Some more random musings:
I've often wondered what some of my favorite critics looked like: (till Frank Bruni stopped writing about food, he was on the list as well)...Tom Sietsema looks rather hip.
cover blown:
http://eater.com/archives/2010/04/19/anonymous-restaurant-critics-field-guide.php

I dont really think that revealing these critics appearances is a big deal. My fascination with anonymous critics runs way back to the Michelin Man in Gerald Durrell's The Picnic and Suchlike Pandemonium.
This much more recent article on the respected, anonymous Michelin critics in the New Yorker was particularly fascinating.

I wonder if critics here have to go to lengths like disguising themselves (cf. TS of the WaPo) in the tiny RVA food scene...There seems to be a basic pecking order here and I'm guessing the restaurants here (the ones that care) are pretty tuned to the movements of these well known local critics.
I do place this whole enterprise in sharp contrast to those rather amusing restaurant reports on NBC12.

It is interesting that despite the recent democratization of restaurant reviews via (anonymous and not-so) blogs and yelp and chowhound and their ilk, many people still seem to prefer a "critical, authoritative" judgement on their restaurants. It will be interesting to see the evolution of this phenomena as times change. For example, Facebook just announcing its new features with Yelp that tell you which of your friends have been to a restaurant (and perhaps what they thought). This entire concept deserves more discussion that is, as so many technical speakers say "beyond the scope of this blog"

What an interesting concept: A day a week restaurant:
http://offsettingbehaviour.blogspot.com/2010/02/one-day-week-restaurant.html
It would be nice to see some sort of culinary diversity in RVA with something like this. I can think of one place around that attempts something of the sort....only barely.

Richmond spaces

Among the many photosets of Richmond around, I thought this one was particularly interesting. This photog ha(d/s) a great/quirky eye and of course a terrific subject:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/f33/sets/72157594219485415/

This is a very large set (~ 800, but arranged chronologically so its easy to see the ones from a few years ago). So many of these pictures are before my time here and it was quite amazing to see the remarkable transformations (sometimes good, sometimes sad) in some places I have become familiar with over the last couple of years.

Seeing some of these almost typical RVA architectural motifs brings me to my food related musing: A couple of recently encountered spaces (I’ll forego discussions on food at both places) that seem to have degree of Richmondness to them – Urban Farmhouse and Café in the Shockoe Slip and the Boathouse at Rockett’s Landing.
The former is just a nice space – housed in the former RV furniture shop next to the Martin Agency, I like the large open space, the vaulted ceilings, casual interiors (with Wi-fi) and the cobbles of Cary St next to it. The latter, has a terrific view of the city. Right next to the river in the renovated Rockett’s Landing development, the view of the RVA night sky was quite striking and the design of the building with the chimney stack (from the old power plant) set in modern glass was a nice sight. (I guess I've always liked these makeovers from industrial spaces to modern living). On the other hand, the interior (completely packed on a weeknight) made me wish I had a dB meter to quantify the terrible acoustics of this place. For the kind of ambiance this place is trying to promote, RL had the sound levels of a raucous pub during an EPL game.

... bricks and stones ...