whatever happened to the bookshelves?

So I guess this is the nouveau Cafe Gutenberg? First impressions - frankly, disappointment. Excited that CG was back after their hiatus and redesign, I couldnt wait to visit. And now that I have, I'm not sure I like the new CG.

It seems totally baffling that 'they' (whoever the powers-that-be were) would mess with the very USP that made the place worth visiting. Gone are the bookshelves and books that lined the walls. No more newspapers - the current and woefully out of date ones. Ditto the magazines and the b&w pictures that graced the walls. Even gone is the line announcing the high water line of hurricane charlie (?). Instead we have an antiseptic light yellow paint with some rather commonplace portraits of fruits and vegetables. There are a trio of oddly placed houseplants cordoning off a section in the back by the windows. A couple of new tables with some oh-so-boring booths. Booths??
Is this some "resistance to change"/misplaced nostalgia speaking? I dont think so. Its more like seeing a rather "unique" interior replaced with an entirely generic look devoid of any character. CG now looks and feels just like any other. Dull and prosaic even. I guess the upside is that the place is much airier and brighter.

The menu is still largely the same (we tried a couple of items off the brunch menu and they were still pretty decent. The 17th Street scramble was still quite good). No pastries though !! What a let down ...One couldnt help but feel that the atmosphere that drew us in to Cafe Gutenberg in the first place was gone. The service was fine and they still had most of the cheap wines and beers they had before. We didnt feel like dawdling in this restaurant anymore. It didnt seem like the place you could sit mooching off of the free wifi and downing cups of coffee. Or just read a book or a magazine. Perhaps thats a good thing for business - higher turnover.

food carts and thoughts around campus...

Other than the loquacious 'hippie' couple selling wraps, the absence of food carts in and around the VCU main campus has been rather perplexing to me (I noticed recently that there was another guy selling kebabs - need to visit). I've always thought of food carts as a bit of a mainstay around campuses - academic and corporate. Quite a few of the major universities in urban areas have pretty decent cart options. A couple that immediately spring to mind are those around Cambridge, MA and UPenn.
There are a couple of good choices near MCV - in particular, the delightful old Indian lady selling some fairly good food at extremely reasonable prices. With such a large number of students presumably seeking cheap food options, I would have thought there would be more choices in and around Monroe Park.
Does the student and/or staff population at VCU not provide a good business opportunity? Does every student have a meal plan? I really wonder if there is some complex reason for this absence..

On a similar note, I've been quite surprised by the lack of good ethnic places in and around VCU (yes, in retrospect, options do exist....but....). Given the large international student body at VCU, this is also puzzling. One feature of so many university areas is the ubiquitous Chinese buffet. I guess there may be one in Richmond. Its only odd that its nowhere near the university ! Till Ruchee opened a few months ago, there wasnt any Indian place around. The couple of "middle eastern" places looked quite sketchy the couple of times I dared to venture there. And students from these three areas constitute a fairly decent percentage of VCU students.
I guess Nile would be a great place to visit but we've always been doubtful of the "time in/out" (a review will follow. Nile was great the couple of dinners I've had there). A couple of others - Saigon and the Korean place (Mom's kitchen) are a bit off the beaten track. Speaking of the latter, I've liked the bibim bap I had, although the kimchee didnt taste very fresh the two times I've eaten there.

I will probably get down to writing more about the other places around VCU eventually. But I had to ponder ....

Random musings

I was thinking about Pita chips in general after my last post and Stacy's Pita chips in particular. The name Stacy didnt exactly conjure up a vision of pita...like say... Kontos ! And yet, these chips are quite good and generally found in places like Whole Foods (which if nothing, does convey the "healthy/natural image"). I havent found them the ideal addition to fattoush but more of a general dip and eat type product. And the bagel chips were like the TJ's Melba rounds, rather good as hors d'oeuvres, with toppings.
So after checking out their website, I did find the answer to the most vexing question - Yes, there is indeed a Stacy and she's based in Massachusetts. Back to the food....

A few weeks ago, I came across the wonderful story of 12 year old David Fishman the food critic (secretly wishing I had a similarly start and/or the ability). Now, in the latest issue of GQ, there is a full length article about the young man, who has apparently become a sensation with media appearances and such. Food writer Alan Richman felt like "Jennifer Aniston the first time she saw Angelina Jolie" (whatever that means...I just felt the need to throw in a belated gratuitous nod to the celebrities in the wake of the oscars)... While there is a certain novelty in the fact that he's so young, I liked Fishman's simple style. Importantly he wasnt making trivial observations (which in and of itself is a non-trivial task !). It will be interesting to follow his future trajectory.

While on the article, I came across mention of a restaurant concept that I had always joked about where the chef would choose your meals "according to what he thinks you'll like". It exists !!
While avoiding the practicality/implementation of this concept, I just find it rather intriguing. I am sure that such establishments exist in many places...but a chef who actually (as opposed to merely giving lip service to this idea) melds culinary skills with a "personality reading" of sorts in a serious manner would be something to behold. My ignorance was clearly a reflection of how much of the culinary world I have yet to explore ! One might argue there is a 'chef' like this in every home aka mom !

Keeping with the times, some more cheap eats....

Yearning for some "real" Lebanese food after some trips to Azizas on Main (recently a bit unsatisfactory but more on that later), made me think of yet another place that I feel is a bit of a hidden gem in RVA. More of a grocery store than a restaurant, it nonetheless has some of the simplest and tasty mediterranean (area) food around. The eponymous deli on meadow street just off broad street has long been a good place to get halal meat and well priced olives, dolmades, pickled vegetables and flat bread. But the deli is suprisingly good and strangely off the radar. No atmosphere to speak of (although they usually have a melodious muezzin on their speakers) and just a handful of chairs and tables but after trying some of the offerings here, I think its a terrific place to stop and get a quick bite of some authentic middle eastern food. I guess the best part of the falafel sandwich and the shawarmas has been the wonderful garlic sauce ! Very garlicky but not too overwhelming. And everything is well under $10...
A favorite is the freshly made 'pita chips'. Why waste money on processed factory varieties such as Stacy's Pita chips (which arent really bad :)) when one can get the wonderful packets of homemade chips for a dollar. A bit oily perhaps but crisp, fragrant, lightly spiced and just like home!! And a perfect accompaniment to fattoush...
There appears to be another place with the same name out in the west end (which seems to be more of a restaurant) but for now, this one is closer !

an elephantine task....

High on the list of frequented places in the VCU area is Elephant Thai. I might even venture to half-say that it is one of the better Thai places I've been to in Richmond so far among the half dozen or so places tried. Surprisingly it doesnt come up often in discussions of the same, playing second fiddle to Mom's Siam, Thai Diner (too), Beauregards and the like. I think ET is actually quite good...(admittedly, several 'other' factors are playing into this observation - price, convenience etc). but it is a very decent eat. A sparse, simple decor, no frills food, low prices, an authentic taste etc... Now, countless visits in (99% for lunch), I finally get around to writing about it.
Oddly enough, despite a previous post about soups deciding my ratings for Thai places, I have only tried the soups here once (the Tom Yum - decent). I guess I just havent been trying soups on mostly hurried lunches. Most of the curries and chicken/beef dishes are very generic and quite good (safe) choices. The chicken basil and cashew nut have been standouts. I've also liked the Vegetarian Fried Rice (which is a good meal just by itself). Similarly, the noodles - pad see ew and the pad thai. I've always made it a point to ask for extra lemon/lime with my pad thai which they do and it does help jazz up the rather standard pad thai. I'm still searching for that elusive stellar pad thai !
Of course, all the dishes havent been quite great. For one, the pepper steak was terrible and quite tasteless. The jasmine rice does tend to be a bit dry at times. Also the shrimp options have been far less satisfying than the chicken and beef.
An option that I found useful several times was to get the spice rack on the side with a mild order. That has saved quite a few dishes for me which have otherwise tended to be rather overwhelming (drunken noodle jae - a culprit). The (rather sweet) Thai Iced tea can be an added savior on occasions such as these.

Most lunch entrees are less than $8 and a typical checks have been around $10-12 pp (with t&t)...ET is always packed at lunchtime and service can be a little spotty. Two of the wait staff who know me by name now (and there are a lot of lunch regulars) have been a bit more efficient :)....

recession dining

The Times today had an interesting article about formerly snooty places finally shedding some of that attitude in these tough times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/dining/04note.html

I doubt that the diners at Masa or Per Se are making the shift the local diner anytime soon though.

I wonder what the situation is like in Richmond in general. Having a rather small sample size of the 'upper crust' of rva restaurants recently, I dont feel equipped to offer an informed opinion (I venture to say warily - the couple of such places I've been to in the last month have been a mixed bag - one good, one not so good !!). For one, I guess that while purchasing power has dropped, either in real terms or due to discretion, food prices dont seem to have followed suit (which in itself makes for an interesting multivariate economics problem).

Addendum: I found it rather amusing/ironic that on the day I mused about recession dining, I see my first Lamborghini in Richmond parked outside one of the 'fine dining' places in my neighborhood.

brunch options

I must say that I am now spoiled for weekend brunch options. Within a 6 block area, I have my pick of Cafe Gutenberg, Millie's and now my latest option - Azziza's.
A couple of visits in to this latest entrant in my neighborhood have been quite pleasant. More of the ubiquitous brick decor of course but what I liked about the place was its rather unpretentious interior and friendly atmosphere. Got to chat with the co-owner Rusty for quite a long time. That kind of clarified why the place was ostensibly Lebanese (her mother was) and yet didnt have the usual suspects on the menu (missing some of my favorites like fattoush, kibbeh and shockingly shawarmas !). They did have a fairly decent selection of items from the cedar country coupled with fairly "generic" sandwiches and frittatas (some good vegetarian options). Rusty's son Billy (formerly of Billy Bread - a place that we had embarked on a futile attempt to find last year only to discover it was closed !!) was manning the kitchens and I was quite pleased that the bread (while not from Billy) was fresh and crisp !
I've tried a nice frittata (not Lebanese - served with greens and home fries) and the Koosa (Lebanese - stuffed squash which was quite good especially with a side of beans). They do state that they use only the finest olive oil from Lebanon which of course adds credence to their roots in the middle east :)....I think this place definitely has potential. Future visits are planned and more words shall be typed out in due course to supplement this sloppy review. Unfortunately, Azziza's is open only for br/l-unch and isnt serving dinner yet. It will be interesting to see if it does.

Update: While I thought that for once, I was possibly ahead of the 'curve' :), I just read the Style piece this week on the place !! I think this place will be busier in the coming days. I still feel though, that they do need to do some publicity and in particular, put up a sign or something (at least one thats not obscured by that huge awning !).

'Everyone’s a critic, and apparently it’s never too soon to start'. Wish I had a start like this kid who's off to the races at age 12!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/17/nyregion/17bigcity.html?ref=dining

Since everyone's a critic, I found this rather interesting, especially since its the guy who "inspired" the terrific movie "Ratatouille" !!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/14/dining/14simon.html?ref=dining

Squids and other sephalopods

Why is everyone in Richmond so in love with Edo's Squid? Now 3 visits in, I have yet to uncover what is so special about this place. And why do the people who work here have such an attitude?
A persistent thought was that this restaurant should have a tagline similar to Schlotzky's Deli - "Funny Name, Serious Italian"
The decor isnt pretentious at all and has the usual Richmond brick wall on the sides. Tends to get very packed - follows from the adoring public who flock to eat the ostensibly down-to-earth hearty Italian fare here !(which prompts me to add that a reservation is probably a good thing for prime time, unless you like being ignored in that cramped doorway for what might seem to be an interminably long time !). Once seated, you can pretty much share a conversation with your neighbors. I guess some people call that cozy (none of this really detracts from the um....experience).
I should elaborate on the food and I'll probably write more later, even though I was not impressed. Another persistent thought was that the food was not very well constructed (the lcd of which is plating). It is certainly very hearty. I'm just perplexed about the ink this place gets with such inconsistent food. I note that, even with my meager cooking talents, I was able to take my pasta leftovers from one dinner and jazz it up and taste better (to my palate of course but isnt that what this is all about !?). Conversely, the branzino (bass) that I had on another visit was very good. The tiramisu (usually the safest generic choice at an Italian place) was terrible - a sloppy mush that had too much alcohol. But what really stood out at Edo's each time was the shoddy service topped off with liberal doses of attitude. And that definitely detracts from the experience.
Price: I think Edo's is on the slightly expensive side. There are a couple of cheaper pasta dishes but the main entrees are all over $20...(a couple of dinners with shared appetizer, a glass of wine each and shared dessert + t&t came to around $80-$100. The portions are large and two leftovers could make for another meal. awkward math !!). Another slightly rushed dinner with shared appetizer and soup came to around $50.

Perusal of other blog postings on edo's have uncovered phrases like "heaven", "best food I've ever eaten", etc...really??
Should probably be starting 2009 with a more positive note. Maybe I'll find one and change this dispatch :)...

Wow ! I am not alone in my little corner of cyberspace it seems. Someone actually took the trouble to excoriate me on my um...lack of effort at reading a chalkboard menu and (apparent) lack of "appreciation" for eating local.
While the latter is something I can actually ponder with my anonymous friend (sic), this is even more of an interesting subject - "Your opinion that a rotating(seasonal) menu is something you're not a fan of is beyond ignorant...".
I tend to agree with the Gordon Ramsay view that restaurants should have a few core strengths supplemented by seasonal variants. In any event, having a daily/weekly menu printed isnt so difficult (again -ves on the wastage of paper :)).

Truly, the line that takes the burrito - "take your business to chipotle and save the room at the tables at Mezzanine for diners who will appreciate the experience (sic)"
How amusing :)....