Date
7/15/09
Location
The Boar's Head Inn, just out Ivy Road
200 Ednam Drive
What I ate
Two potato porcini lasagna
Smothered steak stuffed with mustard greens and corn pone
Lemongrass creme brulee
Who came
Anne, Matt, Rebec, Constance
Website
http://www.boarsheadinn.com/Dining/The-Old-Mill-Room.asp
Thoughts
Now I know why it's so expensive. This was a great meal from start to finish. First off, the place is just outside of town but feels like it's much further out. Unfortunately, there was a decent amount of construction, which kinda broke that mood, but the ambiance came right back as we stepped inside. The name is pretty spot on as there are touches of an old mill but it's clearly a swanky joint. Our waiter was really courteous and upbeat. Enough about that whatnot, time for the important stuff.
The food was great. The lasagna was both light and filling, not to mention delicious. The potatoes were balanced really well against the cheese and pasta, and the mushrooms and sauce were a nice accent. If I had the recipe, I could see myself making a full tray of that and using it as a main dish and not just an appetizer. Both of the other appetizers drew lots of praise, too.
Due to how it was cooked, the steak only came at one temperature. Unfortunately, that means it was just a little bit past the way I liked it; it was a bit drier than I would've hoped. That said, it was still really tasty. The description is a little misleading - they gave us a thin steak with a layer of corn pone (a new foodstuff for me) and some mustard greens on top, rolled the whole thing up, and cooked it like that. It was all topped with a tasty onion gravy and some sauteed onions. The steak wasn't great by itself, but it was delicious if you included every piece of the dish. That is, every piece except the overly starchy black-eyed peas. That was my only real complaint about the dish.
I like creme brulee and, after having a delicious herb-infused version at another restaurant a few months ago, I have been seeking out other variants. You can understand why I was excited about the lemongrass offering. The dish was very good, but I was a little disappointed; the lemongrass was present for the first two or three bites, but that faded shortly thereafter. Also, this creme brulee lacked the traditional hard crust, giving us a relatively disappointed Rebec. The little ginger basket was a nice touch and the mango was nice and refreshing. All told, it was a delicious dessert, but I would've liked a bit more uniqueness.
Recap
Pros - delicious food, great service, a nice, comfortable ambiance
Cons - the steak was a little dry by itself and the peas were really starchy, the lemongrass didn't really come through in the creme brulee after the first few bites
Overall - I'll probably never go here unless something like Restaurant Week happens again, but I was very happy with this dinner. The food was great, the place was really nice, the service was really quite good; I can see why it's usually so expensive. If you can find a deal or just afford the hit, I highly suggest going here.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
La Michoacana and Las Palmas bakery
Date
7/9/09
Location
La Michoacana - Near Martha Jefferson Hospital; 1138 East High Street
Las Palmas - Around the back of Beer Run's building; 156 Carlton Road
What I ate
Chicken taco, chicken burrito
A variety of pastries
Who came
Matt, Xander, Shannon
ThoughtsFirst off, hat top to Kat for telling me about this place. What delicious, authentic food. Well, I'm assuming it's authentic since I'm a Jewish guy from the suburbs of New Jersey, but it sure felt authentic. Make sure to get a look at the actual menu because there's something written on a board in plain sight, but that's just a basic overview of what they serve; the menu has descriptions. Once you do find the menu, good luck figuring out what to get. They offer a bunch of variations on the same theme, but have some Mexican specialties. The tortilla for my taco was absolutely delicious and the taco and burrito fillings were also really tasty. The four of us crammed into a small table near the back, but it would be really difficult to bring any bigger of a group; it seems like they do a lot of take-out business. They also have a small grocery-type section that I'll have to visit when I want to try to make my own Mexican food.
Shannon told us about this great Mexican bakery that would provide a nice coda to our meal, and it's not as if we had anything else to do, so we headed that way. Xander couldn't stop talking about it reminded him of his childhood, so I'll assume it's pretty authentic, too. They have a wide variety of pastries and everything we had was both tasty and cheap. We took everything to the grassy area outside and had a good time just hanging around, eating our desserts.
Recap
Pros - Delicious food, great prices
Cons - Small spaces
Overall - Go. I mean, like, right now. The food is great, the prices are great - I'm not sure what other convincing you need. Yes, these comments apply to both places.
7/9/09
Location
La Michoacana - Near Martha Jefferson Hospital; 1138 East High Street
Las Palmas - Around the back of Beer Run's building; 156 Carlton Road
What I ate
Chicken taco, chicken burrito
A variety of pastries
Who came
Matt, Xander, Shannon
ThoughtsFirst off, hat top to Kat for telling me about this place. What delicious, authentic food. Well, I'm assuming it's authentic since I'm a Jewish guy from the suburbs of New Jersey, but it sure felt authentic. Make sure to get a look at the actual menu because there's something written on a board in plain sight, but that's just a basic overview of what they serve; the menu has descriptions. Once you do find the menu, good luck figuring out what to get. They offer a bunch of variations on the same theme, but have some Mexican specialties. The tortilla for my taco was absolutely delicious and the taco and burrito fillings were also really tasty. The four of us crammed into a small table near the back, but it would be really difficult to bring any bigger of a group; it seems like they do a lot of take-out business. They also have a small grocery-type section that I'll have to visit when I want to try to make my own Mexican food.
Shannon told us about this great Mexican bakery that would provide a nice coda to our meal, and it's not as if we had anything else to do, so we headed that way. Xander couldn't stop talking about it reminded him of his childhood, so I'll assume it's pretty authentic, too. They have a wide variety of pastries and everything we had was both tasty and cheap. We took everything to the grassy area outside and had a good time just hanging around, eating our desserts.
Recap
Pros - Delicious food, great prices
Cons - Small spaces
Overall - Go. I mean, like, right now. The food is great, the prices are great - I'm not sure what other convincing you need. Yes, these comments apply to both places.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Eppie's
NOTE: After I finished writing this review, I sent a link to it by way of the "Contact us" section of their website. I woke up to find a personal reply from Dan, the owner, written a mere 6 hours later. His comments show that he read the whole post. Between this and what I've read about him, I think we can safely call him a Good Guy(tm).
Date
6/25/09
Location
On the East end of the Downtown Mall
412 E. Main Street
What I ate
Turkey meatloaf, black beans, mashed potatoes, cornbread
Who came
Nora, Tiff, Matt, Jeremy
Website
http://eppiesrestaurant.com/
Thoughts
I've walked by this place a bunch of times and never before taken a good look inside, let alone eaten there. After hearing a bunch of good things and reading some reviews, I figured now was as good a time as any to pay a visit. They have salads, sandwiches, and pasta dishes along with some vegetable options and a daily special. It's a relatively limited menu with 3-4 options in each section, but the variety of side dishes and the rotating specials you shouldn't get bored with your choices. The food comes out relatively quickly and they like local ingredients; they use bread from Albemarle Baking Company and pasta from Mona Lisa Pasta.
My meatloaf needed some more seasoning, but that's really my only complaint about the meal. They gave me a tasty sauce in which to dip the meatloaf, but I was really expecting more flavor; you can see pieces of peppers and onions cooked right into the loaf. The mashed potatoes were great and it's tough to screw up black beans. The slice of cornbread was pretty substantial and delicious. It definitely didn't cost that much, especially considering that most places charge a bit of a premium for their use of local ingredients. The portion was generous and filling.
Recap
Pros - Tasty food, good prices, good portions
Cons - Meatloaf needed a little more seasoning
Overall - You should definitely visit this place because the food is tasty, the prices and portions are good, and they use local ingredients. I'm going to go back and I'll have to sample their pastas.
Date
6/25/09
Location
On the East end of the Downtown Mall
412 E. Main Street
What I ate
Turkey meatloaf, black beans, mashed potatoes, cornbread
Who came
Nora, Tiff, Matt, Jeremy
Website
http://eppiesrestaurant.com/
Thoughts
I've walked by this place a bunch of times and never before taken a good look inside, let alone eaten there. After hearing a bunch of good things and reading some reviews, I figured now was as good a time as any to pay a visit. They have salads, sandwiches, and pasta dishes along with some vegetable options and a daily special. It's a relatively limited menu with 3-4 options in each section, but the variety of side dishes and the rotating specials you shouldn't get bored with your choices. The food comes out relatively quickly and they like local ingredients; they use bread from Albemarle Baking Company and pasta from Mona Lisa Pasta.
My meatloaf needed some more seasoning, but that's really my only complaint about the meal. They gave me a tasty sauce in which to dip the meatloaf, but I was really expecting more flavor; you can see pieces of peppers and onions cooked right into the loaf. The mashed potatoes were great and it's tough to screw up black beans. The slice of cornbread was pretty substantial and delicious. It definitely didn't cost that much, especially considering that most places charge a bit of a premium for their use of local ingredients. The portion was generous and filling.
Recap
Pros - Tasty food, good prices, good portions
Cons - Meatloaf needed a little more seasoning
Overall - You should definitely visit this place because the food is tasty, the prices and portions are good, and they use local ingredients. I'm going to go back and I'll have to sample their pastas.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Sticks
Date
6/10/09
Location
In the Preston Square shopping center
917 Preston Avenue
What I ate
Chicken kebob, sesame green beans
Who came
Nora, Andrenne, Matt, Miles
Website
http://www.stickskebobshop.com/
Thoughts
I've been saying I need to eat here for a few years, so it was nice to finally go. That said, it was a little disappointing and it's a good thing I asked around to temper my expectations beforehand. The food was really tasty, especially the green beans, and the sauce the guy gave me instead of the one I asked for probably worked out better, anyway. The food was out within about 2 minutes of us placing the order; it's a lunch counter type of place. That's all good, but we were all hungry enough afterward to head to the Mall to find dumplings and/or crepes.
The portion:price ratio is really the only problem with Sticks. It's enough food for lunch, but you can find a good lunch at many places around town for less than the $9 it'll cost you at Sticks. I guess it's fair to say you shouldn't expect to be completely full for dinner after a $9 meal. Everyone sounded really happy with what they had when we started eating but that was mostly gone by the end of the meal. If I go back, I think it'll be important to plan ahead and structure a meal more; maybe we'll get a big thing of hummus and pita chips to split in addition to our kebob platter. From reading the descriptions, it seemed like the platter (rather than the sandwich or salad) was the way to go, but I guess the salad or sandwich might be sufficient for lunch.
I think I'm liking the place a little more than I did initially, at least as I try to write about it and explain my complaints (Go read Blink by Malcolm Gladwell for an explanation of why this happens). You should go visit Sticks, but just know what to expect. It just doesn't seem like the portions are geared toward completely satisfying diners' hunger.
Recap
Pros - Really tasty food, especially the side dishes, quick service
Cons - Small portions
Overall - Tasty, but not nearly enough food. It's in a tough no-man's land of too expensive for lunch but not enough food for dinner. It's worth a visit, but I don't know if I'll be back.
6/10/09
Location
In the Preston Square shopping center
917 Preston Avenue
What I ate
Chicken kebob, sesame green beans
Who came
Nora, Andrenne, Matt, Miles
Website
http://www.stickskebobshop.com/
Thoughts
I've been saying I need to eat here for a few years, so it was nice to finally go. That said, it was a little disappointing and it's a good thing I asked around to temper my expectations beforehand. The food was really tasty, especially the green beans, and the sauce the guy gave me instead of the one I asked for probably worked out better, anyway. The food was out within about 2 minutes of us placing the order; it's a lunch counter type of place. That's all good, but we were all hungry enough afterward to head to the Mall to find dumplings and/or crepes.
The portion:price ratio is really the only problem with Sticks. It's enough food for lunch, but you can find a good lunch at many places around town for less than the $9 it'll cost you at Sticks. I guess it's fair to say you shouldn't expect to be completely full for dinner after a $9 meal. Everyone sounded really happy with what they had when we started eating but that was mostly gone by the end of the meal. If I go back, I think it'll be important to plan ahead and structure a meal more; maybe we'll get a big thing of hummus and pita chips to split in addition to our kebob platter. From reading the descriptions, it seemed like the platter (rather than the sandwich or salad) was the way to go, but I guess the salad or sandwich might be sufficient for lunch.
I think I'm liking the place a little more than I did initially, at least as I try to write about it and explain my complaints (Go read Blink by Malcolm Gladwell for an explanation of why this happens). You should go visit Sticks, but just know what to expect. It just doesn't seem like the portions are geared toward completely satisfying diners' hunger.
Recap
Pros - Really tasty food, especially the side dishes, quick service
Cons - Small portions
Overall - Tasty, but not nearly enough food. It's in a tough no-man's land of too expensive for lunch but not enough food for dinner. It's worth a visit, but I don't know if I'll be back.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Restaurant Week
Friends,
I am really excited about something happening here in about a month. A bunch of restaurants are coming together to create (and celebrate) Restaurant Week with $25 price fixe menus from July 13th-19th. Details are still emerging about the specifics, but early indications are that I should start saving money now because I can't currently affording paying $25 for dinner 7 nights in a row and I'll want to visit all of these places. The restaurants currently signed on are Fossett's at Keswick Hall, C&O, Horse and Hound Gastropub, the Boathouse, Melting Pot, Cassis, l'etoile, and Old Mill Room at the Boar's Head. I have links to the menus below, but keep an eye out for the July 9th edition of the Hook; all of the menus will be printed there. Get excited!
Menus below:
Fossett's - menu
Old Mill Room - menu
l'etoile - menu
Melting Pot - menu
C&O - menu
Horse and Hound - menu
Cassis -menu
Boathouse - menu
For our out of town friends, I'm sure you know someone in town with whom to stay, but Keswick Hall, Boar's Head, and the Omni are all offering reduced rates for Restaurant Week. Yes, it's still expensive.
I am really excited about something happening here in about a month. A bunch of restaurants are coming together to create (and celebrate) Restaurant Week with $25 price fixe menus from July 13th-19th. Details are still emerging about the specifics, but early indications are that I should start saving money now because I can't currently affording paying $25 for dinner 7 nights in a row and I'll want to visit all of these places. The restaurants currently signed on are Fossett's at Keswick Hall, C&O, Horse and Hound Gastropub, the Boathouse, Melting Pot, Cassis, l'etoile, and Old Mill Room at the Boar's Head. I have links to the menus below, but keep an eye out for the July 9th edition of the Hook; all of the menus will be printed there. Get excited!
Menus below:
Fossett's - menu
Old Mill Room - menu
l'etoile - menu
Melting Pot - menu
C&O - menu
Horse and Hound - menu
Cassis -menu
Boathouse - menu
For our out of town friends, I'm sure you know someone in town with whom to stay, but Keswick Hall, Boar's Head, and the Omni are all offering reduced rates for Restaurant Week. Yes, it's still expensive.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Central Virginia Beer Tour
Date
6/6/09
Locations
Star Hill - 5391 Three Notched Rd, Crozet, VA 22932
Blue Mountain - 9519 Critzers Shop Road, Afton, VA 22920
Devil's Backbone - 200 Mosby's Run, Roseland, VA 22967
What I ate
Blue Mountain - veggie pizza
Devil's Backbone - fruit and cheese plate
What I drank
Starr Hill - Dark Starr Stout, The Love
Blue Mountain - Sampler: Blue Mountain Lager; Rockfish Wheat; Full Nelson Pale Ale; Krolsch 151; Nitro Porter; Evil 8 Dubbel Ale
Devil's Backbone - House flight: Gold Leaf Lager; Vienna Lager; Wintergreen Weiss; Eight-point IPA
Who came
Matt, Rice, Xander, Jim, Nora, Suzie, Kim, Kat
Websites
Starr Hill
Blue Mountain
Devil's Backbone
Thoughts
If you couldn't tell already, this day was a bit of a departure from the usual WEDS. It was not a weekday, nor did it take place in the evening, and we didn't really eat dinner, but it's a profile of local fare, so I think it fits here. I have to admit that I stole the idea from an article in Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine but I'm pretty sure that was the idea of the article. We left my apartment just after noon and drove to Starr Hill. We had some samples and took a tour, then headed to Blue Mountain where we ate a bit, tried their sampler, and took another tour. After that, we drove to Devil's Backbone where we snacked and sampled even more beer. We were back to my place a little after 7 o'clock and a few of us had souvenirs from each brewery. The weather cooperated giving us an awesome day overall. I'll try to review each brewery quickly, but I highly recommend you, umm, do your own research. For your hops lovers out there, you might not get the best information from my review since I don't generally like really hoppy beers. Consult some other sources for more information on IPAs.
Starr Hill
By far the biggest and oldest operation of the three. The place is really just the brewery with a little bar inside where you can just get free samples. The tour gave us a really good picture of the brewing process and it was really cool to see how everything is done; they produce a whole lot of beer and are able to do it all in what feels like a pretty small space. I've already had most of their beers so I know which I wanted to drink. The Dark Starr is just a really good stout and The Love is delicious. The Amber Ale is also great, but I had some of that at a wedding the night prior, so I didn't have any of that on our tour.
Blue Mountain
I was a little worried about this one going in - the Full Nelson Pale Ale is their flagship beer and, while I knew their other ones should be fine, I was concerned everything would be very hoppy. I'm very happy to report my fears were completely unfounded. The porter was great and I actually really liked the Full Nelson; I'm pretty sure it's the only hoppy beer I like, but I guess I should start paying attention to IBU ratings when listed. The Evil 8 (I'm pretty sure it was that one) was tasty, too. The lager was a little boring and the two weiss beers were good, but nothing special. After eating, we took a tour of their relatively small brewing facilities. It was a very intimate look at what they do; they even had some people working on another brew while our guide explained the process. The pizza was delicious and I heard nothing but "mmm" from everyone else around the table. The place also just looks great - they grow some of their own hops out front and it feels like a bit of a ski lodge inside with high ceilings, a fireplace, and the other furniture.
Devil's Backbone
If you're going to visit here (and you should) I hope they have another sign up to show you were to go. If you're traveling south on Critzer's Shop Road, Devil's Backbone is right next to the Ski Barn on your right side. The sign is facing those traveling north but it's really difficult to see traveling south. Our cool waitress told us the owner doesn't like putting up signs in general but I'm sure he'll get over it.
As far as the beers, it's well worth the trip. I wasn't feeling up to the full flight of 9 (the 3 IPAs scared me away) but I had the house flight, which is one each of the four house brews. The Vienna Lager was the best of the bunch and the Weiss wasn't far behind. The Gold Leaf Lager was just a little boring and the Eight Point was just too hoppy for my liking. As far as the other beers, I would've liked to try their porter, Rice and Kat couldn't stop talking about the Congo IPA, and they were out of the Apple Blossom Wheat which sounded delicious. The cheese plate was full of tasty cheeses and awesome local honey and the place felt nice and warm inside; it was a little less ski lodge than Blue Mountain, but was a nice place.
Recap
Take this trip. The weather cooperated so even the driving was a lot of fun. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and spent about $35 between the beer, food, and a pint glass from each place. If you like beer or are curious about it, you'll really enjoy yourself. I'd like to visit Blue Mountain and Devil's Backbone for dinner, especially on Devil's Backbone artisinal burger night. Visit the Brew Ridge Trail site for more details about this region.
St. Maarten's Cafe
Date
6/4/09
Location
Just off the Corner along 14th Street
1400 Wertland Street
What I ate
Hamburger and fries
What I drank
BBC Jefferson Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout
Who came
Rebec, Matt, Nora, Suzie, Jim, Xander
Website
http://www.stmaartencafe.com/
Thoughts
First, I have to mention that I've gone to this place dozens of times; it's a favorite Pep Band hangout and has been for, umm, ever. That said, I didn't want that to be a reason not to ever review this place. A few friends came to town and wanted to go, so we did and it just happened to be a good opportunity to write this. If you go here and don't get cajun cheese fries, you're doing yourself a disservice. It's not that they're absolutely amazing (though they're very good) but it's one of their standards; it's like going to an Indian restaurant and not trying their naan. I can't think of a better way to describe it, so just go there and get the fries. OK, I'll try to talk about just Thursday's dinner, now.
My burger was cooked just to my liking and juicy. I've cut back a lot on red meat, so it was nice to just have a medium-rare burger. The fries were great, even cheese-less and the beer is one of my favorites. It's a great, smooth stout with a little hint of chocolate and a nice bourbony finish. The burger and beer made an awesome combination. It's also important to mention that we went on Cheeseburger in Paradise night (at least that's what it used to be called) so the burger and fries was $5.
Maarten's has a beach pub theme going with no windows, so the place has a nice, warm feel to it. Windows would be nice as they would let in some natural light during the day, but their absence does help you feel a bit insulated from the outside, adding to the theme. The atmosphere is very comfortable and our waitress was friendly and conversational. It took a little while for our second pitcher to be poured, but there was nothing in the service to complain about otherwise. I only know this from other visits, but I can't remember having any problems with the service, even when going in a group of a dozen or more while the place was busy.
Recap
Pros - Good food, good service, comfortable atmosphere
Cons - Can be a little pricey, not much capacity for big groups (get their early and claim one of the two corner booths)
Overall - It's a great place to go. They focus on burgers and sandwiches, but there's enough variety to satisfy anyone and everything's tasty. Check out the drink menu for more entertainment.
6/4/09
Location
Just off the Corner along 14th Street
1400 Wertland Street
What I ate
Hamburger and fries
What I drank
BBC Jefferson Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout
Who came
Rebec, Matt, Nora, Suzie, Jim, Xander
Website
http://www.stmaartencafe.com/
Thoughts
First, I have to mention that I've gone to this place dozens of times; it's a favorite Pep Band hangout and has been for, umm, ever. That said, I didn't want that to be a reason not to ever review this place. A few friends came to town and wanted to go, so we did and it just happened to be a good opportunity to write this. If you go here and don't get cajun cheese fries, you're doing yourself a disservice. It's not that they're absolutely amazing (though they're very good) but it's one of their standards; it's like going to an Indian restaurant and not trying their naan. I can't think of a better way to describe it, so just go there and get the fries. OK, I'll try to talk about just Thursday's dinner, now.
My burger was cooked just to my liking and juicy. I've cut back a lot on red meat, so it was nice to just have a medium-rare burger. The fries were great, even cheese-less and the beer is one of my favorites. It's a great, smooth stout with a little hint of chocolate and a nice bourbony finish. The burger and beer made an awesome combination. It's also important to mention that we went on Cheeseburger in Paradise night (at least that's what it used to be called) so the burger and fries was $5.
Maarten's has a beach pub theme going with no windows, so the place has a nice, warm feel to it. Windows would be nice as they would let in some natural light during the day, but their absence does help you feel a bit insulated from the outside, adding to the theme. The atmosphere is very comfortable and our waitress was friendly and conversational. It took a little while for our second pitcher to be poured, but there was nothing in the service to complain about otherwise. I only know this from other visits, but I can't remember having any problems with the service, even when going in a group of a dozen or more while the place was busy.
Recap
Pros - Good food, good service, comfortable atmosphere
Cons - Can be a little pricey, not much capacity for big groups (get their early and claim one of the two corner booths)
Overall - It's a great place to go. They focus on burgers and sandwiches, but there's enough variety to satisfy anyone and everything's tasty. Check out the drink menu for more entertainment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)