Korean food

Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the Midlothian arm of the city lies a small unregarded Korean restaurant that I had the pleasure of visiting at the recent recommendation of a Korean student.
Young bin Kwan - hidden in a strip mall out in parts of the city I rarely visit, is an excellent alternative to driving all the way out to the Annandale area in NoVa. It had been sometime since I had my fix of dolsot (stone pot) bibimbap... and this one did not disappoint.
The service was very friendly and they took time to explain the dishes and the different banchan. I think that is one of my favorite aspects of Korean (and Japanese) food. They are such visual treats. I loved the kimchi and the other banchan.
Korean food does tend to be quite spicy and the taste is that of the "raw" chili peppers, unfettered by other spices (as in Indian food for instance). My companion, who was entirely new to Korean food had the bean curd stew and couldnt finish it because it was too hot. We ended up feeling a bit bad after because they were so apologetic about it. But them being so nice added to our overall pleasant experience. It is probably a better idea to get it mild and add the chili paste to taste. Our dinner for two (perfect for the snowy and miserable day) came to less than $30 (w/ t&t).

While not adventurous enough to try the table-top barbecueing, next up is the Yook gae Jong....

Young Bin Restaurant - map

Cafe rustica

It has been a few weeks since I visited Cafe Rustica and while I havent been there on separate occasions, my sample size on my one visit was large enough to wonder why this place isnt talked about much. The food was great, the interior (while small) was quite cozy and the prices reasonable.
Billing itself as a bit of an old Europe sytle restaurant, the dishes werent flashy or winning any points for presentation, but well made and simple. Portion sizes were perfect. Uncharacteristically (for me), I was able to eat a finish a 3 course meal of soup, an entree and a pretty rich dessert...I guess I will skip specifics but none of the dishes on the table disappointed.
The service was ok but then again, the restaurant wasnt packed for a weekday dinner. Waits in getting water refills possibly portend some chaos when the restaurant is busier....One of the only things we noted was the wine list wasnt too exhaustive (especially if you want wines by the glass).
Overall, I was quite impressed and will be visiting again. A rather expansive 3-course dinner for 3 came to around $150 (w/ t&t and three drinks each), so I definitely wasnt repeating my earlier price rant :)....

Cafe Rustica is kind of hidden away in a part of town that doesnt appear to be well (foot) trafficked (Penny lane is around the corner though) - but well worth a visit.

Helen's

Since I've made my second visit to Helen's, albeit after a period of about a year, I thought I should write a bit about this place...chalk one up for another somewhat unremarkable dinner. I have read so many glowing reviews of Helen's but I am now beginning to doubt myself after being a bit unsatisfied again.
It was not that the experience was flawed (although our clothes smelled of "kitchen smoke" for some time after - aside: wonder what the term is for the smell that seems to emanate from some kitchens that just clings to you.. :))??.... or that the food was bad. I had a fairly dull salad and a decent soup on two occasions but that was followed by some excellent pork tenderloins with sweet potatoes the one time and the (not so excellent) shrimp and grits another time (this dish, both my companion and I thought had a rancid aftertaste to it that shouldnt have been there). But it was still ok. The pork was, I must say, perfectly done and excellent with the sides. The service was friendly and the confines dimly lit (interchangeably with romantic) enough. It was rather empty for dinner on a Friday night. This was well before the arrival of the late night crowd, but thats a different story.

Not to belabor it but the bottomline is that the food in Helen's is pretty decent, but if there is a choice, its no different from any of around a dozen or so Richmond restaurants that offer very similar offerings at the same price point.

At the risk of being boringly repetitive, I thought this restaurant was again on the pricier side. One dinner for two with a shared appetizer, an entree each and no dessert and one drink came to $90 (w/ t&t) !! This should be the subject of another rant but there appears to be this set of restaurants in RVA. They all have fairly decent to good food, although extremely generic and often rather unimaginative (tartare or seared scallops or panna cotta?). The menus are basically interchangeable and the dinners end up around $80-$120 for two, which I consider pricey. I bemoan the lack of a decent, non-chain place in the midrange.

In contrast, a visit the following weekend to one of my DC favorites - Zaytinya; we had a perfectly fabulous dinner with (yes, not a direct comparison) a bunch of shared mezze and dessert and a drink each for around $70 (w/ t&t). I generally rave about all Jose Andres' restaurants but there is something to be said about a nice ambience, creative, well presented food that tastes great and an experience that leaves the palate satisfied, a full stomach and a wallet not so empty !!

100 things

An series of articles that has attracted a lot of attention. Given the terrible levels of service in many restaurants, I think quite a few restauranteurs (or restaurateurs more accurately) in Richmond should distribute these to their staff.

rules (1-50):
http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/one-hundred-things-restaurant-staffers-should-never-do-part-one/

and the part two (rules 51-100):
http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/one-hundred-things-restaurant-staffers-should-never-do-part-2/

while 100 rules seem a bit "excessive" (quite a few are not applicable to many places), I appreciate the general principle of the matter.
I disagree with some of the commenters about it being over prescriptive; Its not like following a strict edict, its just about a philosophy - providing a generally good experience that complements the food. And of course, it does come down to the quality of the food but many have been the place where superlative or even decent food has been woefully let down by shoddy service.

New digs...

Somewhat sad to have moved away from downtown and a couple of my favorites but a new phase begins and I now I have a new neighborhood. As I settle in....Plenty of places within walking distance and plenty of places to explore. And the best plus of course is the easy walk to Carytown.
Now all I need to do is find the time and the pelf....

More prix fixe adventures

I guess this is the recession special or the usual way to get diners in during the weekdays, but after musing about the $23 prix fixe weekday dinners at Acacia, I found an identical deal at a recent dinner at Six Burner (@ $24 Mon-Thu). I guess I am violating my general principle of not reviewing the restaurant till (at least) a second visit, but I must continue my rant (from below) that menus need some more imagination (let us forego a discussion on cost at this point because valid arguments may be made on both sides).
This was a practically yawn worthy set of offerings at 6B - a rather tasteless potato soup, an awfully generic beet, arugula salad, 2 fish choices - salmon and scallops, 1 steak and 1 chicken option (again no vegetarian options) and alas...the ubiquitous panna cotta for dessert. After dropping close to $90 for a dinner for two (A glass of wine each + t&t), my tastebuds were barely stimulated and my stomach wasnt full either. I did like their bread though.
I will have to probably try the full menu on another visit (certain options did look intriguing), but I am so disappointed by this visit that I wonder if I should in these days of fiscal discipline. I guess I think that these prix fixe meals should be a bit like an "grande amuse bouche" to tempt one to revisit and order off the full menu. My bouche wasnt amuseed.

back....

What a long hiatus this has been... as I return to the semester, I hope there will be more frequent posts to the blog. A largely uneventful summer - felt good to see the state of the plate especially via out of Richmond dining experiences.

One bright spot in the Richmond dining firmament has to be a recent dinner at Acacia midtown. I'd never been to its earlier incarnation (always thought that a restaurant sharing the same quarters as a hair salon was a bit strange) but a couple of visits in to this "new" location have established it as a favorite.

The first thing that struck me (and my dining companions) was that the decor at Acacia seemed very "un-Richmond". Hard to qualify this statement, but we all agreed that it was true !! With a pretty sleek modern look, it was hopping even on a weekday (this doesnt bode well for the noise level though) and the crowd gradually morphed from an older set to a younger set as the hours wore on . This may have been courtesy of what has to be one of the best deals in the city - a Mon to Thu prix fixe meal by the table for $23. This is absolutely worth it ! While somewhat limited compared to the main menu (obviously), they did have have decent choices (4 to choose from). The one 'beef' (pun unintended) with the entree options was the lack of a vegetarian selection but it really didnt detract from the experience because they were accomodating on that day. We tried different items on both my visits (they do have a somewhat varying menu) and everyone of them was excellent. Portion sizes were appropriate and the dessert while a bit generic (its time to move beyond the obligatory sorbet assortments and panna cotta :)) were quite satisfactory to round off an excellent meal. They have an excellent wine selection too. On a hot summer evening, the wines were chilled to the right temperature and were a terrific accompaniment to our dinners. It was good to note that they didnt subscribe to the philosophy (in so many places here) that result in most red wines being served at room temperature.
Service was ok. On one visit, our server completely messed up one entree and was quite hard to flag down...but...they kept the glasses full (always useful), folded napkins (at times !) when we left for the restrooms and generally provided a pleasant atmosphere.
I must admit that my visits have largely taken advantage of this "promotion" but I am sure that a dinner selected off the menu would be equally good, albeit a bit more expensive. But if you're not counting, acacia is worth a visit on any front.


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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 !