Food

I had whole steamed red snapper on my birthday (yes, I've been slacking) from Carena's Jamaican Grille. It was delicious, but what was really cool was how the skeleton looked just like it was pulled out of a garbage can in an episode of  Tom and Jerry.

About Three Months Worth of Lunch Pictures

I am good at taking pictures, but bad at posting them.

Patrick Henry Pub - This isn't on the menu, it was a special that day, but its a pulled pork sandwich with brie, sauteed mushrooms and onions. It was awesome. Not quite a religious experience, but still a memorable meal.

Dora's Brazilian Grill - I'd love to go there for dinner sometime and try the rodizio. For 27 bucks you get all you can eat meat. Ten types of meat. Sausage, top sirloin, chicken drumstick, beef tri tip, bacon wrapped chicken, flank steak, roast pork loin, roasted lamb, beef tenderloin, and rib steak all cooked over a wood fired grill and served to you on a sword.

But, unfortunately, I was just there for lunch and I had Dora's special plate: 1 sausage, 2 flank steak rolls, 2 slices of alcatra steak (roast beef) with black beans, rice and salad. It is among the best meat I have ever eaten anywhere, I dreamt about it for days, but the portions were kinda small. Best beans I've ever had too, by the way, except for my grandmother's baked beans of course.

Oyster and shrimp po'boy from Bank. Pretty disappointing. The bread was as hard as a rock and what was inside was mushy and lacked any flavor.

Pulled pork French dip from Cafe Gutenberg. It was ok. I have no complaints. The pickled carrots were interesting.

Another "special" item, this from the previously mentioned Cafe Gutenberg, these Bison sliders were awesome. The meat had lots of flavor and the pickled green beans were interesting. It was considered an appetizer and I kind of got screwed because I didn't ask the price beforehand and then ordered a side order of fries. It was a tad more than my normal lunch. Worth it though, but next time I will hold the fries. They aren't the best anyway.

I saved the best for last. Tacos and spicy noodles from Boka Truck, a truck that arrives once a week and parks in the lot next to my building for about an hour and sells some of the tastiest food to be had in the northern hemisphere.

The tacos I had were the Mexican, (Chihuahua cheese, habanero-lime cabbage, cilantro and chipotle crema with Korean beef bulgogi) and the Asian (Sweet and spicy kimchi w/ sesame aioli and fresh herbs with the same beef as the Mexican). I was in heaven for 15 minutes. These were indescribably good. You know when Homer says, "Can't talk. Eating"? It was about like that.

The spicy noodle bowl was good as well, although not quite as mind blowing, and the frustration of eating it with chopsticks outweighed the goodness of the food a bit.

I'm glad this guy only comes once a week. Not only does it give me something to which I can look forward, but I would go broke eating tacos every day. Although, it is pretty cheap. That meal right there cost me 8 bucks. Don't have to give a tip either.

Fee Fi Fo Pho

I had Pho for lunch at Taste of the Far East. I had the "assorted beef" version. I must have it again. Soon. There's a couple of Vietnamese restaurants near my house. Time to expand the children's horizons.

Motorcycles and Food

I saw this sweet bike on my way to lunch at Ipanema

where I had the smoked gouda sandwich and sweet potato fries, which was most excellent, but

what I really loved was this Vietnamese (I think) hot chili sauce, a bottle of which I now have at my house.

Restaurants to which I have been

We've been to two seafood restaurants recently. One blew, one was the complete opposite of blowing. Hmm. No. I guess that would be sucking, which isn't right either. It was fabulous.

Spinnaker's

Bland, plasticky food only a nursing home resident could love. Their claim to fame is bread cooked and served in a flower pot. Kinda cool, but what does a flower pot have to do with the sea? Absolutely nothing. If it had been cooked in a chum bucket, well, now, that would be something.


Shackleford's

I was leary of the newly opened Shackleford's because of my Spinnaker's experience, but I needn't have worried. The food was spectacular.

From the dinner rolls to the calamari appetizer (I shouldn't have told my daughter who liked it that she was eating squid) and finally to my scallops florentine entree, I was in heaven. I ate some from everybody's plate when they couldn't finish their meals. That doesn't happen very often.

Here's the description of my meal from the menu:

Pan seared jumbo scallops served over wilted spinach, apple wood smoked bacon and
sautéed fondant potatoes. Finished with hollandaise.

Me so hungry right now.

Kabab blog

Had dinner at the Kabab Grille, a Pakistani restaurant tucked away in a strip mall between a bank and a T-Mobile near my house.

Sitting there by myself (wife and kids were elsewhere) listening to Pakistani pop music (surprisingly catchy) waiting for my food, the delicious smell in the air was making my stomach jump up and down like a Jack Russell terrier when his master comes home.

I was torn between choosing the lamb curry or the lamb kabab, but eventually decided on the kabab because its part of the name of the restaurant so I figured it must be their specialty.

I make superlative claims like this a lot, but this was the best meal I've ever had.

I will not rest, my life's work will not be complete, until I have tried everything on their menu. Even the vegetarian stuff. From Palak Paneer to Brain Masala Karahi.

Richmond Restaurants

Just trying to keep track of the restaurants I have been to.

Europa Mediterranean Cafe - Good panini and soup.

Southern Railway Deli - Great sammiches. Make sure they leave you some room to add milk to your coffee.

Jo Jo's Pizza - Really, really, really good pizza.

Restaurants To Go

A list of restaurants to which I would like to go (in no particular order):

• Crab Louie's
  
• Qdoba
  
• PF Chang's
  
• Kabab Grille
  
• Mama Zu
  
• Capital Ale House
  
• Legend Brewing Co.
  

I forgot one: Carrabba's Italian Grill