Caramelized OpiNIONS (aka RVA Foodie)

"Ask the Food Bloggers" Takes on Date-Night

2009-04-16T11:39:00.002-04:00

At EatingRichmond.com, we just debuted an irregular installment that brings together the divergent opinions of Richmond's food bloggers. For the debut, they tackled, "What is your favorite date-night restaurant." As a bonus, comments are enabled in this ER exclusive. Help us define the elements of culinary fore-play. And, float some ideas for future features.

EatingRichmond.com Starts Today

2009-02-26T06:59:00.005-05:00

Food blog readers in Richmond are in for a treat. A few of us have gotten together to launch a compilation of local food blogs at www.eatingrichmond.com. This new site will enable cooking/eating hobbies in a major way. But, it's as much for bloggers as it is for blog readers.

Gordon Ramsey: I've got your menu, but for the life of me, - I don't know where to start. It's 23 pages long, man! For Christ's sake, pare it down. Your customers are drowning in choices. Bollocks."

Am I the only one who's got Gordon Ramsey in my head, berating me 24/7. Did his caustic Kitchen Nightmares show give me post traumatic stress disorder? The popularity of food blogging in Richmond has been evident on RVABlogs for a long time. There's nearly enough food flying around on there daily to support a local online foodie magazine and the culinary posts net a lot of clicks. Personally, a great deal of my traffic came from Ross Catrow's stellar aggregator (so, I should probably ask him to swap out my old URL for my new one). Among the nearly 400 blogs, some of the food bloggers were clearly touching a nerve with their critiques and recipes. While I've really enjoyed my hobby of throwing my thoughts into such a large and diverse collection, sometimes my most proud food posts got lost in the shuffle, and I was too often tempted by the popularity contest that takes place on the "popular posts" list. Nonetheless, RVABlogs, in my point of view, is clearly the primary inspiration for this new niche site, and it'll probably continue to be my primary local alternative media vice.

So, for my own sake, I wanted to see all the food posts all together and on EatingRichmond.com you'll find fifteen of those bloggers aggregated together. I'm sure you'll recognize some and others may be new to you. Either way, now you can get your arms around it all on one screen, so dig in: www.eatingrichmond.com (is that better, Gordon?) Whether the blog posts are gossipy or informative, personally, I'll be breathing a sigh of relief. No longer will I feel obligated to blog about food (although that's clearly what my readers prefer - personally, politricks and baby pics just happen to compete for my mental space). Now, I actually won't be obligated to blog at all (my life is exponentially crazier right now than most any time I can remember). It's a blogger's bailout. An infusion of socialism (not really - rugged individualism will probably win out among the food bloggers). Nonetheless, there are plenty of more experienced and informed people than me in this town sharing their culinary knowledge on a daily basis. EatingRichmond.com is a tribute to their past and future online contributions. Chances are, you will find yourself enriched in some way each time you set mouse into one of their humble cyber abodes.

So, with that, I leave you in the good care of www.eatingrichmond.com

Jason/RVA Foodie

ps: Yes, my wife, Karen, worked on the graphic design (her freelance gig: Darling Octopus Design). She's also a food blog junkie as you'll notice if you check out her Twitter posts. We'll probably be taking advantage of her kindness for some time to come. There are lots more pretty bells and whistles on our wish list (like the obviously missing food porn), but all good things in time, right? For now, I hope people just enjoy seeing this site do what it does: make you hungry and never at a loss for recipes or restaurant suggestions.

The New RVA Foodie Site

2009-02-20T23:56:00.003-05:00

I'm going to start using this site, which is based on a Wordpress platform, which I'm probably going to be tweaking for some time to come. But, for the meantime, this URL isn't going to be good much longer. When I figure out how to redirect it, I'll do that. In the meantime, you'll find me (and all of my old content and ongoing discussions) here:

http://www.rvafoodie.com

ps: If you want to help me test the new site, please pop by and leave a comment. It'll help me get the ball rolling in this new direction.

FREE: A Reason to Watch Fighting

2009-02-20T07:38:00.008-05:00

Mixed Martial Arts (or "UFC") is usually relegated to pay per view for $44.95 (higher for HD), a price I'm not willing to pay (big surprise there). Some of you are fans, others kinda curious, and most probably happy that the violent sport is not in front of your face (or your kids' faces) very often. Well, on Saturday the 20th, there are two chances to watch two live events for FREE. A bargain, if you ask me.

On Saturday night, the UFC 95 event in London will be tape-delayed for American primetime (hence why it's FREE) if you get the Spike Network on cable. Some interesting match ups are scheduled, including a strident Republican (Chael Sonnen) taking on Damien Maia, one of the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu submission fighters in the game. Both are in title contention, headed for a date with a guy called "The Spider." I was a sucker for WWF drama as a kid. To heck with skill, gimme sub-text!

Then there's the main event: Joe "Daddy" Stephenson who became a dad at age 17 and one day wants to be a teacher, but figures he'll pursue that once his fighting career peters out - a really likable, if hapless, ball of muscles. He's up against Diego "The Nightmare" Sanchez, a born again woo-woo who belts out Tony Robin's style affirmations while bringing his mean temper to bear on his opponents (Karen thinks Jasper Diego was named after some left-wing painter, but really it's the ultimate fighter - j/k). Diego is going to sweat out 30 lbs before he fights (has to make 155lb limit for his first time). That's a lot of holy ghost power that may leave him depleted come fight time . Should be interesting. Another spectacle is Josh Koscheck (pictured), a bad boy seemingly plucked from the Cobra Kai dojo in The Karate Kid. Strangely, his sneering, two tone hair, and brash attitude is starting to grow on people (cuz it pairs nicely with his masochism).

If this whole arrangement sounds a tad unethical, that could be because the UFC has a bit of a stranglehold on the MMA market. Maybe you'd prefer to support the local promotion. At George Mason's Patriot Center there's a great fight card taking place on Saturday night. The Ultimate Warrior Challenge is showcasing really talented fighters (including females) who aren't quite ready for the big time. This is kind of a misnomer, because some have been to the big time and are trying to get back there, while others are totally deserving, but there just isn't much room at the top (in the UFC) with MMA's current level of popularity (and illegality in some states). If you can't visit the DC metro area to watch the UWC, you can watch the live stream for FREE at www.Sherdog.com. Levon Maynard (pictured) is fighting too. You might remember him from the time that I covered a story for a MMA blog who sponsored the VA Beach based fighter. A really swell guy. I'll be rooting for him for sure.

Well anywho, that's my hobby - the only sport I take an interest in (aside from Top Chef) shared with you. Enjoy.

-----------------------

*for an economic perspective, check out NPR's Marketplace coverage

*these two events do seem to be airing at the same time, but there are ways of watching the London event live during the day (or you can tivo it). I'm not going to say too much about the strategy that saves you a flight to London. But, justin.tv is a good place to start your research.

Creecy Greens, Two Ways*

2009-02-19T09:07:00.006-05:00

Watercress is a bitter green, like mustard greens, or nasturtium leaves, but they're also thick, like collards or kale. And they're spindly, like arugula. Does this sound good? Well, it is. You just gotta be brave and you gotta work. Today was my first time cooking with the stuff, so feel free to throw out my preliminary conclusions. For instance, another drawback is the preparation. For my purposes, I took the leaves off the stems - a real pain since they're small, and there's not a lot of leaf on each stem, and the stems are all tangled up in this spiderweb of tendrills that connect at a knot that sends the root down. No wonder they were $1.50/lb at the 17th Street Farmers Market.

So, you've got to rinse them good, since all their intricacies tend to mingle around in the dirt before you buy them (actually, they're kinda water-dwelling plants). Then, I spent about an hour de-stemming the things. It took so long largely because I was watching Jasper, singing/dancing for him, trying to get him to eat his dinner. As for the adult food, I had to use up some watercress that I came across by accident (see the previous post). A commenter, "M," gave me a link to watercress soup and watercress hummus from a Scottish food blog. I made both, and I still have some of the greens left over.

This is what was going on at my feet while I prepped the greens. He doesn't walk yet, but he's all about pulling himself up and "cruising." While I cooked, Jasper fussed and tore sh*t up, but he didn't bonk his head once. Instead, he's learning to carefully lower himself down. Who taught him that?

"Is somebody talking about me?"

Does this even look like the same baby as the picture above?. We couldn't pick between the two pictures. That's why you've got both of'em here... Jasper, two ways? Okay, back to the "greens party."

While I simmered some (previously sauteed) celery, onions, and potatoes in stock, I pulsed my watercress in the foodpro. After tossing it in the soup, I hit the pot with the immersion blender to smooth out the veggies. It's a really easy soup, except for the de-stemming and the baby juggling. It reminds me of the "Gumbo Z" at The Black Sheep, another soup chock-ful-o-greens (and really tasty).

The color doesn't pop in this picture. I wanted it to be green on white and more vibrant, but the base here is kinda yellow. I peeled my potatoes (not my usual style), but the onions might have browned a little and fond probably developed on the bottom of the pan. I'm thinking the color might come from my veggie stock (I always use this "better than bouillon" stuff from Kroger). Or maybe it's that I blended the greens into the soup base (duh). Getting past the looks of the soup, the flavor is surprisingly LOUD. I didn't use much salt (the bouillon, again?), so it had to be the greens. You could taste the watercress - kinda sour and bitter and because it had diffused into the broth and pureed potatoes, the flavor mellows and fills your mouth. The greens don't really cook a whole lot when you stir them in fresh and then simmer for only five minutes. Another reason for their pungency. Karen and I both scraped the bowl clean.

With some of the remaining raw, food processed watercress I made watercress hummus. Basically, all you have to do is stir it into the hummus and it's done (yes, this some store-bought stuff). My thought? Watercress ruins some perfectly good hummus. But, if you stop thinking about the dip as hummus, and think of it as a tart, spreadable multi-vitamin, then I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. That piece of bread came from a fresh loaf purchased from Williams Bakery (the one way out on Chamberlayne in Mechanicsville, where I picked up some used Britax carseats from a Craigslister). Karen got a variety box of their sweets on Valentine's Day. Ya see? Plenty of good came out of that holiday for the foodies.

Update: I forgot to pour out some truffle oil for Fabio, the most recent Top Chef to get sacked. He fought valiantly... for his mama, for his country, and for the loot. But, you just can't fake the southern style, especially if you're a Euro.

Update #2: It seems that my "watercress" may actually be "creecy greens", a weedy version of the refined product that is at somewhat related to watercress.

Palate Cleanser

2009-02-18T19:39:00.003-05:00

This is a palate cleanser to wipe the slate clean from all the blogger drama.

I meant to take Jasper's picture pushing this wheely thing, but he stopped and played my favorite game with me. Oh, and I accidentally had the camera on video mode, so it's sideways by accident. Haven't I done that before?

Train Wreck Brunch: Valentine's Delay

2009-02-16T11:26:00.002-05:00

When the day after Valentine's Day came, Karen and I were excited. The grandparents were taking Jasper for a few hours, leaving us time to go out for brunch and then some much needed alone time at the house. Being fans of Millie's, we decided on Lulu's, the sister restaurant to Richmond's brunch mecca (and we'd never been in before). (**I want to spoil it and tell you that our meal was bad times and they waved the whole bill, so this isn't one of those irresponsible blogger beefs. It's just a wash. Sometimes a restaurant's most loyal customers are people who've been burnt, then complained, and were taken care of, and kept coming back. That might be us, if we're ever able to go out for meals regularly again**)

The whole thing started badly because Karen and I were kinda butting heads over the scheduling of our tiny allotment of time (my fault for being really wound up about my grad school paper deadlines). Even after finding a great parking spot by the 17th Street Farmers Market, we had a tiny black cloud over us. Not how we wanted to spend our deferred V-day. From outside, we could see that the place was packed and we worried that we'd have to go somewhere else. But, a spot opened and we got a seat in the middle of the busy-ness. We admired the details of the place, the two toned wood grain tables, clever ceiling fans, and the island of booths. Lulu's looks like a great hang out, for eating or drinking.

On the menu, I didn't see any sides to order ahead to snack on (like you'd find at Can Can), but everything came with potatoes (like you WON'T find at Can Can), so we were both starting to get happy although really hungry. Karen ordered the petite fillet with poached eggs and asparagus and hollandaise and I got the... what else? Huevos rancheros (none of the frittatas were veggie, so I couldn't compare Lulu's with Richmond's abysmal frittata scene). There were some other interesting specials, but they'd already sold out of them by 1pm.

After some awkward moments, we made small talk about Jasper (he'd captivated us at dinner the previous night when he laughed, which made us laugh, which made him laugh, and he worked a call and response routine for almost 10 minutes to everyone's delight). Then we launched into an unexpected discussion about our dream kitchen renovation: a reworking of our entire livingroom/diningroom/kitchen first floor. The result would be more like a "great room" for cooking and hanging out with the old kitchen space serving as the pantry of our dreams and a corner booth dining nook. We got so excited about the fantasy, I took notes down about every detail in my phone for future reference. Does anyone know a cheap home makeover pro? Oh, and we're also gonna need about $20k. I promise I'll blog about the whole process if you all paypal me that money ;0)

When we came out of the exciting conversation, we realized it had been about 45minutes since we'd ordered and the place was really thinning out. I made eye contact with our server enough times that she came over and apologized, saying she'd bring us some toast to hold us over (um... coulda used that 30 minutes ago - stomach complaining to brain complaining to whichever organ makes one cranky). The table next to us said their food took over an hour.

By this point, the server just hung out at the spot where the food is supposed to come out of the kitchen, throwing stressed out glances our way. Karen and I were trying our best not to think about the fact that our precious little "alone time" (on Valentine's day, you get the drift) was being traded in for this waiting game. We checked in with each other and felt helpless that our briefly sunny dispositions were hiding behind the clouds again. The server, a really nice woman, actually, kept popping by to apologize.

Eventually Karen's steak and eggs came out. It was stacked: meat, eggs, sauce, and two tiny asparagus spears laying across the top. Those green twigs were more of a garnish than a side. The steak was less than a half inch thick. I guess when I thought of petite, I figured it would be smaller cut of fillet mignon, but still thick. She'd ordered it medium, but it was well done - cooked all the way through (probably because it was so thin to begin with). Karen ate with little enthusiasm and I just had to sit there and watch. It was another 10-15 minutes before my dish came out and we were both getting exponentially surly. Can you see this leading to good alone time, if there would be any time at all?

When my huevos finally came out, the server apologized again saying she'd buy us desert (we declined because we had some pastries at home that we were looking forward to). Then I kinda cut her off and pointed out the steak and asparagus issues and she wanted to make it up to us and I think I said that we kinda wish we hadn't come there to eat, sounding likewise apologetic and defeated. The server, Karen, and me all frowning and crestfallen. It was a sorry sight. I tore into the beany eggs and we both ate in silence.

Time out for the upside. The potatoes rocked. They wore the tastiest grease I've had at brunch in long time. My huevos had a delicious pico de gallo and every fresh tomotoey bite popped with acid and cilantro. I tried to heap praise and elevate the mood at the table, but we were kinda in a rut by then. Karen hates conflict, so I'm always the one to assert myself in these situations. If I sound like a jerk, well don't worry. I felt like one, even though Karen agreed with my speaking up about our dissatisfaction. But, we both agreed that the coffee was nice and strong. Trying to focus on the positive now.

As we finished eating, I was going over in my head how to approach the bill. I was treating, but I didn't feel like we should be paying for one of the entrees. I mean, I couldn't take it out of the tip. It wasn't likely our server's fault and withholding the gratuity on $25 wouldn't really be much of a trade-off. When the server came by I started to ask her how to handle it, preparing to negotiate some kind of compromise. To my surprise, she said she was not going to charge us for the meal. I was astounded, Karen breathed a sigh of relief (no Jason tantrum in the restaurant during our supposed romantic dining out). I thanked the nice lady and that was that.

Minutes later, Karen is still nibbling her potatoes cuz they're really freakin' good. I looked in my wallet and I have no money. I'd intended to pay with a card. How do I tip with my credit card if there's no bill to pay? Damn. With Karen's permission, I run out of the Lulu's to the ATM on Main Street - really sprinting with huevos and frijoles bouncing around in my belly. When I took out a twenty, the ATM asked permission to charge me $3 on top of whatever my bank 's service fee is. "Do you agree to this charge?" Um, is it negotiable? Grrrr! Not interested in tipping $20, I bought two pounds of fresh water cress from the produce vendor on the corner (no idea what I'll do with'em).

Back in the restaurant, there are only a few tables left. Karen is still pecking at her plate. People, she eats like she tweets (140 bites per meal - plug for Karen's Corner over there on the right). I put a bulging plastic bag down on the table, turning a few heads. It seemed awkward to walk out without paying, but it's also weird to spend almost two hours having brunch. I leave $5 on the table, which probably confirms most of my readers' suspicions that I'm not just frugal, but inappropriately cheap (whatever, I spent the rest of the day kicking myself for not leaving double that since the server advocated for us and we ended up not paying). The stars just alligned in a way that made me extra-miserly.

In the end, I figure that bad tippers and burnt customers is the cost of doing a booming business for Lulu's and for our server. They made a shitload of money that brunch service. When quantity goes up, quality goes down. When demand is high, supply can dry up and people get pissed off. On this day, we drew both of those unlucky cards from the dining-out deck. But, I don't have any bad feelings. Lulu's is successful for good reason. I'll probably go back one day, but considering our limited opportunities, less popular places just got bumped up in my queue.

Valentine's Dinner on the Cheap (reposted)

2009-02-13T09:33:00.004-05:00

Not sure where to go for your Valentine's Day meal out? Most of my recommendations from last year are still in business.* I can't do up a new blog post just now, so you have to check out that link (not really a repost, I know). It can also serve as general cheap date night suggestions. I would also add Momotaru, the new sushi in Carytown, to that list (my mini write-up is here and touches on a few other relative bargains). Of course, the issue of personal finance is certainly relevant. To me, cooking at home seems like the most appropriate maneuver, if the economy has you taking evasive action.

However... Karen and I deserve a little romance. So, we are going to avoid the Valentine's Day fuss (both the restaurants and the baby) by going out for lunch on Sunday. We haven't even discussed where to eat yet. All we know is that grandma is going to watch the baby. If you have any suggestions for us, please speak up. Proximity to an hourly rate hotel is a plus ;0).

Enjoy the weekend. I'll be spending every waking hour writing about incentive-based motivation theories of public management. Oh joy!

*Did Taqueria del Sol go under? What happened?

Kinda/sorta Breaking Up with Blogging

2009-02-10T11:43:00.009-05:00

Friends, I'm holding back on some really choice blog topics... but not by choice (it's not you, it's me - insert complaint about grad-school overextendedness here). Basically, I've decided to see other people besides Blogspot. To sow my wild oats, I'm electing to micro-blog on Twitter haphazardly. Brevity isn't my strong point, as you know. But, that's how it's got to be for now. There will still be break-up and make-up blog posts with reckless abandon. So do keep an eye on this space, even if only to check in on Karen's Corner (on the right there - you all are seeing that, right?).

I still can't seem to get the Twitter updates for both Karen and me to run simultaneously as Blogger gadgets (any techies out there, please help!). Otherwise, you'd see my Twitter updates on the right hand side as well. Hopefully soon... (HEY, IT'S FIXED. THANKS MARINARA MAN!)

Anywho, here's what you'll be missing cuz I can't allow myself to blog to my heart's content:

A rant about (blech) Panera Bread
Highlights of my email exchange with Peter Reinhart
An internal battle of epic proportions over Ellwood's new coffee shop
My attempt at duplicating Chef Andy's Mediterranean Shortstack
Where to find the cheapest walk-in yoga - a discussion post
DIY mental healthcare: aka Dr. Weil's 4-7-8 relaxation breath
Cedar plank fish experiement (i.e., next time don't use frozen fish)
Best and worst meals with Jasper ever: both at P.F. Changs, of all places
More pizza stone sleuthing

This is less than a week's worth of posts, some already partially written. I had 164 blog entries last year. I'm sure you all know that I won't be able to stay away.

Pugs + Babies + Mud = ?

2009-02-07T11:27:00.013-05:00

This pug got his mug all up in the camera, while others planted sloppy wet kisses on our baby. Their paws spread mud all over Jasper, Karen, and me. (I think the dog's name was Oscar. Hard to tell with over 20 pugs stampeding around Barker's Field.

This four month old pug was overwhelmed by everything, except Jasper.

Some people bring non-pugs. It's a free world.

By this point, you're probably noticing how good pugs are with babies. This is an incomplete picture. Pugs have many unappealing idiosyncrasies. I don't want to enable breed fetishes by promoting pug propaganda (but damn, we love our pug).

This fawn pug (means beige) was as soft as a $50 teddy-bear.

For those keeping score at home, the black one on the left with the green harness is Frankie Poo Bubbas.

Previously mentioned pug mug hamming it up.

We all had to get changed after this romp.

The outting wasn't perfect. Jasper wanted a nap really badly. That basically means he was looking for anything to nurse on. Right on time, the pugs offered their tongues.

It's Baby Picture Time

2009-02-07T07:19:00.014-05:00

I hope you're ready for baby pictures. Jasper may not be everyone's favorite blog topic, ~~but my family calls the shots around here last time I checked,~~ so let's get these over with all at once. You might even learn something. At least one food bargain is referenced in here too.

Tight bros, chillaxin'.*
Today, they're both going to make mad mayhem at the pug meet-up
(Jasper's first, Frankie's twentieth - they're herding animals, you know)

Jasper is "a big stand up man." Gettin' vertical has been his favorite thing since maybe he was six months old. But, it's kinda hard to photograph, cuz he you gotta have your hands ready to catch him.** Now he's "cruising" on anything he can get his hands on and giving dirty looks when you act like he's gonna fall (which he does all the time).

Look out Tim Kaine, Jasper has stolen your raised eyebrow shtick.
(this is his new play area upstairs, by the way)

Yellow pepper and shaved fennel pizza, slightly overdone. Trader Joe's herb pizza dough kinda killed the subtlety of the fennel.
Hey! We got the most gigantic organic fennel bulb at Kroger for $2.69. They're usually tiny, non-organic, and $2.99 or more. We've used it in five dishes so far and still going.

This is Frankie's spot on the couch, where he looks out the window. He won't give it up no matter how often Jasper uses him for drum, or pulls on his ears.

I didn't show you lots of xmas pictures, probably because Jasper had to get dressed up in corny clothes. But that didn't dampen his excitement. This big furry toy came from BJ's and it inspires a wild-child wrestling style from Jasper.

You might have thought Regency mall was dead, but actually it's been taken over by babies. We found this one (on the right) to be very approachable. He and Jasper took turns patting each other on the arm and then kinda shoving each other until they both nearly tumbled off the couch - but Karen caught them.

The baby foodie spies his future toys. Actually, he plays with these every time he does a drive-by in his jeep. Sorry for the product placement.

Jasper's eating disorder: requiring two hands to get his puffs in his mouth. This was taken a while back. He uses his fingers instead of his whole hand now. His latest thing is dropping the food on the floor for the dogs.

*this word should not exist
**Much to Karen's design disapproval, out of focus pics is the best I can do these days.

Breakfast and Wifi on the D.L.

2009-02-05T08:52:00.006-05:00

I'm sitting here in a booth at Aunt Sarah Pancake House on W. Broad, by The Phoenician. Sometimes, I have to go into hiding like this to make the world slow down for minute, get some school work done, and some work work too. The FREE WIFI sign has been attracting me for a long time now. Whenever I do this thing, playing hooky from work, I can never seem to figure out where to sit down and be productive for 2-3 hour stretches. I could stay home, but Jasper and I tend to distract each other (even while grandpa is doing sitter duty). Anywhere near VCU is parking prohibitive and swarming with students. The Black Sheep has no wifi. Do you all have any suggestions?

In the meantime, let's take a look a little closer at my surreal setting. We've got CNN on one TV and FoxNews on the other. The table looks all sticky. It's not, but the tri-fold menu is. I can hardly wrap my mind around the choices. Sadly, no huevos rancheros. The place is non-smoking. So, that improves the air quality and reduces the griminess. Remember those stained glass lamps that Ruby Tuesdays smashed in their commercials, making a big deal about their long overdue redesign? I think they got handed down to Aunt Sarahs.

Can you tell I haven't been in a big chain greasy spoon in a long time? I've got so many good memories about breakfast food at Ihop (childhood), Denny's (high school), and Shoney's (college). This visit requires an indulgent trip down memory lane. As you may have noticed in past posts, I love biscuits and gravy. The stuff appears in multiple locations on the laminated pop-up book of a menu. To make sense of the whole thing, I narrowed my choices to the 6am-10am specials (simply can't pass up a sale). And there it was at the bottom, "Sizzlin Skillet with biscuits and gravy, two eggs and choice of potato" for $5.99. Well, I planned to go to the gym today anyhow. Let's do it.

The last skillet meal I had was at Cafe Rustica. So, that probably put an unrealistic expectation in my mind (more of a mental image than a real belief ab out what I was going to be served). I asked the server if they could do my gravy without sausage and I saw a little twinkle in her eye before she said, "Sure thing, baby." It's not really that big of a deal what they had to do to accommodate me. I know there's bacon grease in that gravy. It's probably on my coffee cup too. And the cook probably just poured the gloppy white goodness through a slotted spoon before putting it into my skillet. Whatever. I didn't ask them if they have GimmeLean or Morningstar Farms.

Within five minutes my breakfast arrives; a silver tin pan (not a cast iron skillet) resting in a wooden cozy. There's no sizzle. I touch the pan. It's not hot. My mound of white gravy sits atop two halves of an english muffin, not biscuits. The potatoes are thin previously frozen disks, and the eggs over easy are... perfect, of course. If you're reading this thinking that I'm trying to tear Aunt Sarah's a new one, then I must have faked you out with my wind-up. Mediocrity can be a thing of beauty.

There was nothing especially good about the gravy, or the potatoes, and what can you say about two made to order eggs? But I wouldn't site any shortcomings either, just trade-offs. The privacy, the TVs, the Wifi, the six refills on my coffee before I'd finished eating and writing this... plus a disturbingly full belly all for under $10? Why was I asking for suggestions about other work-day getaways? Not quite sure, but I welcome your input nonetheless.

Wait, didn't I say I came here to do some work? Doh!

The Debut of Karen's Corner

2009-02-03T08:49:00.003-05:00

I've said that I was gonna blog less and I've done anything but. Can you tell I have a grad school paper due? Luckily, help is on the way. No, Karen won't be filling in for me (well, not completely). She's not keen on writing, being a graphic designer (hit up her freelance website, Darling Octopus Designs, if you want to support her true talent). The news is that Karen is beginning to use Twitter. From now on, you'll find her latest 140 character microblog entries, titled "Karen's Corner," in that right-hand column.

Who can name this Richmond glutton's paradise?
(I'm having deja vu. Did I already give this quiz?)

This is really a load off my shoulders. Knowing that Karen is going to be reporting out on her extra-marital food-blog reading lets me breathe a little easier and focus on my studies, child rearing, work, house chores and maybe a little exercise. Between the two of us, our tweets will hopefully keep this site relatively fresh when full fledged blog posts aren't possible. Of course, you can also follow us on Twitter, if you're into that sorta thing. (If any one can help me figure out why blogger won't let me post gadgets for both of our Twitter updates, please let me know. It replaces my tasty tweets with Karen's. )

Now, I don't wanna downplay the significance of this event. You all have mostly heard from Karen through me. The "even better woman" behind this man has largely been silent (except for her birth story). I could tell you all about her creative cooking mind and her incessant planning and her internal radar for locating clearance sections - but I don't wanna spoil the treats that you're in for. Maybe, if you're persistent, we can even get her to correspond in the comments section. Stay tuned.

You Asked for It: Cheap Restaurants

2009-02-02T09:39:00.002-05:00

You might have noticed that I tried to survey my readers to see what kinds of posts you'd like to see more often (comments aren't an accurate indicator). After a month of votes slowly trickling in, the readers' choice is pretty clear: CHEAP RESTAURANTS (four included at the end of this post). I didn't vote, personally, figuring that I've kinda got like a president's veto power thing in this case. But, if I had voted, I'd have called for more cheap eats as well. Unfortunately, I don't know how much dining out I'm gonna be doing this year considering our precarious income situation and the difficulty of containing Jasper's boisterousness. Plus, in the past year, the number of Richmond blogs dedicated to food has increased ten-fold, mostly restaurant focused. And I'm still not sure anyone is really filling Brandon's shoes (my initial influence to blog about food). So, as usual, I gotta be different, and try and set this site apart from the crowd. Please feel free to provide your own data analysis in the comments section (especially considering the larger Richmond and food blog contexts). Regardless, expect more unpredictability, and that includes me turning over some rocks and finding bargain places for you to binge while we're suffering through cabin fever at home.

Your second choice was expensive restaurants. I'm guessing that my stories about fine dining are more for entertainment value than my unqualified opinion. But, those are the real rackets that often need to be scrutinized, whereas cheap places often exceed expectations. So just Paypal my email address with the subject line of the bourgie place you want me to and Karen to go for dinner (and send a sitter over too). Which brings me to a minor regret. I should have asked if you wanted to read good "reviews" or bad ones. The negative reviews get the most hits, but they also get the most angry comments. Plus, positive reviews really help you decide where to go for dinner and what to order. There's so many ways to be useful. I hope to be responsible in the process.

In conclusion, the outcome of this poll is really enlightening for me. I wish I could design this site to suit everyone's needs/tastes. Unfortunately, I'm too temperamental to guarantee any kind of consistency in my future posts. The fact is, i'm gonna blog about what I want and you're gonna like it. I mean, I really do hope that you'll like it. But, that's really a secondary consideration, at this point. I mean, are you gonna ask for a refund? Seriously, though. If you read this site, please feel free to email me with ideas/suggestions/questions (see profile for contact info). Hearing from yall reminds me that it's not just me and WetlandSusie out here.

Now, lemme try to give you enough cheap eats to cross that one off my list for the next few weeks. Here we go with a few very affordable meals I've had recently:

Momotaro Sushi
2803 W. Cary St.

Hold tight for high praise. On my way home from work, I popped into Carytown's newest sushi joint (and the closest to my house) and then called Karen to say that I was bringing home a surprise dinner. The price of the rolls were cheaper than I've seen at a lot of other places, plus they give 10% off if you have a student ID. I ordered very unadventuraously, trying to play it safe, save money, and put off an extravagant meal for dining in. I took home a spicy tuna (we have to try it everywhere), a california roll (not real sushi, but still an important benchmarker), a spicy yellowtail roll (the special of the night), and the momotaro roll (california-like with crab and spicy mayo). Folks, this was some of the best sushi I've had in Richmond (I know, maki rolls aren't sushi, blah blah blah - but it survived the ride home on my bike). The yellow tail was so delicious that Karen was sure they snuck some kind of "deep fried goodness" into the minced fish. We never figured it out, assuming the texture was the sesame seeds. We both really admired the subtle perfection of the spicy sauce added to the fish (same with the tuna). The momotaro didn't feature a lot of crab, but it didn't matter. That spicy and fatty topping together with tender sweet crabmeat was nearly erogenous. I'm going back early and often to help them get off to a good start, since we can't go to that other Momo place in NYC any time soon. (Momotaro is a Japanese folklore hero who's story is a lot like the genesis of the American Superman).

La Palmera
7701 Midlothian Tpk

Best plantains I've ever had. Karen said the chicken in her enchiladas was tastier and more moist than most and the sauce was deep and mole-like. When I told the server that I'm vegetarian, she said she'd throw together some sides that would fill me up "until you don't feel vegetarian." I'm not sure exactly what she meant, but I seriously did overeat. Maybe it was that the horchata was over-sweetened. But, I think the place is a safe bet for lots of authentic Mexican options. Go here and swear off Casa Grande, El Paso, and Mexico restaurant. Even if you're already discerning enough to steer clear of those chains of culinary crimes, La Palmera will deliver at or above your standard for decent Mexican. Plus, Janet from Richmond swore by it in 2007.

Young Bin Restaurant
7437 Midlothian Tpke # B (next to a Marshalls, bonus!)

If I told the whole story of my visit to this place, I'd be revealing too much of my ignorance. Let's just say, I'm vegetarian, don't like kim chi, and I'm not really into very many pickled veggies (although I should learn to love the stuff, cuz they're free with everything here). Korean food may not be for me. But, for the rest of you, Young Bin will probably be a real treat. If you like beef, go there now. The tables around me had platters of steaming meat and a dozen small bowls of accompanying veg. Some dropped the meat in broth, others in lettuce leaf wrappers (so jealous at the sight of this). They were having fun and you probably would too. The highlight for me was the complimentary hot tea. It tasted like brown rice syrup, only hot and appropriately dilute. Mmmm. I'd go back for that. On the way out, I said "go mop sum nee da," (Korean for thank you very much). A useful by-product of my three years of Tae Kwon Do. They've got a little grocery store there too. Take home a big sack of rice, cuz times are tight.

Bacchus for Brunch
Main and Meadow

I hear both Bacchus and Rowland's brunch services are suffering (must be my kiss of death). The best thing about an empty restaurant is not having to feel bad about my high energy wild child spinning around like a top in our booth. I just wanna relay the highlights, cuz it wasn't all good. Eggs baked in tomato sauce for $5 (came with home fries). A great deal (but needed crusty bread instead of dried up corn bread). Karen is more into the egg/tomato combo than I am, but it was big and pretty and tasty. I got a frittata with broccolini, mushrooms, and riccota and it was the size of a medium pizza. It made me ask Karen on the way home, "is there anywhere in Richmond that makes good frittatas?" (feel free to answer that one for me). She responded, "Maybe you're just not into frittatas, Jase." "You like them. Name one that's any good." I'm not going to tell you Karen's answer, cuz you'd think I was ego tripping. But I will say that I don't put big chunks of bland potato in mine, and it's small and concentrated enough that every bite is eventful and cheesy, instead of big gaps of plainness. Bottom line: Bacchus' prices are much better at brunch. Help'em stay open.

Jasper demands a recount!

(this is the face he makes whenever he spots a camera pointing at him. Basically, he wants to put all technological devises in his mouth - after a thorough inspection, of course)

Restaurants Ruined by "Those People"

2009-01-30T09:05:00.013-05:00

Have you ever stopped going to one of your favorite restaurants because it started attracting "the wrong crowd?" Maybe you felt out of place once your spot became home to clientele that were different from you. It happens. Restaurants change to tap into more viable targeted markets and ensure the survival of their business, or maybe the word spreads to different communities creating a tipping point, and sometimes sociological factors make those changes permanent. To be honest, I haven't given this concept much thought. I like going where I stick out like a sore thumb. That uncomfortable out of place feeling is kinda exciting to me. The feeling of presumed "belonging" makes me feel guilty in some way. But, in the larger scheme of things, I probably do follow the birds of a feather and flock together with other young middle class whites. So, let me get on with my reason for this prelude.

The other day, when I was getting my haircut, my barber and I talked restaurants for a minute. I've learned to avoid discussing current events with him and figured food would be a safe topic. I mentioned a nearby place that I liked a lot and he asked me, "Is it run by blacks?"

Um, no.

"Surprised I haven't heard of it."

What if it were run by blacks?

"Well, they got a whole bunch of places now. You remember that seafood place?"

(sigh) Which one is that, Croakers Spot?

"No."

Ya know, Richmond is a pretty segregated place, with black restaurants and white restaurants, just like the barber shops.

"That's true. What's the name of that place? Dang, I can't remember. They had good seafood before it was a black place."

Well, I think some of the best food in town is at restaurants run by black people... and latinos, and...

"I'm sure you're right. But I can't even go to to that seafood place cuz it's over run with blacks." (barber's words in quotes, if you haven't caught on)

So it's just too crowded, you're saying?

"No. I can't enjoy a meal with all those black people ruining it. Red Lobster, that's it!"

My in-laws love that place. It's a national chain. You don't go to any of'em anymore?

"No, sir. Not since the blacks took over. I even went to the one in Fredericksburg and it was the same thing, blacks all over the place."

...mmm...

"The last time I went, there was a whole family of'em in the next booth." (he's looking at me with bulging eyes like he'd just described coming face to face with a grizzly bear while hunting) "The most unruly children you've ever seen."

Yeah, kids can really make a racket in a restaurant.

"But black kids are the worst, I tell ya."

Now, I know this interaction is both sick and comical (but it is an accurate retelling). So, let me give you some background. I've been going to this barber shop on and off for years. The man's racist rant was no surprise on this day, and yet, in the moment, I'm always in denial about what I'm hearing. The haircut is so much more reliable and faster and lower priced than anywhere else, that I keep going back. But, I'm not going to name the place and I may delete comments that do. If I wanted to expose this barbor shop, I really should have done it years ago. At this point, I feel totally complicit. This anecdote was a very mild episode compared to those I've tried to forget. He usually goes off about nigger this and nigger that, with extra special hate speech for Barack Obama. At times I would object (while he's got the straight razor on my neck), and other times I would stop going there for stretches. Now, I don't know if I'd feel right going back at all after bringing this to light.

It's clear enough that he's holding court in his business and so he feels comfortable speaking his mind. I'm guessing that he meets very little resistance when he flaunts his prejudices and uses racial slurs in his shop, but I'll bet plenty of his customers feel the same way and take part, rivaling his enthusiasm with their own bigotry. His customers are almost exclusively white, but loads of them are cops and firefighters and other public servants. Not everyone is cowardly quiet in response, and surely it's only a few who protest openly, because he's so obviously proud of himself when he's maligning people of color. I can't help but think that this anachronistic barber shop is a refuge for Richmond's white racists. Here, behaviors that receive shame and condemnation elsewhere are welcomed and reaffirmed back and forth all day long. Do you think that's far fetched? (please save the comments about who can or cannot use which n-word and how the same kind of stuff goes on at black barber shops, etc)

Looking Out Instead of In

Okay, so enough finger pointing. I started this story with a challenge to look at ourselves and the way we consider certain places to be our domain and others not. It's most obvious, as the barber noted, when a place changes and we are forced to make a decision. I remember when I would hear other white people suggest meeting at the Martini Kitchen and Bubble Lounge at Main and Meadow, even though the food sucked and the drinks were too steep. Now, I never hear the place spoken of among whites, despite it's prominent location. I haven't heard it mentioned once among whites (nor on the blogs) in the couple years since it became popular among middle class blacks.

Richmond is a strange place. Division is one thing, but inflamed polarization on this level is bizarre. Karen was telling me recently that she's struck by the awkward (at best) race relations in Richmond when she gets back from any kind of travel. In December, we were in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn, rarely seeing other white people on the streets or in the subway, which were densely populated by African-Americans. But there weren't any bad vibes, even though we didn't fit in. No, not until she was back home, walking Jasper in a stroller down Meadow Street. Then, in "downtown" Richmond, she draws multiple "what the hell are you doing here" looks. (answer: we live less than two blocks away and this is how you get to the thrift store).* It makes me wanna yell at this town, "Richmond, what the hell is our racial hostility doing here? It's 2009 for Christ's sake!"

*I think the disparity in these two examples (NYC/RVA) has a lot to do with the fact that non-white communities in Brooklyn are thriving and secure, in comparison to Richmond where suffering and economic hardship is decades/centuries old and generally specific to the African-American experience in Richmond.

I'm providing these GIS mapping results to provide a little context of segregation in Richmond, both racial and economic, and to demonstrate the overlap of poverty with blacks and affluence with whites.

Iron Chef Battle Vegan

2009-01-29T09:33:00.006-05:00

Every time I watch Iron Chef, I'm kinda hoping to see "the Chairman" announce the main ingredient as "no animal products may be used in this meal." If you're thinking that would be a nightmare to cook (or to eat), then I've got my work cut out for me in writing this post. From my point of view, dietary limitations should be a welcome challenge for any chef (especially at home chefs), a true test of knowledge and skill (and maybe understanding of ethical and health concerns). For a good cook, vegetarian fare should inspire creativity and a deeper appreciation for the delicious attributes of natural non-sentient ingredients. In other words, if bacon is the go-to ingredient for flavor and texture, that's a one trick pony approach to cooking that neglects a whole world of flavors.

When I toyed with veganism from 1999-2003, I put loads of energy into the popular reenactments of non-vegan staples: nutritional yeast mac'n'cheese, portobello stroganoff, liquid smoke accented collard greens, tempeh chicken salad, etc. Truth be told, I can make all of these look and taste beautifully (so that only the finickiest eaters would turn up their noses). But, I'm left with the nagging suspicion that a truly great cook could do so much more within the confines of a diet free of animal products. Sure, it's not hard to point to the really energetic vegan cookbook authors, and right here in Richmond there are some great veggie meals to be had (did I mention how much I love Ipanema Cafe and Harrison Street Coffee Shop?). But, wouldn't Eric Ripert or Thomas Keller make all of them look like amateurs, even with one arm tied behind their back? Well, now we know the truth...

Great Chefs Cook Vegan , by Linda Long

No they don't (but for this book, they did). Great chefs don't usually cook vegan. In fact, more often than not, most chefs with a household name love to talk trash about vegetarians, and they really tear into the vegans. It's too bad. What is the threat? I mean, who's afraid of an emaciated hippy? (I'm kidding. Vegans come in all shapes/sizes/stereotypes) I've long believed that vegan cuisine offers a challenge to cooks that forces the imagination into new territory because they have to go forth without the crutch of bacon or fish sauce or chicken stock, etc. Maybe that's it: insecurity. Great chefs, please break free from the link sausage chains that bind you and show the public what is possible with non-animal ingredients. You all are the experts, now prove it. Maybe then, vegans can stop ordering bean burritos without cheese from Taco Bell.

Personally, I'm hoping the best cooks in the world will write the ten commandments of vegan cooking and hand them to Anthony Bourdain so he can promulgate the "the Word" to the people (wouldn't that be some deliciously ironic justice?). This book is not written with that kind of goal (reparation for animal exploitation and needless suffering, clogged arteries, and environmental destruction, etc). The author of this book was a photographer for the Vegetarian Journal magazine. If you're not familiar with it, they've really got a lot of integrity, taking no ads, and generally trying to educate the public. That's a good sign, in my view.

The author, it seems, really likes expensive restaurants (or has money to burn) and did loads of leg work making special dietary requests of the chefs at 4 and 5 star restaurants all over the country. The result is a beautifully photographed book, featuring 3-4 courses from 25 different famous chefs. Overall, Great Chefs Cook Vegan will be fairly inaccessible to regular folk who'd like to learn how elite cooks approach meat/dairy/egg free food. For me, the story in the 2-page introduction is more insightful that the three hundred pages of recipes, but I haven't spent much time with the book yet. Upon first glance, it's some really pretentious grub intended to look at home next to Iron Chef-style dishes like truffled foie gras and sea urchin soup vessels. But, what should I expect, but some slight of hand tricks from the culinary equivalent of Sigrid and Roy? (slight of hand implies quickness, when in fact, these are labor intensive recipes that seem to revolve around cauliflower and lean toward side-dishiness)

If you're a fan of any of these top-notch chefs, you'll want to know what they elected to make for this book and how they made it. Well, aside from a full page bio for each chef, there's scarcely more than a sentence from each on the topic of vegan cooking, and not a word about their inspiration or thought process for each of their recipes. Hey! If you're so great, how about a little insight? I'm hoping that closer inspection will reveal some tricks of the trade that home cooks can bust out when working with veggies. But, for the meantime, the stars are these: Thomas Keller, Jean-George Vongerichten, Eric Ripert, Charlie Trotter, Alex Stratta, Anne Quatrano, Cat Cora, Daniel Boulud, David Burke, Gabriel Kreuther, Josef Huber, Jose Andres, Marcus Samuelsson, Matthew Kenney, Michel Nischan, Suzanne Goin, Todd English.

Great Cooks Matter

While I do my best to form a more informed opinion about Great Chefs Cook Vegan, I want to bring your attention toward a food world revolution that may actually touch the lives of more than just the upper crust diners who call ahead to The Inn at Little Washington to order a vegan meal. Around the same time that I picked up this book, I also got my hands on How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman. Not only did Bittman drop this thousand page kitchen bible to rival his version intended for omnivores, he's now promoting a vegan until dinner diet for a healthier lifestyle and planet (see his video excerpt below). The guy is a cooking guru and now he's busting out a thoughtful critique of the world around him, including his past work and ideals. In fact, more and more people are looking for ways to eat less meat, sourcing local ingredients for their homemade meals, and then there's that whole eco-green priority that's showing up on grocery store shelves. Truly great cooks are helping us make sense of our diets with these things in mind.

Tune in next time for part two, where I'll talk about some of my favorite vegetarian cookbooks and maybe some social commentary to boot.

Peanut Chili in the RTD

2009-01-28T10:18:00.005-05:00

In today's Richmond Times-Dispatch, I've contributed a recipe for peanut chili.* There are a few quotes provided and some general food prep/philosophy as well. But, I'm sure you all will have questions? I mean, peanut chili must be a pretty foreign concept. It was for me in 1999 when my mom made it for me during one of her forays into vegetarian/veganism. She'd subscribed to Vegetarian Times magazine** and zero'd in on the recipe included in a story about cooking with nuts. We've both been wild about the stuff ever since. So, please check it out and share your thoughts. In the hard-copy, there's a picture of me with a bad haircut - sure to become a collector's item.

*It seems that the recipe isn't on the RTD website, just the preface. If you're interested, this link is almost word-for-word the same.
** Didn't VT relocate their corporate HQ to Richmond a few years back?

Heaven Layer Dip

2009-01-28T10:16:00.001-05:00

With a big sports-watching weekend upon us, I want to fess up about an irrational weakness of mine. I only watch the Super Bowl so I can hover over the inevitable platter of seven layer dip. I seriously think it's my favorite food in the whole world. I don't know why I find the stuff so satisfying, but I guess there's no accounting for taste. I pride myself on my discernment and appreciation of authentic (tipico) latin cuisine, and yet, I can't get enough of this domestic American football food. Do any of you make this stuff regularly? If so, can I trouble you for some advice? There are plenty of ways to make this dish and it's not REALLY cooking, so I expect even the lurkers and those who only wish they could cook will feel free to let loose and chime in on this.

Three questions:

What are YOUR seven layers?
What order do you layer them and why?
Any other possible regional themes besides southwest? Mediterranen? Middle Eastern?

To stir this pot a little, I'll relay some of my seven layer dip beliefs, since I'm pretty opinionated about this subject. But first, here's a seven layer dip tutorial that will increase your competence (skip it if you feel you're a mensa select level dip maker).

Most versions of this dish start with a layer of canned refried beans on the bottom. This is so common that no one is surprised when they break the first five chips off in the dip and then just scoop the stuff onto a plate (or straight into your mouth with your four cupped fingers, depending on who's watching and how much beer you've had). To loosen up those beans, whip some cheap gooey nacho cheese into them, preferably the spicy stuff. That solves part of the problem, making the beans more pliable. You can get a chip into the dip, but the beans may still stick to the bottom of the pan, causing more chip breakage. Solution: put your seasoned and sauteed fake meat crumbles (or ground beef) on the bottom before the bean layer. You'll need enough to act as a buffer. The "meat" will release from the pan, but stick to the beans. Any left behind will get cleaned up by the next dunken chip dipper.

I was looking for a popular conventional recipe for seven layer dip and the one I found at allrecipes.com had a common but glaring error that led reviews to call it bland or "not spicy enough." The problem? The sour cream was plain. Next time, stir a packet of taco seasoning into the sour cream and add some mayo before shmeering. If you're competent with southwest spices, skip the packet and mix your own, but don't skimp on the salt. This tip comes from my mother, by the way. I remember helping out by making the doctored sour cream as a kid. This step is really crucial if you don't want to go to great lengths to season the other layers to make them pop. Apparently, many of the recipe reviewers are familiar with the taco seasoning packet trick as well.

About an hour into the Super Bowl party (or the UFC 94 Penn/GSP mega-fight), you'll notice that the dip is half-gone and there's a nasty looking soup pooling in the empty portion of the platter. There could be a few reasons for this. If my old coworker made the dip, then there's a layer of shredded iceburg lettuce on the bottom, completely wilted and basically liquified. Don't ever do that, mmmmkay? The more common cause is the lazy approach of dumping a jar of salsa as your tomato layer. Flavor-wise, it makes sense, but it's usually a consistency disaster. Over time, gravity pulls the water out of the salsa to the bottom of the pan. Instead, you can go with seeded fresh tomatoes (as we see in the video), or you can go with a jar of taco sauce poured into the shredded cheese layer to hold it in place. I recommend Frontera brand taco sauce if you want your dip to win friends and influence people (or maybe a start a blog).

Pizza from the Home (Depot) Hearth, the Turd Installment

2009-01-22T09:05:00.003-05:00

When we left this pizza making story, I had caved in and bought a cheap pizza stone, frustrated by several attempts to turn hardware store products into a suitable baking surface. The problem seemed to be chemical treatments on the tiles, or ingredients in the composite ceramic materials that ended up producing smoke and/or a foul odor in the house. With this total sellout seasoned and sitting in my oven, I was ready to start making pizza for real. Operation, breakfast pizzas. Game on.

Before going to bed, I whipped up some dough using this revelatory recipe that's oh so simple (and guess who wrote it? - my pizza book guy, Peter Reinhardt). Wait, you're not making your own dough? Why not? Do you prefer to pick yours up from the local pizzeria like I did from Mary Angela's last week? That's fine too. For the rest of you, let's talk for a minute. You get a pizza stone, because you want good pizza crust. The snap, the char, the contrast between the chewy inside and the crusty outside. It's all gotta be there and the only way to bring that about is a hot rock and some fresh yeasty dough. No holes in the aluminum baking pan will suffice. That only keeps the pie from stewing in its own sweat - no scalding occurs. The stone even makes your store bought DiGiorno taste not like delivery, but closer to a real pizzeria. Oh yeah. Dough. If you have a stand mixer, it only takes a minute and there's no mess. Make that recipe linked above and consider buying this book (wait! complete text here)

Back to baking. I divided my dough into six balls, bagged them up, and left them in the fridge overnight. The next morning, I baked two pies with whole eggs on top (one red and one white). That's them baking away. Now, before dropping the pies on the stone, I had to preheat the oven with the stone in it. Most people just let their pizza stones live in the oven, by the way. And ideally, preheating should go as high as 800 degrees. My Hotpoint oven only goes to 500 and I don't think I even went that high. Anyhow, before you know it, I've got the exhaust fan going on high and both front and back doors open with Karen complaining that it's too cold for that sh*t. Why? Because smoke and that familiar awful smell starts filling the house.

The pizzas, again, came out great. I over cooked the eggs. The red sauced pizza was so much better than the white (probably the cheddar that snuck onto the white one to please Karen's cheese cravings - still out of pizza cheese). But I couldn't enjoy the results. Another pizza stone experiment literally up in smoke. Grrrr. That crust should be transporting me to Naples right now! (it really was good) Why would this be happening again? Do you know what a confounding variable is? In this case, it's a common factor among experiments that prevents the outcome that I want. What's common among my experiments? The oven. I refuse to accept that something is wrong with my oven, because this never happens unless I put a piece of tile in there. What else? The oil. I read that you're supposed to season the tile with grease or oil. Doh! That's it. I used olive oil, which has a low smoke point. No need to take the pizza stone to the supercan this time. The oil will cook off through repeated use. (wheels still turning, right? hold that thought)

In the next day or two I used up three more dough balls and gave one to a neighbor. There was an lentil and kale dish inspired by my visit to Ruchee Express (and the fact that we're introducing both ingredients to Jasper - he does NOT like them... yet). So, I made a poor excuse for naan bread that was really just garlic schmeared flat bread (still tasty). And then I rolled out the remaining dough ball really thin - while worrying that I'd let the dough hang out in the fridge too long. Whatever, let's make another white pizza.

I dunno, yall. Does this look edible? By this point in the pizza stone charade, the house stopped stinkin up. The smell was faint, if detectable at all. Still lacking any pizza cheese and now out of red sauce, I took some cottage cheese (strange substitution for ricotta) and whipped it with crushed garlic and olive oil using an immersion blender. On top of that, I put some paper thin zucchini slices (using this) that were sauteed in olive oil. When it came out of the oven, I covered it in a light snowstorm of parmigiano reggiano and a drizzling of olive oil. Damn, that sounds pretentious. Sauteed zucchini is a pretty good vegetarian pepperoni, in my opinion. My favorite squash by a mile, cuz it caramelizes so well.

Look, I really needed to end on a high note. Ya know, hit one out of the park, just for my own sense of self-worth. Cracker crust is a favorite in my house. I've even got fond memories of Pizza Hut's thin and crispy pies from my childhood. To paraphrase Peter Reinhardt, your paradigm of pizza perfection is contextual; it's based on what you grew up loving. So, I'm a sucker for a little snap in each bite, and a pizza stone is my ticket to my personal pizza heaven and eating-activated memories.

So, that brings me to the elephant in the room. What about those other tiles that didn't make the cut? Was it the chemical composition of the tile or the olive oil? Ah, the confounding variable. But wait, what's this? Jes, in the Fan, left a comment saying that saltillo tiles are the way to go according to Alton Brown of the Food Network. That links takes you to a place where the minimum order is 900 sq feet (for an over bigger than the first floor of my house). Looks like the hunt is back on. Where in Richmond can one get "raw" (unsealed) saltillo tiles? And are they safe?

I guess this is to be continued after all. In the meantime, I'm going to keep experimenting with crusts and toppings and gadgets when I make pizza. I am starting to think I need one of these to scoop up my pizza, instead of using my flat cookie sheet. The Epicurean model is great and their stuff is so overpriced and unpopular that I often find their cutting boards at Marshalls. Maybe their pizza peel will show up soon. Before that happens, I'll bet we'll see these pizza scissors in the clearance bin any day now. Ah, so many useless things to collect.

Back to Reinhart one last time. In his pizza hunting travels, he found several of what he would call "perfect pizzas." Among all of them, and even those that fell short of perfection, there is a pizzaiolo tending to every detail and taking pride in his or her work, even when the results are unpredictable. Few restaurants have this going for them. But, your kitchen does! That's you. Making good pizza seems so simple, but the devil is in the details. From my experience thus far, it's a painful frustrating process (ask Karen about my kitchen nervous breakdowns), but the satisfaction of producing even a mediocre homemade pie is pretty terrific. At this point, I'm wondering how many times per week Karen will let me make pizzas. I can always use the "Jasper needs more pizza crust teething biscuits" excuse.

Scaling Back Blogging, Sorta

2009-01-21T09:52:00.003-05:00

As 2009 gets under way, I'm finding myself really interested in writing about food and generally mixing it up in the blogging world. However, I am also starting a new semester of grad school (only one class, really) and I've got to face facts: when I'm blogging, I should be studying (or paying attention to Karen and Jasper). So, I plan to, and probably will, decrease my attention to this site to some degree. I know, just when I got mentioned in RVA Mag.

But wait! This really could just be one of those overcompensations, like Jim Duncan forecasting a disastrous snowstorm headed straight for Richmond (translate: just covering my... and setting reasonable expectations). I typically use blogging as a form of procrastination during school time. This class has me scheduled to write four 20 page papers, with 30 references each, and eight citations per page, plus an average of 5 chapters of reading per week (plus all those scholarly articles I'll be "referencing"). Nonetheless, the devious angels of my nature will inevitably compel me to blog. And when that happens, it will be stream of consciousness style-sloppy (sorry ladies) and full of therapeutic venting. What's new, right? Have I ever been anything but temperamental?

Despite all of this, I do plan to focus my blogging a bit more by improving my coverage of the areas that receive the most votes in my survey (currently, "cheap restaurants" - vote now). But I won't be confined by public opinion. With the time crunch, I'll probably go with more pictures and less verbosity (yeah right, no promises there). And then there's micro-blogging (see my Twitter updates on the right). Maybe you all can help me find some people who make good tweets and I can use them as my inspiration.

I'd also like to convene (or at least attend) some face-to-face gatherings and break through the barriers that this whole "online community" idea minimally addresses. Some of this will be neighborhood centered or relatively private, but some of my other ideas include wide-open invitations. For instance, Karen and I are lamenting the number of cookbooks that we've stockpiled. So, we'll be giving a couple piles of them away. Hopefully, that will mean new and old friends (maybe some of you anonymous readers) coming over IN PERSON, some munchies and drinks, and books going home with people who will appreciate them more than we were able to.

Okay, enough with my predictions. I've got several blog posts in the works. Hopefully, they'll make it up here soon.

This Weekend's Weird Bargains

2009-01-20T23:01:00.012-05:00

Some therapeutic shopping went down this weekend. For most people, that means splurging. Not for the frugal one. No, I get all twisted with my purchases in order to ~~blog~~ blow off steam. It all started at Ross Dress for Less in Willow Lawn. Yeah, I know. The place totally sucks. It's not half the discount store that Marshalls or TJ Maxx are, and it doesn't even compare to it's Northern Virignia counterparts. I don't know why Willow Lawn seems to require suckiness (also evidenced by my latest Hair Cuttery do - the one next to Ross). It's just a fact of life in Richmond.

First off, I found a Penguin brand sweatshirt for $13. It's not really my style, but since it probably retailed for $135, I think I can adapt in order to increase my NYC fashion cred (goes great with Chacos and socks, right?). One isle over, I happened upon some really obnoxious MMA fight-gear brand clothing from "One More Round" (round of beer?). The t-shirt I bought for $5 looks about like this one. the tiger-headed dude in the lotus position is probably supposed to be the fighting spirit of the MMA guy whom the shirt was designed for. This shirt was designed for a guy nicknamed "gumby." Two days after buying it, my new joke shirt gets nominated as an example of "worst MMA clothing company of 2008." Well, you can forget about seeing me out in this thing anytime soon. Someone might think that I'm the baddest man on the planet and therefore I'd be up for a barroom scrap... at which time, I'd have to buy everyone "one more round " of beer to get out of fighting. All this for a $5 t-shirt. But, I'm wearing it now. It fits good and it's comfy. Perfect for watching Fedor/Arlovski on Saturday. That's all I wanted it for: to look silly while enjoying my silly hobby.

On Sunday, Karen went to Trader Joes while I walked Jasper to Stakolee's house after stopping at the "Guns and Amoco." Predictably, the BP at Cary and Meadow serves crappy coffee (my only reason for going). But, there's no other options closer to Byrd Park (we usually walk 10 minutes to Carytown). Maybe one day a locally owned coffeehouse will decide to rent one of the empty Cary/Meadow storefronts that haven't attracted any businesses in the year or two since they were built (brilliant development planning, Richmond).

Karen brought surprises back from her Trader Joes trip. The one I want to share with you is this four pack sampler of Spanish cheeses for $5. There's a manchego (flavorful, but relatively mild and kinda dense,), a curado (creamy and salty, almost ocean-like, exciting to nibble), a semicurado (a lesser version of the full on curado, still good tho), and a tenero (had a delayed effect, plain and then strong, like swiss). The pieces aren't big, but we went through each of them five or six times without eating more than half of the stuff. Okay, they were little slivers for each bite, but we're not schooled in cheese tasting. We're cheapskates and this is how we do it - satisfying, nonetheless. After that fun bit of cheese comparing, Karen and I agreed that we'd had our $5 worth already and plenty more cheese to nibble. Jasper liked each of them as well, by the way (even tinier bites). Anything dairy is okay by him.

Hey, you see those pizza crusts up there in the cheese picture? I don't know why Karen doesn't eat her crusts when I make the pizza from scratch. Well, no longer do I have to give them to the dogs or eat them myself. I've got a little helper now (your surprise is the picture at the end).

The other surprise that Karen brought me was from Marshalls in the far West End. We never get to go to that one. It's not so hot, because the people out there grab the best brands before they go on clearance (the only section I shop). Southpark Mall's Marshalls in Colonial Heights, on the other hand, is overflowing with high end stuff that hangs out untouched for weeks before being reduced a couple more times for quick sale. I guess the folks down there don't have the same tastes as I do.

Wait, where was I? Karen brought me a thoughtful and totally selfless surprise (she won't watch this stuff and I don't blame her). Never before have I seen a UFC dvd at a discount department store (it was $3 on clearance). This one is UFC 56 from 2005, featuring the fighting math teacher (and holder of a Masters of Education), Rich "Ace" Franklin. In the headlining fight, the devout creationist, Frankin ,punches his reformed Jehova's Witness opponent, Nate Quarry, in the face so hard that Quarry goes stiff and falls over like a piece of lumber. In an earlier bout, two guys who may have 1% body fat between them both (GSP/Sherk) wrestle to the ground to make an especially homoerotic muscle sandwich. Well, in all the excitement, one thing leads to another and the smaller guy's nose gets broken (you can hear him go "aaaaaaahhyee!" as it happens and similar sounds are heard with each successive shot). As blood starts running the way broken noses tend to do, the ref jumps in and stops the fight.

Jasper wants you to know that he likes to wrestle big stuffed animals (and his daddy) and he's ready to bust some moves if you send the people from Social Services over.

Peeking into Ruchee Express

2009-01-20T09:43:00.005-05:00

On my way home from doing my civic duty on MLK Day (speaking at the General Assembly Budget Committee meeting), I stopped at the latest eatery to pop up on Main Street (at the Morris corner by VCU/7-11). Ruchee Express Indian Cuisine is a welcome addition to the Fan. Downtown really doesn't have any Indian food to speak of, except for that lunch cart down by MCV.

The place is small, as you might recall from Sweetpeas and the catering company that was there before them. But they've already got their system figured out: $6.49 Lunch special of one meat and two veg, naan bread, rice, raita and probably a little chutney. Sound good? Ruchee has reason to believe their new location will be a success (they've got another one on Midlothian Turnpike). VCU's dining hall has been bringing the Ruchee staff in regularly to serve their curries and biryanis and they could barely keep up with demand. Now, VCU students will be able to duck into the little store front and scarf down a delicious bargain lunch between classes, right there in the armpit of the campus (seriously, from Harrison to Papa Johns on Main is a second class substitute for the Grace Street corridor - but, there be bargains here).

Before leaving, I had to sample the food. But, I only had a couple ones and change for the meter stashed away in my car. I got two samosas and one garlic naan (yes, they have a real tandoori oven). Back at the house, we tore into the food. The naan was great, crispy, bubbly, garlicky, and buttery. Go there (or any competent Indian restaurant) and order this stuff. The samosas were okay. Remember, I'm a samosa snob. Plenty of good Indian restaurants make sub-par samosas, while some grocery stores make awesome ones. These were small and the flavors weren't significant enough to keep me from the coriander and tamarind chutnies. A suitable stand-in - about a 7 on the 1-10 scale, being generous.

Anywho, I hope everyone embraces Ruchee, as Indian food is sooooo good in the winter time (okay, all year round too). Their primary location on the southside used to be a real diamond in the rough. Lately, the quality of the buffet hasn't been what it used to be. Let's hope they return to full strength once this new endeavor gets off the ground.

Take a Drive on the Rustic Side

2009-01-19T09:44:00.008-05:00

A meal without Jasper has gotten to be a fantasy that Karen and I pine for. At home, Jasper schedules his fussiest behavior for the exact time that we sit down to eat. Hot food has gotten to be a luxury. Usually, it goes cold while we juggle the baby or I scarf it down and burn my tongue and then play with the baby while Karen eats at her own pace (being a slow eater, by nature). On Sunday, Karen's parent's took Jasper away for a few hours and we jumped at the chance to go out and enjoy a leisurely meal.

It was brunch time, and there were plenty of places that we both wanted to try for egg dishes: Lulu's, 821, and various tapas places (eggs or otherwise). In the end, we settled on Cafe Rustica. I'd been once before for a lunch of the signature seafood cakes with this guy and became curious about the rest of the menu. This made me want to return with Karen for a second opinion and to share the experience. Also, since my once upon a time food blogging coworker knows Chef Andy, I had inside info that he'd like to see more people ordering something other than their Mediterranean Shortstack (at least once in a while). I looked forward to that assignment. And or course, the chance to throw down with that ornery Chef Andy character was another attraction. (I can't find their website, if they have one - a little help?).

Off to a Strong Start

At the restaurant, we debated our choices as we sat in one of Cafe Rustica's half-dosen wooden booths. We both prefer booths and were feeling very comfortable. If it weren't for one of my chronic headaches, I'd say everything was perfect, even the prices. Plenty of the $7-8 options sounded really good so we added a couple extras. It started with a house salad for Karen and a cup of pumpkin/apple soup for me. Both were served with a piece of grilled bread. The salad greens and wide variety of veggies made for a healthy start. I overheard Andy saying that he'd used a 30lb pumpkin from his porch and still had 25lbs of it stored away (watch the menu to see it pop up again). This reminded me of the enormous porch pumpkin that I'm still feeding to Jasper. The soup gave me ideas for making Jasper's puree more palatable. I was already using apple for sweetness, but the addition of clove might help. And, did I detect some roasted garlic or maybe caramelized onion? Well, I mopped the bowl clean with my bread and even the pumpkin-persnickitty Karen said she liked it.

When Karen threw in the towel on her salad, I finished it and her bread. Damn that bread is good. I tasted salt, but I wasn't sure about butter, olive oil, or garlic. Whatever it was, it may have spoiled my appetite. I knew I'd be struggling with my entree of poached eggs served over corn polenta, tomato sauce and gorganzola cheese. The variety of flavors piqued my interest, making me forget that I'd had a similar brunch dish at Bacchus a few months back.

The dish was really pretty, arranged in layers within a cazuela pan and that familiar grilled bread on the side. The eggs were perfectly poached ran all over the bread. The rest was good eatin' as well, but I've come to the conclusion that I'm not a good judge of polenta. What am I looking for in quality polenta? It was more firm than at Bacchus, but it didn't have that congealed blockiness that you sometimes see. In fact, it was even a little creamy tasting as it soaked up the tomato sauce. The thing that makes me most unsure about this dish (twice now) is the combination of gorgonzola and tomato sauce. It must be a classic dish, but I don't really understand why one would want the tanginess of tomatoes with that swirling intensity of a blue cheese. Eggs in tomato sauce seems kinda weird to begin with (but Karen is getting into this kinda similar Israeli recipe). Whatever, I'll read more carefully and get something else next time. A high quality dish, nonetheless.

Out of the Frying Pan...

Karen's "Rustica Skillet" was really impressive to behold. A big square cast iron skillet with two eggs, a pile of roasted potatoes and onions, and slices of rope sausage. Oh, and the grilled bread, of course. The vessel and its contents were nearly sizzling and set an ambiance of excitement at the table (good think Jasper wasn't there to burn his hand on the pan). As Karen worked on her new project, we both noticed a nice smell in the air. It was coming from a small rosemary branch laid in the middle of the skillet. Each element was great and very simply prepared. The potatoes were really eye popping with their golden brown roastedness. Karen really enjoyed the sausage and the flavor it added to the tiny bit of grease that unified the dish at the bottom of the pan (I guess, I did too, to be honest).

Although I had quit before finishing my polenta, I helped Karen eat her bread and eggs after she was done. The eating experience was a pleasure from start to finish, in large part because Chef Andy makes sure that every plate reflects the European tastes, both in flavor and appearance. I was struck how each item seemed significant and thoughtful, even the $3 soup and the $5 salad. On the other hand, maybe it was the magic bread putting each dish over the top. I seriously think they're kinda cheating giving carb-addicts like me such a temptation at every turn.

Did I say Throw Down? I meant Bro Down.

On the way out, Andy chatted us up about his latest vegetarian special, an ugly pile of spinach and cheese dumplings mingling in tomato sauce. He showed me the NYTimes mag page that he'd evidently posted in the kitchen for inspiration. The stuff is called "malfatti" which means "poorly made." But, they sure sound better than the ubiquitous gnochi that I always regret ordering. Too bad, I probably won't get the chance to try the malfatti. Jasper makes mincmeat of most sitters at night (recall that the Twilight movie featured a teenage vampire named Jasper). But I get the impression that I could easily make some "poorly made" at home, although they do look delicate. Which reminds me that I really want to try my hand making Chef Andy's scallop, shrimp, and crabcake that distracts everyone from his menu's other offerings. Luckily, I've learned to look a little deeper at Cafe Rustica, cuz there's good stuff beyond the shortstack. Also, I'm thinking of revising my personal superlatives for best new restaurant to include Cafe Rustica along side the Black Sheep. It will probably be just as good next time, when we bring Jasper along for lunch, but we especially enjoyed the adult getaway for brunch.

Taking Rustic on the Road

After brunch, I drove Karen down Route 5 so she could take in the country passage that really floored me during a long bike ride last weekend (over 20 miles round trip). We followed a series of slight rights passed Rocketts Landing, loads of train tracks and river views, pastures and plantations, rustic old-timey houses, Hadaad's Water Palisades, and eventually all the way to the Fort Harrison battlegrounds where confederates lay in trenches waiting to shoot some Yankees. The day was overcast and too cold to keep the windows down, but Karen definitely understood the appeal of this off-the-beaten-path getaway. In short, "Hell no, I'm not riding a bike all the way out here and back."

On our way to pick up Jasper from my in-laws, we tried to stop by a Marshalls but got lured into an Old Navy. They were having a clearance sale that returned the word to it's real meaning. Everything listed as clearance was an extra 50% off. Neither of us usually like Old Navy, but I wound up buying three pairs of khakis for $6 each and $1 socks and boxers. Jasper got loads of clothes to cover his next 12 months of growth spurts. I asked the cashier and she says the do this every year to get rid of the Christmas inventory. I said, "Thank goodness for China and the wastefulness of capitalism." The sale lasts through Monday, yall.

Pizza from the Home (Depot) Hearth, Part. Deux/Dough/Doh!

2009-01-17T12:43:00.005-05:00

I have a confession to make. Since publishing the results of my "Home Depot" pizza story, I've had to go back to the drawing board. As you may recall, the whole point was to circumvent the trap of gourmet store's overpriced pizza stones and find a cheap alternative that would do just as well. I've kept you in the dark about the past two months of drama. I've had to go back to the drawing board three times, reached some humbling conclusions, made some great pizzas, and now find myself totally unsure of anything I've allegedly learned. I guess I should probably bring you up to speed.

Red onion and sausage (GimmeLean brand fake stuff - delicious)
on the Home Depot red brick slab

At first, it seemed like I'd done my homework, cuz the pizza came out fine using a tile from Lowes as my pizza stone. Sure, there was a slight stuffiness in my house from running the oven with a big rock in it, but I figured that would dissipate with time - maybe part of the seasoning/curing process. Karen kept any critical comments to herself, cuz she didn't want to rain on my parade. A couple days later, I was using the leftover dough to make calzones. They came out awesome (but the pictures didn't, so you never heard about'em). Loaded with veggies and 3-4 kinds of fake meat, and weighing at least a couple pounds each, they'd have brought in big bucks on the Grace Street corridor.

However, this time around, I noticed a crack formed in my tile (makeshift pizza stone). Also, Karen and I both couldn't ignore the chemical smell in the air. So, the stone went out to the alley and into the supercan and I set out on another hunt. This time, I went to an actual Home Depot instead of a Lowes and brought home a virtually identical stone. Having selected it using the same Flintstonian process of elimination (it didn't look glazed), I may have actually picked the same brand, make, model (but it said, "natural" on it! probably referred to the color. doh!)

The next experiment was like an instant replay: Beautiful pizza, terrible smell, and a trip to the supercan. After looking online and seeing that others had sought out smaller "quarry" tiles (mine were 18"x18) at local tile specialty stores, I poked my head into Best Tile on Broad Street. When I asked for an unglazed and untreated tile, they acted like I was crazy. When I told them I wanted to cook with it, they acted like I was from Mars. Moving right along then. About the smaller tiles, I asked Sketchy, a local blogging baker, about this and he said Home Depot had them. When I asked if they slide around in his oven during use, he said that he always puts parchment paper down, and that makes everything easier (mental note).

Same pizza, out of the oven, with especially bad lighting
(it's light on cheese, cuz we ran out and I refused to add cheddar - but you can really get into the crust if it's not over-cheesed).

Back at Home Depot, I actually got up the courage to inquire with the staff. "Quarry tiles? Never heard of'em" They didn't think they had anything that would work. (next time don't mention the cooking/pizza part). Then on my way out, I noticed 16x16 red brick walkway stones. They were 2" thick and weighed 39lbs each. Hey, brick ovens are supposed to make great pizza, right? For $3.99, why not? I even stopped by Mary Angela's and picked up a large dough ball for $2.50, saving myself some work.

Back at the house, it was deja vu all over again. Only this time, I got a headache from the fumes and I'm pretty sure Karen had had enough of my subjecting the baby to this questionable air quality (although we were both crazy about the chewy crust on the pizza (thanks Mary Angelas). With a little effort, the red brick was heaved out the door. At this point, Karen points out the obvious, "How much have you spent so far? Couldn't you have just bought a pizza stone for that?" I'd spent almost $20, and yes, that's how much they cost at Bed Bath and Beyond, but those models are crap and they'll crack over time (according to the discussion forums). I wanted something equivalent to the high end pizza stones and I wanted to pay pennies on the dollar. Plus, I'm doing this for yall! My loss is your gain (if I actually find a suitable alternative).

Peeking at the crust told me that it was gonna be chewy. I was going for crispy, so I put half of it back in and got that distinct twice cooked sensation you get with pizza sold by the slice - but it did crunch.

My next stop took me to Southern States. I was looking for a huge piece of terra cotta. Someone online said they'd just flipped a 16" base over and used the flat bottom of it. Well, they had one that size, but it had a ridge on the outside and some other grooves that would have gotten in the way. Plus, it was $14.99.

Gang, you're gonna be so disappointed in me. You know where I went next? Bed Bath and Beyond. Dammit, I just wanna make good (and safe to eat) pizza at this point. To heck with an industrial strength stone. To heck with the irresistible bargain hunt fueled by self-righteous principles and a touch of OCD. I read right up to the recipes section of this amazing book about the search for the perfect pizza. Reinhart's search is over and mine won't begin until I have a rock in my oven to burn the bottom of my pizza. So, I cheated. But, I'm not satisfied yet and I haven't given up. There must be a way to hearth your home oven from hardware store products. If you stay tuned for the third installment, you'll find me further confounded, but still hot on the trail of this mystery. You'll also find recipes for Napolitana pizza dough and... some really fantastic breakfast pizzas. See you on the flip side.

This is the box for the 15x14 stone, by Oneida from Bed Bath and Bleccchttt! (it's really an awful store). On Amazon, it's basically this one or this one (one of them will be cheaper and offers free shipping).

The Divinity of Double Walled Stainless Steel

2009-01-14T10:05:00.003-05:00

As I've started drinking coffee more regularly, I'm trying my best to bring my own travel mug wherever I go. Most coffee shops give you 10-15 cents off of the usual price if you provide the cup. But, all travel mugs are not created equal. In fact, most are created quite crappily.

Personally, I feel like our Starbucks-addicted society is piling up used paper coffee cups and those little cardboard sleeves like wastefulness was some kind of fashion symbol (it is - especially when combined with "green" products/propaganda). My reaction has been kinda extreme. These days, I can hardly leave the house without considering if I'm gonna buy a drink somewhere (and how 'bout you, Karen?) and then I'm scrambling to find thermal coffee mugs and keeping wife and baby waiting. If I forgot my mug, I lose my appetite for coffee. Am I OCD about this?

Whatever the motivation, travel mugs are the solution and for some reason, they grow on trees. Well, the crappy ones grow on trees. Quality might not matter to you if you lose yours too often to pay attention to its construction or if you drink your coffee too fast to care if it stays hot. Personally, I want quality 100% of the time in nearly every item I own. It's just a thing for me. That's why I have fallen head over heals in love with double walled steel thermal coffee mugs. The coffee stays hot for several hours (sometimes too long) and they are very easily cleaned (being stainless and all). You've probably noticed that coffee shops keep their dairy products in carafes made of this stuff. Why not coffee? Why not the consumer?

I don't think the double walled is a recent innovation. High priced Nissan brand thermoses have been made of the stuff for a while (not the plastic with glass inside variety). You probably think you're seeing them everywhere. But, if you look a little closer, the aesthetic is imitated as they only use steel for one layer and the inside is usually plastic (or vice versa). Plus, the bigger the gap between the two layers of steel, the better insulated your coffee will be (hot or cold). But, a little homework and you'll find the best mugs on the planet. You can even buy espresso cups that are made of the stuff, which should keep you from getting upset about your cup letting your espresso get cold.

The Verdict:

I have compared a number of brands and found varying quality among the double-walled steel mugs. And I'm not particularly jazzed to be telling you that Starbucks has really gotten it right when they caught on to the efficacy of this model of mug. They sell bombproof mugs and personal french presses (now discontinued) for around $20 a pop. Keep an eye out for them at thrift stores and yard sales, because they last forever. My wife puts two scoops of grounds (and a little cream) in the bottom of her Starbucks french press mug every morning and pours in the hot water before heading out to work. Perfect coffee every day. Who would have thought that one $tarbucks product would prevent hundreds of stops at that chain coffee shop (just bring your home brew with you), acres of felled forests and wasted landfills space, and... dinero, yall.

My favorite use for double walled stainless steel is the thermal carafe coffee pot (or this one for cheap). Don't you hate it when your coffee at the office tastes burnt just because you had to send a couple more emails before you went and poured your cup? The steel carafe fixes that problem. The coffee is not heated from the bottom. It just stays hot for 4-6 hours because it went into the steel carafe that way. Or better yet, how about a 12 cup french press model? Expensive, but probably worth it.

Anywho, I hope this homage helps you incorporate a little more quality in your 2009.

MILK and The White Dog

2009-01-12T09:21:00.003-05:00

At the end of an eventful and productive weekend, I'm reunited with Karen and Jasper, and it's time to take stock of exactly what transpired during the 48 hours after getting off work on Friday. By Sunday morning, there were so many stories I wanted to tell, I made a list and turned it over to the preferences of whichever readers happened by during a span of 10 weekend hrs. The response was light, but a good sign that you all have better things to do than read blogs on the weekend. And that's precisely why I didn't take the time to post 9 times in two days. Too busy livin'.

So, according to this makeshift democratic process, a focus group of you all wanted to hear about the movie, "MILK" and to a lesser extent, my drinking/eating experience at The White Dog. Am I overblowing the representativeness of the comments of four readers? Maybe, but I gotta honor the process. Readers' Choice. So here goes...

MILK Makes an Evening Good

Even though I was all set to follow up last weekend's debauchery by painting the town red one way or another, I decided to spend Friday night in relative private. The lone rusty nail that I had at Can Can on my way home from work was a big one. By party time, I was fatigued and cranky and didn't have party plans anyhow. So, I made my way to the Westhampton for the 10pm show.

Everything I'd heard about MILK focused on Sean Penn's performance. Already having seen the famous documentary, and being a pretty big Penn fan, I wasn't going to the movie for an education so much as to see a potential Oscar caliber performance. Within minutes of laying eyes on Penn in his 70's get-up and fay affectation, I was charmed. But what unfolds in MILK is not simply an acting achievement. The film tells a story that depicts an ongoing cultural war in America and cuts through numerous political topics that are integral to our democracy. As an aside, I should mention that I was born in San Francisco in 1974, during the ponytail era of Milk's development. As the movie unfolded, it was funny to think that blocks away, my mom was probably toting me around town, preparing to open a bookstore or start an acting career. The next night, the movie was discussed during my night out, so I'll revisit MILK in that context.

Where Everybody/Nobody Knows Your Name

Saturday night, I had two blogger friends over: Matthew Freeman and Stakolee. It was 9pm or so and two of us hadn't officially eaten dinner. We'd been discussing obscure restaurants that deserved our business but wouldn't be too loud. However, walking distance from Byrd Park narrowed our options to mostly unappealing Main Street and Fan watering holes that would be overrun with 23 year olds making their rounds from Sidewalk to Curbside and all points in between. Then, I recalled a comment I left at Matthew's blog and the guys followed my lead to The White Dog.

Once in a blue moon, I'll duck out for a nightcap, often with grad school homework in hand. The White Dog's secluded sunken basement is the perfect hiding place. Since it's usually late, I found out that they reduce all of their appetizers to $5 a piece during the last hour that the kitchen is open (typically 10-11 on weekends). When we got there, it was 20 minutes to 10pm and the only two of us eating weren't even willing to splurge on their cheapest option: their legendary BIG Salad for $14 without the addition of meat or portabellos. That's right, we were out on the town, not really wanting to pay "out on the town prices."

Luckily, the server said she'd bend the rules and take our order for three $5 appetizers and bring them out at 10pm, when the discount kicked in. Is that a cheapskate anecdote, or what? The highlight were the catfish fingers with creamy jalapeno dip. They are seriously breaded, but expertly fried. When you're drinking beer, that crunch counts for a lot. The bruschetta trio looked like a snack plate I'd make at home and balance on my protruding belly in front of the TV. Three medium sized pieces of french bread toast topped with hummus, artichoke spread, and sundried tomato pesto with feta. The pesto was the only significant flavor among the three. There were also some pickled veggies on the plate, mostly forgettable, except that the carrots were hella spicy and the pitted black olives tasted like canned Richfood brand from the back of my cupboard. Regardless, it was comfort food for me, and I was picking it clean long after the others stopped. Hey, I rode 20 miles on my bike that day. What's your excuse?

The last item was a few crispy fried spring rolls with apricot chutney. The rolls were standard, with crunchy but greasy paper wrappers and sparse and stringy veggies inside. The chutney didn't quite provide the excitement I wanted, but it was sweet and spicy. Again, good with beer. The three of us had five beers and one coffee (for the guy who's regained his edge). As the evening wore on, the place filled up beyond anything I'd seen there before. The proprietor was singing exuberantly along with some Simon and Garfunkle tunes which he'd turned up way too loud. Before you know it, they were lighting a birthday cake and singing Happy Birthday. If that sounds off-putting, you really never know what to expect at The White Dog. And if you're wanting to make sense of my recommendation of the discounted appetizers, that's it right there. I wouldn't be eating them if they weren't $5. They might be worth that. Personally, I can't resist a sale, and I find it kinda rare to order food that isn't a guaranteed rip off. So, proceed to The White Dog and see for yourself. I'm sure I'll be returning.

Back to MILK

Somehow, amidst the clamour, we still managed to talk politics. I was totally distracted by the dessert list, hoping Stakolee would order the bread pudding with bourbon sauce and some other decadent topping (so I could have a bite). It never happened. So, I couldn't resist talking up MILK, since neither of them had seen it. Both Matthew and Stakolee had been advised to see MILK in the theatre rather than waiting for the DVD to come out. I speculated that it was the impressive volume of young men in tight pants that could only be appreciated when larger than life. I mean, is there a better way to showcase either gender than tight pants? Joking aside, I concluded that the movie is just damn deserving of urgency. It's too relevant and too well made by Gus Van Zant for anyone to sit on the fence and risk forgetting about it.

As I was saying earlier, the movie quickly takes you from a character study (and Sean Penn worship) into a profile of a social movement that is still struggling for respect and legitimacy, despite America's promise of equality. Harvey Milk had incredible ambition in fighting back on a national level while running for and holding municipal office. As much as I like social justice themed movies, this one provides more insights per minute that I've seen on screen in a long time. The gay movement of the 70s had many unique characteristics and Van Zant brings those to light often. Activists are pushed to come out to EVERYONE they know as part of their campaign ("they vote two to one for us, if they know one of us"). They had a hard time with those who wanted to enjoy the lifestyle they held dear in San Francisco, but didn't want the trouble of fighting for acceptance and understanding.

As Harvey Milk's numerous campaigns evolve in the film, we're treated to a whole gamut of strategies and maneuvers that I can only compare to The Wire in terms of the stark portrayal of harsh political realities. I feel like we really see how a politician changes in order to win and in order to do his/her job once elected. But Milk shows the rare integrity of continuously operating with an eye on the gay movement and boldly leveraging his strategic/symbolic role in it. When you go see MILK (not "if"), expect an exciting political roller coaster. Expect a love story, where all of Harvey Milk's passions are on display. Expect an education, because the story is rich and it is timely. And expect a tragedy, because you can feel it building from the moment the movie begins.

Need I say more? Go on now and don't eat too many twinkies when you have a bad day. Watch the movie and you'll see what I mean.

VOP on NPR's Morning Edition

2009-01-11T18:52:00.007-05:00

I have served on the Virginia Organizing Project's (VOP) State Governing Board since 2001. I'm really excited to share the news that we're getting some press on NPR, the station I listen to every morning before work. Starting Monday, a NPR installment piece about community organizing is going to include VOP. I hope you hear it, cuz it's gonna be good (see the written story here). Here's an email from our executive director:

During 2009, Pam Fessler is doing a 4 or 5 part series for NPR's Morning Edition about grassroots participation in the new Obama Administration. She attended the December 4 Center for Community Change forum in Washington, D.C. and heard VOP Chairperson Jay Johnson speak and decided to have VOP be the group to follow for this series. Pam came to the December 13 VOP staff meeting to find out more about the role of community organizers and did some additional interviews.

ON MONDAY, JANUARY 12, THE FIRST INSTALLATION OF THIS SERIES WILL BE ON NPR'S MORNING EDITION. IT WILL RUN AT 6:20 A.M. AND 8:20 A.M. ON MOST NPR RADIO STATIONS. IF YOUR NPR STATION DOES NOT FOLLOW THIS SCHEDULE,
IT WILL BE ON THE NPR WEBSITE (AFTER 1 P.M. THE SAME DAY).

Pam plans to spend some time in the next month or two with VOP folks in the Shenandoah Valley and VOP Organizer Larry Yates will be coordinating her interviews there.

VOP is moving forward!

--
Joe Szakos
Executive Director
Virginia Organizing Project
703 Concord Avenue
Charlottesville, VA 22903-5208
434.984.4655 x 222
434.984.2803 fax
szakos@ntelos.net
www.virginia-organizing.org

If any of you have questions about VOP's work, I'd love to discuss it in the comments section. Considering the scope and variety of VOP's multi-issue state and local campaigns, my contribution has always been relatively tiny. (But, I did get to pitch VOP's General Assembly legislative agenda to the Henrico NAACP last week.) Community organizing has been a passion of mine long before I ever heard of Barack Obama. It's groups like VOP, working for long term change and slowly building infrastructure, that makes electing a progressive president possible. Well, that's my opinion. Let's see what they say on NPR.

You Pick the Topic: I'll Blog It

2009-01-11T10:36:00.008-05:00

This weekend has been pretty action packed for me. Karen and Jasper are out of town and I've tried to have a bunch of adventures. Most of them would be worth a blog entry, but I don't want to sit still long enough to write about all of them. Here's the chronology of my activities. Drop a comment and let me know which is actually of interest to you. Don't be shy, this is a "made to order" blog entry on whichever topic gets the most (or any) requests). Plus, I'm indecisive and need your help with that. I'll sit down to blog Sunday night and post it Monday morning.

Friday, after work:

Oysters, a rusty nail, and bad clams at Can Can with Piet and Matt
VCU gym was closed, so I had Rodney Yee and Baron Baptiste run me through some yoga via dvd in my living room
Saw "Milk" at the Westhampton

Saturday:

Cleaning house to El Guincho. Impossible to keep up with the staccato rhythm/vocals. Fun tho.
Bike-ride to the Battlefields out Rt 5 (10 miles each way! Legs still like jello)
Pizza at Tarrantino's Pizzeria informed by the book I'm (still) reading (American Pie, the search for the perfect pizza)
Drinks with bloggers at the White Dog (three discount apps for $5/each served as dinner for two of us)

Sunday AM

Finished assembling the Ikea furniture.
~~As yet unplanned brunch.~~

UPDATE: Brunch is off the table as a blogging topic. I didn't put much effort into arranging any kind of companionship (got tired of waiting for some people's hangovers to subside). Plus, I've got this fantasy of going to the gym today (but not before eating). So, I decided to try my first attempt at "eggs in a hole." A perfect finale to a weekend of flying solo.
I didn't consult any cookbooks, websites, or experts, aside from my stomach (hence, two eggs and BIG sourdough toast). There are probably loads of thinks I should have done differently here. That red stuff around the sides is LightLife brand "Smart Bacon" (I had a coupon). It's not as good as Morningstar Farms.

I'm really not sure if you're supposed to flip it or not. I did, because the pan was starting to smoke a little and the egg wasn't even close to setting on top. As you can see, the white spilled a bit during the flip (actually, I had no idea what kind of catastrophe was under that toast). Nonetheless, the top came out pretty.

Here's the underside, not too catastrophic. As I plated it, I craved a sauce. Unfortunately, I could feel that I'd cooked the yolks through, so there wasn't any yolk sauce to count on. It still tasted good, if a little dry. It wasn't until I called Karen and she informed me of the missing last step: Deglaze the pan with some sherry vinegar, assuming a lot of butter was used to fry (see Bittman's #27). Pour the tangy yumminess on top. Maybe next time.

Okay, back to the voting!

3 Bloggesrs, 2 Watering Holes, 12 beers

2009-01-08T09:55:00.007-05:00

When I went to the gym on Monday, I felt like I was swimming against a heavy current. My domestic life and sedentary career has seemingly compounded the effects of gravity and lethargy. Despite my regular duties as a manservant to Karen and Jasper, I find myself in 2009 having lost a step. A change in direction is going to require a concerted effort. I need to get social. To get out and get active. And, yes, as a reward, to get drunk. Here' s a quick recap of two recent nights rubbing elbows with fellow bloggers at a couple downtown bars. I'm hoping there'll be more adventures to come, at the gym, the bar, and wherever food and friends gather.

Hammered at Halligan's*

Saturday night, Karen and Jasper were out of town. So, I hopped on my bike and met up with another blogger in Shockoe Bottom. Until recently, I wouldn't have been able to share his name. But, now Urban Richmond~ is out in the open and his name is Matthew Freeman. After poking our heads in Papa Ningo (too loud to talk), we hopped into Halligan's, pushed through the meat market barroom, and sat down to talk in their smoke-free dining room. The menu said they had Yeungling (my favorite beer - if they don't overcharge for it). But, when I inquired, they said they were out. So, I switched to my other favorite: Stella Artois.

A couple hours flew by as we got caught up on all kinds of things I can barely remember now. I made three pints disappear and so did Matthew. If you're a blogger, we probably talked about you. If you're a reader, but you don't comment (or do so anonymously), then you definitely received some slightly slurred degradation. After all, what are bloggers gonna talk about, but blogging? I kid. We also talked about our respective home renovations and bicycles, the awesomeness of the new Erykah Badu album, and the reality of politics in the City's 7th district. Plenty of stones were left unturned, providing impetus for a future meeting.

The bike ride home was a blur. Was it the cold? The beers? Or the bourbon and coke that I downed before leaving the house? Ah, a brief interlude with bachelorhood. Caloric intake and output probably offset one another, leaving only braincells and time expended (and money).

Cheap Drinks at Chiocca's

I made a new year's resolution for 2009, to have a beer with a Republican. It doesn't seem like such a big deal. And I probably have done so more often than I even realize. But, most of my buddies are politically progressive. So, it seemed like a challenge to imbibe with the goal of finding commonality, rather than enjoying assumed same-pagedness for hours on end. Luckily, local Republican blogger, Jason Kenney and I had been talking about getting a beer since comparing our predictions for Virginia's Democratic primary.

I remember it well. Watching the returns, I wished there was a political pub where the TVs always showed Jim Lehrer and John McLaughlin or at least CNN and everyone could pontificate to friends and strangers. Jason chimed in with a comment suggesting Chiocca's because it's small enough to turn it into whatever kind of venue you want (the place really does conjure the small town watering hole vibe). More than half a year later, I got a Facebook friend request from Jason and I said, "not until we have that beer at Chiocca's. So, we finally met up and wouldn't you know it? Tuesday is Yeungling special night: $2 bottles.

Jason and I talked about politics, blogging politics, food politics, and the politics of paying the tab (he treated! I usually prefer to go dutch on the first date. However, I handled the tip, understanding the tables will likely turn one day). About politics, Jason may have designs on running for office one day, but in the meantime, life seems pretty lonely for a Republican in a state newly turned blue. With any political perspective, comfort is found in going on the attack. So, keep looking over your shoulders, Dems.

Jason did make one interesting concession: the Republicans need to drop the whole immigration issue and adopt the amnesty position, because our country should be able to adapt to the reality of as many as 30 million latinos integrating into society - otherwise, America's "melting pot culture" is hypocritical, not sustainable, nor worth protecting. This surprised the hell out of me, and Jason says his position catches his fellow Republicans off guard too. I hope he writes a book about this one and goes on The O'Reilly Factor.

(stop - while writing this, our 12 year old black lab-mix just let out a long fart that sounded like a child's first attempt at playing the kazoo - just thought you oughta know)

By the time we had compared notes about our respective positions and projects, we'd each had three Yuenglings and a platter of nachos (pretty good with the addition of roasted red peppers). I resolved to try their veggie sub one day, since I hear they're known for their sammiches. We were both glad to have expanded our understanding who is really behind these blog things anyhow (he's been at it for 8 years!). Now, I've just got to make it back to the gym and see if Yeungling's fountain of youth has paid off in sets and reps and cardio. Regardless, I'm feeling more upbeat for the change in pace.

*I reserve the right to make any any noun plural or possessive, as one who speaks baby-talk, and like all Richmonders, I feel like I have some special relationship with every bar/restaurant in town (despite staying home for the past year).

Update: Matthew has informed me that, in fact, we were not at Halligan('s), but across 17th Street at Rosie Connolly's. Details shetails. A pub is a pub.

Yeah, what he said...

2009-01-07T17:04:00.004-05:00

I'm not gonna lie. This site is no kinda food blog (too eclectic and personality focused). For a real treasure trove of foodie knowledge , go here. It'll help your kitchen start the year off right. Go on. Git! Come back later and I'll have something whipped up for ya.

Citrus Soup: Just Another Manic Monday

2009-01-06T08:59:00.005-05:00

Having worked through part of my winter break, I took Monday off to have some fun with Karen and Jasper. Bad timing. The little guy was in rare form virtually all day. He fussed, screamed, belted out new guttural sounds at top volume, and he tried to perform every Olympic gymnastic event (requiring frequent assistance, considering his general immobility). Are we entering a new period, an early terrible two's? Or, is it just another manic Monday? (whoa whoa). As a precautionary measure, we picked up a case of Yuengling cans to hunker down for a long winter of discontent. (does he look all coked up to you?)

Over the weekend, Karen was up in DC helping her BFF Corbin give birth. They had it all planned out with a mid-wife and everything. First is was gonna be a home birth. But, after lots of timing issues, it became a natural birthing center birth. But, after Corbin hit an emotional and physical wall, it became a hospital birth with an epidural. (contrast those baby faces? What a difference 9 months makes - Jasper's age, yall)

Then, after too much time had elapsed and the baby officially needed to be gotten out of there, and maybe the baby's heart-rate slowed a bit, "it" became a 8.3 lb baby boy named Everette Maxwell Goldstein. Sounds like a lawfirm, don't it? Not like Jasper Diego, international playboy.

It seems Jasper was totally fascinated with his eventual playmate and wanted nothing more than to touch the little baby bundle. He made excited sounds when he saw Everette, kinda like he does with our pug, Frankie. But, Karen made Jasper keep his hands to himself, as he tends to claw the ones he loves and grab and twist things like ears and nostrils, lips, etc. I told you he's totally off the wall, right? (that's Barbara, Corbin's mom, now a new grandmother)

Just in time to deal with Jasper's spastic rage-aholic outbursts, we converted a corner of the living room to a freakin' awesome play area. All it took was a a trip to Ikea and about $150 or so. The big addition is that wood shelf with pull out plastic tubs. We expect he'll turn that angst into creativity in this spot, maybe learning to crawl. The pillows are there to keep him from knocking his head against the cast iron baseboard heaters. Can you see an outburst beneath the surface of this simmering pot of sour crab apples? Momentarily, Jasper will have all of the toys out of the drawers and alternating them in and out of his mouth.

Speaking of food, Karen decided to make a weird dish to go along with our weird day. This soup is a twist on your standard carrot ginger. It's also got loads of orange zest and yogurt in it. Before serving, she topped it with pickled ginger slices. It's from this evidently unpopular and out of print cookbook that we got from Marshalls, but I couldn't find the recipe online (this looks kinda close). To make matters more bizarre, we had this soup with sourdough toast topped with cheddar cheese. Ginger and cheddar is kind of a strange combo (on paper), but it was still delicious (I dunked repeatedly). After dinner, I tried to reward Karen for pacifying hurricane Jasper. I poured her a snifter with a couple glugs of brandy and a few drops of this homemade additive plus a bit of agave nectar. She liked it, but didn't finish it. I'm working on it now.

Jenny McCarthy warned us in her book, Belly Laughs. The chapter was titled, "www.ihavetostopbuyingbabyshit.com". Well, now we've got baby clutter everywhere. And that means storage (which, in turn means Ikea). You've seen the toy corner solution. Well, here's the everything else solution. Despite polishing off the vanilla brandy concoction, I managed to put this piece of Ikea furniture together after everyone else went to sleep. The shelf was $80, plus the baskets, and then these unfinished feet from Lowes were an unexpected expense. That box sticking out of the middle cubby contains parts for two really slick looking slide out drawers. The directions were just a bit more involved that I cared to attempt at midnight. But, at least I can tell Karen that I "put the drawers in." See? They're in.

Dinner at Stronghill Dining Company

2009-01-05T09:38:00.008-05:00

On Friday night, I coordinated an after work outing for the distance education facilitators whom I supervise. I'd reserved a big table at Stronghill Dining Company across from Buzz and Neds on the Boulevard. The entrees ranged from $14-27. Pretty typical prices. However, the more I thought about the menu I'd seen online, I worried it might be a little steep for a mandatory meal where each was responsible for their own tab (state employment red tape, not my cheapness manifesting here). I explained this to the group, but they didn't balk at the prices.

Last time I got this group together, we went to the Phoenician, which didn't go over too well with a few folks who were put off by the strange sounding dishes and foreign ingredients. This time, I had to deliver meat and potatoes to regain their trust. Luckily, that's basically what Richmond's hip new restaurants specialize in these days: familiar favorites with a fancy sounding twist in miniature portions. (yawn) Let the fun begin.

The inside of Stronghill is a real feast for the eyes. The creative details in the design give the place an element of fantasy, which certainly sets the scene for a good time (credit the owners who also run the neighboring tattoo parlor, according to this love at first bite review). Their "social hour specials" were a hit: $4 highballs, $2 beers, sides of jalapeno hush puppies, and other discounted apps. They also had a $3 "wedge salad," but it appeared to be a quarter of a head of iceburg lettuce. Even with a tangy sauce, does that sound good to you?

Stronghill's attractive facade serves as an inviting
lower back tattoo - improving upon
the Boulevard's trashy hind parts -
although just short of uniqueness,
an indicator of probable good times.

I had a raw oyster shooter for $8. The four oysters were swimming in minuet sauce at the bottom of a tall narrow glass. It wasn't easy to gracefully slurp one at a time, and kinda impossible (inappropriate?) to share a glass of aphrodisiacs with coworkers. Nonetheless, I was satisfied with it and everyone was amused seeing me gulp the slimy critters down.

Some of us were interested in the crab cakes, but not "game" for the quail hash accompaniment. In the end, between the eight of us, four of the menu's entrees were ordered: the scallops (3), the gnocchi (2), the rib-eye (2), and the stew (1). Have I explained about my pet peeve about groups where items are ordered in duplicate? I can't really justify it except to say that I really wanna try everything on the menu (or at least see it and get your opinion about it). That's a lot more feasible if you have a bunch of people (unless they all order the same freakin' thing!). It's usually a case of diners with no confidence hearing someone else's order and saying, "that sounds good, I'll have that." Whatever. I didn't expect to be swapping plates with my coworkers. Maybe I should just stick to family style eateries in the future.

Of the above entrees, I can speak from experience about two of them: The sweet potato gnocchi were big, oddly chicken nugget shaped, and kinda sparse - thinly distributed in a small circle at the center of my big white plate. The sauce was salty and garlicky and the spinach and tomatoes were very lightly cooked. The gnocchi dumplings themselves were tender and firm at the center, but without any flavor of sweet potatoes. I think that element was included for aesthetic effect (they matched the decor and looked great on the plate) and to help the dish fit into the uppity southern style fare they're shooting for at Stronghill (and Rowland, Julep's, Lulu's, deLux... the list goes on).

The coworker across from me also happens to live in Byrd Park and has helped with Jasper a few times. We traded a gnocchi for a scallop or two. She'd heard that the scallops were great in a best of 2008 list. We both found them salty, but the crusty pan-fried tops were fun to eat in the way that brulee topping is a joy to crunch. Similarly, the crispy fried sweet potato shreds were a great contrast to the jiggly center of the shell fish. As far as scallops go, I give'em a 7.5.

My finicky friends said they would eat at Stronghill again, praising the predictability. Personally, it's probably not gonna be my kind of place (in part because it's probably too many other people's kind of place), but they do have enough going for them to lure me back for another investigation. I think I'd probably go for the drink and appetizer specials during "social hour," or maybe if they do a brunch service. But, to be sure, Karen needs to see the swirling two tone wood paneled booths and imaginative light fixtures. That interior design alone is worth the trip, if you ask me.

Upside Down Apple Walnut Pie (Inspired by Tarrantino's)

2008-12-29T09:21:00.003-05:00

The end of the year is like the end of a meal: time for a celebration of sweetness that will help finish out the experience on a euphoric high note. One of our favorite desserts*, Upside Down Apple Walnut Pie from Tarrantino's, has gotten so enticing for Karen and me that we decided to make it at home. Okay, it was all Karen on this one. If' you haven't had a slice of this stuff yet, head on down there dig in (along with the best pizza in Richmond or whatever you might get from Tarrant's). Or, you could do what we did and try to make it yourself.

I know this looks like an enormous sticky-bun, but it's not. It's an apple pie that was assembled on top of a bed of spiced and sugar'd pecans (we substituted) and then inverted. To begin with, Karen needed a deep dish pie pan, cuz ours is too shallow to accommodate the pie and the layer of nuts. So, we started with a trip to that really expensive kitchen accessory store in Carytown. We don't normally go there since we're averse to sticker shock experiences. But we were walking Jasper one day and popped in on a lark. As luck would have it, they had a nice stoneware pie pan for $15. I think we were expecting $30-40 and would have instead wound up searching TJ Maxx and Marshalls, probably buying one for $10-12. A pleasant surprise is a good way to start.

You wouldn't know from looking at this apple pie that it's hiding a secret. After loosening the crust from the sides, we flipped it over onto a platter. It only left a tiny bit behind and that got put back in place. By the way, we cheated and used a pre-made crust that turned out really well. But the best part of this dessert is the walnut or pecan topping. I'm sure I'll get in trouble when Karen reads this, but the Tarrantino's walnut topping is a cut above what we got from this recipe. They're close, but it's really tough to duplicate the combination of toasted spices and intense syrupy sweetness that makes the Tarrantino pie really pop with flavor. The staff says that they sell whole pies routinely.

Just so you know that this is still an apple pie, here's a profile of my first slice (thin apple slices in seconds courtesy of the mandoline). This holiday season has been a series of decadent food experiences for me. I'm sure you can relate. This pie deserves good quality vanilla ice cream (Tarrantino's heaps it on). Some kind of hot beverage, like say... mulled wine - might be a good accompaniment (although I hope I never see the stuff again). Regardless, 2008 has come to a close and I hope that you found a way to go out with a bang. Personally, I've got some jogging to do next year.

* Our other favorite dessert of 2008 is the peanut butter pie from The Black Sheep. There's no way that we could even get close with that one.

Eat Me and American Pie: Two Food-lit Books

2008-12-27T12:18:00.007-05:00

I got these two (not quite cook-) books for Christmas. As gifts, they're the highlights of my holiday. You might consider picking them up. I'm trying to read these two books simultaneously, hopefully before grad-school restarts in mid January. Here's what I think so far.

Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin

If you haven't seen the documentary, "I Like Killing Flies," do yourself a favor and rent it. I was delighted by the idiosynchratic behavior of the Shopsin family and the functional dysfunction of their Greenwich Village restaurant. By the end, I wanted to see (and taste) it for myself. Kenny Shopsin seemed to be operating from some higher understanding of food, a cross between Marx and Mario, with a touch of Mousalini to appeal to the masochist in each of us. But, like most movies, the subject faded from my mind. Well, on xmas day, I pulled back the wrapping on this book and Karen reminded me that this was a continuation of the story from the movie. I couldn't believe it. That movie was as distant as a dream (Shopsin's is a real place? Kenny is A real guy?). Before the day was over, I'd read through the forward, which was a 2002 New Yorker article that seemed to recap the movie. Wondering what could be left of the story to be told in this book, I turned the page to the introduction and started reading. I quickly realized that Kenny Shopsin himself was speaking to me directly and would continue doing so for the rest of the book. I stopped reading immediately. I'm not ready for this. The forboding mystique of Kenny Shopsin made me afraid to interact with him, even on paper. How is he going to throw me out of his restaurant, never to come back, with simple words on a page? It's only been a couple days, but I haven't picked it up since. The reviews say that Eat Me reads like being a fly on the wall at Shopsin's restaurant and enduring his endless philosophical rants and musings. And, the danger still looms, because Kenny "likes killing flies."

American Pie: The Search for the Perfect Pizza

After a couple attempts at making pizza on my new pizza stone, I began to crave a pizza making book. Rather than pick one up myself, or drop any hints to Karen. I figured I'd just wait until after the holidays to get something. Well, Karen was one step ahead of me. She found the perfect pizza cookbook that is also about the popular debate over what defines good pizza. The book's author, professional baker Peter Reinhart, traveled all over the US and Italy on a hunt for pizza perfection. After the first 30 or so pages, I felt like I'd been to Napels and Rome along with him and I'm better able to put my American pizza experiences into perspective. Next up for me is his comparison of New York, Chicago, and California styles (among others places). Then, I'll dive into the recipe section that describes the process of making 12 kinds of dough, various sauces, toppings, and baking scenarios. Thus far, I've had this feeling that I've previously been exposed to Reinhart's writing. He's got a handful of popular books on baking (and sometimes teaches baking at the Culinary Institute of America). Then, I found it. Reinhart wrote Sacramental Magic in a Small Town-Cafe: Recipes and Stories for Brother Juniper's Cafe. I've been reading that cookbook bit by bit for a couple months now (given to me by this guy). This really explains why I'm taking to this American Pie book so quickly. Reinhart was part of a monastic community back then (early 90s), but his writing style was whimsical and the spirituality was non-dogmatic and full of humility. Best of all, I really enjoyed his balance of perspectives on food and life in general. This pizza book was published 10 years after Sacramental Magic, and his writing has evolved. He's reeled himself in a bit. Based on the Amazon reviews, this is a good thing for home chefs who want accessible information and know-how about baking. So far, I'm more than a fan. I feel like I've found a kindred spirit.

The Best of RVA Foodie

2008-12-23T10:27:00.011-05:00

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.

Affordable Parmigiano Reggiano?

2008-12-21T15:12:00.006-05:00

I love this cheese, and not simply because Mario Batali calls it "the indisputable king of all cheeses" every time he mentions it. For about a year now, I've been making sure to always have a wedge of it in the fridge. It's simply a perfect condiment, like sriracha, or truffle oil, ranch dressing, or grey poupon, or spicy mayonnaise (hope you're into at least one of those). It makes bad food good and makes good food truly memorable. (and I'm gonna need it, since we're having spaghetti on Christmas) But, this cheese ain't cheap!

The last time I went to Kroger, they were charging $19.99/lb for two year aged parmigiano reggiano. Now, I'm used to biting the bullet on this ingredient. I accept the sacrifice where I otherwise wouldn't (yall know I'm cheap, right?). But there is no way in hell I'm paying that price. I looked online and found $15.99/lb at igourmet.com, but they wanted $13.99 for standard shipping (because it's food and has to be packed just so). Surely there must be a better deal out there? I asked at Belmont Butchery and they don't carry the stuff. Where do you buy yours?

Update: after writing those two paragraphs, I found myself at the new BJs near Regency Mall. I've bought parmigiano reggiano at BJs in the past, but never scrutinized the price. This time, it was $12.99/lb!!!! I bought 1.5 pounds and ran home to tell you all about it. So, here's my confession. Even though I just found a deal that was $7 cheaper per pound, I'm still not satisfied. That's an $18 block of cheese. Luckily, it'll probably last me a month or two.

Xmas Dinner: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce?

2008-12-21T10:14:00.007-05:00

Karen asked her parents what they wanted for Christmas dinner. "Spaghetti with meat sauce" was the answer. You've probably found me complaining about their finickiness on this site - that baby Jasper is a more adventurous eater than his grandparents. They don't use the internet, but if/when they do then I'll be in trouble. There is no pleasing them except to serve them what they've grown accustomed to for years. Anywho, initially, Karen's mom wanted a rib roast (and we usually spend all day on whatever piece of meat she requests). But, this time Karen asked her to think of something that we could all eat. She said, "Spaghetti with meat sauce."

My wife is really good about avoiding conflict, isolating the problem, and making lemonaid when life gi... you get the picture. She's picked out a highly rated bolognese recipe for her parents and a vegetarian sauce for me. It's probably for the best that our meal is extra easy, as it's gonna be all about Jasper and his new toys all day long. Oh, and maybe some steaming hot glogg.

You're probably wondering what I would have suggested for dinner, since I'm being a total snob about our xmas cuisine. How about this? Or, how about something out of this book ? (stay tuned for a post about it, to be called Iron Chef Battle Vegan).

Shut Up and Blog! (about Glögg)

2008-12-20T10:35:00.004-05:00

It can be hard to maintain that holiday cheer when everybody is stressed out all around you, beating you to the bargains in the clearance isle at Marshalls, and making mean-spirited comments on the blogs (the chickens do come home to roost, don't they?). But rather than give you a list of my pet peeves (they're better rationed out as full fledged blog features), I'm gonna take a piece of advice that I've seen a lot lately (see title) and share this instant smile tonic with you.

I got this bag of "Swedish Glugg Spices" from the "Manager's Special" bin at Kroger. That plastic bag contains raisins, orange peel, apricots, almonds, prunes and spices (basically a deconstructed pumpkin pie spiced fruit-cake). At first, I thought "glugg" was like a hot cider drink, but it turns out that you've got to add three kinds of alcohol and it's closer to a mulled wine or a hot Long Island Iced Tea. If it sounds familiar, you've probably seen cases of the non-alcoholic variety at the Ikea checkout area. Basically, glugg/glogg/glögg is a popular warm drink during the winter months in Nordic countries.

From the Drunken Blog:

Glogg is basically a type of swedish mulled wine, the ancient form of recreational pharmaceuticals designed to make one forget that no one bathed, it was cold as hell, you couldn't go anywhere because of the snow, and your home was made of stones and straw and poo. It is in Glogg's nature to knock you on your ass before you're aware of what's happening, so do plan accordingly for what this will do to people.

This guy's "Oh Glögg, You Devil" entry includes a much more detailed recipe than the back of Grandpa Lundquist's sticky package of spices. The drunken blogger also tells of a technique where you set fire to a pan full of sugar and brandy before adding that into the mix. Sounds really good, as long as you do this BEFORE consuming a bunch of drinks. Can you tell that I've never flambe'd? Maybe I'll start this weekend. The gist is to let all those spirits (and some water) simmer for an hour or so. It smells up the house real nice and puts a smile on people's faces.

That sounds like a plan to me. Let's toast the new year with holiday cheer.

Is this picture out of focus, or is the Glögg starting to kick in?

Pull the Tail with Your Mouth, Baby

2008-12-19T19:16:00.003-05:00

This really made me happy to be home from work today.

He's more coordinated with his mouth, than he is with his hands.

Momofuku and Other New York Foods

2008-12-15T10:24:00.003-05:00

Karen and Jasper and I went to NYC for five days last week. Here's what we ate (not including baby food). It starts on a travel day, upon our arrival at the Fulton Street subway stop in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn.

Saturday:

Late lunch was a couple mediocre NY slices, five garlic knots, and a Jamaican beef patty (for Karen).
After a long walk in the bitter cold, we made some miso tofu soup and watched a really awful movie on the couch.

Sunday:

Brunch at a dive in SoHo (my huevos rancheros were nachos with two eggs and Hormel chilli on top). A crappy joint, totally out of place in the boutique shopping Mecca, but at least we had no qualms feeding Jasper at the table.
Dinner from a Bed-Stuy Trinidadian restaurant, Folukie. Discovered "roti," a kindred spirit to the mission-style burrito (a la Chipotle or Cafe Ole).

Monday:

Breakfast in hipster haven Bedford Ave in Williamsburg. It was a crunchy granola style coffee shop with some really tasty tofu scramble on a so-so bagel.
Late Lunch: A fantastic $3 falafel w/pickles and cabbage
Dinner at Momofuku in the East Village. This was a major birthday present for Karen. The experience was so fantastic, I'm going to try and describe each item. But first, about the context... this place is in the restaurant district and it was one of the only places that wasn't empty. Since Momofuku is a noodle bar, it's not fine dining. Seating is cramped, with strangers squeezed into short communal tables and/or the bar. Despite this, we each ordered a beer (mine was a 22) and got comfortable, really excited with expectation (check out the press section of their site to find out why):
Seven spice potato chips: hand cut and perfectly seasoned, kinda tasted like "crab chips" but asian.
Egg with soy sauce: Not believing that they would really bring me an egg topped with soy sauce, I agreed to the $2 price tag and ordered it. When it came out, the soft boiled egg was cut in half and there was rich sauce on top adorned with sauteed garlic. Delicious!
I ordered the ginger scallion noodles with seasonal vegetables. The sauce was insanely good. No idea what they put in it. The noodles were hearty. For $11, it may have been the only item without animal products, but it was very satisfying.
Karen ordered the skate wing with brussel sprouts, kimchi and bacon. She was blown away by the caramelization on the sprouts. The fish was cooked better than I've had it before (even though it's been great at Edo's and Baccus), with a crispiness on the outside and really tender and slightly chewy on the inside (that's a defining characteristic of skate). Her plate was freakin' profound. She especially liked the use of bacon, although it wasnt' evident in the skate, mostly the sprouts/kimchi.
For dessert, we split an order of smoked maple soft serve ice cream with praline topping. If this sounds strange, you might have to taste it to get it. Think balsamic on strawberries. The sweetness and smokiness really played off one another. Neither of us could believe what we were eating. This dish had us floating out the door with our heads in the clouds. (update! I totally forgot the pumpkin horchata that was sweet, light, and delivered the essence of pumpkin without the predictable spice blend). Momofuku!

Tuesday:

Breakfast was skipped, but Karen heated up some Morningstar Farms sausage links.
At Chelsea Market, we had cupcakes from Elenora (maple walnut w/cream cheese icing was our favorite). Bought a $12 bottle of truffle oil (100ml), cuz the last one lasted me a year. We picked up a couple panini's for a snack while running between Times Square and FAO Schwartz.
Stopped in Greenwich Village for Thai food (pretty good stuff) and a round of Stella Artois. We also popped into Murray's famous cheese shop to pick up some apps for dinner at home that night. We got a baguette, misc. olives, a head of roasted garlic, a small wheel of a brie-like raw milk cheese called "Constant Bliss" from Jasper Hill Farms in Vermont. Also, a bit of goat cheese rolled in crushed red pepper. By the way, cheese is going to become a theme on this blog, so I hope you're ready for more.
Did I mention that this was Karen's official birthday? To celebrate, we bought four creme puffs from Beard Papa's bakery (you have to visit the link to understand how this French bakery run by Japanese women, got its name). Later, we put candles in them and chowed down. The puffs were out of this world.
Back at the house, Kyong's roommate made a big batch of Indian lentils, spiked with coconut milk for extra richness. Really tasty. Jasper was coaxed into sleeping by himself, and then everybody got drunk.

Wednesday

I made some eggs and soysauge. We went for a walk in the rain and picked up savory chive and cheddar scones from a bakery in Clinton Hill. Back home for more lentils and then we headed to the airport. Since our flight was delayed, we ate a cold sandwich at the terminal and fed Jasper some apple sauce from the snack bar.

The End.

CDs that I Wanna Hear

2008-12-12T13:17:00.007-05:00

I love year end music critic top ten lists. Soon, Metacritic will be unveiling their distillation of opinions. There's also a podcast of the best albums according to my favorite reviewers over at Sound Opinions. Since I use eMusic for most of my music needs, these 'best of' lists usually remind me about the albums I'm missing out on. Here' s a list of 2008 CDs that I don't own and really wish I did (although some are just up there for curiosity's sake). If you have any of these and care to share, let me know through the contact info on my profile page.

I want these. Do you have them?

The Magnetic Fields: Distortion
Erykah Badu: New Amerykah Part One: 4th World War
TV on the Radio: Dear Science
Protest the Hero: Fortress
Kanye West: 808s and Heartbreak
The Bug: London Zoo
Lucinda Williams: Little Honey
MGMT: Oracular Spectacular
Lil Wayne: Tha Carter III
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Wolf Parade: At Mount Zoomer
Opeth: Watershed
The Breeders: Mountain Battles
Nas: Untitled
Hercules and Love Affair: Hercules and Love Affair
Guns N'Roses: Chinese Democracy*
Bob Dylan: Tell Tale Signs

*Don't let this one distract you. I was raised on MTV and Appetite for Destruction.

Baby Pictures from New York City

2008-12-12T09:02:00.003-05:00

We spent five days in New York City, dragging Jasper through every subway between Brooklyn and Manhattan. We stayed in Bed-Stuy with our buddy Kyong, a former Richmonder. It was just like my favorite movie, Do the Right Thing, except it was cold, not hot, and we never saw Da Mayor or palpable racial tension (except for hipster gentrification of trendy Williamsburg). We did, however, see lots of Kodak moments. So, here's a rushed run-down:

Jasper poses with Obama (in cupcake form) at Chelsea Market,
where many Food Network shows are filmed.

It was so cold in NYC that we bundled him in this fleece coverall.

Karen and Kyong push Jasper to the subway in Bedford Stuyvesent, Brooklyn (cameo appearance made by camera strap).

I know Karen and I look crazy here, but Jasper just exclaimed something complicated and exciting... so we responded. Thirty minutes and two breakfast sandwiches later, Jasper spilled a full glass of water on Kyong.

At the play area of a bourgie (and really awesome) coffee shop where Williamsburg nannies bring toddlers to frolic.

Jasper hits Times Square so he can go to Toys R' Us (that's it in the background). We didn't buy anything there, if you can believe it.

Posing in front of Louis Vitton's xmas display.

Local Santas boogaloo for money. Really impressive acrobatics.

The ceiling inside FAO Schwartz while on the escalator.

One of us is pretending to be asleep.

What could I add to this?

Eating Well on a Budget: Mjadara

2008-12-08T09:04:00.006-05:00

While Karen, Jasper and I are in New York, it is my pleasure to bring you a special guest blogger, Muna Hijazi. To help you cope with hard financial realities, I've wanted to do a story on foods to cook at home on the cheap and mjadara is the first thing that came to mind. It's one of my favorite winter comfort foods, and no one makes it better than my old friend Muna. Some of you might remember her selling her cuisine at the Farmers Market in 2003/4 under the name, Muna Food. Either way, you're in for a treat. Make this once, and you'll have a new addictive and easy meal in your repertoire.

This is Muna and her mjadara recipe/background-story:

Mjadara is a true staple for Palestinians, and popular throughout the Arab world. Infinitely affordable and incredibly delicious, it's made from simple, hardy ingredients that are dirt cheap, easy to find, and even easier to store for long amounts of time. This dish has sustained many generations of Palestinians through war, displacement, curfews and trade embargoes. There is no vowel sound between the M and the J. Pronounce the M the way you would say "Mmm" with the first whiff of a wonderful meal, then say the rest of the word as transliterated and you'll be just fine.

My favorite version is adapted from one the first Lebanese cookbooks published in English, written by Madelain Farah in 1975. When I first started making the dish, I tried to wing it -- I mean, how hard could it be? It's just lentils, rice, and onions. But I could never get it right.

I finally looked it up in this book passed down by my mother and was in disbelief at the prescribed 1/2 cup of oil used to first fry to crucially crispy onions, then to in effect season the lentils and rice as they cook. The oil makes all the difference. Do not skimp on it. You'd be doing a great disservice to this already very healthy meal.

Regarding those crucial onions: This is everyone's favorite part. Fried until just-past-golden brown and spooned on top, you can never have too many of these. Make sure you do actually use two huge red onions (other hues will do, but red are the tastiest), and if they are not enormously bulbous enough, definitely supplement with more. If you lapse on this, be prepared to break up the fights over the last few delicious strands.

Here's the recipe:

1 cup uncooked brown lentils
4 cups water
2 large red onions, julienned
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup uncooked white rice
(basmati or jasmin is recommended)
1 tablespoon salt

Rinse the lentils and add to the water. Bring to boil and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, saute the onions in the oil until just-past-golden brown. With a slotted spoon remove the onions from the oil to drain on newspaper.

Add this onion-seasoned oil to the lentils, along with the rice and salt. Bring to a boil, then drop the temperature to as low as possible. Cover with a tightly fitted lid and cook for 20-25 minutes. Use a fork to test it -- the mjadara should not be mushy or sticky, but rather each grain should cleanly pull away from the other.

Place on a serving platter, with the fried onions. Mjadara is traditionally served with a dollop of whole milk yogurt and a fresh Arabic village-style salad of equal parts finely chopped tomato, cucumber, and onion (and jalapeno if you're truly Arab), mixed with lemon juice and salt . I for one cannot eat this dish without these two elements. It would be like eating spaghetti without the sauce.

Now for the most important part, a real truth passed on to us from Kahlil Gibran:

"If you bake bread with indifference, you bake a bitter bread that feeds but half a man's hunger."

No meal is complete without the care it requires in its preparation. That is the real trick to how sustaining this dish is during hard times. I made this dish with several other of my family's favorites under the banner of Muna Food for people at the 17th Street Farmers' Market, gosh, I guess about five years ago. Muna Food was wildly popular, but I stopped when I felt like I wasn't able to put enough care into the dishes anymore, given the demand.

On another note, I've just recently finished reading M.F.K. Fisher's "How To Cook A Wolf". MFK is perennially by far my favorite food writer, full of grace, wit and good taste. She wrote this book as America emerged from World War II. The title wolf is the metaphor used throughout the book for the panic and fear that real hardship and poverty inspires in everyone who must, one way or another, put food on the table.

Aside from interesting recipes, it is full of wonderful advice and fascinating asides. I'm just about to update my Goodreads.com page with quotes from the book. One of my favorites puts in context our current economic woes:

"As for your icebox. (It is easiest to take for granted that you still have one, and that it works, and that it is not an annex for the local Red Cross and filled to bulging with blood plasma)."

Can any of you readers help me interpret this icebox quote? Muna? Whenever Karen wants to go to the grocery store, I say, "Why don't we just eat something from the freezer?" Anywho, I think cheap eats like this are a common thread among all cultures. Caramelized onions help bring people together. So, no antagonistic comments about the Middle East peace process in the comments. In my world, the best way to promote peace is for people at odds to sit at a table and appreciate each other's favorite foods. Of course, folks in the Jerusalem might throw down over mayo vs. tahini in the baba ghanouj. If you feel like you need to taste mjadara in order to know how to make it (that's how I tend to cook), just head over to the Mediterranean Bakery and Deli on Quioccasin for the best stuff in town (since Muna doesn't deliver).

Give the Gift of Hipness

2008-12-05T23:37:00.004-05:00

Karen's freelance designs are starting to pop up on the blogs and I just hafta gloat. Having been an original fan of Ipanema ~~since before it was hip~~ from the moment it opened, it's especially satisfying to see my wife collaborating with Kendra on some graphics. This list of holiday gifts sounds like a lot of fun for both the giver and receiver.

Karen's designs mostly come about while Jasper is occupied on the Boppy. It's some serious multi-tasking. She also designed the certificate that you give as the gift itself. It's nifty too. I can't show that one to you. Duh, you have to buy a gift off that list. Sounds like reason enough to me. The "beer dinner" would just be the icing on the cake. For more info: ipanemacafe@comcast.net or (804) 213-0190.

Taro Slush Boba Tea F-ing Rocks!

2008-12-04T20:57:00.007-05:00

In my world, this has been a fact since 2004.* But I didn't have a blog then and only the people within earshot heard me yappin about this delicious drink. However, I've finally revisited my favorite supplier of boba tea (the good folks at TT's Bubble Lounge* on Cary by VCU) and it was just like yester-year - same awesome slurping satisfaction.

I want to tell you it's a beautiful periwinkle color, but it's not. It's lavendar, but I look beyond that (preferring blue to purple). What gets me is the seriously rich flavor and texture of the taro slush accompanied by the whimsical little tapioca balls that fly up the straw for a brief bounce around in the mouth. Are you ready to go and try this yet? Don't worry about the weather. They'll serve you some yakisoba if you need to warm up.

*maybe it was 2005

*check out the reviews at the link where customers heap praise on TT by comparing it to the bubble teas of the world. Right here in Richmond. Who'dve thunk it?

Black Friday Made My Baby Non-Vegan

2008-12-04T10:20:00.005-05:00

On the Friday after Thanksgiving, Karen woke me up at 6:30 am to say that she and Jasper would be heading out to do some shopping, I didn't think they really needed me (so I stayed in bed for another three hours). Low and behold, Karen says the sight was eerie: a totally empty Babies R Us. She scooped up doorbuster sale items without any competition, including huge boxes of diapers for pennies per pamper. Karen also grabbed cases of Earth Best Organic Baby Food at 50% off.

"First chicken, then humans!"

Well, wouldn't you know it, the cases of baby food included a chicken dish. Karen confronted me with this news saying that, "We're going to have to decide if we're going to feed Jasper meat." I'm thinking, "well, it's almost decided now since it's been purchased" (and I hate to throw away food and my ethical choices often take a backseat when bargains are concerned...). On the other hand, the matter isn't settled. No. Not until the internets have had their say. So please do chime in. We need input. (FYI: Karen eats meat, sparingly, and I don't - seafood, dairy, and eggs are my only animal products)

For a little background, and to help get your debating juices flowing, Jasper is eating all kinds of veggies and fruits and momma's breast milk. The only thing that sticks out is yogurt. That's Stoneyfield Yo Baby organic stuff and yes, it was ripped from the utter of another species (intended for baby cows, no less - just sayin'). But, Jasper loves the stuff. He sometimes refuses all other food until we give him yogurt. Does that make Jasper a junkie for animal products? Who knows. Is it a slippery slope that will make it impossible to feed him veggies and one day result in him eating "meat and cheese only" as I once required as a child? Or as an adult, will Jasper become one of those non-adventurous eaters who thinks they need to have meat on every plate? Do any of you have vegetarian babies? If so, how are you handling this stuff?

Preemptive update: don't make me post ground-rules for this discussion. Keep it cordial, use "I statements," and have a sense of humor. Cheers.

I Ate at The French Laundry*

2008-12-04T10:06:00.005-05:00

*Okay, no I didn't. But MessyCuisine did. And with a restaurant as "important" as the French Laundry, when one Richmonder dines at a world famous eatery, I think we should all feel privileged by extension. This kind of vicarious living is very common, like thinking you have a sex life because you read Jack Goes Forth. Only in this case, you'll save lots of money and in the other case you save trips to the free clinic.

So, my point was that Messy, a largely under-appreciated food blogger, lists every bit of food (13 courses!) and delivers descriptions in his uniquely stilted way. It's followed up with a really insightful epilogue on the whole experience and a critical take on Thomas Keller's renowned cuisine. Not too long, unlike my laugh riot of a review of The Inn at Little Washington (which gave birth to this blog over two years ago). We shared one thing in common from our five star experiences: a tummy ache from too much rich food. Here's hoping that affordable nutritious food will be "in" and expensive painfully pretentious food will be "out" in 2009. But, I'm still totally jealous of Messy.

"I'm Pooping Right Now"

2008-12-01T20:02:00.004-05:00

The little guy isn't always pooping, but he has started making these hand motions while he's babbling.

Karen says this is the best evidence that Jasper and I look alike. What do you think?

Maymont's Otters Entertaining My Baby

2008-11-30T09:04:00.000-05:00

Not even a cute little baby can upstage the otters at Maymont. Jasper took in the turtles and the intimidatingly large fish. The whole thing was dizzying for the little guy, especially the backflips and curliques of our neighborhood otters. If you haven't visited in a while, this video will bring back some memories.

Whenever we walk Jasper to the Nature Center, he falls asleep before we get there and he misses out on the exhibits. Today was no different. As we approached the parking lot, Jasper was starting to slump over in the stroller. Karen and I kept yelling his name and waving our arms to keep him awake. Finally, Karen picked him up and carried him into the dark tunnel that begins the parade of aquariums. Slowly, Jasper perked up until he finally arrived in front of the otters. He definitely followed them with his eyes, but as you can see in this video, he lagged behind most of the time. Hence, I point out the bubbles trailing behind as Jasper's consolation prize.

Here's a much longer shot of the otters and Jasper:

Clap Hands Little Man

2008-11-29T08:02:00.002-05:00

These days, when Jasper wants to impress, he makes a bee-line for the clappins. For months, he's been transfixed whenever he saw/heard us clapping. Every thing he sees, he smacks like a drum. And now he's started putting his own to hands together and watching our response.

Here you can see that Jasper tends to hold one hand steady while swinging his other hand (dominant hand, maybe?) Awe heck, just go ahead and watch the video. But don't get a crick in your neck. We probably shouldn't have turned the camera on its end.

Has anyone seen Jasper's lower lip. He seems to have misplaced it. Or, maybe this is a cabbage patch doll in place of my baby.

Whole Fish (Baked in Salt) pt. 2

2008-11-28T12:13:00.000-05:00

Too often, Thanksgiving takes us through familiar culinary paces, a tired turkey routine and other half-hearted traditions. A total bore, that I usually eat too much of all the same. But not this time. While watching my in-laws reenact the usual dishes, I pursued my own inspiration by attempting salt crusted whole fish for the first time. Check out the previous post showing my preparations for the event.

This pictorial story could serve as a "how to" on salt crust fish baking, but before you go out and mimic my technique, read closely for the many details that I wish had gone differently (and the numerous links in the previous post). In the end, I was glad to have given this a shot and I'm sure I'll be doing it again soon. Next time, I want to use a larger fish and a larger pan. Two at once in a small pan is a tough scenario for a first-timer. The lighting for these shots was awful (and flash doesn't help food fotos much - see sauce pic below), but thanks to Karen for taking pictures while my hands were covered with salt, oil, and fishiness.

I stuffed them with lemons, rosemary, thyme, garlic cloves, peppercorns, fennel seeds, and as many olives as I could fit in each cavity. That's the Royal Dorade on top and the Branzino on bottom. Both are just over a pound. In case I needed to pick them up out of the salt, I put down a little parchment cut-out like a fish beneath each of these guys. They got slathered in the sauce (described below) before burial.

I almost didn't have enough salt to cover the two fish. In retrospect, I don't think I needed that layer on the bottom, at least not that thick.

While the mound baked for 30 mins, I stirred my olive oil together with fresh lemon juice, parsley, (no sage), rosemary, and thyme, capers, garlic clove, a few dashes of white wine vinegar, and some lemon zest. Actually, I did this over night, but I adjusted the juice/oil ratio to get the flavor right at the last minute. Karen says it was almost as good as D'aqua.

The finished product doesn't look much different than it did when it went in. One recipe said to cook until the salt turns golden brown, but that makes no sense. It's 15 minutes per pound of fish (at the most). I stuck a thin bladed knife in to test the temp against my lip, a la Eric Ripert. That's the hole there. To my surprise, the salt was rock hard, just as the recipes say. The knife was HOT. And the edge of the salt was in fact golden brown. (for those cooking along with me, I used egg whites in the top layer of salt, but I hear you don't have to)

After hacking through the scalding hot igloo made of salt, I found these two fishies. They were super hot and it was a real pain to excavate them without getting salt on the meat. The high sides of the pan didn't help. I'm sure it gets easier with practice, but... next time less salt and a bigger pan with low sides.

The skin comes right off, either with the salt or after you take the salt off. One time, on Iron Chef, Bobby Flay put parchment on both sides to make clean up and plating quicker and easier. I think that's cheating, but maybe I'm just determined to get it right according to the traditional method before incorporating shortcuts.

I coulda swore I buried a couple fish in this here pile of salt. Seriously though, this is what was left after I transferred them to another plate where Karen and I could de-bone without four pounds of salt in our way.

Here's the dish as it went to the table. That's the dorade in the front. We decided we liked it best (firm "chicken-y" meat that's a little sweet and nuanced). The branzino (at the top of that pic) was very mild and maybe slightly overcooked. Perhaps it didn't need as long as the dorade, but they were both buried and resurrected at the same time (another miscalculation). The olives from the fish cavity were extra succulent. Both fish, as predicted, were unbelievably moist. Hey! Ya know what that dish of fish needs? "Good quali-y oli-oil," says Jamie Oliver. Don't mind if I do. Happy un-Turkey Day, yall.

Moments after this picture was taken, Jasper soiled three diapers in five minutes and everyone got a little less hungry.

Whole Fish (Baked in Salt) on Turkey Day

2008-11-26T16:54:00.001-05:00

Every year, my in-laws get spiral cut ham for Thanksgiving dinner and I'm generally left to fend for myself. To make the meal special for this ovo-lacto-pesca vegetarian, I decided to try the salt crusted method of cooking fish. I've done a lot of planning and gathering of supplies. This right here is basically all I need to bring with me to the in-law's house tomorrow:

If you don't know what I'm talking about when I say "salt crusted," just picture a fish buried in a big mound of salt, kinda like you would bake a fish fillet in a sealed parchment/foil pouch (and it steams while it's in there). They say there's nothing like the moistness of salt crusted fish. Here are a few sites that have inspired me so far (some of them have pics of the bizarre-ness):

Tyler Florence does red snapper.
The Times-Picayunne does it N'awlins Style.
A blogger adds romesco sauce.
Epicurious' no nonsense approach.
Sassy blogger's pictorial gave me the olive idea.

My first big decision was to pick out a fish. But, since you want the freshest possible fish for this preparation, it's hard to know who's gonna have what on the day before Thanksgiving. I called PT Hastings. I visited Tan-A. And I was prepared to go to that awesome place at Hull and Belt Blvd (can't remember the name). But, I wound up going with the sure thing: the otherwise prohibitively expensive Yellow Umbrella on Patterson (price was less of an barrier considering the occasion, and the fact that they speak English - but for red snapper or rock fish/striped bass, hit up Tan-A). It was really an easy choice, since Matthew Tlusty (of Limani fame) has sorta endorsed the Yellow Umbrella as the best/freshest fishmonger in Richmond (supplied by the same distributor as Limani - RIP). I went with a Branzino (lupe de mar, the one in the back) and a Royal Dorado (the fatty in the front - which I can't find any info about online).

The only other time I've had fish baked in salt was Branzino at D'aqua in DC and we liked it a great deal. One of the best parts was this sauce they drizzled over top of the meat when plating. At Karen's request, I'll be trying to duplicate that sauce. All we know is that it had EVOO, lemon juice, lemon rind, and herbs. I'll be adding some capers in my rendition and maybe a couple other things. The most important component was surely "good quality oli-oil," as Jamie Oliver says). So, since it's a special occasion, I splurged on the pictured bottle of Lucini from Kroger. It's really fruity and peppery, almost as good as my favorite EVOO from California. I'm so glad that it lived up to the hype, because there was a wide variety of brands and prices at the store (including some Rachel Ray yummo crap).

I'll be cramming the insides of the fish with lemon slices, fresh thyme, garlic cloves, parsley, rosemary, olives, peppercorns, fennel seeds, and probably some crushed fennel seeds. Hmmm, maybe that's too many of the ideas from those links above. It's up in the air, really. This is a "before post." I'll bring my camera to the spiral ham fest and amuse myself by documenting my cooking process.

Come on back later in the week! (here's Part 2)
-----------------------

UPDATE:

“Royal Dorado” (or Tsipoura or Aurata/Orata or Gilthead seabream) is extremely moist with a mild sweet flavor, firm and flaky flesh. For way too much info about this fish, click here, or here for a recipe.

Pizza from the Home (Depot) Hearth

2008-11-25T09:28:00.000-05:00

Karen asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I said, "a pizza stone." Then, I thought about it and surfed the net and changed my request to "a rectangular pizza stone." After scoping out the models on Amazon, with their varying sizes, I said, "a 16 x16 pizza stone, cuz ya know, I like big pizzas." Each time I updated Karen I worried that she'd already bought my present. She hadn't.

A little more surfing and I discovered that any hardware store would have ceramic tiles of all sizes (virtually the same as the product sold as a pizza stone). All I had to do was find an unglazed and untreated one in the size I wanted and bring it home for cheap. I called Karen one more time and asked her to hold off while I looked into this option. The retail pizza stones run from $20-50 (not including the $70 All-Clad model). At Lowe's, the tile isle was comparatively cheap and the options were dizzying. I didn't bother the staff with my confusing request ("You wanna do what with a floor tile?!?!"). Luckily, they had a natural stone tile or two (or several dozen, actually). I chose a 18 x 18 square to bring home in the hopes that it would fit into my cheap-ass Hot Point gas oven. Instant brick oven effect!

For me, the biggest catalyst in my decision to create a hearth for baking was the crust at Tarrantino's Pizza. The bottom of the crust is divinely crisped (same effect at 8 1/2 - and neither of them have brick ovens!). I want that. My pizzas suck in the crust department, even when I do them right on the rack (okay, if I grill the crust, then they're good). The solution is a piping hot rock to slide my pizza onto. It will absorb the moisture and sear the dough, to make it crisp and chewy. In the picture above, I achieved the crispy bottom crust effect and it was just the first time using the "pizza stone." Definitely a good sign.

Anywho, there's another story to be told about how I have a lot of work to do on my pizza dough technique (the yeast didn't activate much and I over kneaded the dough). But, I'm too excited to share the news about my new pizza stone for under $10 and the beginning of my new pizza making journey. Two more dough balls in the fridge. Any suggestion on how I should top them?

No Carrots. No Green Beans. No Acorn Squash.

2008-11-24T09:13:00.000-05:00

We've been having a lot of fun feeding Jasper his first solid foods. Thanks to a few good books, we've been confidently preparing our own organic baby food for pennies on the dollar compared to the jarred stuff from the store. Successful feeding modeled here.

The routine goes like this:

Pull out a cube of frozen veg and microwave it briefly (testing temp with one of those indicator spoons).
Slide him into the high chair and put a toy in front of him.
Wrap Jasper's neck in a bib and endure his frustrating grunts.
Prepare a dessert of yogurt or baby oatmeal mixed with pureed bananas/pears.
Shovel spoonfuls of veg into Jasper's hungry mouth while making cooing sounds and goofy faces.
If he rejects the veg, try some dessert (usually yogurt), and then switch back.
Continue until the food is gone or he won't open his mouth anymore.
Try to wipe Jasper's face without making him cry.

Thus far, Jasper has basically loved everything we've given him (after the first few bites). Sweet potatoes, mmmmmmm. Pears, aaaaahhhhhh! Butternut squash, oh yeah.

However, there are a few foods that Jasper rejected initially and then agreed to eat while furrowing his brow. He seems to have set some rules, although we're breaking them every chance we get.

No Carrots. No Green Beans. No Acorn Squash.

My next project is to feed Jasper this entire pumpkin.

A Kitchen Renovation for $129

2008-11-24T09:08:00.000-05:00

A better way to describe this would be, "in lieu of a kitchen renovation, get this for $129." The story is that Karen and I have had designs on a new kitchen ever since we bought our house in 2005. Every time we put money in the savings account, we both fantasize about a continuous grate stovetop, or a built-in pantry, or soapstone countertops. Alas, the economic conditions for a major renovation haven't come about. In fact, the housing market has probably stifled the value of our house, and Karen's hours got cut at work (with her boss currently hatching plans to eliminate her position all together), and then there's Jasper's future expenses. It's probably not prudent to drop $7-10k on a chic canteen.

Nonetheless, we must progress. Despite all of the external factors, Karen and I are hellbent on improving the quality of our lives, incrementally, at least. So, to tie us over for while, we decided to upgrade a kitchen accessory that that would be more user friendly and maybe counteract the dumpy feeling that is creeping into our cookhouse (probably due to the black burlap backsplash that's bubbling up and becoming soiled).

It happened at Ikea. We were carrying a fussy Jasper through a throng of shoppers and Karen and I both nearly had a nervous breakdown. We planned on looking at the faucets, but had missed them in the confusion. At this point, we were trying to choose between stopping to feed him or abandoning our energy efficient light bulbs and $5 tupperware and heading home. We chose to feed him and collect ourselves and we were even ambitious enough to go back and peek at the faucets. It was an act of defiance, more so than fortitude.

At Lowes and other stores, the fancy modern faucets are usually over $200 - a real turn-off. But at Ikea, the designs were mostly attractive and reasonable.* We agreed that a single handle would be key, considering that we've often got Jasper in the other hand. The tall arc of the nozzle allows us to get the Brita pitcher under it easily, and stock pots, and the dog's water dish. One night last week, after Karen and Jasper went to bed, I spent some time huffing and puffing under the sink, taking out the old faucet and affixing this new one. Ever since, I've been walking around with a sense of accomplishment. The thing works beautifully. Every time I use it, I am reminded of the importance of periodic upgrades, no matter how minute.

* the link takes you to the model with the pull out nozzel (for an extra $30)

Jasper says Da-Da, Stands on His Own

2008-11-18T08:20:00.000-05:00

It was a week of firsts for Jasper Diego Guard. On Wednesday, he was given a box of toys. To see inside of it, he pulled himself up. Now, he's doing the same move every time he gets a hold of anything.

Shortly after chowing down, the little guy started babbling. One of his favorite sounds now is "Bla-bla-bla." Karen has been responding to him by saying "Da-da." On Saturday, Jasper considered this response for a moment before delivering his rebuttal, "Da-da-da." We're counting those first two as Da-da, in other words, ME! (kind of a leap there)

When we say Da-da to him, Jasper lights up. I tap his chest and say his name and then tap mine and say Da-da and watch it sink in. Now, he's starting to reply in kind and we're loving it. All the books say that if you stick your tongue out, your baby will then do the same. Not Jasper. His tongue stays in his mouth for some reason. But, Da-da is coming out all over the place.

Moments like these make me forget about all the fussing and wailing.

(for those of you wondering where all the clever food blogging has gone, I don't have a good explanation... school, work, baby, household budget cuts, not going out to eat or cooking anything too exciting. I'm sure I'll find more time over the holidays)

Dems Wrecking Democracy in RVA?

2008-11-11T13:12:00.001-05:00

I've waited for a week to let the Obama afterglow wear off so I could bring up a critique of this past Nov. 4th election (and I even posted about food to appease my fellow foodies). The topic here is the influence of the local Democratic Committee in Richmond's City Council, School Board, and Mayoral elections. In short, I think it sucks. To put a finer point on it, my experience with this (and previous presidential elections) leaves me with the impression that the Democratic party is undermining democracy in Richmond. As a voter who went straight down the line recommending that we unseat incumbents and install new leadership from Pennsylvania Ave to Broad Street, I found myself going upconfronted with an ally and an obstacle to accountability in the form of the local Democratic Committee.

Important points:

Local candidates should forget party affiliation and talk about the job at hand.
Richmond needs to promotes early voting and/or make the poling places more organized and less of a playground for the entrenched political machines.
The Democratic Committee of Richmond needs to STOP MEDDLING IN LOCAL ELECTIONS.
The "Virginia as battleground state" phenomenon may be harmful to Richmond's local government and school system.
Steps should be taken to ensure that local candidates earn every vote they get, rather than riding the wave of state and national campaigns (banning sample ballots, maybe).
Schedule Richmond City Council and School Board races on any year BUT the same Tuesday's in November when we elect a new president (duh!).

As you may or may not know, candidates for local office in Richmond generally do not declare a party affiliation. However, since nearly 80% of Richmond City residents vote Democrat, it's pretty much a non issue. That is, unless there is a presidential election going on. Then, running as a Democrat and billing oneself as THE ONLY Democrat option on the ballot, becomes very important to local candidates, and getting elected on one's merits takes a back seat. It's an unfortunate distraction when school board candidates try to equate their opponents with George W. Bush and the neo-cons in order to come out on top (meanwhile, both candidates are lifelong Democrat-voting civic activists who could be engaging the public about meaningful issues).

To give you an illustration of when this tactic proved especially effective, and was actually true for once, BillPantele came from behind in the 2nd district City Council race to beat Tom Benedetti by labeling him as a Bush supporter in 2004, because he worked as a fundraiser for the Republican party. Pantele's election-eve attack ad mailers featured Benedetti's picture alongside Bush's and the saying "The Apple doesn't fall far from the ~~tree~~ Bush." You'd have to see the pretty design to believe it (and you'll see that I'm not claiming that my household is exempt from participating in such partisan behavior).

The maneuver of trying to "out Democrat" your fellow Democrats isn't the real transgression against voters that's being perpetrated here. Sure, incumbents are often impossible to unseat once their operation generates enough money, favors, and loyalty to manifest a formidable political machine. That's an election reality all over the country. Signs appear everywhere. Opponents' signs mysteriously disappear. Businesses start brandishing enormous expensive placards that make the challenger look amateurish. Palms are greased behind the scenes. It's a fight, no doubt about it. But, we need to protect against short cuts and impertenant attacks in favor of our democratic principles. We're trying to hire the best public servant for the job here.

And then there's the circus of election day...

In many Richmond districts, the polling places on election day are swarmed with campaign workers. A quick survey will probably show incredibly lopsided representation of incumbent/Democrat-backed vs. the challenger: seven to one, ten to two, four vs. none. To a voter just hoping to spend 10 minutes there while voting, it almost seems like the election were "brought to you by" the incumbent candidate or the Democratic Committee backed candidate. And they generally do their best to give the impression that their information is official and unbiased, handing out Democratic Committee sample ballots like they were instruction manuals. Hey, if you were doing a good job in office or running a convincing campaign, would you need to resort to cheap tactics and circumvent a substantive discussion of the issues?

Of course, with Democrats generally being in power in Richmond, their information is somewhat official and helpful when it comes to the state and national races... but not the local elections. That's where it gets nefarious.

The content of the campaign workers materials gives the best indication of undemocratic behavior in Richmond's local elections. In Richmond, each candidate hopes to get endorsed by the Democratic Committee. With this valuabledistinction , a candidate can put their name on the local Democratic Committee sample ballot that so many voters use to vote a straight ticket, often without any knowledge of the performance or platforms of the candidates for municipal office. As every voter on their way into the voting booth is handed one, two, and sometimes three or more Democratic Committee sample ballots, it becomes pretty clear that the playing field is not level. Feelings of party loyalty are at acrescendo on voting day, especially during presidential elections. And so, if a local official wants to compensate for lackluster performance, or a series of public debacles, or simply coasting and not campaigning, then it's a big relief to simply ride the coattails of the top of the ticket Democrats.

These aren't big "what if" scenarios. The school board and city council elections are currently set to take place every four years, at the same time as the presidential races. From here on out,the presidential race will cast a long shadow over our local elections and without attention on the local issues to be decided by voters, the local Democratic Committee will virtually decide each race before the voting actually takes place. The impact of the significant surge in voters who are
uninformed about the local races has been significant. On November 4th, I heard some campaign workers for Dwight Jones saying that even though their candidate was endorsed by the Democratic Committee, his opponent BillPantele was advertising his own name on Democratic Committee sample ballots (or were they just look-alikes? not quite sure). Does this offend you? Should it? Maybe more candidates should have thought of this move. (I determined my mayoral vote before the endorsement, although that's irrelevant).

So, what is the criteria for endorsement by the local Democratic Committee? I have a guess, largely based on my own observations. TheDems are trying their best to activate their base on national election day. So, they throw their support, and their get out the vote funds, to the candidate with the best capacity to turn out scads of likely Democrat voters. For this reason, established names likeincumbents, or School Board candidates who are virtually appointed by their City Council rep (the Robertson/Smith ticket, anyone) become obvious choices for
Democratic party support. And merit has nothing to do with it. A track record of community activism, service to the constituents, and professional performance have little to do with the Democratic endorsement. Even if the school system is maligned for every day of your term in office, the Democratic Committee will overlook such things as the education of Richmond children, so they can continue to build their brand. The public interest seems like just an afterthought, half-heartedly pursued between election seasons.

Does this sound jaded? Well, that's what it feels like to have a democratic victory tinged with undemocratic electioneering.

----------------

Since this rant is totally unpolished and didn't benefit from my full attention (baby-work-school taking precedent), let's get into the meat of this topic in the comments, shall we?

Fava Beans and a Nice Chianti

2008-11-10T09:54:00.000-05:00

After posting about ful medamas, Egypt's national dish, I've been craving the stuff intensely. On Saturday, I decided to put myself in Abraham's capable hands over at Mediterranean Market on Meadow Street. At the counter, I was greeted by Mus, Abraham's gregarious partner. After describing my favorite Philadelphia food, Mus nodded and pointed at the pictoral menu on the wall. There was a picture of glistening fava beans on a bed of lettuce among the other 20 or so featured dishes (um, I've been meaning to talk to you about the food fotos, dude...).

Mus went on to tell me about how the ful is eaten in Syria and how it is spelled "foul" (um, yeah. I should talk to you about that too...). I described the smooth consistency of the ful beans that I'd grown accustomed to. The diced jalapeno peppers, melted butter topping, and french bread. Mus viewed this description with some suspicion (especially when I told him that it was an Ethiopean interpretation of the Egyptian dish). He urged me to try his version, with olive oil, onions, tomatoes, cumin on top, and a piece of toasted pita bread. Deal. Lemme have it.

While I waited for my dish, I picked up a bag of dried fava beans and a jar of tahini. Mus gave me some advice for cooking my favas.

Soak for 24 hours
Boil for at least an hour with garlic and salt
Put it in the fridge in a sealed tub, still soaking the brine
Take servings out from time to time to make dishes

How long can I leave them in the fridge, two weaks?

"Eh... not quite. Then you'll have to change the - "

Chang the water?

"No, the beans!"

Okay, so I guess I'll be eating quite a few fava bean dishes this week.

The "foul mudammas" dish (as spelled out on their menu) came out and I took it back to my house. On my couch, I opened the foil container and observed the mashed means swimming in olive oil. Soft diced onions were among the beans and tomatoes were sitting on top. The smell of garlic was intense. With plastic fork in one hand and pita bread in the other, I started scooping and chewing my way through the dish. The strong musky flavor of the beans were rivaled by the aromatics and the tough skins of the beans were largly pliable, if not ready to disintergrate. Together with the generous olive oil and the toasty bread, the dish was quite good. It's in a different ball game from the dish I had in Philly, but it's just another take. Mus had never even heard of ful being treated as a breakfast dish. "It's an anytime thing." Street food, he said. Everybody does theirs differently (link to fat free ful bean dish). Speaking of which...

I simmered my beans for a good long while today (pretty pic of boiling beans to come when camera agrees to release said photos). They already taste good. I can't wait to spread them among my menu for the rest of the week. If I try to do them up Abyssinia style, I'll probably saute onions in lots of garlic, with cumin and maybe a little harisa and then add some of the beans and give it a whack with the immersion blender (to smooth it out, but still leave some chunks here and there). The rest is a matter of plating, but the oil/butter and diced pepper topping is going to be about as crucial as an absorbant bread for scooping.

I'm really looking foward to it. Oh, and a nice chianti.

Spotlight on The People United

2008-11-06T09:35:00.000-05:00

The Obama victory lit a fire under Americans that will change the political playing field forever. But, how? We can't sit back and predict. We can only continue in pursuit of the campaign's promise. It seems like it's being said everywhere that all boats will rise among progressive movements with this electoral sea change. Now, anything is possible. Continuing the spirit of social change, I want to share some recent words from a grassroots Virginia group, The People United. If you're looking for ways to continue organizing for change, here is one among many opportunities:

Let’s Keep Making History, The People United Election Follow-up

To all who worked hard to elect the first ever African-American president, we offer our congratulations. Likewise, to everyone who works hard outside of the arena of electoral politics to address the plethora of injustices that confront our communities, we congratulate you on the important role you have played in awakening the hunger for change that we see all around us. As Obama himself said when visiting Selma, Alabama, he “stands on the shoulders of giants.” Giants like Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, Anne Braden, Martin Luther King Jr. and Bernard Lafayette. These giants built the grassroots movement that found a distant echo in yesterday’s election.

Against all odds, in this election, we see Virgil Goode, the racist Congressman whose stranglehold on Virginia’s fifth Congressional District looked unassailable until now, in a fight for his seat that is still too close to call. This was due in no small part to the tireless efforts of people like Rhonda Miska, who took a month of her life to work full-time plus without pay on the campaign of Tom Perriello. We also witnessed the defeat of Thelma Drake, who once had Tom Palumbo arrested for simply trying to deliver a petition to her office. We know that Tom and others took precious time away from their anti-war and G.I. rights organizing in Tidewater to make this possible.

The McCain campaign was in many ways an attack on the Left in this country, continually bringing up William Ayers and Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and using the labels community organizer and Socialist as a smear. Record numbers of people turned out at the polls to not only register their discontent with the status quo, but to also affirm the value of social justice. Thousands upon thousands of volunteers staffed phone banks and went door to door talking to their neighbors to turn out this vote. Fear did not prevail. We recognize that this, rather than simply in the results of the election, is where we find the real power and potential in this moment. We also recognize that moving forward from this moment, the tasks before us are largely unchanged. We know that together we can build on this new sense of the possible to create new avenues for popular involvement in the decisions that affect us.

The hateful and violent racism we heard from the crowd at McCain rallies represents a vocal and well-organized minority that will continue their work. A report by the Southern Poverty Law Center documents the rise of hate groups and nativist organizations, showing that many have offices here in Virginia. If you remember that the Reagan years were boom times for the peace movement, you’ll understand that an Obama presidency will breathe new life into white supremacist movements. We need to be organized in our response. Engaging white communities around the importance of multiracial organizing for change will be a critically essential task in these coming years.

Plans continue full steam ahead to build a privately-run, 1000-bed immigrant prison in Farmville, where investors will profit from locking up people whose only crime is working to support their families. Obama has yet to articulate a position on our brutal immigrant detention network, and the targeting of immigrants will continue. Join us for the regional meeting in Richmond this Sunday as we gather to strategize our way forward in responding.

We celebrate the victory that was achieved yesterday and we recognize that it’s the swell of organized communities from below that has always turned the tide towards real justice. Today, it is more important than ever that we continue our work to build a diverse, grassroots movement for social justice.

Continuing in the struggle with you, we are The People United.

www.thepeopleunited.org

update:

Regional Meeting to Strategize Resistance to Farmville Prison
Sunday 11/9 at 6:00 pm
Sacred Heart Church - 1401 Perry St. - Richmond, VA

14 Rewards for Voting for Change

2008-11-04T08:57:00.000-05:00

He never seems to see it coming.

Oh, the vexing plastic butterfly on a stick.

Splish slash, I was takin' a bath.

Stop looking at the... avocado tub from the 70s.
D'you wanna remodel our bathroom?

Enough with the nudie shots, already.
I might run for office one day.

Amuse bouche.

The mysterious vanishing bottom lip.

Three courses for $0.25 at Jasper's restaurant week:
sweet potatoes, vanilla yogurt, frozen banana (all organic).

We went to Belle Isle with this contraption (pulling my hair all the way)

I soiled my other costume.

He's about to push Frankie down the slide.

Introducing: Darling Octopus Designs

2008-10-31T09:27:00.000-04:00

If I haven't already whined about this enough already, Karen's salaried job as a graphic designer (and marketing coordinator) was recently reduced to part time. So, when life gives you lemons, you make... a lemon drop shooter to drown your sorrows. But seriously, Karen is pulling out all the stops to supplement our household's missing green stuff by breaking into the world of freelance graphic design. It's not new for her, but until now, freelance side jobs have been a choice, not a matter of necessity.

Introducing: Darling Octopus Designs

I'm sure we'll adjust and everything will work out fine. But, in the meantime, Karen needs help spreading the word about her new venture. Go ahead a take a peek at her portfolio. It's an interesting tour through Richmond's business, political, and non-profit sectors. The examples there include logos, brochures, web sites, Flash designed ads, and some political mailers you might recognize from past local elections.

Yeah, the stuff on Karen's portfolio site is pretty good, but it's nothing compared to the work she's gonna churn out, once she gets this freelancing gig off the ground. I think Barack Obama put it best in the big finish in his latest stump speech. To paraphrase:

In this coming week, if you will...
Knock on some doors for Karen.
Make some calls for Karen.
Forward this message via email for Karen.
And go to Darling Octopus Designs.com for Karen...

...then, I won't have to give up graduate school and get a second job washing dishes. Thanks for your consideration. Seriously.

I Spent a Whopping $8.53

2008-10-30T10:33:00.000-04:00

When I walk into the Vitamin Shoppe, they don't even bother with their sales shpeel. I'm sure they know why I'm there: to pilfer the two clearance tables. For me, vitamins are a luxury item. If they're not in my food, I'm sure as hell not going to pay $23.50 at Ellwoods or $17.40 at Vitamin Shoppe for a bottle of 60 pills that I'm supposed to take three times daily. Hence my hobby of popping discount supplements.

The system at Vitamin Shoppe is pretty clear. As the expiration date on an item is approaching, the discount goes up from 25% to 50% to 75%. But there is a last stop for products that aren't likely to generate enough profit to help pay the rent: the $0.50 tag. I have a really tough time passing up anything at that price.

Today, the clearance bins were mostly filled with organic teas, all marked 25%. There were also big jugs of whey protein, a product that I have endorsed for it's weight-loss potential. But the discount didn't grab me. Usually, I only buy 75% off stuff. Today, there wasn't much along those lines. But there were a whole buncha fifty cent products.

Here's the highlights:

Organic Flax Sprouts (ground) - over 2300mg of Omega-3's per serving.
TwinLab Amino Fuel 1000 - this looks like some kind of technically legal steroid stuff for muscle heads at the gym. Better eat salads if I take this stuff (BEEFCAKE!!)
Beta-Carotene (Solgar brand) - cuz I'm not eating enough carrots?
Calcium-Magnesium 1:1 (Solgar brand) - since I don't drink milk and magnesium is supposed to prevent migraines.
Orchard Fruits Super Antioxidant - each capsule contains 3000 phytonutrients taken from 12 whole fruits (are those nutrients with a warrior spirit?).
Omega-3 Basic Superfood Supplement powder - every tablespoon is like the entire produce section of Whole Foods ground up really fine.

Each of these was only fifty cents. I felt so predictable going up to the register with my rock bottom price booty. "Not everything I got was 50 cents," I said as I placed another bottle of pills on the counter. "I don't want yall to think I'm cheap." This last one was 75% off, but still cost more than the others combined.

Naturol "My Defense" Immune Support - Featuring 500mg of "larch tree extract" aka Arabinogalactan, which apparently merits a high price tag.

By the way, if any of my friends out there would like to take Jasper for a walk in his stroller (with musical accompaniment), I will make you a healthy smoothy to take with you. Karen and I are often pining for breaks in the parenthood routine, and we'll take them whenever we can get them.

SAVEUR: The Breakfast Issue

2008-10-27T10:27:00.000-04:00

After several boring issues of Saveur magazine, I didn't even bother looking at the October issue until Karen pointed out the recipe for chilaquiles. Huh? Is it a Mexican feature story? "No. It's all about breakfast food." Does it have ful medames? "What's that?" Um, I... wanna see that magazine. "Hey, look," says Karen as she points out the back page picture of Obama serving coffee and donuts (and hope?) at a Metro station in DC... and then she shows me a profile of seven different brands of canned chipotle peppers. Okay. Gimme that.

I first picked up Saveur, because Anthony Bourdain mentioned that he preferred it over watching anything on the Food Network. However, it slowly got stodgy and full of dense stories about esoteric topics. And the pictures weren't even exciting anymore. I hope that this new one is a sign of things to come. When I finally got my hands on the latest issue, I leafed through it eagerly and missed half an episode of True Blood. Karen and I love that show, but this time Saveur was more enticing. Of course, Karen and Jasper were at the other end of the couch, doing their best impression of Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton (True Milk, anyone?). That last bit isn't relevant to this story, but I just had to share the joke about the vampire baby.

Back to the magazine. I also found a list of Saveur's favorite coffees (yes, Peets is in there) to go along with the breakfast theme. You'll also find features on everyone's favorite AM alcohol drinks (mimosas, bloody maries, and more), egg cooking techniques, a 1968 pic of Bobby Seale with a word about the Black Panthers' free breakfast program, too much info on darjeeling tea, and a page about McDonald's only item worthy of a foodie: the Egg McMuffin.

Mmmmm... breakfast. This morning, I made a version of eggs chesapeake (crab cake and poached egg). Only, I didn't poach them (sunny side up instead) and I didn't make holandaise sauce (left yolk runny instead). The crabcake was a frozen variety from Trader Joe's (and they're pretty darned good at 2 fer $3.29). As satisfying as today's breakfast was, this magazine made me crave worldly authenticity. Every page of Saveur had great pictures of breakfast foods from around the world. I think they covered 40 countries and shared 30 recipes, so you can do it yourself. They weren't all meaty. And yes, they did have a recipe for ful medames, Egypt's national dish. (see here for links to just about the whole awesome issue, sans pretty pictures)

A bowl of mashed fava beans could be one of the most delicious breakfasts I've ever had. I'm still scratching my head over it and wishing I could replicate it. I first discovered the dish in Philadelphia, back in 2000 when I was busy doing civil disobedience at the RNC in an attempt to derail the impending catasrophe of a George W. Bush presidency. After 8 days alongside over 400 other arrested protesters, refusing to cooperate with authorites through the "justice system," I found myself returning to Philly a few times for my court appearances during the appeals process.

During each visit, the protestor support group took me to a West Philly Ethiopian enclave called Abyssinia (not Egyptian, mind you). They only served the ful until 2pm. Now, I hear that the place has been over run by hipsters. I haven't been back in years, but I think of the ful beans often. If anyone knows where I can get a good batch of the ful, please let me know. The recipe here probably isn't going to do it for me like Abyssinia. If you attempt to make them, be sure to top them with EVOO or melted butter, chopped fresh jalepenos, and scoop it up with tasty bread (not injera, but more like fresh baked French bread).

Richmond's Enormous Socialist Rally

2008-10-23T08:05:00.000-04:00

When I heard that people were sleeping outside the coliseum to see Barack Obama, it occurred to me that I might not be able to stroll into the rally on my leisurely day off (much needed mental health day). There was an alleged bike ride to the Obama rally leaving from VCU at 11am, but my calls to friends already in line at 10am told me that I better get down there early and check things out for myself.

As I rode up to Marshall Street from 5th, I saw the line of people waiting. Looking left, away from the coliseum, the line stretched as far as I could see. So, I followed it to its source. The line of patient people continued down Marshall, left on 7th Street, past the coliseum (bypassing the entrance that I'm familiar with), all the way down to Jackson St, back up to 5th Street, and up to the back door of the coliseum. Wow. That's over a mile. If this wasn't impressive enough, another line started from those doors and went the other direction toward Marshall and ultimately to a spot I never saw. Two enormous lines at 10:30am. My plan B was to go to the MCV gym and work out. Doh! I forgot my gym shorts and shirt.

I'm not going to tell you what happened next. But I will say that I locked up my bike and was inside the coliseum scoping out seats in under ten minutes. If this makes you seethe, I'm sorry. Your anger is justified. The good news is that Obama may very well be deserving of the presidency, whereas, I'm hardly deserving of having him as my president. That's how I'm feeling after taking in what was probably a run of the mill stump speech in the last leg of Barack Obama's pursuit of the high office. The guy is damned good! A potentially historic figure in more ways than his demographics. Non-believers, take another look.

Going into the Obama event, I had to turn off a number of the averse reactions that I've developed regarding the major political parties. Although I was jazzed for Clinton in 1992 and kinda in 1996 too, as my critical analysis developed, the Democratic party started making my skin crawl almost as much as the Republicans. It was as if they sold out common people for a ticket to the ball with corporate interests (see Clinton's Welfare reform, free trade agreements, and backing away from universal healthcare for starters, but I know that the crappy-ness predates my ability to vote). Since Clinton sold his soul for blow-jobs, we've had Democratic candidates going hat-in-hand to their corporate paymasters and all that they presented to voters was an unconvincing case for the lesser of two evils, spineless defense of their nonexistent integrity, and ultimately flaccid campaigns that commanded minimal respect (stolen elections or otherwise).

It should be clear that I have been burned by believing in the Democratic party and I am still very hesitant. I didn't go to the Obama rally to chant and shout, or clap and do the wave. I went because Obama has slowly made me a believer in his leadership abilities and I wanted to witness history in the making. Let me repeat that: Obama made history by campaigning seriously in Virginia, and WE VIRGINIANS are going to make history by delivering our electoral votes for a Democratic ticket for the first time in over four decades. People, I'm not editorializing here. The positive energy was in the air inside and outside that coliseum and it conveyed very clearly: "YES WE CAN."

This is how happy/naive I felt during Obama's speech.

If those last few sentences sound like fanaticism, don't worry. I'm surprised at myself too. But, I know what defeatism smells like, and right now the movement to elect Barack Obama is bold and surging, not tentative and jaded. I'm impressed with the campaign, the voters, and the candidate. For once, I don't feel like I could do a better job. The admiration that came across from the crowd seemed really genuine to me - not blind party allegiance, but devotion on a more personal level; loyalty that only competence can inspired (obviously, something we've been lacking in the White House for a while). Obama is striking a chord with voters that transcends a set of single issues that generally make one throw the switch one way or the other. It's refreshing.

It's not the pursuit of power and validation that drives so many Republicans and evangelical Christians. I think Obama is winning because his supporters feel he is truly deserving; that he has earned the presidency through concerted effort regardless of the debacle of the past eight years, and that his brand of leadership couldn't come from anyone else in the Democratic party. This is Barack Obama's time, whether he has the experience, or not. And, my projection is that Obama has more potential to lead all of America and both sides of the isle in Congress than any presidential candidate from either party in my lifetime. And I think that's what voters want: results.

A couple observations

I brought loads of contraband into the coliseum. Being on bike, I was loaded down with a water bottle, hot coffee in a thermal mug, and a laptop, as well as books for my graduate course, bike tools, cell phone, and a blinky light. This only slowed me down briefly at the security checkpoint. Inside, I discovered that I couldn't get online during the 2.5 hour wait for Obama to speak. And taking in the spectacle of 13,000 plus people really distracted me from my homework. Oh, and I was sitting next to the author of this awesome article on voter fraud.

One thing I recall from surveying the line of people headed into the coliseum: this gathering was gonna be 70-80% black. Inside, a white couple told me that they were offered tickets to sit straight back from the podium (presumably to provide a diverse backdrop for the TV cameras). Looking around the coliseum, the group seated behind Obama did seem to be closer to 50/50 than the rest of the place. I point this out, not to indict the campaign. Perception is part of any presentation and putting forward a particular image is just part of the political game (obviously, the Republicans have to struggle harder to achieve an equitable facade).

My point here is that the Obama troops on the ground in Richmond are not predominately white bloggers, or West End Whole Foods shoppers, or the liberal elite. I think most main stream media as well as our popular online forums tend to have enormous blindspots where it really matters (this blog included). Hopefully, the four year celebration of Obama's probable victory will give us ample opportunities to borrow and share power across racial and cultural lines, and indeed spread the wealth and privilege, access, and opportunities. The spirit of this campaign has tremendous potential on the local level and I hope that this healer of a national politician will have an effect on us right here in Richmond.

Rather than provide highlights of the speech (cuz I didn't take notes), I'll provide a link to the transcript of his speech.

Beware of This Richmond SUV Driver

2008-10-20T09:08:00.000-04:00

Jasper has acquired another Sport Utility Vehicle from the secondary market (ebay, Craigslist, etc). This time, rather than a three wheeler with a block-rockin soundsystem, Baby-Jay is gonna be driving his own Jeep all over the house.

"You got a problem with my driving?"

These first few pics are his first time behind the wheel, before he understood the Flintstonian principle of propelling a car with one's feet. We got this Jeep brand walker because Jasper loves to be upright. His exersaucer already gives him stand-up time with plenty of activities, but the scenery never changes.

"Push me around Byrd Park in this thing, and then I'll smile."

Now that Jasper has started kicking the ground while in his walker, this is the face he makes when he's lunging after our pug, or the dish-towels, or the buttons on the TV set. It's like he's leading with his open mouth (where everything goes, once it's in his hands).

Today, I was cooking and Jasper was bumping into the kitchen cabinets. I took my eyes off of him for two minutes and when I looked back, he had pulled a paper grocery bag from the space between the fridge and the wall. The bag was flopped over Jasper's head and he was busy gnawing on the thin paper handle. I think we're gonna have to get used to this new trouble-making trend that goes with mobility.

eBikes: How We (should) Roll

2008-10-16T08:26:00.000-04:00

Pushing bike riding on people is a tough task, even with expensive gas prices. But what about bikes you don't have to push? Have you heard of an electric bicycle? AKA an eBike? Are you not ready for a scooter and don't wanna get all sweaty riding a bike to work? Here's an option for under $400.
They call the motors on these eBikes "pedal assist," like on an old school moped , because you can't get by on the motor alone. The motor won't help going downhill and your feet will have to pitch in up a really steep hill. But it can go 18 miles an hour for 20 miles on a single charge. And it's really fun to ride.

Karen and I got to ride one of these on a recent trip. Turn the throttle and the thing will almost leave you behind if you don't have a good grip. Another drawback is the battery. It makes the bike heavy. Solution: roll it, don't lift it. Also, you have to replace the battery every year or so and that's not gonna be cheap (same deal at Walmart). But, overall, the bike is cheap. Sure, you could spend more on an electric bike, but this one will get anyone onto one who is serious about driving less.

Watch it GO:

Stop McCain's Angry Mob*

2008-10-14T10:17:00.000-04:00

Dear ______,

John McCain and Sarah Palin have stopped talking about the issues, and have instead launched a strategy relying on fear-mongering, racial divisions, and hate. The result is McCain/Palin supporters at rallies saying "kill him!"[1] "terrorist!"[2] "traitor,"[3] and more, with the McCain campaign playing dumb in response.[4] It's outrageous and it must stop.

Together, we can show that Americans of all races won't stand for this.

Sign our open-letter calling out McCain and Palin. We'll publish it this week, and as we've shown in the past, when enough of us stand together, we can force the mainstream media to amplify our message. Click below to watch a video from Brave New Films showing the atmosphere at McCain rallies, sign on to our open letter, and ask your friends and family to do the same:

http://colorofchange.org/united/?id=2502-47485

McCain-Palin rallies have started to look more like mob scenes than political events. The candidates keep asking "who is the real Barack Obama?" (a question that also kicks off almost every McCain television ad).[5] In response, supporters have yelled "terrorist!" and "traitor!" And the venom goes beyond Obama--one McCain/Palin supporter shouted a racial epithet at a Black member of a news crew, saying "sit down, boy."[6]

The outbursts at McCain/Palin events have crossed the line into direct threats and suggestions of violence. Last week, at the mention of Obama's name, a McCain supporter yelled "kill him!"[7]--prompting a secret service investigation.[8] A few days later, someone shouted
"off with his head!"[9] In the face of all of this, McCain and Palin haven't stopped for five seconds to denounce these violent outbursts. In fact they've tried to defend them [10,11]--and their fear-mongering smear tactics continue.

McCain and Palin are going down a dangerous path. Watching some of their supporters being interviewed shows the kind of fear their campaign is stoking and exploiting.[12,13] McCain and Palin are clearly in the driver's seat. They've personally made it a point to use "terrorist" and "Obama" in the same sentence; their surrogates have repeatedly referred to Obama by his middle-name;[14,15] and they keep pushing the discredited guilt-by-association smears that have long been debunked.

All of it plays on the much more sinister rumors in anonymous smear emails that claim Obama is Muslim, anti-American, and is somehow connected with terrorists.[16] The strategy works and is powerful because it plays into the suspicions some White Americans have about Blacks: about our true allegiances and our trustworthiness. In the end, it makes Obama's race a disadvantage without appearing overtly racist.

A unified response

As Americans of all stripes, we've seen how Barack Obama's historic candidacy has moved our friends and family to have a more honest conversation about race in this country. It's inspired a lot of people to step out of their comfort zone and confront racism in their own communities, with their friends, neighbors, and families.

Now we have McCain, at a time of crisis in this country, pandering to one of the worst instincts in America. His campaign is playing to the kind of suspicion, hatred and fear that brings out the worst in us all, which history shows can lead to horrible consequences.

We can fight back

In the final days of this campaign, we can't let a desperate John McCain and Sarah Palin drag us down. If enough of us act, we can create a powerful story in the media about Black people and our allies of all races standing together against race-baiting and fear-mongering coming from the McCain/Palin campaign. But it will take a lot of us speaking in unison.

Will you sign an open letter to McCain and Palin, telling them who you are and why you won't let them move our country backward? We'll publish the letter and make sure John McCain is forced to respond.

http://colorofchange.org/united/?id=2502-47485

Thanks and Peace,

-- James, Gabriel, Clarissa, Andre, Kai, and the rest of the
ColorOfChange.org PAC team
October 14th, 2008

References

1. "Unleashed, Palin Makes a Pit Bull Look Tame," Washington Post,
10/07/08
http://tinyurl.com/3wmg4c

2. "Obama called a terrorist" (video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvXf9AUHTqM

3. "McCain Supporter Yells Out 'Traitor!'" (video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiESklGDuH4

4. "McCain camp defends the behavior?," First Read, 10/10/08
http://tinyurl.com/4az7uw

5. "TV Ad: Dangerous", John McCain campaign, 10/06/08
http://tinyurl.com/48j9uj

6. See reference 1.

7. See reference 1.

8. "'Kill Him' Yell At Clearwater Palin Rally Being Probed," Tampa Bay
Online, 10/10/08
http://tinyurl.com/442vn5

9. "McCain's 'Fellow Prisoners'," First Read, 10/08/08
http://tinyurl.com/4qc5vn

10. See reference 4.

11. "John Lewis vs. John McCain," First Read, 10/11/08
http://tinyurl.com/3m6qln

12. "The Sidewalk to Nowhere, McCain Supporters in Bethlehem, PA"
(video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itEucdhf4Us

13. "The McCain-Palin Mob" (video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjxzmaXAg9E

14. "Florida Sheriff Intros Palin, Says 'Barack Hussein Obama',"
(video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woNYeyOQnuI

15. "McCain and Palin in Bethlehem: A live report!" Philly.com,
10/08/08
http://tinyurl.com/3wvq9x

16. "Who is Barack Obama?" Snopes.com, January 2008
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp

*"mob" may be generous, because the bankrupt ideology of the Republican party is thinning out its own herd. Hopefully, we're gaining independent thinkers while we endure the remaining screams of bigotted zealots.

Rare Pictures of Foodie Spawn Feeding

2008-10-13T09:55:00.000-04:00

Rather than bore you with the Guard family's economic desperation and dispair, maybe I should give you some highlights from the ever changing world of Jasper Diego. That's right, babies don't give a shit about Wall Street or Main street. They just know they gots ta eat. Whereas previously, a picture of Jasper getting his grub on would have required a legal disclaimer and possibly a monthly subscription fee, the new additions to his diet are totally G-rated.

This isn't chrono- logical order. Here, Jasper is about a week into his occasional solid food treat. How about that helpful open-mouth reflex? Where did he learn it? The final scene from A Clockwork Orange?

The little guy's mouth also has a reflex that pushes food out to prevent choking, but he has really taken to this pureed butternut squash (bought at the Forrest Hill farmers' market and baked and blended at home).

Yeah, that bib says "Give peas a chance." But we're not quite there yet. Gotta take it slow and test each ingredient long enough to figure out if he's allergic or if there's any kind of intestinal reaction. So far, it's just blended butternut and frozen bananas in a little mesh baggy (perfect for teething) that allows only a puree to leech out into the gnawing and nursing mouth.

It wasn't always peaches 'n'cream feeding Jasper Dee his poridge. This is the first time around. Rice cereal from Earth's Best Organic. He was fussy to begin with and he didn't know what to make of the stuff we put in his mouth. The initial reaction passed eventually and he allowed the experiment to continue.

Even though he demanded to have a hand in the process to ensure competent imple- mentation, Jasper wasn't keen on this new food at first. What's that expression saying? "Are you sure this is what humans are supposed to eat?" I make the same face when I change his diapers and ask myself the same question, "Am I sure we're feeding him right?"

The moral of this story is right here on the tea leaves of this baby's face. Businesses may not see their graphic designer and marketing coordinator as a dependent, but Jasper is sure as heck dependent on us; no layoffs can change that. If you know anyone who needs graphic design work, send them to Karen's new freelance site.

Richmond's Got a Big Ol' Butt!

2008-10-13T09:54:00.000-04:00

Karen was determined to make sure Jasper got to see the guys swinging by their feet from a pole up in the sky. So, we headed over the Folk Festival. The little guy hadn't been able to nap all day, which worried us a bit. Fortunately for us, Jasper tends to rise to the occasion and soak up whatever the adventure might be (except for dinner out, which he ruins like clock work).

Sitting in the grass in one of the only shady spots near the pole, we waited for these colorfully adorned folks at the top of the to start dangling and spinning. And we waited... and Jasper couldn't seem to tell that there was anything to see up in the sky. We passed the restless bundle back and forth. One guy up there started playing a flute and a tiny drum. This got Jasper's legs going and he jumped in place along to the beat (held upright by his parents, of course). Eventually, after a couple more flute songs, they started their twirling decent.

I waved my arms and baby toys in the direction of the spectacle and Jasper's eyes followed. Taking the toys away, he was still gazing up at the performers. Then away, then back, then away. And it was over. The spinning decent took under five minutes. And there was nothing left to see.

Call and Response Time

Next up, E.U. I could hardly believe that I would have a chance to hear "Da butt" live. Karen couldn't see why a DC go-go band would be included in the Folk Festival. But it was clear enough to me. Go-go music is a regional thing. Despite brief bouts with mainstream success like Lean On Me and Da Butt, (both 80's fluff by most go-go fans' standards) the bouncy percussion-heavy party music is barely heard outside of DC and the surrounding states of Maryland and Virginia. The shit is folksier than Sarah Palin, but just as raunchy as her teenage baby-mamas, and it's no flash in the pan. Check out that Wiki link for a great history lesson on go-go (Rare Essense has always been a favorite group of mine).

After surveying the food vendors, we splurged on some hush puppies, ice cream, and beer. But not until we both recoiled at the ridiculous prices placed on most of the festival food. Yeah, I know. The event was free, so what do you expect? Um, I expect to pay $3 or two samosas, not one tiny one (India K'Raja) or $5-6 for red curry over rice instead of $10 (Ginger Thai Taste). I also expect to see the price for that advertised falafel on at least one of the vendor's signs. Whatever. We came for the upsidedown spinning guys and we stayed for "Da Butt."

You could hear the funky beat from across the transformed James River Parks. E.U. was tearing into the crowd with propulsive thumping and provocations to party. By the time we made our way over there, a woman was singing a slow jam and the drums had been been turned down from eleven to negative two. Nonetheless, I tried to make Karen and Jasper get their groove on to what was left of the music.

Just then, one of the male singers started yelling into the mic and the guy behind the tom toms had returned to his station. The entire crowd nodded along to the syncopated beat, slowly getting back into it. I couldn't stop smiling. Who cares about their big hit? Any go-go is better than no go-go. Soon, I was getting social - chatting up an old acquaintance, Trey, a super nice guy who arm-barred and triangle choked me regularly but mercifully during my brief stint training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He still trains, and even coaches, but mostly redoes people's kitchens and bathrooms (hit me up if you want his number).

Just before we decided to leave on this high-note. The band started up their anthem.

When you get that notion,
put your backfield in motion, hey
Doin' the butt. Hey sexy, sexy
Ain't nothing wrong,
if you wanna do the butt
all night long!*

Later that night, Jasper decided to make us pay for his delayed nap. The racket drove me outta the house and into the arms of my Obama door-knocking neighbors. I joined their effort for an hour or so, talking to several fence-sitting voters. One swore she'd never vote for "that muslim." Others had already voted absentee. In every case, even with the misinformed lady, we were warmly received. A good way to cap off the day. Well, actually, the sleeping baby, a cold Yeungling, and an episode of Dexter were the real rewards. Time to start another week.

*If you don't understand the title to this post, then you've never enjoyed Da Butt straight thru to the end. Fix that.

Fickle Freakout at Farouks

2008-10-13T08:07:00.000-04:00

On Friday, I took my bike to Carytown on lunch break. I walked the whole length of the shopping district and couldn't decide on a bite to eat. Each place I considered offered too much uncertainty. I wanted something familiar, predictable, and fuss-free. That's right, Indian buffet at Farouks.

Wait, what?! Haven't I talked endless smack about that place being one of Richmond's worst restaurants? Well, I just wanted to calibrate my suck-o-meter. And what better than guaranteed suckiness, for such a task? Also, I was kinda punishing myself for being so fickle.

The lunch buffet at Farouks is $7.99. They always have a saag, tandoori chicken wings, a bean dish (like daal or chole), a chicken and a veggie currie, rice, raita, iceburg lettuce salad, and a few watered down chutneys. Is this making you hungery? Along with these dishes, you get the worst naan bread ever created. In fact, most of the dishes are in league with the bread. This was true eight years ago, when I ate this stuff without employing any criticism. And it's still true today. Blechhh.

But somehow, a buffet is generally cut some slack in the quality department, because... oh, that shame inducing quantitiy factor makes it hard to criticize after eating so damned much of it. Which leads me to my point. I wanna speak my piece, even after I've been served and asked for seconds and maybe with my mouff full.

I go up to pay the man who's running the register.

So, I've noticed that a lot of businesses are closing on Cary Street.

"Yes. It's true."

Are you worried?

"No."

I never see anyone eating in here whenever I come in. Are you doing enough business?

"We will be alright. There is nothing to worry about."

They say the rents are too high in Carytown.

"Yes, that's right."

You must own your building.

"Yes. So we are safe."

(c'mon Jason. Tell him he'd be better than safe if he'd serve better food.)

See ya.

"Have a nice day."

Okay, so I didn't exactly stand and deliver my true feelings. That was gutless. Now I've just got a belly full of regrets to show for that little experiment. In case I didn't clarify it well enough. Nothing's new under the sun at Farouks. It's still amazingly bland and boring. Someone out there will probably correct me and point out that Northwestern Indian cuisine tends to use fewer spices or some such enlightenment. But I don't care. I just want to see the natural selection that's thinning out Carytown zero in on those places that are truly deserving of extinction.

To clense my palate, I'm headed to the Festival of India next weekend. You should too.

My Tirade on Ch. 6 News Tonight w/Rob Cardwell

2008-10-03T22:03:00.001-04:00

Karen came home from work today upset that her boss wants to cut her hours from full time to only two days a week. How does an employee respond to that? We just had a baby. Our expenses are increasing, not decreasing. She's a damned good graphic designer (and marketing coordinator) and she gets asked to go to part time overnight? I'm sure everything will be alright, but for the time being, this is really bad news for us.

Neither of us could raise our spirits enough to cook dinner, so we walked to Main and Meadow to get some carry out. While we waited for our food at European Market, Rob Cardwell* from Channel 6 was filming a news piece comparing the uncertainty on Wall Street to "Main Street" (literally, West Main Street in Richmond - probably a knock-off of this morning's NPR story with the same concept). So, wouldn't you know that I had to vent about Karen's potential layoff? On camera... wearing a mic. Please don't call me a media whore, since I'm in print this month too. But that was food stuff. This is serious.

So, I get in front of the camera and start going off about the economy. Tell me if I went too far. Here's my loose paraphrase:

It's not the businesses we need to be worried about. It's the people who work for them. My wife has a full time job, five days a week - she works as a professional and her boss just asked her to go to two days a week. I mean, is that ridiculous or what? Can anyone watching this imagine paying your bills on only two days pay? I don't know if there is a financial crisis, but all of the media hysteria is making small businesses freak out and downsize, making shortsighted decisions that don't take into consideration the real consequences for their employees and their families.

After that, Karen and I went home to commiserate. At the time of this writing, I haven't seen the 11 o'clock news yet. My bit didn't make for good soundbites. I hope I didn't get Karen fired. Not that it would be significantly worse news. But seriously, if there's a news crew looking for the truth on how economic issues affect regular people, wouldn't you stop and tell them if you were me? Or maybe my outburst was likewise shortsighted? Well, I was defending my wife, anyhow. Regardless, now we've got to figure out how to piece together enough income to keep our family afloat. Any suggestions? Anyone need a graphic designer?

*Rob Cardwell was appropriately compassionate and I think his piece turned out to be fairly informative, in an ADHD sorta way. Nice guy.

-------------------
Update:

Well, I saw it and they cut it down to a snippet. Just the part that goes "my wife works full time and her boss pulled her aside to ask her if she would reduce her time to two days per week. That's a ridiculous question." I guess that reinforces their point that the sky is falling. Thanks, media. Actually, my larger point was mostly reflected in Rob Cardwell's epilogue that people are also affected by economic matters. Wonder who else saw it. Maybe my bit will prevent further layoffs by employers. Better check Buttermilk and Molasses to see if John is liveblogging the tirade. Then, to the classifieds I guess.

Trade Talk in Richmond: Oct. 7th

2008-10-02T10:16:00.000-04:00

Since THE ECONOMY is the hot political topic as of late, maybe it's worth a closer look as to how we got into this mess. The ideology that corporate powers should operate free from any government regulation is highly suspect (and so is the idea of handing over $700billion). Remember all those free trade agreements that Clinton and Bush trumpeted with the widespread support of Congress? (NAFTA, CAFTA, FTAA...) Well, all of a sudden, it seems that every elected official has changed their tune; almost a complete 180. And what about the latino boogie man that every politician used to scare potential voters?

The throngs of anti-globalization protesters were right. Too bad we jailed them, gassed and sprayed them, suppressed them with riot cops, and called them terrorists. It turns out that labor and environmental standards actually are important safeguards. And loan sharks aren't very good stewards of our personal or national finances. People do have as much right to cross boarders as multi-national corporations. And wouldn't you know it, pre-fab commercially sponsored monocultures are not a suitable replacement for authentic regional cultural expression. Have I belabored the point? Maybe you'd rather hear it from someone who can speak with more authority on the subject (see below).

Remember when I went to Mexico? The place is amazing (especially the food) and beautiful. But we're screwing up their country by aggressively trying to expand our brand of fake plastic strip-mall corporate wonderland (yes, their country - like all coutries - already had its own problems and now they're going to have ours too). The most delicious tacos are made by hand with the freshest ingredients and sold on every street corner in Mexico City for a quarter a piece. But Mexicans are increasingly lined up, sometimes 15 people deep to buy Subway and Burger King sandwiches for $4.50 and up. It's really sad. And it's probably because America has been really effective at making citizens in other countries think they need to adopt the American image of "success." What better way to embrace freedom than the conformity of spending your money on overpriced crap?

Sociologist from Mexico to Speak on Immigration and Trade

On Tuesday, October 7, at 7:30pm, Witness for Peace SE and the Richmond Peace Education Center will bring Marco Antonio Velasquez Navarrete to Richmond. A sociologist from the Mexican Network for Action on Free Trade (REMALC), Marco Antonio Valesquez Navarrete works with the anti-globalization people's movement in Mexico. He is affiliated with the
Network for Popular Education as well as the Urban Popular Movement in Mexico City.

His talk in Richmond will focus on the impact of corporate-dominated trade policies such as NAFTA on the Mexican people, especially small farmers. It will raise awareness about the connection between trade and immigration, and explain how the economic policies that the U.S. supports in Latin America create economic insecurity and drive people to immigrate north.

The Richmond Peace Education Center is supporting Witness for Peace in bringing this speaker to Richmond, and invites the community to attend. The event is free, and no registration is required.

The talk will be held at St. Augustine Catholic Church, 4400 Beulah Road, Richmond, VA 23237, on October 7, from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. It will be in the Fellowship Hall. Enter through the side door. Please arrive a few minutes early. The talk will start promptly at 7:30.

Snuggle Grub: I Really am in Richmond Magazine

2008-09-30T09:09:00.000-04:00

Got home to see the new issue of Dine, from Richmond Magazine and my full page picture. I can hardly believe that they went with my powdered sugar face idea (although it didn't quite turn my serious gaze snugglie) . If only I'd had a mirror handy, I could have prepared and posed properly. But, whatever. The bit scooped up loads of my favorite eating habits and spread them around the city better than I ever could have hoped to do with this blog. Not too shabby, Megan Marconyac.

From Richmond Mag's site:

The Fall/Winter Issue of Dine
Along with this month’s Richmond magazine, we deliver another edition of Dine. The Fall/Winter guide offers a day-by-day list of special dishes that will satisfy your appetite all week long. Also, local experts serve up tips for finding that most interesting glass of wine. And in addition to our menu and restaurant listings, we sniff out some of the region’s tasty and out-of-the-ordinary brunch dishes.

Surely, loads of people will swoon at the thought of "snuggle grub," as the article is titled and they'll flock to the various places that are mentioned by the four "local food experts." Why? Because, while the piece is about the "guilty pleasures" of foodies, it's also a compilation of well kept secrets where yumminess hides in Richmond. Turn over a rock, and there be food-luvas. Be sure to check it out, as well as the articles on brunch and daily specials (something about wine too, if you're into that stuff). Maybe I'm biased, but I think this is the best Dine yet (at least up until the part where the mag turns into menu ads and regional dining option listings. But, those can be helpful too.

Now, I've got to rack my brain to see what all I blabbed to Megan about and start writing blog posts about those things. After all, it's winter and time for comfort food. Oh, and I hear my beloved Trader Joe's is finally open at Short Pump. Time to dust off the cycling shoes.

I Think I'm Featured In Richmond Mag...

2008-09-26T23:31:00.000-04:00

The Dine insert to be specific, but I haven't seen it. I'm visiting my folks in Arkansas and I just found out that my fellow food-lova's have gotten their grubby little hands on the local essential eating rag. Richmond magazine's content is so hot that they can't put it online. So, I guess I can't really comment on my newfound ~~infamy~~ stardome, but I can give you some background about the interview and photo shoot.

A month or two ago I was contacted to participate in a Dine feature about "wintertime comfort food." At first, I was stumped. Comfort food has become too familiar all year round, lately, and this was kind of a sore subject. Nonetheless, I shot some ideas over via email. The Richmond Mag writer, Megan Marconyak wanted to meet up and talk until she had some notes to work with in writing her piece.

Megan and I had lunch at the Phoenician, a favorite for both of us and located conveniently between our two offices. Getting into the topic of wintertime comfort food, I talked about my affinity for frugality (despite my occasional splurges and indulgences), sorta as a preface. Then, I talked about winter time staples, like soup, chili, mac'n'cheese, heavy carbs, Indian buffets, frequent small meals, spicy hot cocoa inspired by the movie Chocolat, heat-creating spices of all kinds, freshly baked goods, and the list goes on. By the end of it, I was amazed at myself. As it turns out, I'm a freakin treasure trove of wintertime comfort food tips. But now, I'd forked over all of my bright ideas for use in this Richmond mag piece and I couldn't blog about it for risk of stealing Megan's thunder. If only my blog afforded me a stenographer/consultant who could elicit this much content from me on a regular basis... Oh well. Perhaps, it's time I revisited whichever tid-bits didn't make the cut.

Evidently, I told her that I rarely order dessert out. But during the winter, I like to over do it a bit and have something sweet. A favorite of mine for sweets is Rowland Fine Dining and I got a call from a Richmond Magazine photographer requesting to meet me there, so they could get a picture of me eating the mini-muffins that Virginia Rowland bakes and serves for free to each brunch guest. I responded to Megan before the meeting to make sure she understood, RVA Foodie ain't about "fine dining," unless there's an exception. In this case, Virginia Rowland's baker's touch provides just the incentive to head over the footbridge from Byrd Park to the Fan to get some desserts or some brunch. I was hoping that she would capture the irony. Still crossing my fingers until I read the thing.

At the photo shoot, I was forced to pose with, and bit into, and chew, and swallow, umpteen mini-muffins. It was absolute torture, let me tell you. These light puffs were warm from the oven and fragrant with bananas, hot brown sugar and topped with a dusting of powdered sugar. After a while, I got kinda bored and started mooshing my face into the plate so I would have a whole bunch of white powder on my lips, nose, and beard. The photographer acted tickled and snapped lots of pics, but eventually he asked me to wipe my face clean so he could continue trying in vain to make me look as good as the mini-muffins. Poor guy. I can't wait to see how it turned out.

And that my friends is history now. The issue is on the stands and I'm outed as RVA Foodie in hard copy, for the first time (I'm in loads of pictures on this site). Let me know how you think it turned out and I'll do the same when I get my hands on a copy.

Cheers.