Shockoe. What a conversational piece in itself.

Check them out. They also do "Wine Down Fridays" on the 1st and 3rd Fridays. 8-10 pm. Very excited to visit again!