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 No more newspapers - the current and woefully out of date ones.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 !