The Best of RVA Foodie

This may reek of self-importance, but I really just wanted to take stock of my blog's year and remember the good times. These are the posts that I think were most appreciated (or should have been). And since I think lots of people don't wanna sift through the baby pics and social commentary, I'll focus on the food posts (although every political prediction I made this year came true). Really, this post is to make up for the fact that my blog buries each entry after a couple weeks, never to be seen again). Let this serve as an easy reference for 2008 at Caramelized Opinions. I hope you enjoy it. I did. (and yes, the list is long, but I swear it's less than 5% of my posts from the year)


The Best of RVA Foodie's 2008

We Don't Belong at Verbena: Some folks wanted a more definitive opinion with this story. What can I say? You take the good. You take the bad. You take them both. And there you have, the facts of life.

Celebrating Richmond Restaurants: Broad Appetit sure was a big success. I wrote about nearly every bite, but the event didn't need my attention, which freed me up to pig out.

Richmond's Best Samosas: The debate didn't really get going, but it rages on in my mind.

Eating Well on a Budget: Mjadara: This may be a guest blog entry, but it's one of my favorite foods and it should be yours too.

Whole Fish (baked in salt) on Turkey Day: I'm so glad I tried this and I'm glad that I documented it.

Introducing Darling Octopus: This isn't a food related post, but giving Karen's freelance design gig some business would put food on our table.

Fickle Freakout at Farouks: This place has been stinking it up so long, I'm really hoping that my feeble attempt at feedback contributes to some kind of change over there.

Whole Foods in Five Parts, by Bike and Car: Everyone talked about the arrival of this grocery store. Probably none more than me, or in quite the same fashion.

Lactation Cookies Really Work: Well, that's what Karen says. They don't work on boys. I should know. I ate enough of them to nearly nurse Jasper.

My Famous Grilled Tomato Salsa: Now, it's your recipe too.

Black Sheep was a Star in 2008: I hate bandwagon jumping, but I'm glad I made an exception for Black Sheep.

Discovering Rowlands Brunch: This one is significant for two reasons...1) Potato latkes from heaven and 2) My picture wound up in Richmond Mag's Dine insert.

Lulu's/deLux/Tarrant's: It wasn't until Piet starting pointing out the homogeneous nature of Richmond's new restaurants, that I realized that I'd previously lumped them together in one dismissive post.

Finally, Decent NY Style Pizza (with a smile): Tarrantino's pizza kicks ass. Crunchy crust, spicy sauce, stringy cheese. Eat it hot! I'm just sayin'. (Arriana's is runner up, since there hasn't been any drama with that wing of the Piccola/MaryAngela franchise).

The Month of March: This was my most productive and significant month of blogging (Bacchus, Bayless, Cajun Bangkok, and bicycles just for starters).

Macarons and Madness at the Market: You just have to read this if you haven't already. I'm calling this one my proudest moment in blogging in 2008 (oh, besides Jasper's birth).

Breaking the Trader Joe's news: Even though not everyone is wowed by TJ's, it's still a big deal for the region and I was glad to be a part of the hype machine.

Preaching (not practicing) Weight Management: I started the year telling everybody how to lose weight. In the end, I think I gained 5 lbs. But, hey. What do you expect from someone who gave himself the nickname "foodie"?

Creative Date Night on the Cheap: A quick list of places to go for an informal night out.

Middle Eastern Food Cluster-post: From the debut of the Phoenician fantastic falafel to the Mediterranean Market's cheeses and baba ghanouj and foul mudamas, for me, this year was all about Lebenese, Syrian, and Egyptian fare. Peace.