Café Europa

Hankering some small Spanish dishes (tapas to be untechnical) last night (Jaleo ummmm), we revisited Café Europa in Shockoe Bottom. Our first visit to this place was far from satisfactory with some really terrible service and forgettable food. The last time around, our food arrived late. We didn’t get our bread till right before the meal and our waiter didn’t get us our drinks. We didn’t even see our waiter for around 10 minutes and naturally he disappeared once he took our order. We had to complain to the hostess (and 2 tries later) got our drinks!! But… we decided to give this place a second shot.

Wrong decision!

This time, they outdid themselves. Our food took 50 minutes to arrive!! Now, any kitchen might be overwhelmed and understaffed on a given night, that too a Sunday night. So fine, but it definitely behooves the staff to at least stop by after 20-30 minutes and inform the table of the delay. We got nothing. After flagging down our waitress at approx breaking point (40 minutes), we were informed “2 more minutes”. The manager showed up and apologized (fine). We declined his offer for more bread and a round of drinks. Another 10 minutes later, the food arrives. Despite the nature of the restaurant, this place believes in delivering all the food at once (debatable?)

Now this is a “tapas” restaurant, with a fairly standard “Mediterranean and Spanish-inspired” menu. There were the usual risottos, paellas, a couple of chorizo-type small dishes, a few plates of cheeses, nuts and olives, helpfully split between seafood, meat and vegetarian categories. We picked a mix of 6 plates. Our last trip we had picked 7 and found that a bit too much.

The bread which also arrived late was terrible. It was undercooked and hence a bit chewy in spots, served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar which really didn’t do much to rescue it. Quickies on what we had: asparagus with parmesan cheese (fair), croquettes of potatoes with sundried tomato (good), rockfish ceviche (decent), stuffed shrimp wrapped in jamon (tasteless), stuffed piquillo peppers with chorizo and chicken (decent) and braised duck (terrible, gave me a little stomach ache after). The previous time, I can only remember the grilled squid (burnt) and the salmon (dull).

The good: I’m not completely bashing the place. They have a pleasant little lounge downstairs, a nice brick façade and décor and a fairly large menu. On our visits, a couple of the dishes were pretty decent but such a low strike rate isn’t worth it, especially since the ones that weren’t were terrible. So statistically speaking it is possible to get a good meal at Europa (service notwithstanding). In contrast, when I think of Jaleo, maybe 1 or 2 dishes would be off the mark, if at all.

The check came to around $50 (needless to say we didn’t stay for dessert). Should we have been comp’d something (maybe one dish)? Perhaps. To be fair, I guess the manager did offer us a drink, right? I don’t think it would have made a difference (certainly wouldn’t have been a big deal financially) but it would have reflected some degree of customer care on the part of the restaurant (ie we’re sorry we didn’t get you the food on time and definitely sorry for not even checking up on you while you waited).

Bottomline: F/C-. Café Europa is definitely off the list. The service is horrendous, the food not worth it.

from good italian to bad

A terrible dining experience was during a quick visit to Pasta Luna prior to catching a movie (Michael Clayton is a pretty good movie btw). This place billed itself as the best Italian food in all of Richmond for many years in a row. This "award" presumably from our old friends @ Richmond magazine was obviously taken with a heaping of NaCl (see first post) but boy, what an exaggerated pat on the back that was.
The bread was cold, the pasta was overcooked and just terrible tastewise. The tomato sauce tasted like it came from a can. My chicken marsala was stringy and the end product of some sad poultry process. The sauce with the mushrooms no better. What a change from good italian (ie sensi)
The best part of the meal - We were out in a jiffy.

Grade: F.

sensi

My first dining experience in Richmond when I visited is now my latest! And I was impressed by this place back then and on my second visit, I still continue to think that it is a very good dining experience.
A very burgundy (from the chairs to the table to the carpet), dimly lit interior greets you as you enter the dining area passing an oddly solitary statue with raised arms. Perhaps this is to remind you that you are about to enter "italia". A metallic bronze link curtain separates the bar from the main dining area. Under the glare of the spot lit tables, the restaurant didnt look quite so dim anymore. I was left wondering what the strange mural on the back wall was all about!
To start out, we had the caprese with mozarella and tomato with grana padano and balsamic vinegar. This classic caprese did disappoint slightly because of the blandness of the tomato and what we felt was a little undersalting of the dish.
A nice touch to the menu is the "half" portions of the pastas. We still ended up getting two different pastas for the main course, but if one is interested in a lighter meal, a half portion is more than enough. I wasnt too taken in by the gnocchi although my dining companion disagreed with me. Again a trifle undersalted, this was quickly rectified.
I had the rack of lamb encrusted with mustard seeds and served with napa grapes. The sauce and the grapes, tiny and perfectly sour/sweet went perfectly with the meat. I did wish that there were some vegetables or some member of the carbohydrate-family to complement the meat and the grapes. That not withstanding, this was a very well prepared entree and the portion that accompanied me home for dinner the next day entertained my palate equally well.

I will probably devote another posting on this apparent ubiquity of large portion sizes in and around Richmond.

We did save some room for dessert and amidst a bevy of rather pedestrian sounding options recited to us by our server, a delicious bodino with strawberry compote stood out. This turned out to be an absolutely delightful capping of a good meal. Creamy and delicious with strawberries and raspberries, it disappeared quickly. Our check came to around $120 (incl. tax+tip) with a drink each, shared appetizer, an entree each and a shared dessert.
Service: Our waiter was very good. Not only did he have an excellent grasp of the menu, but was also prompt in service and generally very engaging. While I dont recall the service on my last visit, I'm pretty sure it was very good then as well.
Bottomline: This place was definitely an excellent, if expensive dinner. B

Sensi: 2222 E Cary St, Richmond, VA 23223. Maps

Nara Sushi

Cheap dining (or accurately eating) options, quite naturally, seem to abound around VCU. While I havent yet gotten to explore much of this, I shall be posting every now and then of my lunch adventures, sans the mentions of the chains of course !
The first stop I mention is a place I've been to a few times now. Nara is a little sushi place that has provided quite a few satisfactory lunches so far. I've experimented with the sushi/rolls, the chirashi, noodles and I must say, what is probably one of the best lunch-deals around - an extremely filling lunch box for $6.50. And to very satisfactory result in most cases !
The menu is very simplistic (ie what have become "sushi" staples across the country -tuna, salmon etc) with a few other ubiquitous options thrown in. Prices are very cheap. I had a throw back to Kotobuki in DC on seeing the prices (no where near in taste of course!). The seafood appeared and tasted fresh. I must mention that the sushi while not great is very satisfactory nonetheless and tad better than standard grocery store fare. One might argue that simple california rolls and their ilk isnt much to write home about but at least they do the basics right. The tempuras were ok, I wasnt too taken in by the taste of a shrimp tempura I had there. I also didnt like the noodles very much. They were devoid of any substantial accoutrements and rather bland. Also one other -ve that comes to mind is the wasabi. While I wasnt expecting authentic wasabi, Nara has some version that just doesnt kick any thing let alone a tastebud.

The decor is one of those faux japan types with an inflatable sumo wrestler, kimono-ed dolls, a few mandatory bamboo umbrellas and some pictures of Mt. Fuji (I guess). Clean and spartan if a little worn down. Service is pretty decent and every time I've been there, the food arrived in a timely manner and they certainly took care to see that I never ran short on a water supply ! The check with tax and tip average between $8-$15 pp.

Bottomline: You will not find an omakase meal here, superior sashimi or any complex and innovative melanges of ingredients by the chef but for a cheap and simple lunch, this place is extremely satisfactory.C. Now dinner there might be a different ballgame.......

A 'bank'able dinner

...not completely so.
In our first foray into the "finer dining" realms of Richmond, we visited the bank building-turned-restaurant appropriately named "Bank" with a [dine] after it like a pret-a-manger Eat. A not-so-subliminal message or a warning to someone who might stumble in actually wanting to conduct a financial transaction?

First looks: Very pleasing decor, old-world lighting with an interesting bar bisecting the floor, high vaulted (pun intended) ceilings, cool marble floors and a generally majestic ambience. Large red banners and (what we thought a bit Ikea-ish) paintings on the walls contemporized it a little. The place apparently turns into a club after 10 playing house, top 40 etc. The waitstaff were milling around on what was a strangely empty restaurant for a Saturday night. Apparently, we were informed, the city empties on holiday weekends. So we got seated at an excellent table with a view of the (meager) goings-on below.
The menu was a laminated diner-esque piece, a bit surprising considering. The wine list was also a bit sparse on the wines/glass. I settled for a sauvignon blanc. Nonetheless, the food actually looked like someone took some effort and creativity into preparation. So....good !
The scallop appetizer with apple puree and braised pork belly was excellent! The scallops were actually perfectly done (something that is a bit of a rarity in many places) and the trio vanished in no time. We waited in anticipation for our entrees. We had the tenderloin and the rainbow trout (is this my second time with this fish in this town?).
The first impression- it looked like the entrees were from a completely different kitchen! The appetizer was tastefully presented and here were the two large entrees looking rather uninspiredly put together. Portion sizes again, were very large (a recurring theme in this city) and we were glad we split the appetizer. In fact, the heaping of food looked quite unbecoming of a restaurant that had just presented us with such a well constructed appetizer.
The tenderloin was quite good, the meat well prepared, easy to the touch of the knife and pleasing but the accompaniments quite dull. My adventure with the trout wasnt quite as positive. The fish was a bit too "fishy" and a cilantro sauce (which I presumed would jazz up the dish) was missing in action. The green sauce slobbered on the trout had barely a hint of taste. The fingerling potatoes were fine but the net effect was one that didnt excite the palate one bit.
The dessert menu was a bit disappointing too with some very boring and unimaginative chocolate-type dishes. All 4 of them I should say, in what was surely a limited array of options. Stuffed as we were, we got a flourless raspberry chocolate that turned out to be another heavy creation, albeit modest in taste and presentation. This place could certainly invest in a pastry chef.

Bottom Line: C+. Bank offered great promise. Nice decor, service was good (our waitress forgot to refill our glasses, despite the lack of traffic) but she was pleasant and things moved along well. However, the food was a trifle disappointing, especially after a good start.
The check was in the neighborhood of $100 for two. Maybe club Bank might be worth a visit.

Google Maps

frites and belgian ales

Ah...respite !! Went to Brasserie Beck for an excellent dinner. Some of the best French (Belgian) fries I've ever had (perfectly cut and perfectly crisp, parsley dusted and accompanied by a trio of mayo blends). An exhaustive beer list, knowledgeable staff, elegant (and yet at some level very basic) food and a very rich bread pudding to close the deal.

I'm sure I dont have to travel this far to eat well each time. My adventures in Rich-land continue....

Kitchen 64

On a friend's recommendation, we decided to stop by Kitchen 64 on N. Boulevard. Warned of long wait times, we made a Sunday evening visit (which may or may not be a good thing considering the large number of families there). In any event, a wait for a table for 4 was running 30 minutes !! We got lucky with a table for two outside on a muggy evening. The storm clouds slowly gathering strength in the distance made for a pretty sight.
This place was hopping !! All ages seemed to be represented. Next to us a group of young women were celebrating a birthday. Behind us, a family of 6 chowing down burgers. All of this gave an impression that the meal was something to look forward to.
10 minutes pass. The menu, a collection of laminated sheets was now in its second iteration. Something to drink perhaps, a glass of water maybe? Finally, our waitress appears. Um...ok..this place is busy. "Just water please thank you very much". another 5 minutes. The water appears, the waitress disappears. You get the idea. The service was simply shoddy. Being busy is really no excuse.

Finally we order, a cup of gazpacho to start (it is a hot day!) and a pizza each (a little miscommunication I guess, I would have ordered a sandwich just for variety if I'd known my companion was getting a pizza :)). Mmmm...Thin crust. This should be good. The menu is rather extensive and very basic stuff - a lot of sandwiches, burgers, salads and entrees. Having had a late lunch, we decided to skip the heavy looking pastas and lasagnas (good choice in retrospect as we spied a huge plate loaded with a monstrous slice of lasagna making its way to the next table).
The gazpacho was chunky! Like salsa. Being a bit of a smooth/pureed-gazpacho person, I was quite curious and actually did some research on this, coming across an essay by Alice B Toklas on the subject
http://www.soupsong.com/ftoklas.html.
Anyways, this gazpacho wasnt very good. The chunkiness may have been a part of it but the tomatoes didnt taste very fresh and the overall effect made me quite queasy.
Portions sizes are HUGE !! Plates laden with large burgers and fries passed us by and we looked on in amazement. Perhaps the draw of this place is the quantity of food to price.

Our pizzas arrived built in pretty much the same fashion. Absolutely overloaded with toppings. The effect was one of being full just on sight. Where did the kitchen arrive at this concept?
My toppings were chicken, onions, roasted peppers and mushrooms. A single bite of this heavy slice was enough to tell me that this should have been in the oven longer. (btw, I did corroborate this by baking my leftover pizza for 10 minutes the next day. Verdict: Somewhat better than this awful agglomeration of toppings). Yes, I could have sent it back but there were portions that were done and others that werent and sticking it back in the oven in toto wasnt going to help.
The second pizza was marginally better with tomato, basil and mozarella - a classic favorite but even this one had what were almost, slabs, of mozarella and soggy tomato slices. How can one possibly ruin a basic margherita pizza? What a comedown from a place like 2 Amy's. Yes, of course this isnt a pizzeria but.....
Somewhere towards the end the meal, our helpful waitress stops by to inquire if wanted red pepper flakes or fresh parmesan. Why? thank you but we're almost done. Could we get some water please, when you get a chance? Dessert, nope. We're out of here.
Do the patrons of this restaurant feel like they're getting a great deal on so much food for cheap? Sandwiches for under $10 (entrees marginally higher). Our meal came to $20-$30 with tip.

Bottomline: Very unsatisfactory. C-. We may have ordered wrong so I am perhaps prepared to pay this place a second visit. Besides, we didnt try any of the interesting looking entrees and stuck to the rather simple stuff. Maybe they're good. But this place disappointed on every metric. The decor-very basic, generic restaurantish. Why are people flocking to this place?

Kitchen 64: 3336 North Boulevard, Richmond VA 23230 Google Maps.

Millie's

Millie's Diner was chronologically the first place that we visited in the fair city of Richmond and is apparently somewhat of an institution.
A good southern brunch is what we were promised and delivered!
This is a place that will receive multiple visits and not just because of its proximity to where I live. So a "review" will have to wait. For now, I just write that the food was simple and good. Basic brunch menu, sandwiches etc. Service was ok.
Plus: refils on mimosas and bloody mary's while you wait. Our wait for brunch on a sunday morning was around 20-30 mins. My second mimosa had more OJ than champagne and negated my first one which had more champagne than OJ :)...so it all evens out I guess.

Price: brunch for two with the famous mimosas while we waited ran to under $30.

Millie's Diner: 2603 E Main St, Richmond, VA 23223 Google Maps.

The Unlucky Buddha

Wandering by Shockoe Slip, we chanced upon the Lucky Buddha and a pan-Asian menu seemingly worthy of a visit beckoned. The place was rather empty during our Saturday visit at 7:30 pm for dinner. Apparently, its patrons favor the lounge to the restaurant. Perhaps they knew something we didn’t.
A sea of red welcomed with walls draped in scarlet. Bamboo wall fixtures and and large eponymous statues tried hard to scream Asia. Mood lighting lent the place a pleasing hue and after being led to our rather wide table, we were quite excited about the menu ahead.
The beverage menu had a long list of (delectable looking) cocktails that we eschewed in favor of a mojito and a glass of tropical sake-inspired sangria to complement our meal. Served in pint sized glasses, our drinks were pleasant if somewhat diluted. Be prepared for weak drinks !!
The appetizer had the list of usual suspects – edamame, rolls, dumplings etc. A tuna tartare with scallions, avocado and carrots etc. caught our eye (Yes, I know we picked it, but do all restaurants have to have a tuna tartare?). It was good except that the dish had rather huge chunks of each ingredient. This kind of precluded the optimal melding of the ingredients and detracted somewhat from the taste.
For the main course, we had the rainbow trout and the stir fried chicken. The trout arrived topped with almonds atop a bed of the optional sides (wasabi mashed potatoes, shiitake mushroom risotto). Not only was the fish rather dull (overwhelmed by a ton of almonds) but the sides were nothing to write home about either.
The wasabi mashed potatoes, which have turned out to be somewhat of a staple announcing “pan-Asian”-ness were quite possibly the most insipid smashing together of the spicy condiment with cold potatoes we ever tasted. The risotto was rather tasteless as well. The net effect was one of extreme blandness.
The mango chicken stir fry with onions, peppers, lotus root, sugar snap peas and peanuts was moderately better (it really is hard to screw up a stir fry !!). But the brown rice was dry and was only rescued by the sauces from the stir fry.
Portion sizes were large and we plodded along rather disappointed.

Service was good. Our waiter hit the basics - was friendly and helpful with the menu, food was brought out promptly and in sequence and our water glasses never went empty.
At the end of the meal, we were quite stuffed and didn’t opt for dessert, which ran all of 3 options long – all with some form of chocolate in them. None of them looked particularly inviting especially if one looks to a dessert to lend the finishing coda of the meal. We were informed that this changes every now and then.

The check came to around $60 including a drink for each of us, the aforementioned appetizer and an entrée each.

PS: We later found out that the LB validates parking in the deck across the street.

Bottom Line: The obvious lounge decor lends itself to a pleasant ambience and while the menu looks enticing, we found the food was rather uninspired and lacking in the taste department. The tuna tartare rescued the Lucky Buddha to a grade of C (quite possibly a C-). Weak drinks aside, the lounge might be worthy of a visit but the dinner can definitely be skipped here.

Lucky Buddha - 1421 E Cary Street, Richmond VA 23219 Google Maps

The taxman !!

Food in Richmond restaurants is taxed at 11% !! And I thought DC at 10 % was excessive. How does this incentivize dining out?

Which of course brings up the age old question: Should one Tip on the post- or pre- tax amount of the check?