It's Kitchen Thyme!

So, I had the great tour of Kitchen Thyme on February 14, 2012. This wonderful culinary concept came to fruition on February 10th this year. I had to get in there to see for myself. Sometimes "dream kitchens" are just that -- a dream. We work in restaurants all our life and see all the equipment, but rarely do we get to see this type of stuff for personal use. Yes, that's right! I said, "personal use!" Kitchen Thyme is available for rent by the hour (minimum of four hours). Melissa Krumbein has innovated the idea of a Dream Kitchen and a Commercial Kitchen, all under one roof. Food trucks now have the kitchen required by law at their fingertips. Caterers can now mass-produce their creations in several ovens, at one time. As a home cook, you can now cook everything at once for the Thanksgiving meal, instead of waiting for your one oven to turnover!

So, their website's photos are not Kitchen Thyme. I took a few that day and want to share them with you!

First, the Dream Kitchen...

Looking In, at the Dream Kitchen at Kitchen Thyme!

Main Cooking Area.

Back Sink and Counters. Look-In Refrigerator and Freezer

Two Ovens and Warming Drawer

Beverage Cooler and Wine Cooler

Three Restrooms. Two Are Handicap Accessible

Six Burner Stove w/ Griddle and Grill. Another Two Ovens Below Stove

Camera, Above Stove. Streams Video to Flat Screen TV, Which Is Mounted On Wall Behind Stove

Steamer/Rice Cooker. Can Also Be Used as a Large Crock Pot/Soup Warmer

Another View of Six Burner Stove/Ovens/Griddle/Grill

Digital!

Flame

View From Dream Kitchen Counters. Nice Large Area for Seating or Gathering Area

And the commercial kitchen...

Wow!!! Now, That Is a Whisk!

Dishwashing Area

Dry Storage Area -- For Rent

I didn't get very many of the commercial kitchen. Sorry. I know Melissa will set you up for a tour, though, so please give her a call. All her contact info is on her website, Kitchen Thyme. I cannot wait to see what is produced in this establishment. Such a cool idea and is great for any level of skill. Don't be intimidated! If you need a spot to host a great cocktail party, you should do it! If you want to plan any kind of an event here, you can! The possibilities are endless. Get creative and call her! Thought you could never cater because you didn't have the space? Not anymore!!!

The Roosevelt -- Restaurant Review

The Roosevelt, located at 623 N. 25th Street in Richmond, VA, and nestled in one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, is definitely a new Richmond restaurant you should check out, people. Now, we went for Sunday Brunch, and good gravy! This Southern Charm is sure to impress. Go whole hog, y'all!

The Roosevelt is co-owned by Kendra Feather and Chef, Lee Gregory (no relation to me). When you walk in, you immediately feel like you have walked into a southern, quaint room. Yes, I said room. You can definitely throw a rock in this place. I think there are about 12-14 tables in this plantation-like establishment. My husband loved the old-time photography that adorns the walls. He instantly became very ecstatic about giving me a "Virginia history lesson" as we sat there that Sunday afternoon. I, being from Texas and quite frankly never being interested in history, actually did listen. With full ears, too. For me, the black chandelier, over the bar area, kept catching my eye as it solidified the whole ambiance of this fabulous restaurant. The walls are lined with wooden booths with throw pillows for table seating. The other side of the tables have simple wooden chairs. There is also seating nestled in the middle of the wall-lined tables. The bar probably had about 10 seats, as well.

So, we ordered our drinks. Me, a Bacon Vodka Bloody Mary and my husband, coffee. Yes, that is right. B-A-C-O-N Vodka. House-made Bacon Vodka, at that! Now, I am NO fan of bloody marys that make you feel as if you are sipping soup through a straw. This cocktail was perfect! It was blameless, actually. So blameless that my husband pushed the coffee aside to order one himself.

So, we looked over the menu and I ordered the fried chicken thigh (I am a thigh girl in more ways than one) with cast iron potatoes, a slow cooked egg and sausage gravy. I also had to order the side of cornbread with the vanilla butter. Of course! Misplaced Texan is the name here! ;) My husband ordered the fried oyster omelet with a bacon hollandaise.

As we waited for our food, that is where the history lesson was professed and after the quick teaching from my husband, I began to people watch. The couple next to us were talking about how they were getting married and moving in with each other in May. I think. It was odd. They mostly talked about the fact they both knew they needed a washer and dryer. And this was where I shook my head. You ready for it? She spoke of her laundry skills, or something of the sort, and then he actually proceeded to say, "Yeah, it'll be nice to have you around." Oh my. That was all I could eavesdrop in on that one! I was there for the food, not to hear some man say some crap like that to some young girl. Ha!

Additionally, one of the tables that lined the middle of the room was a four-top, and it was sat with 2 young couples. I swear one of the young men at that table was having a 20 minute food-gasm over the bacon. Wow! He was in total ecstasy. Eyes closed, head leaned back and all. Damn, Chef Gregory! I hadn't even indulged in any of the food yet, and I was seeing eyes roll in the back of some blonde, yuppie dude's head in the middle of your restaurant as he professed his love for your bacon...to another dude. OK, maybe we should just go back to the history lesson? But in all reality, that is Richmond. There are all walks of life, and whether it is washers & dryers or bacon...to each his own.

Now, back to the food. Unfortunately, my husband had to change his order because they ran out of oysters that day. That kind of broke my heart, too. I was excited to steal one off his plate and then still be able to eat my fried chicken thigh on my own plate! Best of both my favorite worlds! Reluctantly, my husband changed his order to the Brunch special for that day; potato, mushroom, sausage hash with two slow cooked eggs and topped with a salsa verde. Soon after, our food arrived and yes, I had to stare for a bit. Stunning! My egg was staring at me with pure allurement. I couldn't wait.

We dined and damn, that was some scrumptious stuff, I tell ya! As my Oklahoman Grandpa would say, "That's some good grazin'!" My fried chicken thigh was like "O.M.G." Moist and the crispiness and lightness of the fried crust was phenomenal! The potatoes were seasoned well and I was happy for that. The gravy was a little more runny for this Texan (wasn't made for a fork by any means at all), so in the back of my mind, I knew I had that cornbread to try and sop up what was left at the end.

My husband's dish was wonderful. He did feel like it was a little skimpy for him, being all manly and such, and it was different in size than mine, but he enjoyed every last bite.

Now, for the cornbread. Sorry. It was dry. Maybe if it was warmed up it would have been a little more moist, but I couldn't even sop up the gravy due to the dryness/crumbling. The vanilla butter tasted like frosting. It was an interesting combination. I might have enjoyed it a little more had it not been so dry, but I just might be a picky Texan.

Since my husband was left with a hankerin' for a tad bit more, we ordered the coffee cake at the end of our meal. Wonderful! No dryness there. Super moist and a perfect wrap up to an almost flawless experience. I was only going to have a bite, but a bite turned into just a few more. 

I encourage you to go! For real. If it is for dinner, you better make reservations. They take them by phone only (804.658.1935), and it's best to do so after 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and cannot wait to head there for dinner soon! Love me some southern food! I felt the food was greatly priced and they even had humor while ringing it up... Thank you, Kendra and Lee for a remarkable Richmond restaurant. I know 2012 will be great for you!

Lady N'awlins Cajun Cafe -- Restaurant Review

So, I love southern food. I love Texan food...and I love all the Louisiana food that always found its way across the border when I grew up in Texas. When I heard there was a Louisiana-style restaurant in Richmond, Virginia, I made it my mission to make it there as soon as I became able to move around better. On our first "date" out again, after our accident, you bet this is where I chose. Lady N'awlins, located at 2329 West Main Street, claims to have the best cajun food 1,004 miles north of the French Quarter. They have an adequate menu with the classic cajun fare, as well as daily specials. They are on Facebook and you can find them HERE. Their menu is also listed on their Facebook page and that is HERE. We visited Lady N'awlins on Saturday, November 12, 2011. Yes, I am a little slow at getting this up, but I asked everyone to bear with me as I deal with my injury right now.  So, I do apologize. We were seated promptly and immediately I noticed the official Crystal hot sauce on the table. Woo hoo! Lookin' good. Atmosphere was quaint, as one would expect in the Fan District. Music was definitely present. I expected to walk in to a place filled with jazz, but they had a mix of music playing. The back room looked a little better suited for the dinner crowd, but we sat in a booth, across from the bar. For our early dinner, that was just fine with us. Our service was decent. Nothing overly ardent, but we were a couple, eating dinner, enjoying a beer and some wine. I wouldn't expect her to be. 

Ok, to the good stuff. We decided on the Oysters Rockefeller for an appetizer.

The oysters really came out cooked perfectly. I do not appreciate shriveled up oysters at all, but these were still plump and burst in your mouth. For those of you who know me, oysters are my favorite food of all time. So, yes, I can be picky. I'll get to my one "pick" in a moment... Ok, I am pretty sure these had cream cheese on them, which added a nice texture and creaminess to the dish. The bacon was crunchy, but not overcooked. They really were good and easy to slurp on down. Ok, here's my pickiness...they spritzed the oysters with lemon juice before going out or maybe they were cooked in lemon juice. Either way, not a fan of the kitchen adding lemon juice to my oysters. In my personal opinion, lemon and bacon don't go well together. Oysters and bacon? Yes! Oysters and lemon? Absolutely! Oysters, cream cheese, bacon and lemon? Nope. Not for me. I tried to "drain" the excess liquid off of them, but the lemon was still pretty dominant. Overall, great, tasty dish. Wish they would have left the lemon up to the guests, but hey...I can't complain too much when the oysters really were spot on!

Ok, so my husband ordered the fried oysters entree. You can see that below. His sides were the house salad and the jalapeno hush puppies.

He really enjoyed everything. His salad was fresh and crisp. Now, I adore cocktail sauce, but a lot of restaurants just don't get it when it comes to preparing cocktail sauce. This was nicely done. Horseradish (and enough of it) is key, and they didn't disappoint! 

Ok, People, these hushpuppies are AMAZING! Loved them! I ordered them, as well, with my meal and when slathered in their side of butter, oh yeah, baby! I could have devoured a plate of them alone! Creditably done, my friends!!! Now, for his oysters...like I said, he really enjoyed them. I tasted one and I could really taste something of the sort of...well water maybe? I am not sure if they soak them in water and I am just not used to the water down there or what it was. But it definitely had a non-fresh-water taste to them. For these, no, i don't think I could have eaten a full plate of them. They didn't taste like the sea or salty. They tasted like city water to me.

Lastly, I ordered the duck breast with a side of those killer hushpuppies and red beans and rice. 

Y'all already know how I adore the hushpuppies and I will say I adored the red beans and rice just as much. It was a great ratio of rice to beans. It had a slight spiciness and the beans were tender! Great stuff here, I tell ya! When I ordered the duck, the server asked, "Is medium-rare okay?" I affirmed, "Absolutely," but as you can see from the picture, it was not medium rare. Duck really should be served medium rare, but this duck was really delish, despite the slight overdone temperature and was seasoned well. The aioli was creamy, smooth and complimented the duck adequately. 

A definite recommend from me. I will definitely go back. They have Po Boys and gator bites that I want to give a whirl, too. Also, Sunday nights? 50 cent/shell Raw Oyster Night! Raw oysters are my favorite preparation for oysters and definitely am going to try them next time I go (My husband doesn't enjoy the raw variety of oysters, so I opted out of ordering them this time). $5 bowls of Gumbo on Tuesdays until 11 p.m. and $5 Po Boys (shrimp, oyster, crawfish tail, gator, cajun roast beef, smoked sausage or catfish!) on Mondays!!! I make a pretty good gumbo (check out my recipe HERE), but I am always wanting to try others' just to "see." ;) 

So, geaux check 'em out, y'all! Good stuff, I say. Good stuff, here, in the RIC!