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    <title>Food &amp; Restaurants for InRich</title>
    <link>http://media.timesdispatch.com/inrich/ric/lifestyles/</link>
    <image>
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        <title>Food &amp; Restaurants for InRich</title>
        <link>http://media.timesdispatch.com/inrich/ric/lifestyles/</link>
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    <description></description>
    <dc:language>en</dc:language>
    <dc:creator>InRich</dc:creator>
    <dc:rights>Copyright 2009</dc:rights>
    <dc:date>2009-04-16T05:30:42-05:00</dc:date>

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         <item>
          <title>Le Yaca &#45; Williamsburg</title>
          <link>http://www.messycuisine.com/blog/2009/04/22/le&#45;yaca&#45;williamsburg/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I had the pleasure this week at dining at Le Yaca, a French restaurant located in Williamsburg, Virginia. It&#8217;s located in a shopping center, and while it was pretty empty at night (the shopping center), Le Yaca is alive and well.

I&#8217;ve eaten lunch here a number of years ago, enjoying some delicious crab crèpes. For [...]           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:05:21 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.messycuisine.com/blog/2009/04/22/le&#45;yaca&#45;williamsburg/#When:19:05:21Z</guid>
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          <title>My Big Fat Oozing Mediterranean Sandwich</title>
          <link>http://tastyniblets.com/2009/04/22/my&#45;big&#45;fat&#45;oozing&#45;mediterranean&#45;sandwich/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I feel like I have discovered the ultimate in vegetable versatility. I&#8217;d been looking for some sort of Mediterranean salad to make and was a bit overwhelmed with all of the possibilities I came across online. So I decided to pick and choose things I liked from each recipe (or rather, things I already had [...]           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2009 05:00:33 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://tastyniblets.com/2009/04/22/my&#45;big&#45;fat&#45;oozing&#45;mediterranean&#45;sandwich/#When:09:00:33Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Biscuit wins!</title>
          <link>http://bellalately.blogspot.com/2009/04/biscuit&#45;wins.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bQUAptnxUsk/Se3Pady3YkI/AAAAAAAAAz8/6tDnVVhMF_0/s400/biscuit.JPGIn the spring war of biscuits vs. sun dresses, the biscuit won today. Biscuits full of hand-smashed Tellicherry peppercorns, fresh grated parm-reg cheese, topped w/bacon grease.&nbsp;  You know you want one. ;)  http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/5128227224086565892-6295132632646624019?l=bellalately.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2009 03:42:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://bellalately.blogspot.com/2009/04/biscuit&#45;wins.html#When:07:42:00Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>The saga of the $21 cheeseburger&#8230;.dinner at Edible Garden</title>
          <link>http://richmondfoodforthought.blogspot.com/2009/04/saga&#45;of&#45;21&#45;cheeseburgerdinner&#45;at&#45;edible.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Saturday night, Bob and I intended to bring in some take out and stay at home.&nbsp; Since it turned out to be such a perfect day, we decided dinner outside would be a better choice and Edible Garden was the first place that came to mind.&nbsp; Others had the same idea since when I called to get a reservation for an outside table 6:00 was the latest time we could get.&nbsp; I&#8217;d eaten a sizable breakfast (made myself a frittata with leftover carbonara from Edo&#8217;s) and skipped lunch, so that was no big deal.We arrive and are quickly seated and I order a glass of a dry French Reisling and Bob a glass of Italian white and we review the menu and while everything looked good, it was the cheeseburger that both of us kept going back to.&nbsp; Bob ordered a bowl of potato and watercress bisque and we each ordered the burger&#8230;..medium rare for me, Bob told the server to have the chef cook it the way he prefers.&nbsp; Bob also ordered a Bitburger beer to have with the burger. The soup arrives and is a lovely pale green and Bob seemed to enjoy it.&nbsp; I&#8217;m trying not to eat too much of their wonderful bread and butter since I ordered a cheeseburger. The burgers arrive and it&#8217;s time to dig in.&nbsp; It&#8217;s a ½ Pound Beef Burger with Roasted Portobello Mushroom, Swiss Cheese &amp; Fried Onions on a freshly made bun which had been grilled and served with homemade potato chips.&nbsp; Mine is cooked perfectly and it is a great burger.&nbsp; Bob agrees it is a very good burger and the chips are great also. But the questioned remained, was it worth $21?&nbsp; Probably not.&nbsp; A comparable burger at Can Can (with their fries which are superior to the homemade potato chips) is $12. Edible Garden uses local, organic ingredients.&nbsp; Not sure where Can Can gets their ingredients but they are of high quality (as best this customer can tell) and they are executed slightly better. Is the use of local, organic worth an additional $9?&nbsp; In my opinion, no, but perhaps for other it is. While my burger was very good at Edible Garden (and it was the least expensive entree offered that evening), I can&#8217;t say it was worth $21. But we had a lovely evening, a good meal and then headed to Flemings for another glass of wine and so Bob could tell Luke, Marc and Wade about our $21 cheeseburgers and our $80 tab for two burgers, soup, two glasses of wine and a beer. Edible Garden is located on River Road just west of the Henrico/Goochland line.&nbsp; Their website is ediblegarden.org.http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/1418050115693093617-5200757882004370333?l=richmondfoodforthought.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2009 02:14:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://richmondfoodforthought.blogspot.com/2009/04/saga&#45;of&#45;21&#45;cheeseburgerdinner&#45;at&#45;edible.html#When:06:14:00Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>a little bit of a hiatus: wee food break.</title>
          <link>http://whinemedineme.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/a&#45;little&#45;bit&#45;of&#45;a&#45;hiatus&#45;wee&#45;food&#45;break/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
we are going on a break for a bit. (a little rehobeth, a little work and other nonsense.)
you need your food fix?
try these fabulous places. 
http://www.eatingrichmond.com - recipes and food reviews from some seriously good kids.
http://www.styleweekly.com - brandon knows her shite.
http://www.rvanews.com - reviewing bathrooms stylishly.
&nbsp;  &nbsp;   http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=whinemedineme.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6049413&amp;post=1014&amp;subd=whinemedineme&ref;=&amp;feed=1           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 20 Apr 2009 06:44:24 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://whinemedineme.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/a&#45;little&#45;bit&#45;of&#45;a&#45;hiatus&#45;wee&#45;food&#45;break/#When:10:44:24Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>The Way of the Wok, an introduction</title>
          <link>http://kitchenmusings.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/04/the&#45;way&#45;of&#45;the&#45;wok&#45;an&#45;introduction.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
It’s inevitable when you grow up in the 70’s as the only girl of four siblings with three older brothers – your fondest memories are of Bruce Lee movies and playing with numchuckoos. One of this martial arts legend’s memorable&#8230;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:27:07 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Chicken and Potatoes</title>
          <link>http://www.messycuisine.com/blog/2009/04/19/chicken&#45;and&#45;potatoes/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
A scrumptious dinner can be had with not a lot of fuss, should you decide to take the advice of one radio host, Mrs. Lynne Rosetto Kasper.



This evening I made her chicken with tarragon and buttered leeks (absolutely a real treasure) and her almond-topped turmeric potatoes. Every bite was heaven. From the lemony-tarragon herbed notes [...]           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 19 Apr 2009 16:02:10 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.messycuisine.com/blog/2009/04/19/chicken&#45;and&#45;potatoes/#When:20:02:10Z</guid>
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          <title>Slightly Out of the Ordinary Burgers</title>
          <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/AdkU/~3/B0&#45;qK1OItVs/slightly&#45;out&#45;of&#45;ordinary&#45;burgers.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
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          <pubDate>Sun, 19 Apr 2009 10:44:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/AdkU/~3/B0&#45;qK1OItVs/slightly&#45;out&#45;of&#45;ordinary&#45;burgers.html#When:14:44:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Mama Cucina</title>
          <link>http://www.messycuisine.com/blog/2009/04/19/mama&#45;cucina/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Mama Cucina is located at 4028 Cox Rd in Glen Allen, VA in the &#8220;Shoppes of Innsbrook.&#8221; I&#8217;ve probably been there now 7-9 times, and my last trip pretty-much summed up my experience with them over the years. Each visit has been surprisingly consistent.

MC seems like a place you might dress-up for, but it is [...]           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 19 Apr 2009 08:30:35 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.messycuisine.com/blog/2009/04/19/mama&#45;cucina/#When:12:30:35Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Vote for My Prosecco Cocktail!</title>
          <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/AdkU/~3/5CPmgUJ7OOI/vote&#45;for&#45;my&#45;prosecco&#45;cocktail.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
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          <pubDate>Sun, 19 Apr 2009 04:13:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/AdkU/~3/5CPmgUJ7OOI/vote&#45;for&#45;my&#45;prosecco&#45;cocktail.html#When:08:13:00Z</guid>
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          <title>River City Supper Club – Gathering #2</title>
          <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/AdkU/~3/UnnG&#45;&#45;IHZXg/river&#45;city&#45;supper&#45;club&#45;gathering&#45;2.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
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          <pubDate>Sun, 19 Apr 2009 03:21:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/AdkU/~3/UnnG&#45;&#45;IHZXg/river&#45;city&#45;supper&#45;club&#45;gathering&#45;2.html#When:07:21:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Faith of Our Farmers</title>
          <link>http://www.brandoneats.com/brandon_eats/2009/04/faith&#45;of&#45;our&#45;farmers.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
For those who saw the Michael Pollan and Marion Nestle talk last night, here&#8217;s the link to the piece I wrote last fall about Joel Salatin of Polyface and the other Virginia farmers he&#8217;s inspired to farm in a humane, sustainable way.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 19 Apr 2009 03:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.brandoneats.com/brandon_eats/2009/04/faith&#45;of&#45;our&#45;farmers.html#When:07:01:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Zed Cafe</title>
          <link>http://bellalately.blogspot.com/2009/04/zed&#45;cafe.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Saturday found the hubs and I out and about, running errands. Starting at Short Pump (to turn in my busted iPod), working our way into the city, it dawned on me that Zed was on our way. This has been on my list for a long time and it seemed a good a time as any to dive right in.From the Zed website:ZED brings a unique flavor to the Richmond culinary environment serving fresh,responsibly sourced meats and local products. Come by and check us out for delicious modern cuisine, our extraordinary and ever-changing wine menu, and our highly acclaimed guest service and personal attention.BEGINNING TUESDAY, MARCH 24TH we will open our doors at 9:00 a.m. and invite you to experience Zed morning, noon and night.Coffee &amp; Tea Bar Tuesday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.Lunch - Tuesday - Friday 11:00 a.m.m - 2:30 p.m .Wine Bar &amp; Light Lunch Tuesday - Friday 2:30 - 5:00 p.m.Brunch - Saturday 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.Dinner - Wednesday - Saturday 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.Open for Mother&#8217;s Day Brunch, Sunday May 10th 11 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.___________________________________________Lunch/Brunch was wonderful. I ordered the &#8220;French Press&#8221; - baguette with black forest ham, dijon mustard, brie and cornichons (I pulled these off, a little too much salt) and a side of sweet potato fries. It&#8217;s truly lovely to be offered either the sweet potato fries or green salad in place of the requisite french fry. Overall, my plate was a great balance of sweet and salty. The bread/baguette was fantastically crunchy &amp; chewy at the same time.Hubs got choc. chip pancakes, applewood smoked bacon and the scallion cheese grits. Now, he&#8217;s pretty picky about his pankcakes, I wasn&#8217;t expecting this to end well. But, my head snapped up in surprise when he said, &#8220;Mmm, these are good.&#8220; Hubs is a man of few words, so that means they were pretty darn delicious. I tried a bit of his grits and they were phenomenal. Creamy, hot and cheesy, I could&#8217;ve eaten a huge bowl of just the cheese grits and been satisfied.The interior of the place is very mod &#8220;Zen Garden&#8221; and the new age instrumental music reminded me of being in a spa. No surprise, since there&#8217;s a spa attached. They are definitely health conscious, as even the &#8220;sugar&#8221; on the table is Xylitol. Lots of local art scattered on the walls and a helpful and kind staff. Hubs and I both agreed this is one to come back to as the sum of all Zed&#8217;s parts made for a pleasant experience. I could actually see going here on a weeknite w/friends to get a foot massage (reflexology)/pedi in the spa and then popping into Zed for dinner.Richmond Food Collective has a great backstory on the chef and his philosophies here.Zed Cafehttp://www.zedcafeonline.com/5109 Lakeside AveRichmond, VA 23228(804) 261-5656http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/5128227224086565892-3098390464827481111?l=bellalately.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 18 Apr 2009 08:08:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://bellalately.blogspot.com/2009/04/zed&#45;cafe.html#When:12:08:00Z</guid>
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          <title>fresh food: local produce DELIVERED</title>
          <link>http://whinemedineme.wordpress.com/2009/04/17/fresh&#45;food&#45;local&#45;produce&#45;delivered/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
i rock a csa. every year  (may thru) i head down to my local food market once a week and chat it up with the farmer (and his wife) who grow the yum, pick up my sweet beets etc. and go home. i eat well these months. the others, it is out to dinner and [...]http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=whinemedineme.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6049413&amp;post=1012&amp;subd=whinemedineme&ref;=&amp;feed=1           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:50:23 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://whinemedineme.wordpress.com/2009/04/17/fresh&#45;food&#45;local&#45;produce&#45;delivered/#When:14:50:23Z</guid>
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          <title>Belle Oysters</title>
          <link>http://www.brandoneats.com/brandon_eats/2009/04/belle&#45;oysters.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Originally published in Belle: Out of Their Shells Oysters are the hot babes of the seafood world. With a rock-solid reputation as a guaranteed aphrodisiac, science can’t seem to dislodge the popular notion that if you could just convince your sweetheart to eat a few, sexual nirvana will follow. I’m not going to take sides. Half of sex (or is it three-quarters?) is all in our heads anyway, and if you believe that one little oyster might help the process, who am I to argue? Plus, I’m a true believer that the sensuality of great food leads us all down the path to a deeper appreciation of sensuality in general. At the very least, good food puts me into a good mood. Unfortunately, oysters have had a hard time for the last hundred years or so. In the Chesapeake Bay, a trifecta of pollution, over-harvesting, and disease has wiped out the wild oyster population. Most of the tall reefs where oysters like to live have been destroyed, and now, farming is the last gasp of hope for Virginia oysters. Small aquaculture farmers like the Croxtons of Rappahannock River Oysters might be the solution. Recipient of the 2005 Food &amp; Wine Magazine’s Tastemaker’s Award, the company supplies restaurants like Le Bernadin in New York, Vidalia in DC, and locally, Six Burner, 1 North Belmont, and Comfort, among other high-end restaurants here and throughout the country. Years ago, Ryan Croxton’s grandfather warned Ryan’s father not to become a waterman. The work was just too hard and the oyster population was dwindling as the bay was decimated by disease and unchecked pollution. But Ryan and his cousin Travis weren’t worried about that. They both had jobs in Richmond and reviving the oyster company their family started in 1899 was going to be a&#8230;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:38:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.brandoneats.com/brandon_eats/2009/04/belle&#45;oysters.html#When:12:38:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Omega&#45;3 for you and me! (Why I like sardines, and you should too)</title>
          <link>http://tastyniblets.com/2009/04/17/omega&#45;3&#45;for&#45;you&#45;and&#45;me&#45;why&#45;i&#45;like&#45;sardines&#45;and&#45;you&#45;should&#45;too/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Outside of my immediate family, I am the only one I know that likes sardines. I think this is a great travesty. Sardines are like magic in a can. You pull that lid off, and your nasal passages are flushed with that delightfully fishy odor that makes your mouth start watering immediately. Sardines spread wondrously [...]           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2009 05:39:25 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://tastyniblets.com/2009/04/17/omega&#45;3&#45;for&#45;you&#45;and&#45;me&#45;why&#45;i&#45;like&#45;sardines&#45;and&#45;you&#45;should&#45;too/#When:09:39:25Z</guid>
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          <title>How Did This Happen?</title>
          <link>http://www.brandoneats.com/brandon_eats/2009/04/how&#45;did&#45;this&#45;happen.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Found at the bottom of the sink:           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2009 02:08:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.brandoneats.com/brandon_eats/2009/04/how&#45;did&#45;this&#45;happen.html#When:06:08:00Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Wine Tasting at J. Emerson</title>
          <link>http://social.richmond.com/blog/Genevelyn/2009/04/wine&#45;tasting&#45;j&#45;emerson/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Free wine tasting of older vintages from around the globe at J. Emerson tonight ...            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:01:05 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://social.richmond.com/blog/Genevelyn/2009/04/wine&#45;tasting&#45;j&#45;emerson/#When:13:01:05Z</guid>
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          <title>Re&#45;Fried Fried Rice</title>
          <link>http://www.brandoneats.com/brandon_eats/2009/04/refried&#45;fried&#45;rice.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
My fried rice is always terrible. Despite all the planning ahead involved in cooking the rice the day before so that it has time to cool completely and dry out a bit, my fried rice still turns out mushy and sad. No one likes it at my house. I eat it out of pity. This kind of meal generates a lot of leftovers. Lots. With the economy burning down around our ears, thrift is the watchword of the day, and I&#8217;m trying&#8212;really, really hard, despite my deep-seated, innate inclination towards profligacy&#8212;to keep to a budget and eat all of the leftovers instead of sticking them in the refrigerator and forgetting about them until it&#8217;s obvious they need to be thrown away. I don&#8217;t really have a choice in my reformation, and I imagine you don&#8217;t either. So what to do with a loser batch of problematic fried rice? I pondered it a while, getting hungrier, and then I remembered that a good friend of mine who loves rice also loves the crispy crust that forms when you cook it in a rice cooker the very best. Just a warning! Here&#8217;s when I start to channel Cooks Illustrated: Maybe crisping up the edges of my rice would help? So, thinking along the lines of potato pancakes made with leftover mashed potatoes, I squished my unloved fried rice into patties which immediately broke apart on the plate. Since there&#8217;s already egg in fried rice, I figured if I added a beaten egg to aid in patty-adherence, it wouldn&#8217;t interfere with the original flavor of the dish. It helped as I&#8217;d hoped, but I still had to be extreeeeeemely careful when handling and flipping the patties. In the end, my experiment miraculously worked. My rice, redeemed, sallied forth, reincarnated as another meal and&#8230;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2009 06:54:54 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.brandoneats.com/brandon_eats/2009/04/refried&#45;fried&#45;rice.html#When:10:54:54Z</guid>
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          <title>&#8220;Ask the Food Bloggers&#8221; Takes on Date&#45;Night</title>
          <link>http://caramelizedopinions.blogspot.com/2009/04/ask&#45;food&#45;bloggers&#45;takes&#45;on&#45;date&#45;night.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
At EatingRichmond.com, we just debuted an irregular installment that brings together the divergent opinions of Richmond&#8217;s food bloggers. For the debut, they tackled, &#8220;What is your favorite date-night restaurant.&#8220;&nbsp; As a bonus, comments are enabled in this ER exclusive.&nbsp; Help us define the elements of culinary fore-play.&nbsp; And, float some ideas for future features.http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2FVTLS2UGzs/SedTGMQRzsI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/3jAMlQkhqUI/s400/askbutton.jpghttp://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/35720139-8736139191255456768?l=caramelizedopinions.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2009 05:39:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://caramelizedopinions.blogspot.com/2009/04/ask&#45;food&#45;bloggers&#45;takes&#45;on&#45;date&#45;night.html#When:09:39:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Spring Menu Suggestion&#8212;</title>
          <link>http://bellalately.blogspot.com/2009/04/spring&#45;menu&#45;suggestion.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
In anticipation of a lovely weekend, I wanted to share a Spring menu suggestion with you that worked for me recently:Lemon-Oregano ChickenPanzanella (thus my freezer stash of whole grain croutons comes into play)AsaparagusIf you want a little heavier side, it would also be great with a little parmesan orzo!Lemon-Oregano Chicken Gourmet April 2009Yield: Makes 4 servings (I made 8 large chicken thighs from Ellwood&#8217;s that ended up serving 6)2 garlic cloves3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided8 chicken thighs with skin (about 1 3/4 pounds)2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used my own stock)1 teaspoon dried oregano(I used a tbsp + of fresh oregano, MUCH better!)Accompaniment: lemon wedgesPreheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle. (these could be done on the grill too)Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt, then whisk together with 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pat chicken dry and coat with lemon-garlic mixture.Heat 1 tablespoon butter and remaining tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides. Brown chicken in 2 batches, skin side down, until golden and crisp, 5 to 6 minutes (chicken will not be cooked through). Transfer, skin side up, to a 4-sided sheet pan.Pour off fat (and any small burnt pieces) from skillet. Add broth and remaining tablespoon lemon juice and boil until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Whisk in remaining tablespoon butter and oregano, then pour over chicken.Roast chicken in oven until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.Bella&#8217;s PanzanellaI certainly can&#8217;t claim to corner the market on bread salad, but I&#8217;ve never made it from a recipe. This is just usually what I throw in.5-6 c. cubed whole grain baguette/country bread1-2 lbs super ripe tomatos (various heirlooms are fun and make it colorful)1 c. torn basil leaves1 large shallot, thinly slicedsalt and pepper to taste1/2 c. olive oil2 tbsp red wine vinegarToast the bread cubes up with a little olive oil until golden brown and crispy (I know purists will groan, but I like the texture, so deal with it! ;) )Meanwhile, mix olive oil, shallots, 1/2 the torn basil and red wine vinegar. Set aside/chill. I like to do this well ahead of time, so the flavors have time to meld.Seed tomatos and cut into bite sized chunks. Along with liking to make the vinaigrette ahead of time, I also like to slice and store the tomatos in advance. This is b/c I will salt them to bring forth their natural juices, which combines beautifully with everything else going on.You can make well in advance, combine all ingredients right before serving!AsparagusThese are great on the grill and then served drizzled w/a balsamic reduction (our friend&#8217;s speciality)Or, most of the time, I throw them on a long plate w/a few tbsp of water, cover w/a matching long plate and let them rip in the microwave for 3 minutes. Drain. Perfectly steamed, not mushy, every time. Toss w/salt, pepper, butter and serve!http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/5128227224086565892-9057058824031659855?l=bellalately.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:38:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://bellalately.blogspot.com/2009/04/spring&#45;menu&#45;suggestion.html#When:08:38:00Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>tax relief: food on the cheap</title>
          <link>http://whinemedineme.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/tax&#45;relief&#45;food&#45;on&#45;the&#45;cheap/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
you can get a little on april 15th:
here is how.
Chick-fil-A
Visit a participating restaurant April 15 and hang onto your receipt. The “Tax Relief Day Special” lets you return before April 30 to receive the same order for free.




 

&nbsp;


Cinnabon
Stop by Cinnabon from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. April 15 for free cinnamon-roll bites (regularly $2.49 for [...]http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=whinemedineme.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6049413&amp;post=1008&amp;subd=whinemedineme&ref;=&amp;feed=1           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2009 06:03:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://whinemedineme.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/tax&#45;relief&#45;food&#45;on&#45;the&#45;cheap/#When:10:03:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Child of the Sixties &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp;</title>
          <link>http://www.brandoneats.com/brandon_eats/2009/04/child&#45;of&#45;the&#45;si.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Rabid foodies, beware: what you&#8217;re about to read will revolt you and utterly destroy any shred of respect you might have had for my culinary acumen. You&#8217;re better off clicking over to Chocolate &amp; Zucchini and seeing what Clotilde is up to these days. This post is an exercise in pure, unapologetic nostalgia for a time before a lot of my readers were even born. But don&#8217;t you wish you were born in the sixties, you youngsters? I know you do; you yearn for the days when a four-year-old and her mother could sing &#8220;Feelin&#8217; Groovy&#8221; without irony, and when &#8220;Leavin&#8217; on a Jet Plane (Don&#8217;t Know When I&#8217;ll Be Back Again)&#8220; sounded like the height of sophistication (I want to ride on a jet plane!). You&#8217;d beg your mom for candy cigarettes and drive home from the grocery store without a seat belt pretending to flick your imaginary ash out of the front-seat window just like your mom was doing that very minute. Kellog&#8217;s Frosted Flakes with an additional spoonful of white sugar on top were part of a balanced breakfast, and later on, if your mom would let you back in the house (come back when it gets dark!), you&#8217;d guzzle Kool-Aid by the pitcherful. And that same beautiful mom would talk to guys at parties with enormous mustaches and a compulsion to clash patterns and stripes in the most annoying way possible while your dad snapped photos with his Instamatic. It was fun and kind of dangerous to be a kid in the sixties. Our parents were way too young to have children and, looking back, we&#8217;re all lucky to have survived to adulthood. Although my mother experimented with Julia Child and went through a long, long love affair with a box of curry powder she found&#8230;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2009 05:09:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.brandoneats.com/brandon_eats/2009/04/child&#45;of&#45;the&#45;si.html#When:09:09:00Z</guid>
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          <title>TORTA PASQUALINA</title>
          <link>http://inmystomach.blogspot.com/2009/04/torta&#45;pasqualina.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Ever since I lived in Italy in the late 80&#8217;s,&nbsp; there are certain traditions ( mostly food related) that I have incorporated into my life. Every New  Year&#8217;s I am bound my tradition and superstition to eat cotecchino with Lentils.&nbsp; And most years I try to make a Torta Pasqualina for Easter. It&#8217;s a dish that comes from the Piemonte region of northern Italy and I fondly remember having it with some Italian friends after Easter Mass with the Pope at the Vatican.Traditionally, this Easter Cake is made from layers of dough ( some swear by 33 layers to recall the age of Christ when he was crucified), but in a pinch puff pastry can be substituted.&nbsp; This was a pinch year for me. We had three easter egg hunts and 4 parties to rotate into a busy weekend.&nbsp;  I layer a sheet of puff pastry in a deep pie plate and then scoop the filling on top. An additional layer of dough covers the torte.The FillingTraditionally chard is used as the main ingredient, but spinach is a suitable substitute.&nbsp; I saute  the greens with some garlic and finely chopped onion. I flavor the mixture with lemon juice, nutmeg, and salt and pepper. Once the mixture has cooled down, add a combination of one egg, ricotta and parmesan cheese.&nbsp; The  special treatOne of the coolest things about the torte is the next step- create little wells or holes  in the filling- and drop a raw egg into the gap, taking care not to break the yolk:http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SNnTUXww-tw/SeXy5nZw-RI/AAAAAAAAARM/FikMgr2X7oo/s400/IMG_3119.JPGThe final step is  putting on a top layer (or layers) of dough and sealing the edges.&nbsp; The torte bakes for ~ 1 hour in a 400 degree oven.&nbsp; When you slice the finished product, the eggs make a pretty cross section against the green of the spinach.http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SNnTUXww-tw/SeXzmbqh27I/AAAAAAAAARU/ij7n5OrceZw/s400/IMG_3122.JPGhttp://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/22118168-3160724104824580481?l=inmystomach.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2009 04:31:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://inmystomach.blogspot.com/2009/04/torta&#45;pasqualina.html#When:08:31:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Johnny’s Five</title>
          <link>http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/fooddrink/johnnys_five/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
At 44, Johnny Giavos reflects on his life and accomplishments thus far, and wouldn’t change much at all. Maybe he would have built a bigger kitchen at Kitchen 64 or traveled a bit more. But nothing of real consequence.

And that includes showing up three hours late to his engagement party.

Giavos, a diehard soccer — ahem, football — fan, never thought his club team would have made it to the finals the day of his engagement party years ago, an assessment that turned out to be a gross underestimate of his team’s ability and a major setback in his big evening plans. After several victorious games, he rushed home, gussied up and eventually greeted his 200 guests three hours into the festivities — painfully sun burnt and sporting the unmistakable, ear-to-ear grin of a champion.

“If I could still play that well today, I think I would do it again,” Giavos said jovially.

Giavos, who turned down soccer scholarships in favor of helping his parents run their restaurant, has played on a club soccer team, the Fan Rats, since 1983. In fact, he proudly displays a Fan Rats bumper sticker on his 20-year-old, beige Toyota Land Cruiser, along with a colorful array of restaurant stickers. Most fan residents recognize Giavos’ vehicle, even if they haven’t yet met him.

But it’s not soccer he’s best known for in Richmond. He and Katrina Dikos Giavos, his wife of 25 years (in spite of that little engagement party incident, says Giavos, thank goodness) have together built a veritable restaurant and real estate empire in the fan and now spilling beyond.

Currently, Giavos is the genius behind Sidewalk Café, Kuba Kuba, 3 Monkeys, Kitchen 64 and, his newest venture, Gibson’s Grill. Sidewalk was the first restaurant he fashioned from scratch on his own, and has been going strong since April Fool’s Day, 1990. 

Add to those five major successes an ever-growing list of properties he owns, including the Sticky Rice building, Helen’s and 3 Monkeys buildings, Gus’s Bar and Grill (formerly Out of Bounds, where his sister, Josephine, is now opening up shop), the Table 9 building, The Border Chophouse &amp; Bar building and several rental properties peppered throughout the fan.

That’s not to mention the prestigious list of restaurants he’s been associated with in the past, including Bandito’s Burrito Lounge and Ernesto’s Creperie. 

Then there’s the network of industry professionals who have graduated from the prestigious Giavos School.

“Half of the restaurant people in Richmond I’ve trained one way or another,” Giavos said. “It’s the truth. Between me and Michelle [Williams], so many people have started out working at one of our restaurants.”

It’s safe to say Giavos has had a major impact on the Richmond restaurant scene — and to the benefit of the residents. His vision is inexpensive, quality food in a fun and laid-back atmosphere, and the community has embraced it.

The restaurant industry is in Giavos’ blood. His parents owned and operated Athens in the fan, and Giavos spent years helping out as a teenager. And Katrina’s family knows the business, too; her mother ran the show at her namesake restaurant, Stella’s. 

The couple met one day when Katrina and her mother ate at Athens while Giavos was on the job.

“I joke that she was coming in to scope out ideas for her restaurant,” he laughed.

As it turned out, there was no need to filch secrets, as the two joined forces and set out on a path to create their own restaurants and, more importantly to them, their own family.
Giavos is an honest and true family man, and it is evident in everything he does. He and Katrina live together in the fan with their three dogs and two children, although their son, Constantine, will be heading off to Parson in New York City soon.

Daughter Stella Maria, 15, is now at Appomattox Governor’s School, following in her brother’s footsteps. As for Dad, he has dedicated himself to that school, having coached his son’s soccer team to a championship. He is, once again, coaching the boys soccer team and now the girls volleyball team as well — in all of his spare time. 

Java With Giavos:&nbsp; Brick gets candid with the fans well-known restaurateur

Brick: Where were you born?
Giavos: I was actually born in Brussels, Belgium, although my family is Greek. When I was a teenager, my parents moved the family back to Greece. So I spoke Greek, French and English growing up, but I’ve lost most of the French.

Brick: When did you move to the states?
Giavos: Originally, we moved to the Hopewell area in 1970, and then we moved back to the states again permanently in 1981. My parents ran one of the cottages at St. Joseph’s Villa when it was an orphanage. I tell people I grew up in an orphanage, and they don’t believe me. I really did, just with my parents.

Brick: If you hadn’t gone into the restaurant business, what would you have done? 
Giavos: I would have done something with kids. Probably not teaching, but coaching or working for a community center. Kids, to me, are easy. It’s adults that are hard.

Brick: What’s the most rewarding aspect of what you do?
Giavos: The people you meet. The families.

Brick: And what’s the worse aspect?
Giavos: Babysitting. Fixing things, the phone calls. People don’t even realize. You get phone calls at 2 a.m. In fact, I have to miss Easter with my family because we need to close down Monkeys to do some cleaning and maintenance. We figure people will be tired from Strawberry Hill. Sunday’s Easter. It’s just the best time to do it. That’s the responsibility that I accepted. Also, I’m not good at firing people. But you just have to do it.

Brick: Are you feeling the affects of this economic slump?
Giavos: Actually, it was worse a year ago. It’s okay today. But last year, everything skyrocketed, from food to paper goods to cleaning supplies. Today we’re actually doing great.

Brick: What do most people not know about you? 
Giavos: I don’t like to be the center of attention. I’m better one on one, five on five, in small groups. Everyone thinks I’m good in crowds. I think I’ve just hid it better than most.

Brick: So what do you think of Richmond?
Giavos: I love Richmond. It’s my home. It’s easy, clean (for what it is) and the people are great. And it’s easy to get around, if you know a little bit about the layout. People from other cities have enlightened Richmond, too, bringing in different food and music. 

Brick: Is there anything you’d change about your home city?
Giavos: If there’s one thing Richmond does wrong, we’ve gotten into the habit of building things and then abandoning them. Sixth Street Marketplace, Willow Lawn, Regency Square, the Ballpark, Arthur Ash Center. That’s just a few off the opt of my head. Also, Richmond is complaint driven. It’s not a problem until someone complains about it. And if just one person complains, then there’s obviously something wrong.

Brick: What advice do you have for other restaurateurs? 
Giavos: Correct the things that are wrong. Think long term. You’re going to be here a while. My vision is not today. It’s ten years from now. Serve a product you would like. Act like you’re hooking up your mom or your girlfriend or someone.

Brick: What do you think people are looking for in a restaurant these days?
Giavos: People are over getting screwed to eat. They really are! When my family goes out to eat, I judge the experience based on what I paid for it. Maybe the food was good, but was it worth $25? And I’d rather they take a little extra time and get it done right than get it done fast and have it come out no good.

Brick: How would your employees describe you?
Giavos: Hmm….I think they’d say, “He’s funny. And he’s a clean-freak. He’s anal about cleaning.” It doesn’t matter now busy we are. We will stop and clean if the kitchen is getting crazy. And they’d say, “He screams a lot.” Not angry screaming. Just loud.



&nbsp;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:43:36 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/fooddrink/johnnys_five/#When:00:43:36Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Johnny’s Five</title>
          <link>http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/fooddrink/johnnys_five/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
At 44, Johnny Giavos reflects on his life and accomplishments thus far, and wouldn’t change much at all. Maybe he would have built a bigger kitchen at Kitchen 64 or traveled a bit more. But nothing of real consequence.

And that includes showing up three hours late to his engagement party.

Giavos, a diehard soccer — ahem, football — fan, never thought his club team would have made it to the finals the day of his engagement party years ago, an assessment that turned out to be a gross underestimate of his team’s ability and a major setback in his big evening plans. After several victorious games, he rushed home, gussied up and eventually greeted his 200 guests three hours into the festivities — painfully sun burnt and sporting the unmistakable, ear-to-ear grin of a champion.

“If I could still play that well today, I think I would do it again,” Giavos said jovially.

Giavos, who turned down soccer scholarships in favor of helping his parents run their restaurant, has played on a club soccer team, the Fan Rats, since 1983. In fact, he proudly displays a Fan Rats bumper sticker on his 20-year-old, beige Toyota Land Cruiser, along with a colorful array of restaurant stickers. Most fan residents recognize Giavos’ vehicle, even if they haven’t yet met him.

But it’s not soccer he’s best known for in Richmond. He and Katrina Dikos Giavos, his wife of 25 years (in spite of that little engagement party incident, says Giavos, thank goodness) have together built a veritable restaurant and real estate empire in the fan and now spilling beyond.

Currently, Giavos is the genius behind Sidewalk Café, Kuba Kuba, 3 Monkeys, Kitchen 64 and, his newest venture, Gibson’s Grill. Sidewalk was the first restaurant he fashioned from scratch on his own, and has been going strong since April Fool’s Day, 1990. 

Add to those five major successes an ever-growing list of properties he owns, including the Sticky Rice building, Helen’s and 3 Monkeys buildings, Gus’s Bar and Grill (formerly Out of Bounds, where his sister, Josephine, is now opening up shop), the Table 9 building, The Border Chophouse &amp; Bar building and several rental properties peppered throughout the fan.

That’s not to mention the prestigious list of restaurants he’s been associated with in the past, including Bandito’s Burrito Lounge and Ernesto’s Creperie. 

Then there’s the network of industry professionals who have graduated from the prestigious Giavos School.

“Half of the restaurant people in Richmond I’ve trained one way or another,” Giavos said. “It’s the truth. Between me and Michelle [Williams], so many people have started out working at one of our restaurants.”

It’s safe to say Giavos has had a major impact on the Richmond restaurant scene — and to the benefit of the residents. His vision is inexpensive, quality food in a fun and laid-back atmosphere, and the community has embraced it.

The restaurant industry is in Giavos’ blood. His parents owned and operated Athens in the fan, and Giavos spent years helping out as a teenager. And Katrina’s family knows the business, too; her mother ran the show at her namesake restaurant, Stella’s. 

The couple met one day when Katrina and her mother ate at Athens while Giavos was on the job.

“I joke that she was coming in to scope out ideas for her restaurant,” he laughed.

As it turned out, there was no need to filch secrets, as the two joined forces and set out on a path to create their own restaurants and, more importantly to them, their own family.
Giavos is an honest and true family man, and it is evident in everything he does. He and Katrina live together in the fan with their three dogs and two children, although their son, Constantine, will be heading off to Parson in New York City soon.

Daughter Stella Maria, 15, is now at Appomattox Governor’s School, following in her brother’s footsteps. As for Dad, he has dedicated himself to that school, having coached his son’s soccer team to a championship. He is, once again, coaching the boys soccer team and now the girls volleyball team as well — in all of his spare time.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:43:08 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/fooddrink/johnnys_five/#When:00:43:08Z</guid>
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          <title>Whereupon I make badly formed improv pasta, giving you all of the gory details</title>
          <link>http://tastyniblets.com/2009/04/14/whereupon&#45;i&#45;make&#45;badly&#45;formed&#45;improv&#45;pasta&#45;giving&#45;you&#45;all&#45;of&#45;the&#45;gory&#45;details/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Pseudo-homemade pasta is so amazingly easy to make, it&#8217;s disgusting. Actually, it&#8217;s rather tasty when done right, but that&#8217;s beside the point. Pseudo-homemade past requires two ingredients: pasta, and sauce. So you open up a box of the noodle shape of your choice, dump them in a pot with some water, and boil. Then you [...]           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:45:03 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://tastyniblets.com/2009/04/14/whereupon&#45;i&#45;make&#45;badly&#45;formed&#45;improv&#45;pasta&#45;giving&#45;you&#45;all&#45;of&#45;the&#45;gory&#45;details/#When:20:45:03Z</guid>
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          <title>Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Cake</title>
          <link>http://bellalately.blogspot.com/2009/04/glazed&#45;lemon&#45;poppy&#45;seed&#45;cake.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Hi. Lazy Baker here. I was craving lemon poppy seed muffins today and came across this Gourmet recipe on epicurious.com. It&#8217;s definitely not light on butter, but that makes it heavy on flavor! It&#8217;s simple to make, one pan and you&#8217;re done in under an hour. I would vote this to be a great addition to a home brunch.Hope you like it as much as I did!http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bQUAptnxUsk/SeUZ2zXouFI/AAAAAAAAAz0/BW71zD1zqFU/s400/ps+cake.JPGGlazed Lemon Poppy-Seed Cake Gourmet  May 2007 A quick confection, this cake bakes in just 30 minutes. Translation: You&#8217;ll be enjoying a homemade dessert with a light crumb and smooth glaze in no time. 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest1/4 teaspoon salt2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened3/4 cup granulated sugar2 large eggs2 tablespoons poppy seeds1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar3 tablespoons fresh lemon juicePut oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.Butter a 9-inch round cake pan.Whisk together flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt in a bowl.Beat together butter and granulated sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs until combined. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and poppy seeds and mix until just combined.Transfer batter to cake pan, smoothing top, and bake until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean and top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then invert onto rack.Whisk together confectioners sugar and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth. Pour glaze over warm cake, spreading it with a spatula to drizzle over edge. Let stand until glaze is set, about 15 minutes.http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bQUAptnxUsk/SeUZb8g5f5I/AAAAAAAAAzk/xtis0snBbTs/s400/ps+cake1.JPGhttp://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/5128227224086565892-4216469464764015482?l=bellalately.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2009 11:49:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://bellalately.blogspot.com/2009/04/glazed&#45;lemon&#45;poppy&#45;seed&#45;cake.html#When:15:49:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Vegas Restaurant Roundup</title>
          <link>http://bellalately.blogspot.com/2009/04/vegas&#45;restaurant&#45;roundup.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/original/las-vegas.jpg The hubs and I went to Vegas the 3rd week in March and I wanted to make sure I filled you in on 3 noteworthy restaurants we tried. Firstly, we had:  T &amp; Thttp://www.luxor.com/images/dining/dining_tandt.jpg We checked in to Mandalay Bay late on a Saturday afternoon. Tired, bedraggled, wanting nothing better than a tasty low maintenance dinner, we headed over to the new T &amp; T (Taco&#8217;s &amp; Tequila, although that&#8217;s not what we called it, use your own imagination) in the Luxor.I had read good things about this new joint and had even seen it on the Travel Channel of all places! And sometimes, especially in the Luxor, you&#8217;re never sure what you&#8217;re going to get. Well, I&#8217;m here to tell you&#8212;it&#8217;s worth popping in for a visit. As you come off the Mandalay/Luxor walk way, it will be right in front of you. It&#8217;s basically an open air restaurant above the casino level. It&#8217;s canopied by a jagged, tin cut out roof that creates some fun visual interest. There&#8217;s a bar in the middle of the place that takes up about half of the restaurant and of course it&#8217;s where they showcase their myriad bottles of prized and rare tequilas.For a starter, we had amazing hand made chicken tamales made with real corn masa, shredded chicken, crema fresca, sweet chipotle sauce and avocado. My only complaint was that there weren&#8217;t more. We also had chips, that you could tell were made fresh, with a sweet tomatillo and spicy chipotle salsas served alongside.Seeing as it was a Tequila joint, of course I had to order a margarita! And if we hadn&#8217;t been so wiped from our travels, I&#8217;m sure a few rounds of shots would have ensued ;) The drink I ordered was a Pomegranate, Acai margarita. Trendy fruits, I know, I know, but tasty all the same. I would highly recommend trying any of their speciality margarita&#8217;s.For dinner, I had the Baja fish taco&#8217;s, the hubs had cheese enchiladas. Ok, I have to tell you at this point that as I&#8217;m sitting here typing, I&#8217;m drooling in remembrance. My taco&#8217;s fit in the palm of my small-ish hand, you could tell they were fresh made. The fish had a light crunchy coating and didn&#8217;t taste &#8220;fishy&#8221; (as is often wont to happen w/fish tacos for some reason). The crisp cabbage on top, pico de gallo and house made crema on top made a dynamite combo. As for hubs, I was thinking &#8220;Cheese enchiladas are enchiladas are enchiladas&#8230;......&#8220; Not so. These melted in your mouth from the home made tortilla to the cheese mixture inside. The mole sauce on top is what set it apart. The layers of flavor, the earthiness&#8230;..really just the authenticity, was surprising to me.Even the house beans and rice on the plate weren&#8217;t &#8220;throw aways&#8221; (as I like to call them) like a normal Mexican taqueria. I could&#8217;ve eaten a large bowl of the spicy, flavorful black beans. And I&#8217;m not even normally a black bean fan. And no peas in the rice! Yay! (I know they shouldn&#8217;t be in there any way, but when does that stop Mexican joints around here? ;) )And next was:Bouchonhttp://www.visitlasvegas.com/web-images/properties/10454-12.jpeg Bouchon was my highly anticipated Sunday brunch. I was worried that as a Thomas Keller offshoot that it would be more hype and less substance. But, my fears were unsubstantiated.The physical interior as well as the clatter, hustle and bustle is about as traditional french bistro as you get. The wait staff in black and white with black bow-ties and long white aprons (even the females). There is a lovely garden terrace you trail into from French doors off of the side of the restaurant which is technically located on top of the the Venezia Tower in the Venetian. Unfortunately, on the Sunday we showed up, the weather was cold and rainy, so no patio for us! (Next time!)Hubs got an omelet, I went all out w/the Croque Madame. All lived up to and exceeded expectation if you&#8217;re looking for truly delicious bistro fare. It&#8217;s definitely my current fav Vegas brunch spot. I also highly recommend the deliciously potent mimosas!And lastly we had:Craftsteakhttp://www.mgmmirage.com/images/dinner/craftsteaklogo.jpgTom Colicchio&#8217;s Craftsteak was our last hurrah on a whirlwind trip before heading home. This was the only place I made a reservation using Open Table. We selected this particular restaurant b/c as Top Chef fans, we thought it would be kind of fun. :)We were seated right away, even though we showed up early, in a low slung banquette area by the bar. There&#8217;s a larger (noisier) dining room towards the back of the restaurant. I was quite happy to be ensconced in my little sofa on our 2-top table. That is, until we had neighbors join us. Isn&#8217;t that always the way? Now, I don&#8217;t want to turn this into a &#8220;Vegas is losing it&#8217;s charm&#8221; rant, but I do want to clearly state my observations.What was supposed to be a quiet, tasty, romantic, low-key evening where we dropped 2 bills, ended up with us being audience to a couple that I think really had no idea where they were. I think they just tripped over the restaurant off of MGM&#8217;s casino and thought, &#8220;This is open, I think we&#8217;ll annoy people and eat here.&#8220;Off the bat, the woman (youngish 20&#8217;s in casual, tourist gear) was yelling into her zebra striped cell phone that she &#8220;couldn&#8217;t hear!&#8220; her kids. At least 7 times. I know. Because I was counting. Meanwhile, her husband in sports jersey regalia is asking, &#8220;How much does a beer cost here?&#8220;Le sigh. I know I&#8217;m going to come off as a snob here. But, I&#8217;m not, really, I promise! I just wanted a nice dinner out, dressed up hot for my man, enjoying some relaxed atmosphere. If I wanted this sitting next to me, I could pay $35 and go to Applebee&#8217;s! Ok, I&#8217;ll spare you the rest b/c it&#8217;s really not Tom&#8217;s fault. It&#8217;s a comment on American society that I&#8217;m not willing to make in this humble little blog.Carrying on&#8212;they bring fresh rolls to your table in a little screaming hot cast iron pan. If you go, be careful not to fill up before your meal on these nuggets of goodness! For starters, hubs got the lobster bisque and I got the truffled spinach salad. Hubs said the soup was more creamy, less &#8220;seafoody&#8221; (I have to take his word b/c I&#8217;m allergic) and that he&#8217;d had better. My salad, was organic spinach w/a truffled dressing and a few thinly sliced daikon radish on top. Not much to write home about other than it was seasoned well?For dinner, hubs got the NY strip, I got the hanger steak. Both were cooked to medium rare perfection and were really the highlight of the experience. Well, other than the wild mushroom risotto and the blue cheese polenta. Both were so ridiculously good that I wanted to take a bath in them. I seriously could&#8217;ve just ordered the risotto and been completely satisfied.&nbsp; The wild mushrooms were not mixed into the risotto, instead they were left steaming atop the dish.&nbsp; They had been sauteed and then caramelized so that the edges were crunchy and full of earthy mushroom flavor.&nbsp; The texture contrast with the risotto was fantastic.Obviously, we skipped dessert b/c we were both about to blow up. Plus, it &#8220;saved&#8221; more money for gambling! :)There&#8217;s my roundup. I hope this helps someone narrow down the diverse and wonderful restaurantscape that is Vegas before their next trip!XOBellahttp://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/5128227224086565892-320542811791129602?l=bellalately.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2009 07:35:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Amici Ristorante</title>
          <link>http://bellalately.blogspot.com/2009/04/amici&#45;ristorante.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
http://images.richmond.com/listings/logo/406539_ammici_logo.jpgLast Friday found the hubs and I with our favorite couple friends wandering around Carytown looking to celebrate a birthday dinner.Technically we were supposed to go to Mezzanine, but without a reservation it was an hour wait. The hostess that night at Mezzanine, Charmaine, sent us down the street to Amici. We were all hungry, it was close by, we’d all heard good things about it, so we felt it was a no brainer and headed out.Amici’s recently been doing some construction to beef up the patio area. They’ve bricked it in and it’s set back a little from the sidewalk so that you don’t feel like you’re out in the middle of Cary Street (like Can Can). As our party was navigating the crushed pavement to get up the steps into the establishment, a smiling face opened the door and welcomed us in. I don’t care who you are or where you&#8217;re at, you can’t beat that. We were seated right away in the upstairs dining room. The entire restaurant seating area, both upstairs and down can’t be more than 500 square feet. So, it lends itself to feeling cozy and intimate right away.Our server came up and kindly solicited drink orders right away. And I will say right here, that service is what Amici does best. We wanted for nothing this evening and the response was helpful, never overbearing. We all felt comfortable from the moment we walked in until we trotted down the stairs out to our car. Well, until we had to get up and use &#8220;the facilities.&#8220; Remember how I said Amici&#8217;s was cozy and intimate? This also includes the restroom placement. Tucked into the back left corner of the upstairs dining room, it was uncomfortably close to the dining area. And the ladies toilet makes sounds. Rude sounds, that I was concerned other diners RIGHT OUTSIDE THE DOOR, might mistake for emanating from me! I only mention this, b/c I figure someone would like the fair warning that I never received! But, I digress from the important subject, the food!Our meal was definitely noteworthy. The hubs and my friend shared the calamari starter. I was told the calamari was tender, the coating crisp and an extra bonus of zucchini fries were mixed in as well as a side of house dipping sauce. Their plate cleared in a matter of seconds. I assume this meant it was good ;) Myself, I started with the Peperoni ripieni -Roasted bell peppers filled with pancetta and goat cheese au gratin. Salty, sweet and creamy deliciousness, I never wanted it to end. I would barely share with the rest of my table.For dinner, they birthday girl ordered Cannelloni di carne -Baked home made cannelloni pasta filled with meat and vegetables in a walnut cream sauce. I tried a bite and it melted in my mouth, much the way you think it should in reading the menu. Her hubs ordered the duck(Anatra ai frutti di bosco -Pan roasted duck breast with mixed berries and port wine reduction), which came with a savory bread pudding underneath. My hubs had the shrimp which also had this bread pudding hiding underneath. This item was not outlined on the menu, so I wanted to point it out b/c both guys went crazy over it. I ordered, with great anticipation, the Osso Bucco on special. The meat was flavorful and fork tender as it disintegrated upon contact. My only complaint was the risotto. It was supposed to be a traditional Milanese risotto, which to me, is a saffron risotto with grana padano/parm-reg cheese. I’m not sure exactly what was in this risotto, only that it was finished with orange juice. Which, according to my palate, ruined the dish for me. This is completely a personal preference. There might be those of you out there that would enjoy the sweetness. It was not, however, what I was expecting and therefore I was disappointed.We skipped dessert as nothing was really speaking to us (and we had some dessert waiting for us at the Phoenician, thanks Naji!) But, the dessert menu contained the usual suspects: tiramisu, gelato, after dinner coffees, frangelico, port etc. etc.Overall, with 2 starters, 4 mains, an asparagus and bottle of wine for the table, we made it out of there for $55 a person. Not bad for a fine dining, gourmet experience with excellent service! I will mention though, that our party(mid-30&#8217;s) did not fit into what seemed to be the typical octogenarian demographic. Seems to be a favorite amongst mature diners. I can see why, with what seems to be reliable friendly service and reasonably priced great food. I guess with age does come wisdom! ;)Amici Ristorantehttp://www.amiciristorante.net/3343 W Cary StRichmond, VA 23221(804) 353-4700 http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/5128227224086565892-5086236337206654760?l=bellalately.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2009 05:34:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://bellalately.blogspot.com/2009/04/amici&#45;ristorante.html#When:09:34:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Dish</title>
          <link>http://social.richmond.com/blog/kpeifer/2009/04/dish/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Easy Street reopens, Bin 22 at Betsy&#8217;s drops the Betsy&#8217;s, and Sunday night supper at Six Burner.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:03:09 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://social.richmond.com/blog/kpeifer/2009/04/dish/#When:04:03:09Z</guid>
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          <title>BT: Good things hide in the freezer&#8230;..</title>
          <link>http://bellalately.blogspot.com/2009/04/bt&#45;good&#45;things&#45;hide&#45;in&#45;freezer.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bQUAptnxUsk/SeM4ZRDBT3I/AAAAAAAAAzY/vcqzpX2qFCQ/s400/Fridge.gifI was reading a local blogger talking about freezing wine today and there was total backlash in response. As well there should be when you talk about drinking it after freezing. However, I do freeze leftover wine to cook with later. And to me, that&#8217;s just fine. Nigella Lawson even agrees with me on this one. ;)It got me to thinking about what else I stash in my freezer to have on hand. And it&#8217;s actually quite a bit. I realized that I use my freezer as a second pantry. I understand in these trying economic times, we are all trying to save money. The freezer can definitely aid and abet in this area. And I thought that in sharing what I keep, it might be useful &amp; inspiring to someone. So, here goes the top 10 things I stash in my freezer:1. Wine - As I already stated, any leftover wine goes right in the freezer! I actually used some frozen, left-over pinto grigio in my Easter gougeres yesterday!2. Bread - I always buy a cheap whole grain baguette at the market on shopping day. Merely to bring it home, slice half of it into rounds and the other half into small squares to throw into the freezer. This way I can have homemade croutons for soup/salad or a crostini appetizer on the whim.3. Herbs - You have to be careful here, some herbs, such as Basil can be tempermental. But I find that chopping up flat leaf parsley, blotting the water out of it and throwing it into a baggie to freeze works quite well! Other good herbs to throw into a container and freeze directly are sage, tarragon, chives and thyme. For basil, I will chop it fine, place in a baggie and pour in enough water to just cover the basil(roll up the baggie so all air is pressed out and basil is all at the bottom). This creates a little frozen herb log that I can break a hunk off of at any time to throw into a pasta sauce. Herbs in this form are not good in place of fresh in a salad etc.4. Homemade Chicken Stock - Invariably, whenever I make a whole chicken, the next day I will make stock. I store the stock in freezer baggies in 1/2 cup increments. This pretty much guarantees easy measurement and less waste.5. Whole Coffee Beans - There&#8217;s a lot of arguement surrounding the freezing of coffee beans relating to whether freezing is good for the bean or not. Personally, I&#8217;ve not had a problem and since I&#8217;m the only coffee drinker in my house, it takes a while for me to go through a pound. Thus, my freezing method does keep things fresher for me, longer.6. Nuts - Pine nuts, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts - you name the nut, it&#8217;s probably in my freezer. Since nuts are rife with natural oil, they eventually will go rancid if stored too long unused. Thus, I always throw them into the freezer upon opening a package. Great to grab a handful to toast up and throw into salads.7. The Usual Suspects - meat, veggies, maybe a lean cuisine or 38. Leftover Tomato Sauce or Paste - I will place separate tablespoons of paste in a freezer baggie, in order to be able to grab it quickly later in the quantity I need to throw it into sauce or chili.9. Blueberries - I always throw these suckers in a freezer baggie before they turn on me. The hubs and I are usually good about finishing these up fresh, but not always. Therefore, whatever leftover blueberries hit the freezer usually become part of a blueberry pancake on Sundays!10. A Bottle of Stoli - My inner Edina insists on this. &#8216;Nuff said.I hope this was helpful to someone or at the very least made you realize that the freezer isn&#8217;t always where good food goes to die! ;)XOBella* BT = Bella Tiphttp://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/5128227224086565892-6674681431832089211?l=bellalately.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2009 02:47:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://bellalately.blogspot.com/2009/04/bt&#45;good&#45;things&#45;hide&#45;in&#45;freezer.html#When:06:47:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Threads | Fashion Don&#8217;ts</title>
          <link>http://social.richmond.com/blog/cwalker/2009/04/threads&#45;fashion&#45;donts/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Check out some of the worst fashion trends over the years and tell me what you think!           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:00:31 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://social.richmond.com/blog/cwalker/2009/04/threads&#45;fashion&#45;donts/#When:04:00:31Z</guid>
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          <title>Freeze the Leftovers</title>
          <link>http://social.richmond.com/blog/Genevelyn/2009/04/freeze&#45;the&#45;leftovers/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Tips for storing leftover wine.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:00:29 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://social.richmond.com/blog/Genevelyn/2009/04/freeze&#45;the&#45;leftovers/#When:04:00:29Z</guid>
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          <title>Is my food blog turning me into a fashion victim?</title>
          <link>http://kitchenmusings.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/04/is&#45;my&#45;food&#45;blog&#45;turning&#45;me&#45;into&#45;a&#45;fashion&#45;victim.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I’ve been in a fashion funk lately. Ill-fitting clothes grace my closet – either the hubby shrank them in the dryer or they’ve seen better days or something more sinister is in play and I simply refuse to acknowledge the&#8230;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2009 18:40:16 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://kitchenmusings.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/04/is&#45;my&#45;food&#45;blog&#45;turning&#45;me&#45;into&#45;a&#45;fashion&#45;victim.html#When:22:40:16Z</guid>
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          <title>Easter Brunch</title>
          <link>http://www.messycuisine.com/blog/2009/04/12/easter&#45;brunch/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Crab Omelette

Beat eggs with a few teaspoons of water and white pepper together, and add to a nonstick pan with melted butter. Create an omelette. No not scramble the eggs, let them come up to heat slowly by shaking the pan.

Add minced red peppers, and when eggs are set, lump crab meat, salt, and grated [...]           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2009 08:18:57 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.messycuisine.com/blog/2009/04/12/easter&#45;brunch/#When:12:18:57Z</guid>
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          <title>Parmesan Gougeres</title>
          <link>http://bellalately.blogspot.com/2009/04/parmesan&#45;gougeres.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
These were a nice accompaniment to Easter&#8217;s Coq au Vin. They disappear so fast, it&#8217;s almost like you never made them! :)http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bQUAptnxUsk/SeIVKGr9YAI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/C0RbFqc6oP0/s400/Parm+Gougeres.JPGParmesan Gougeresadapted from recipe on Epicurious1/4 cup white wine1/4 cup water1/2 stick butter2/3 cup All Purpose flour3 large eggs, room temp1/2 cup good Parmesan, dividedS&amp;P to tastePreheat oven to 375°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Combine first 5 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until butter is melted. Stir in flour; reduce heat to medium-low. Stir vigorously until mixture forms large dough clumps and film forms on bottom of saucepan, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes.Meanwhile, whisk eggs in medium bowl. Transfer 1 tablespoon beaten egg to small bowl and reserve. Add 1/3 of remaining beaten eggs to dough in saucepan; whisk until well incorporated. Add remaining eggs in 2 additions, stirring until eggs are completely absorbed after each addition (dough will be sticky). Mix in 1/2 cup parmesan.Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto baking sheet, forming about 24 walnut-size mounds and spacing about 1 inch apart. Using pastry brush, brush each mound with reserved egg, flattening any pointed tops.Bake gougères until puffed, golden brown, and dry, about 30 minutes. Do AHEAD: Can be made up to 1 week ahead. Cool completely. Place in airtight containers and store in freezer. Rewarm on baking sheet in 350°F oven until heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve warm. *&nbsp; Can sprinkle a bit more parmesan on top of the gougeres about 20 minutes in to the baking process http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/5128227224086565892-3596888661539465589?l=bellalately.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2009 06:20:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://bellalately.blogspot.com/2009/04/parmesan&#45;gougeres.html#When:10:20:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Coq au Vin</title>
          <link>http://bellalately.blogspot.com/2009/04/coq&#45;au&#45;vin.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bQUAptnxUsk/SeIToXuHbRI/AAAAAAAAAy4/f0lntI4LcEg/s400/Cognac2.JPG Spring has officially sprung here in Virginia. It&#8217;s clear, sunny and cool. A perfect day for the Coq au Vin our friend requested I make. Now, I don&#8217;t know if Coq au Vin is necessarily considered a spring dish b/c it&#8217;s pretty hardy. However, for today, it&#8217;s really the perfect meal.Beyond the Coq au Vin, I want you to take a close look at the cognac label of the mini-bottle I used in the recipe. Notice the TWA? If I remember correctly, it&#8217;s been a while since TWA has been in business. Not sure how old this little guy is, but he still had that amazing aroma that hits the nose the second you open it up. So, into the pot he went!http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bQUAptnxUsk/SeITs2ayvJI/AAAAAAAAAzA/fEiWJAeAbTE/s400/TWA+Cognac.JPG I inherited this tasty treasure from a friend whose uncle who used to travel all the time and collect mini-bottles. He had such a collection that he passed a chunk off to my buddy. Lucky for me, my buddy doesn&#8217;t drink cognac. Nor do I, typically, but I knew I would eventually cook with it! And I&#8217;ve enjoyed thinking about the adventures this small vial of delightful flavor went on before it became part of my Easter meal. :)I used Ina Garten&#8217;s shorthand recipe for Coq au Vin and have to say that it&#8217;s a keeper. I drooled from the second the bacon hit the olive oil, until the last bite went in my mouth&#8212;http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bQUAptnxUsk/SeITxxYO0AI/AAAAAAAAAzI/n2VGBx-GUSQ/s400/Coq+au+Vin.JPGCoq Au Vincourtesy, Ina Garten2 tablespoons good olive oil4 ounces good bacon or pancetta, diced1 (3 to 4-pound) chicken, cut in 8thsKosher salt and freshly ground black pepper1/2 pound carrots, cut diagonally in 1-inch pieces1 yellow onion, sliced1 teaspoon chopped garlic1/4 cup Cognac or good brandy1/2 bottle (375 ml) good dry red wine such as Burgundy1 cup good chicken stock, preferably homemade10 fresh thyme sprigs2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour1/2 pound frozen small whole onions1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, stems removed and thickly slicedPreheat the oven to 250 degrees F.Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove the bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon.Meanwhile, lay the chicken out on paper towels and pat dry. Liberally sprinkle the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. When the bacon is removed, brown the chicken pieces in batches in a single layer for about 5 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Remove the chicken to the plate with the bacon and continue to brown until all the chicken is done. Set aside.Add the carrots, onions, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac and put the bacon, chicken, and any juices that collected on the plate into the pot. Add the wine, chicken stock, and thyme and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just not pink. Remove from the oven and place on top of the stove.Mash 1 tablespoon of butter and the flour together and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. In a medium saute pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and cook the mushrooms over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until browned. Add to the stew. Bring the stew to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes. Season to taste. Serve hot. http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/5128227224086565892-1883637445930521987?l=bellalately.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2009 05:58:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://bellalately.blogspot.com/2009/04/coq&#45;au&#45;vin.html#When:09:58:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Eat Beat: Easter Brunch</title>
          <link>http://www.richmond.com/26226</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Easter is just a few days away. Don&#8217;t forget to make your Easter Brunch reservations.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2009 00:00:37 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.richmond.com/26226#When:04:00:37Z</guid>
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          <title>Easter Guide</title>
          <link>http://www2.richmond.com/events/festivals/easter&#45;guide/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Get ready for Easter with our guide including events at Maymont and the Easter parade.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2009 00:00:02 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.richmond.com/events/festivals/easter&#45;guide/#When:04:00:02Z</guid>
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          <title>Cupcakes to follow&#8230;</title>
          <link>http://kitchenmusings.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/04/cupcakes&#45;to&#45;follow.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
It&#8217;s been quite a busy weekend baking macarons and cupcakes and meeting brides and planning sweet stuff for showers. This cupcake stand looks so empty doesn&#8217;t it?           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 11 Apr 2009 12:27:36 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://kitchenmusings.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/04/cupcakes&#45;to&#45;follow.html#When:16:27:36Z</guid>
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          <title>Like the phoenix, Pizza Hut falls into the ashes only to rise again (AKA I’ve been eating too much</title>
          <link>http://tastyniblets.com/2009/04/11/like&#45;the&#45;phoenix&#45;pizza&#45;hut&#45;falls&#45;into&#45;the&#45;ashes&#45;only&#45;to&#45;rise&#45;again&#45;aka&#45;ive&#45;been&#45;eating&#45;too&#45;much&#45;pizza&#45;lately/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
So a little while back, myself and several others ordered some pizza. When in the company of a small group of people who want pizza and are a.) almost all unemployed and b.)dislike eating crap, one&#8217;s options are limited. Delicious local pizza is a bit too pricey, and, all of us no longer being in [...]           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 11 Apr 2009 11:15:27 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://tastyniblets.com/2009/04/11/like&#45;the&#45;phoenix&#45;pizza&#45;hut&#45;falls&#45;into&#45;the&#45;ashes&#45;only&#45;to&#45;rise&#45;again&#45;aka&#45;ive&#45;been&#45;eating&#45;too&#45;much&#45;pizza&#45;lately/#When:15:15:27Z</guid>
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          <title>Recipe for an Early Spring Getaway</title>
          <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/AdkU/~3/zM98_Sa7GYs/recipe&#45;for&#45;early&#45;spring&#45;getaway.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 11 Apr 2009 04:41:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/AdkU/~3/zM98_Sa7GYs/recipe&#45;for&#45;early&#45;spring&#45;getaway.html#When:08:41:00Z</guid>
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          <title>What Your Easter Parade Bonnet Says About You</title>
          <link>http://www2.richmond.com/content/2009/mar/25/what&#45;your&#45;easter&#45;parade&#45;hat&#45;says&#45;about&#45;you/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
What will you be wearing to the Easter Parade ...           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:00:52 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www2.richmond.com/content/2009/mar/25/what&#45;your&#45;easter&#45;parade&#45;hat&#45;says&#45;about&#45;you/#When:04:00:52Z</guid>
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          <title>bertucci’s: no, no, no</title>
          <link>http://whinemedineme.wordpress.com/2009/04/10/bertuccis&#45;no&#45;no&#45;no/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
i am all about cheap lunch. cinco dolares for a huge fattening chipotle yum is worth the line-standing and mess-making.(it looks like they may roll out a smaller version and a bit cheaper.) five bucks and some change at boychiks for a pretty darn tasty veggie burger and fat french fries is a perfect lunch time [...]http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=whinemedineme.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6049413&amp;post=1003&amp;subd=whinemedineme&ref;=&amp;feed=1           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2009 09:09:41 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://whinemedineme.wordpress.com/2009/04/10/bertuccis&#45;no&#45;no&#45;no/#When:13:09:41Z</guid>
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          <title>Strawberry (Races) Whine</title>
          <link>http://social.richmond.com/blog/mward/2009/04/strawberry&#45;races&#45;whine/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
There is no better tonic for forgetting about North Korean nukes and tanking 401Ks than the Strawberry Hill Races.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:00:15 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://social.richmond.com/blog/mward/2009/04/strawberry&#45;races&#45;whine/#When:04:00:15Z</guid>
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          <title>English Muffins</title>
          <link>http://www.sketchyskitchen.com/sk&#45;blog/2009/04/english_muffins.php</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Sketchy makes English muffins - recipe included           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:57:18 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.sketchyskitchen.com/sk&#45;blog/2009/04/english_muffins.php#When:13:57:18Z</guid>
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          <title>Eggs Are Dying</title>
          <link>http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/features/article/eggs_are_dying/930/#comments</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I have fond memories from dying eggs as a child.&nbsp; I liked seeing the bright colors and dipping each egg carefully in several colors to get perfect stripes of color.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:00:01 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/features/article/eggs_are_dying/930/#comments#When:04:00:01Z</guid>
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          <title>Worst Cheese Platter Ever</title>
          <link>http://tastyniblets.com/2009/04/08/worst&#45;cheese&#45;platter&#45;ever/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Ever had one of those nights when you had some friends over, and you thought to yourself, &#8220;The only thing that would make this night better is some cheese!&#8221; This visionary moment then leads to the cobbling together of a cheese platter. This sort of thing is disastrous if your fridge looks anything like mine [...]           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:34:01 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://tastyniblets.com/2009/04/08/worst&#45;cheese&#45;platter&#45;ever/#When:17:34:01Z</guid>
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          <title>i have your horse right here*: strawberry hill</title>
          <link>http://whinemedineme.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/i&#45;have&#45;your&#45;horse&#45;right&#45;here&#45;strawberry&#45;hill/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
for the second time , i will send you over to the master class (or so he says..) in &#8220;how to&#8221; for the strawberry hill races. 
a few things i like to err.. remind people.  1.) stay away from permanent markers. yes, sounds odd but the next morning you will thank me for the lack of [...]http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=whinemedineme.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6049413&amp;post=1001&amp;subd=whinemedineme&ref;=&amp;feed=1           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:40:01 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://whinemedineme.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/i&#45;have&#45;your&#45;horse&#45;right&#45;here&#45;strawberry&#45;hill/#When:14:40:01Z</guid>
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          <title>Cereal in a Cone</title>
          <link>http://inmystomach.blogspot.com/2009/04/cereal&#45;in&#45;cone.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SNnTUXww-tw/SdyIoL0ELLI/AAAAAAAAARE/9ZJ67ESw1II/s400/momo_kata.gifToday&#8217;s New York Times feautures a review of David Chang&#8217;s latest venture in New York, Momofuku Milk Bar.&nbsp; I am a big fan of Chang&#8217;s and visited his noodle bar last may.It was divine.&nbsp; The review gives props to the  cereal-milk soft serve ice cream,but is lukewarm on the rest- high end &#8220;munchie food.&#8220; For the full review, take a lick.http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/22118168-3619421243840267204?l=inmystomach.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2009 01:12:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://inmystomach.blogspot.com/2009/04/cereal&#45;in&#45;cone.html#When:05:12:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Fighting Demons</title>
          <link>http://inmystomach.blogspot.com/2009/04/fighting&#45;demons.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SNnTUXww-tw/SdwASwEidCI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/42SQDWCgNtI/s400/style.jpgNeed some sustenance to fight the demons. Try Momotaro Sushi, Carytown&#8217;s latest in a growing pantheon of asian restaurants. Read the full review in this week&#8217;s Style Weekly.&nbsp;  Roll on !http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/22118168-1324464726031774581?l=inmystomach.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2009 15:35:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://inmystomach.blogspot.com/2009/04/fighting&#45;demons.html#When:19:35:00Z</guid>
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          <title>new jersey: traveling review sushi</title>
          <link>http://whinemedineme.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/new&#45;jersey&#45;traveling&#45;review&#45;sushi/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
seems we know some people in the garden state, seems that one of might have some background in food (though why there is never any ice cream? just kills a kid.) and it seems that she may know all the places to grab a sweet bite. so taking her up on an offer of &#8220;let&#8217;s [...]http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=whinemedineme.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6049413&amp;post=994&amp;subd=whinemedineme&ref;=&amp;feed=1           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:03:24 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://whinemedineme.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/new&#45;jersey&#45;traveling&#45;review&#45;sushi/#When:15:03:24Z</guid>
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          <title>show me your gay.</title>
          <link>http://whinemedineme.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/show&#45;me&#45;your&#45;gay/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
now this is clutch. i know i said it here but  if you haven&#8217;t checked out gayrva.com, you really should.
&nbsp;  &nbsp;   http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=whinemedineme.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6049413&amp;post=992&amp;subd=whinemedineme&ref;=&amp;feed=1           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:26:24 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://whinemedineme.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/show&#45;me&#45;your&#45;gay/#When:14:26:24Z</guid>
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          <title>Hands down the most underrated and unrecognized restaurant in Richmond&#8230;another wonderful dinner at</title>
          <link>http://richmondfoodforthought.blogspot.com/2009/04/hands&#45;down&#45;most&#45;underrated&#45;and.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Sensi is hands down the most forgotten gem in the Richmond restaurant scene. There is no better restaurant experience in our area from ambiance to food to service. It never makes the lists of the &#8220;places to go&#8221; in Richmond and that has always baffled me. When I see places who fall short on many levels being given a plethora of unearned accolades, it&#8217;s places like Sensi I think of&#8230;..they do it right, do it consistently and for some reason rarely receive the praise it deserves.Paolo Randazzo is a genius in the kitchen and a heck of a nice guy when he&#8217;s in the front of the house. One of the many things I love about Sensi they are always kind, accommodating and completely gracious. Our original party of 12 dwindled to a party of 6 and they could not have been nicer about the constant changes.I wish I had been better about getting the details on the food and wine, but was having such a good time with Bob, Luke, Cathy, Wes and Sarah and was too busy indulging happily to record the details.&nbsp; Wes was in charge of the wine and is a master at selecting something I like, so I have no idea what I drank, but it was good.Before being seated, we shared a bottle of bubbly at the bar.&nbsp; When we were seated an assortment of appetizers arrived along with an oyster shooter for each of us.&nbsp; The appetizers included calamari, poached shrimp (which are a rare treat and I have not had anything like it anywhere else in Richmond), eggplant bruscetta, crab cakes and a couple of items I have since forgotten.&nbsp; Wes ordered red and white wine and after we finished our appetizers, Dwight (our wonderful server for the evening) served us a small plate or risotto topped with a seared scallop compliments of the chef.&nbsp; The risotto was creamy and the large scallop was cooked to perfection. Bob and I decided to share an order of penne vodka and a veal chop.&nbsp; The kitchen was kind enough to split the plates for us.&nbsp; I always have pasta in some form at Sensi, but the veal chop is the best in Richmond and is hard to pass up, so sharing works well here.&nbsp; The large, bone in chop was as wonderful as always and the pasta was a great accompainment.&nbsp; We also had sides of assorted vegetables including asparagus, green beans, roasted potatoes and their outstanding twice baked potatoes. Everyone was pleased and the food and service could not have been better.&nbsp; Sensi is one of those places where I always have a great time and am always anxious to return.&nbsp; Sensi is located at 2222 East Cary Street and has plenty of parking available.&nbsp; Whether you want a great meal and great experience for yourself or looking to impress someone else, Sensi fits the bill.http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/1418050115693093617-1524086669847304708?l=richmondfoodforthought.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2009 04:38:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://richmondfoodforthought.blogspot.com/2009/04/hands&#45;down&#45;most&#45;underrated&#45;and.html#When:08:38:00Z</guid>
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          <title>richmond.com in their feed: but they change our titles?</title>
          <link>http://whinemedineme.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/richmondcom&#45;in&#45;their&#45;feed&#45;but&#45;they&#45;change&#45;our&#45;titles/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
this is a bit odd?  anyone have any clue why they would change our title? just asking.
&nbsp;  &nbsp;   http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=whinemedineme.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6049413&amp;post=988&amp;subd=whinemedineme&ref;=&amp;feed=1           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2009 04:37:14 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://whinemedineme.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/richmondcom&#45;in&#45;their&#45;feed&#45;but&#45;they&#45;change&#45;our&#45;titles/#When:08:37:14Z</guid>
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          <title>On pasta water</title>
          <link>http://www.messycuisine.com/blog/2009/04/06/on&#45;pasta&#45;water/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Restaurant cooks prize thick pasta water. In “Heat,” his best-selling account of working in Mario Batali’s restaurant Babbo, Bill Buford describes how in the course of an evening, water in the pasta cooker goes from clear to cloudy to muddy, a stage that is “yucky-sounding but wonderful,” because the water “behaves like a [...]           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 06 Apr 2009 11:52:09 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.messycuisine.com/blog/2009/04/06/on&#45;pasta&#45;water/#When:15:52:09Z</guid>
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          <title>Dairy and Cheese and Constipation, Oh My! (A Pizza Saga)</title>
          <link>http://tastyniblets.com/2009/04/05/dairy&#45;and&#45;cheese&#45;and&#45;constipation&#45;oh&#45;my&#45;a&#45;pizza&#45;saga/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Nothing says &#8220;Hooray for springtime!&#8221; like a hearty dose of constipation. There are many efficient ways to achieve this stopped-up state of being, more then you&#8217;d rather me tell you about, in fact. So I shall simply stick to one of the most popular means of getting constipated. That being, of course, eating tasty pizza.
It [...]           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 05 Apr 2009 17:35:34 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://tastyniblets.com/2009/04/05/dairy&#45;and&#45;cheese&#45;and&#45;constipation&#45;oh&#45;my&#45;a&#45;pizza&#45;saga/#When:21:35:34Z</guid>
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          <title>Baracklava</title>
          <link>http://inmystomach.blogspot.com/2009/04/baracklava.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SNnTUXww-tw/SdlMzZG-diI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/urn4Qjrzs-Q/s400/baracklava_200.jpgHeard an interesting story on NPR&#8217;s All Things Considered this afternoon.&nbsp; In honor of Barack Obama&#8217;s visit to Istanbul today, several bakers at the famous baklava bakery, Karakoy Gulluoglu, have crafted a portrait of Obama out of their famous delicacy. For more on this sweet story, click here.http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/22118168-538418771919383717?l=inmystomach.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 05 Apr 2009 14:20:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://inmystomach.blogspot.com/2009/04/baracklava.html#When:18:20:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Chicken Dinner</title>
          <link>http://www.messycuisine.com/blog/2009/04/04/chicken&#45;dinner/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
We hosted an intimate affair featuring chicken in red wine for dinner. It started (above) with an interesting salad. 


Taleggio Cheese (link)
Bosc Pears, marinated in blood orange juice
Oven-roasted pecans in curry and honey
Pinot Grigio vinegar dressing: EVOO, salt, pepper, garlic clove, Dijon mustard
Salad greens


The perfect bite is one that includes pear, crunchy nut, and the [...]           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 04 Apr 2009 17:25:23 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.messycuisine.com/blog/2009/04/04/chicken&#45;dinner/#When:21:25:23Z</guid>
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          <title>Getting Tarty</title>
          <link>http://kitchenmusings.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/04/getting&#45;tarty.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
It’s funny how weekend plans can change on a dime when it comes to unrequited food cravings. I was all set to become all zen-like with my wok when my dinner out last Friday night did not quite have the&#8230;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 04 Apr 2009 16:16:16 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://kitchenmusings.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/04/getting&#45;tarty.html#When:20:16:16Z</guid>
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          <title>Barboursville Wine Dinner Sunday April 5th</title>
          <link>http://rfblognisenti.blogspot.com/2009/04/barboursville&#45;wine&#45;dinner&#45;sunday&#45;april.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FXi_jBs7yuM/Sde665K9UbI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/WZWrLR1dGwg/s400/octagon.bmpAt Caliente, in the Devil&#8217;s triangle, $50The Menu Szechuan Pepper Calamari&nbsp;  &nbsp; Sriracha Dipping Sauce&nbsp;  &nbsp; Ginger Aioli&nbsp;  &nbsp;  &nbsp;  Barboursville Pinot Grigio Gorgonzola Cheesecake&nbsp;  &nbsp;  Roasted Tomato &amp; Caper Relish&nbsp;  &nbsp;  &nbsp;   Barboursville Cabernet Franc Salmon With Spinach &amp; Boursin Cheese Wrapped in Phyllo&nbsp;  &nbsp;  Lemon Sage Butter&nbsp;  &nbsp;  &nbsp;  Barboursville Chardonnay Grey Sea Salt &amp; 5 Pepper Blend Grilled Filet Mignon&nbsp;  &nbsp;  Blue Cheese &amp; Fig Olive Oil&nbsp;  &nbsp;  &nbsp;   Barboursville Octagon VIII Chocolate Grand Marnier Torte&nbsp;  &nbsp;  &nbsp;  Barboursville Phileohttp://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/2326735811449473438-30169314154994479?l=rfblognisenti.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 04 Apr 2009 09:53:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://rfblognisenti.blogspot.com/2009/04/barboursville&#45;wine&#45;dinner&#45;sunday&#45;april.html#When:13:53:00Z</guid>
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          <title>baby blackberry and raspberry love</title>
          <link>http://whinemedineme.wordpress.com/2009/04/04/baby&#45;blackberry&#45;and&#45;raspberry&#45;love/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
looks like the agriberry csa has their hands full - with yummy miniature berry plants. they have reached out to see if ANYONE would like to join them in planting the lovelies by the thousands. 
the sweet bushes (as they will become) are a planting delight- pretty much as simple as digging a little larger than [...]http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=whinemedineme.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6049413&amp;post=986&amp;subd=whinemedineme&ref;=&amp;feed=1           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 04 Apr 2009 07:45:53 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://whinemedineme.wordpress.com/2009/04/04/baby&#45;blackberry&#45;and&#45;raspberry&#45;love/#When:11:45:53Z</guid>
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          <title>Broadbent at Richmond Wine Stock</title>
          <link>http://rfblognisenti.blogspot.com/2009/04/broadbent&#45;at&#45;richmond&#45;wine&#45;stock.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FXi_jBs7yuM/Sdd2X68aE2I/AAAAAAAAAgI/En-ZRjqyr50/s400/24666_Winestock_story.jpgTasting of wines from Portugal and elsewhere at the Bull and Bear Club, compiled on Richmond Wine Stock.Click  to read  the reca  http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/2326735811449473438-1341248467295320495?l=rfblognisenti.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 04 Apr 2009 04:59:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://rfblognisenti.blogspot.com/2009/04/broadbent&#45;at&#45;richmond&#45;wine&#45;stock.html#When:08:59:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Little Venice</title>
          <link>http://www.messycuisine.com/blog/2009/04/04/little&#45;venice/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Located in Richmond&#8217;s far west end in the Food Lion shopping center along Ridgefield Parkway you will find Little Venice, an Italian restaurant that comes across as a &#8220;nice place&#8221; to eat. I&#8217;ve never been when it hasn&#8217;t been busy, and sometimes when I&#8217;ve called for a quick reservation, they&#8217;re full. That&#8217;s a good sign: [...]           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sat, 04 Apr 2009 03:42:28 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.messycuisine.com/blog/2009/04/04/little&#45;venice/#When:07:42:28Z</guid>
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          <title>Daffodils, a major disappointment</title>
          <link>http://richmondfoodforthought.blogspot.com/2009/04/daffodils&#45;major&#45;disappointment.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
There&#8217;s a new dessert and sandwich place called Daffodils located in the new shopping center just west of Short Pump Towne Center behind the new Ethan Allen.&nbsp; I heard about this place on Lite 98 and was anxious to check it out. In this case I took one for the team and you all can thank me later or buy me a drink or at least a cupcake. I walked in about 11:20 and the place was empty.&nbsp; It&#8217;s shiny and new but has a sterile feel to it.&nbsp; The case had an assortment of desserts&#8230;.cookies, parfaits, tiramisu, and some cakes and cupcakes.&nbsp; None of these looked remarkable and the cakes appeared to be directly from a Wilton class.&nbsp; Not dissing on Wilton for the home bunny cake, but I expect more from a professional bakery.&nbsp; The desserts at Krogers and Ukrops have much more eye appeal. At this point my instincts are telling me to leave.&nbsp; Always listen to your instincts.I review the ambitious sandwich menu and decide on the Speckfest sandwich. This sandwich is described as a panini with speck, Gruyere and caramelized onions.&nbsp; I am asked by the owner if I know what speck it.&nbsp; I say I know it&#8217;s a ham similar to proscuitto but have never had it and jokingly comment I like all things pig, so me and speck should be just fine.&nbsp; I order iced tea.&nbsp; The tea machine is broken.&nbsp; Okay, I&#8217;ll have iced coffee.&nbsp; It appears not to be made so after a few minutes I request a Diet Coke.&nbsp; The kind young man who takes my order is wearing a hair net&#8230;odd, especially since his hair is cut to the scalp.&nbsp; This young man also is making my sandwich and I quickly assess that this may be the first sandwich he has ever made and I&#8217;m nervous because the owner is helping a nice woman and her daughter with some cupcakes.&nbsp; I hear comments made to him such as &#8220;The speck has to be sliced&#8221; and &#8220;Add more sugar&#8221;. The sandwich arrives and is nicely grilled and has approximately 1/2 pound of speck sliced to a medium thickness.&nbsp; I cannot bite through the speck.&nbsp; I take off over half of the speck and now can bite through it and it&#8217;s a lot like proscuitto and that is fine.&nbsp; I also imagine that speck is pricey and I could see the owner&#8217;s pained expression as she watched me pull half of it off the sandwich.&nbsp; The Gruyere was mostly melted but the rind had been left on one end and I pulled that off since it did not melt at all.&nbsp; I would describe the onions as candied, not caramelized.&nbsp; These were cloying and sweet and the melted sugar dripped out and had been grilled onto the bread forming a crust much like a brulee would have.&nbsp; Of course being the only patron, my every move is being watched and I feel unusual pressure to appear as if I&#8217;m enjoying this more than I am.When I left, the owner asked me if the sandwich had too much meat and I told her it did.&nbsp; But I didn&#8217;t not have the heart (or nerve or something) to tell her how dreadful the experience was and I had mixed emotions about writing this review, but in the end decided it was the right thing to do.&nbsp; She also gave me a card for 15% off my next sandwich.&nbsp; :::sigh::Sadly, I do not recommend Daffodils for lunch.&nbsp; I hope the baked goods are better than the sandwiches.http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/1418050115693093617-636243619625310741?l=richmondfoodforthought.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 03 Apr 2009 08:03:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://richmondfoodforthought.blogspot.com/2009/04/daffodils&#45;major&#45;disappointment.html#When:12:03:00Z</guid>
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          <title>Mediocre Mexican</title>
          <link>http://www.richmond.com/26207</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The food at El Carporal is a sodium rush. 
           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 03 Apr 2009 00:00:39 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.richmond.com/26207#When:04:00:39Z</guid>
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          <title>Can Can is Non&#45;Smoking!</title>
          <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/AdkU/~3/CMLHK38JTHs/can&#45;can&#45;is&#45;non&#45;smoking.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2009 21:36:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/AdkU/~3/CMLHK38JTHs/can&#45;can&#45;is&#45;non&#45;smoking.html#When:01:36:00Z</guid>
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          <title>LFM: More adventures in Richmond&#8217;s Little Chinatown</title>
          <link>http://kitchenmusings.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/04/lfm&#45;more&#45;adventures&#45;in&#45;richmonds&#45;little&#45;chinatown.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
*Roast Pig with crispy skin- picture above taken with a camera phone which I really do not know how to focus w/. I&#8217;ve been a frequent visitor to Full Kee lately having had a recent appetite for authentic Chinese food&#8230;.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2009 09:51:24 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://kitchenmusings.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/04/lfm&#45;more&#45;adventures&#45;in&#45;richmonds&#45;little&#45;chinatown.html#When:13:51:24Z</guid>
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          <title>BBQ for me and you! Whereupon I write about four different BBQ sauces.</title>
          <link>http://tastyniblets.com/2009/04/02/bbq&#45;for&#45;me&#45;and&#45;you&#45;whereupon&#45;i&#45;write&#45;about&#45;four&#45;different&#45;bbq&#45;sauces/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Barbecue sauce is the Sauce of the Gods. Seriously, they roll around in it all day long (it&#8217;s not like there&#8217;s much of anything better to do, being a god, and all). Were I a god, or a large pile of chicken or pork for that matter, I would also like to roll around in [...]           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2009 05:19:37 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://tastyniblets.com/2009/04/02/bbq&#45;for&#45;me&#45;and&#45;you&#45;whereupon&#45;i&#45;write&#45;about&#45;four&#45;different&#45;bbq&#45;sauces/#When:09:19:37Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>The White Dog&#8217;s Whiskey Bread Pudding</title>
          <link>http://adventuresinfashion.blogspot.com/2009/04/white&#45;dogs&#45;whiskey&#45;bread&#45;pudding.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2009 04:42:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://adventuresinfashion.blogspot.com/2009/04/white&#45;dogs&#45;whiskey&#45;bread&#45;pudding.html#When:08:42:00Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Totally My Type: Decorating with Letters and Words</title>
          <link>http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/features/article/totally_my_type_decorating_with_letters_and_words/920/#comments</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I like words. Writing, reading, a particularly good turn of phrase or a simple but meaningful quote.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:05:19 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/features/article/totally_my_type_decorating_with_letters_and_words/920/#comments#When:20:05:19Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Drinking Orchids</title>
          <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/AdkU/~3/_4jBds8f8Ik/drinking&#45;orchids.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:07:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/AdkU/~3/_4jBds8f8Ik/drinking&#45;orchids.html#When:16:07:00Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Brunch at Kuba Kuba: The Best Ever?</title>
          <link>http://adventuresinfashion.blogspot.com/2009/04/brunch&#45;at&#45;kuba&#45;kuba&#45;best&#45;ever.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2009 03:31:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://adventuresinfashion.blogspot.com/2009/04/brunch&#45;at&#45;kuba&#45;kuba&#45;best&#45;ever.html#When:07:31:00Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>The Devil&#8217;s Food Dictionary</title>
          <link>http://inmystomach.blogspot.com/2009/03/devils&#45;food&#45;dictionary.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SNnTUXww-tw/SdLewhyjR3I/AAAAAAAAAQs/NuV2fAoGmaM/s400/DFDScanShrunk.jpgSkewer:&nbsp; The thinnest, pointiest member of the LADLE family, and by reputation the most sinister. In the cynical view of Oscar Wilde, it was &#8220; a Tongue depressor that wishes it were a boning knife.&#8220  http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/22118168-3807842642944130966?l=inmystomach.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:25:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://inmystomach.blogspot.com/2009/03/devils&#45;food&#45;dictionary.html#When:21:25:00Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>style weekly calls wmdm a “must read”</title>
          <link>http://whinemedineme.wordpress.com/2009/03/31/style&#45;weekly&#45;calls&#45;wmdm&#45;a&#45;must&#45;read/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
wow.
um, yeah.. it says already a must-read.  guys, thanks.  that is the coolest.*  i am super flattered. the link to the real article is here, that way you don&#8217;t have to stare at what is a really piss-poor screen shot. 
*i totally slipped deveron a check. fyi, i couldn&#8217;t pick deveron out of a line-up of [...]http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=whinemedineme.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6049413&amp;post=973&amp;subd=whinemedineme&ref;=&amp;feed=1           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:41:05 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://whinemedineme.wordpress.com/2009/03/31/style&#45;weekly&#45;calls&#45;wmdm&#45;a&#45;must&#45;read/#When:17:41:05Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Greek&#45;4&#45;U, Greek for me</title>
          <link>http://richmondfoodforthought.blogspot.com/2009/03/greek&#45;4&#45;u&#45;greek&#45;for&#45;me.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
There a new little Greek place on Patterson at Pump next to Rare Olde Times called Greek-4-U.&nbsp; First order of business is getting past the unfortunate name and give this place a chance.&nbsp; Last Friday night basketball was on the agenda for the evening, so we decided to bring in take out as I do not cook on Friday nights.We stopped in a couple of weeks ago and got some menus since they have no website and we decided to order the Hummus Platter (hummus, tzatziki, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and feta), the Horiatiki salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives, feta and olive oil), Mousakka, Spanakorizo (spinach and rice pilaf with tomatoes and dill) and for dessert baklava, and Ravini (orange cake).&nbsp; The owner, George, was very patient with my butchering of the Greek language while taking my order over the phone. I arrive for pick up and there&#8217;s a healthy crowd in the tiny place; patrons mostly for take out and clearly regulars from the bantering between them and George.&nbsp; George asked me if I ordered soup and since I did not, he was kind enough to give me a cup to take home.I bring the food home and much to my surprise, the food is not heated.&nbsp; At all.&nbsp; This was resolved by putting the Mousakka in the oven for 30 minutes and microwaving the green beans that came with it and the rice pilaf but I found it odd.&nbsp; If this practice is more common than I realize, please let me know and help me to understand. While waiting for the Mousakka, we tried the Greek Lemon Chicken soup and I found it to be very good and the lemon really lightened it up.&nbsp; The hummus platter was very good and served with pita and I particularly liked that the hummus still had a bit of texture from the chick peas and wasn&#8217;t completely smooth.&nbsp; The horiatiki salad benefited from the outstanding olive oil and feta.When the Mousakka was heated, dinner was served.&nbsp; The Mousakka was very flavorful but not too heavy and was very nicely spiced with cinnamon and what I suspect was cardamon.&nbsp; The green beans on the side were very good and the rice was flavorful and moist and rounded out the meal nicely.The baklava was some of the best I&#8217;ve ever had.&nbsp; And the orange cake was a bit dense but not heavy and not too sweet and was a nice contrast from the sweet baklava. All in all a great meal and Greek-4-U is now a part of our regular take out rotation.http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/1418050115693093617-9000002629106037360?l=richmondfoodforthought.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:12:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://richmondfoodforthought.blogspot.com/2009/03/greek&#45;4&#45;u&#45;greek&#45;for&#45;me.html#When:13:12:00Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Adventures in eating in Asheville, NC</title>
          <link>http://tastyniblets.com/2009/03/31/adventures&#45;in&#45;eating&#45;in&#45;asheville&#45;nc/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
So I&#8217;ve recently returned from Asheville, NC. While in Asheville, I spent a great deal of time doing what I like doing on a regular basis, which is eating. Gobs of restaurants are to be found all over the downtown, and, as I&#8217;d never been there before, picking where to eat was more or less [...]           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2009 05:20:46 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://tastyniblets.com/2009/03/31/adventures&#45;in&#45;eating&#45;in&#45;asheville&#45;nc/#When:09:20:46Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Spinach, Kitchen Aid, and Daring Bakers</title>
          <link>http://www.sketchyskitchen.com/sk&#45;blog/2009/03/spinach_kitchen_aid_and_daring.php</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Sketchy makes pasta           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:46:31 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.sketchyskitchen.com/sk&#45;blog/2009/03/spinach_kitchen_aid_and_daring.php#When:13:46:31Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Neverending Pork Shoulder and Week 11</title>
          <link>http://madaboutfood.blogspot.com/2009/03/neverending&#45;pork&#45;shoulder&#45;and&#45;week&#45;11.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The turnips didn&#8217;t make it this week, but I did get to experiment with pea shoots.&nbsp; I realized that I&#8217;ve eaten them in the salad mix when we&#8217;ve gotten it, though they are also good steamed quickly with some sauteed ginger and garlic.&nbsp; When I cooked mine, I included about a cup of edamame and added soy sauce and sesame seeds at the end.&nbsp; Unfortunately I had to pour off most of the soy sauce because I had added too much, and the pea shoots were slightly overcooked, but it was still an enjoyable side dish.http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_85lorSJVMFo/SdEjpb8QZBI/AAAAAAAAAOE/hEzBTaFR9qo/s200/pea+shoots.JPGI made a rosemary garlic sauce to put on the spinach and egg pasta from Week 9.&nbsp; It had strong flavors from its ingredients, but it didn&#8217;t overwhelm the fresh noodles.&nbsp; We also got Italian dandelion greens that week, and I braised those in the same pot (my new Dutch oven!) as the pork shoulder.http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_85lorSJVMFo/SdEkXDd9YeI/AAAAAAAAAOU/78LTW4dm0so/s200/pork+1.JPGWorking from an Amanda Hesser recipe that I found online, I browned the 3-4 pound bone in pork shoulder in my Dutch oven.&nbsp; I took it out and sauteed diced carrots, onion, whole garlic cloves, rosemary, and parsley until they were soft.http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_85lorSJVMFo/SdEk2YNO_0I/AAAAAAAAAOc/WhVsTspm2WE/s200/veggies+on+cutting+board.JPGhttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/_85lorSJVMFo/SdElGCA3_UI/AAAAAAAAAOk/4cgRvv5HZ7c/s200/sauteed+veggies.JPGThe recipe called for red wine, but I love cooking with dry vermouth and used 1/2 cup of that to deglaze the pan instead.&nbsp; Next I added the pork back to the pot and covered it about a third of the way with water.&nbsp; It went into the 325 degree oven for several hours, and Davy and I turned and basted it every half hour.&nbsp; We didn&#8217;t eat it until the next day, which the recipe said would make it even tastier.http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_85lorSJVMFo/SdElW2dbHvI/AAAAAAAAAOs/-RsE-pUpayA/s200/cooked+pork.JPGWhen I reheated it in the oven, I just put the chopped dandelion greens right on top of the meat for 30-45 minutes at 300 degrees.&nbsp; We ate the pulled pork and greens over rice with the carrots and onions that had cooked with the meat.&nbsp; Everything was delicious and full of flavor, and the greens were still slightly tangy to offset the rich pork.&nbsp; After two nights of greens, pork, and rice, we started making pork nachos and quesadillas for some variation.&nbsp; There are still a few servings left, but I haven&#8217;t gotten sick of it yet.On Friday I made a roasted shrimp and broccoli dish that was simple and rewarding.&nbsp; I tossed the broccoli with cumin and coriander seeds, along with a few other ingredients, before adding the shrimp.&nbsp; The shrimp was flavored with lemon zest, olive oil, salt and pepper, and everything blended together nicely.http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_85lorSJVMFo/SdEkFb1pnAI/AAAAAAAAAOM/npabznBlQFI/s200/shrimp+and+broccoli.JPGFor the upcoming week, I ordered whole wheat fettuccine, eggs, more Italian dandelion greens, sunflower sprouts, and curly kale.http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/24925976-4148827618153373770?l=madaboutfood.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:13:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://madaboutfood.blogspot.com/2009/03/neverending&#45;pork&#45;shoulder&#45;and&#45;week&#45;11.html#When:13:13:00Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Host an Easter Brunch (Food &amp;amp; Drink)</title>
          <link>http://www.richmondchic.com/index.php/food&#45;drink/article/host&#45;an&#45;easter&#45;brunch/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Our menu is the perfect midday feast to complement the jellybeans and chocolate bunnies your kids have been munching on.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:00:33 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.richmondchic.com/index.php/food&#45;drink/article/host&#45;an&#45;easter&#45;brunch/#When:04:00:33Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Kitchen Musings Renewed</title>
          <link>http://kitchenmusings.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/03/kitchen&#45;musings&#45;renewed.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Ever since I finalized my recipe for Duck Confit, I felt like this blog has lost its purpose. It was a good thing I had the business of experimenting on macarons and cupcakes while I decided on what would get&#8230;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2009 13:52:41 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://kitchenmusings.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/03/kitchen&#45;musings&#45;renewed.html#When:17:52:41Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>whatever happened to the bookshelves?</title>
          <link>http://dininginrichmond.blogspot.com/2009/03/whatever&#45;happened&#45;to&#45;bookshelves.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
So I guess this is the nouveau Cafe Gutenberg? First impressions - frankly, disappointment. Excited that CG was back after their hiatus and redesign, I couldnt wait to visit. And now that I have, I&#8217;m not sure I like the nouveau CG. I am surprised that they (whoever the powers-that-be were) would mess with the very USP that made the place worth visiting. Gone are the bookshelves and books that lined the walls. No more newspapers - the current and woefully out of date ones. Ditto the magazines and the b&amp;w pictures that graced the walls. Even gone is the line announcing the high water line of hurricane charlie (?). Instead we have an antiseptic light yellow paint with some rather generic paintings of fruits and vegetables. There are a trio of oddly placed houseplants cordoning off a section in the back. A couple of new tables with extremely generic seats. Is this some resistance to change/misplaced nostalgia speaking? I dont think so. Its more like taking a rather &#8220;unique&#8221; interior and replacing it with an entirely generic look devoid of any character. CG now looks and feels just like any other. The upside is that the place is much airier and brighter. The menu is still largely the same (we tried a couple of items off the brunch menu and they were still pretty decent. The 17th Street scramble was still quite good) but one couldnt help but feel that the atmosphere that drew us in to Cafe Gutenberg in the first place was gone. The service was fine and they still had most of the cheap wines and beers they had before. We didnt feel like dawdling in this restaurant anymore. Perhaps thats a good thing for business - higher turnover.http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/4587758173589906246-4084641927072245321?l=dininginrichmond.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2009 13:42:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://dininginrichmond.blogspot.com/2009/03/whatever&#45;happened&#45;to&#45;bookshelves.html#When:17:42:00Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>State of the Plate</title>
          <link>http://inmystomach.blogspot.com/2009/03/state&#45;of&#45;plate.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SNnTUXww-tw/Sc20wS2kUSI/AAAAAAAAAQc/oci-wvCF4GM/s400/cover12_state_plate_100.jpgDecisions, Decisions&#8230;. where to eat, what to order&#8230;..&nbsp; check out the annual Style Weekly State of the Plate issue available all over RVA.  Take a  BIG BITEhttp://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/22118168-3180929439163222677?l=inmystomach.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:21:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://inmystomach.blogspot.com/2009/03/state&#45;of&#45;plate.html#When:23:21:00Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>In Between Days</title>
          <link>http://www.brandoneats.com/brandon_eats/2009/03/in&#45;between&#45;days.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
In between winter and spring, we seem to still be stuck with winter—as far as vegetable choices go. Wintertime sucks the resolve of good intentions dry. At least when it comes to your pledge to eat local food. Remember that one? You made it when the bounty of last summer had your kitchen overflowing with tomatoes, squash, green beans, and every kind of berry you could imagine? You felt so good about yourself, so virtuous, so pure, and yes, just a little bit smug. Winter slaps all of that self-satisfaction right out of you. Not a lot grows around here between fall and spring. And the stuff that does grow is kind of funky: things like collards or turnips or cabbage, and of course, the ubiquitous winter squash. What kind of food is that? It sounds a lot like the kind of food grandmothers used to serve. And although grandmother food is technically considered comfort food, winter vegetables don’t really do it for me. They’re decidedly unsexy and all of them seem to be pretty stinky. Greens have a lot of sulfur compounds, and they annoyingly billow out from the kitchen while you’re cooking, masking whatever little allure they originally might have had. Guilt, however, informs a lot of what I do and what I don’t do. Over the winter, I managed to join three co-ops which have had me driving all over town each week. In order to justify the endless driving, I’ve been forced to figure out how to cook the available vegetables in a way that doesn’t drive them from the plate straight into the trashcan. Pork fat is key. Please stop screaming now, I can explain. Pork fat (otherwise known as LARD) is actually making a comeback. In some circles, it never even went away. In&#8230;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2009 04:12:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.brandoneats.com/brandon_eats/2009/03/in&#45;between&#45;days.html#When:08:12:00Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Country&#45;Style Sweetness</title>
          <link>http://www.richmond.com/25983</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
The East End&#8217;s Country Style Donuts harbors rows of fried dough jammed with stiff cream filling and glazed pastry circles.           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2009 00:00:44 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.richmond.com/25983#When:04:00:44Z</guid>
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          <title>What&#8217;s better than eating out&#8230;</title>
          <link>http://kitchenmusings.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/03/whats&#45;better&#45;than&#45;eating&#45;out.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
...having homemade food delivered to your doorstep. Okay, this is not a frequent occurence&#8230;but my best friend&#8217;s aunt N., who quite simply makes the best Asian food in town, called me at noon today and asked me if i wanted&#8230;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:18:02 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://kitchenmusings.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/03/whats&#45;better&#45;than&#45;eating&#45;out.html#When:19:18:02Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>Hanover dog&#45;leash law in effect</title>
          <link>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/lifestyles/announcements/article/C&#45;ATLARGE_20090326&#45;112404/241520/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Hanover County&#8217;s running-at-large laws apply to dogs in rural areas as well as dogs in the Suburban Services Area           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:46:39 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/lifestyles/announcements/article/C&#45;ATLARGE_20090326&#45;112404/241520/#When:15:46:39Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>A comforting meal on a Monday night, dinner at Carena&#8217;s</title>
          <link>http://richmondfoodforthought.blogspot.com/2009/03/comforting&#45;meal&#45;on&#45;monday&#45;night&#45;dinner.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Bob and I stopped at Flemings briefly on Monday night and wanted to stop for dinner before going home but didn&#8217;t want take out or to head into the Fan or venture downtown. And we weren&#8217;t in the mood for Italian. Bob suggested Carena&#8217;s and it fit the bill.Carena&#8217;s is one of those places I always enjoy, but I forget about them when I&#8217;m thinking about where I want lunch or dinner. My challenge with Carena&#8217;s is I had the curry chicken the first time I went and have not been able to tear myself from it. My first goal Monday was to order something other than the curry chicken.We arrive and are promptly greeted and seated and we were disappointed that it wasn&#8217;t more crowded but it was just after 6 on a Monday night.Our server, a lovely young woman named Camille, took our drink orders (Red Stripe for Bob, water for me) while we reviewed the menu. The menu is small, but effective&#8230;.I would like to try everything on it.Bob ordered a house salad with spicy jerk ranch dressing and the fried chicken with ginger gravy with dark meat. I also ordered the fried chicken, but with white meat (I&#8217;ve got to have a wing).Bob salad arrives and it&#8217;s a standard house salad, but the dressing brought it up to the next level. Spicy with just enough heat, it went very well with the crispy cold salad.Our entrees arrive and we are both pleased. The fried chicken is lightly dusted with seasoned flour and fried so it&#8217;s not heavily breaded, but it is very crispy and the ginger gravy was flavorful with a nice bite to it from the ginger. Bob was eyeing my wing and I told him to not even think about it. I always love the cabbage as well as the rice and peas. The cabbage is tender but not mushy and is cooked with spices, carrots, peppers and onions in butter. The fluffy rice with the small red peas is always a treat.Both the service and food were spot on. And we were happy to see them filling up (and the phone ringing happily with take out orders) on our way out. Our check (two Red Stripes, salad and two entrees) came to $36 with tax. A very good deal and the perfect place to go when you want something out of the ordinary. Welcome to Carena&#8217;s Jamaican Grille - Richmond, VAhttp://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/1418050115693093617-3492240346100529421?l=richmondfoodforthought.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:05:00 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://richmondfoodforthought.blogspot.com/2009/03/comforting&#45;meal&#45;on&#45;monday&#45;night&#45;dinner.html#When:11:05:00Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>In Between Days</title>
          <link>http://www.brandoneats.com/brandon_eats/2009/03/in&#45;between&#45;days.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
In between winter and spring, we seem to still be stuck with winter—as far as vegetable choices go. Wintertime sucks the resolve of good intentions dry. At least when it comes to your pledge to eat local food. Remember that one? You made it when the bounty of last summer had your kitchen overflowing with tomatoes, squash, green beans, and every kind of berry you could imagine? You felt so good about yourself, so virtuous, so pure, and yes, just a little bit smug. Winter slaps all of that self-satisfaction right out of you. Not a lot grows around here between fall and spring. And the stuff that does grow is kind of funky: things like collards or turnips or cabbage, and of course, the ubiquitous winter squash. What kind of food is that? It sounds a lot like the kind of food grandmothers used to serve. And although grandmother food is technically considered comfort food, winter vegetables don’t really do it for me. They’re decidedly unsexy and all of them seem to be pretty stinky. Greens have a lot of sulfur compounds, and they annoyingly billow out from the kitchen while you’re cooking, masking whatever little allure they originally might have had. Guilt, however, informs a lot of what I do and what I don’t do. Over the winter, I managed to join three co-ops which have had me driving all over town each week. In order to justify the endless driving, I’ve been forced to figure out how to cook the available vegetables in a way that doesn’t drive them from the plate straight into the trashcan. Pork fat is key. Please stop screaming now, I can explain. Pork fat (otherwise known as LARD) is actually making a comeback. In some circles, it never even went away. In&#8230;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2009 03:23:31 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.brandoneats.com/brandon_eats/2009/03/in&#45;between&#45;days.html#When:07:23:31Z</guid>
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         <item>
          <title>VCU Art Students Get Gallery Shows</title>
          <link>http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/artstage/article/vcu_art_students_get_gallery_shows/915/#comments</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Anderson Gallery to house series of four exhibitions.            ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:00:57 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Technical Note!</title>
          <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RichmondFoodCollective/~3/MNVyJLNasKM/technical&#45;note.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Hey readers&#8230;Just a quick note for everyone who uses an RSS reader to check out our latest posts&#8230;I will be changing how our RSS feed is distributed soon. Please now use the URL http://richmondfoodcollective.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss to get our blogfeed in your reader. We have been using FeedBurner to syndicate our RSS feed for some time, but I have decided to eliminate it as it is causing some technical issues and not really affording us any benefits. If you are currently using http://feeds2.feedburner.com/RichmondFoodCollective to get our feed, please be prepared to change over to the default blogspot feed URL after this evening, at which time I will be removing our feed from FeedBurner.For those of you who don&#8217;t understand this stuff, I don&#8217;t blame you, and you can go ahead and disregard this post!And for the RSSers&#8230;thanks for your understanding!           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:57:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Bringing the Sauce</title>
          <link>http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/fooddrink/bringing_the_sauce/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
There has been a flurry of development in Short Pump, and quiet noticeably. From the much-awaited grand openings of Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s to the reveal of colorful condos and strip malls chock full of shops and restaurants, the east entrance of Short Pump seems to have blown up overnight. When all is said and done, these new additions might add up to an actual walking community in the West End. And one of the shiny new sidewalks leads straight to Kona Grill.

The Arizona-based chain put its 21st marker on the map with the Glen Allen location. Although plans are in the works to open in Baltimore, Tampa and Woodbridge, N.J., soon, there are currently just three locations on the east coast. So most Richmonders aren’t familiar with what Kona is all about.

Think Pacific Rim twist on a traditional California grill. Some menu items are Asian-fusion while others are straight-up American classics. Others are somewhere else on the culinary map. At first, it’s a bit confusing to see sushi and pad thai next to burgers, ribs and pizza, but the menu offers a wide variety, and that diversity has evidently been alluring.

Since the restaurant opened on Jan. 22, business has been booming, according to assistant general manager Brian Cooper. 

In fact, if you’re looking for a nice weekend dinner, be sure to call ahead — at least three or four days ahead, Cooper said. The dinner crowd is hopping, and reservations are necessary to avoid a long wait on weekends. But the good news is that even with a full house, the wait staff is quick and attentive.

Short Pump’s biggest seller so far is the baked seabass ($22.95), Cooper said. It’s marinated in a made-from-scratch miso sake marinade and served with shrimp and pork fried rice and Szechwan beans.

Kona boasts more than 40 house-made sauces, including all marinades and salad dressings, made fresh daily.

Across the country, Kona’s signature dish, macadamia nut chicken ($17.50), is the top seller, and probably because of its signature sauce — a shoyu (type of soy sauce)-cream sauce. It’s served with a pineapple-papaya marmalade and comes with white cheddar mashed potatoes and wok-tossed vegetables.

The sushi is another hot menu item. At the sushi bar in the back right, chefs handcraft rolls with seafood that is flown in daily and seasoned rice. And the sushi is rotated out frequently throughout the day to ensure that fresh sushi taste, Cooper said. 

Then there’s the other bar. The bar bar. Although it isn’t the focus of the restaurant (and doesn’t exactly accommodate a large crowd), it has been holding its own. Last Friday night, dozens of professionals — late 20s to late 40s — mingled and watched the NCAA tournament with napkin-wrapped drinks in hand. There are several flat screens around the restaurant, and Kona has access to all the sports packages. The restaurant is definitely not a sports bar, but might serve as a toned-down alternative on game night.

From 3–7 p.m. during the work week, happy hour specials include select $3 domestics and $4.50 mixed drinks as well as several half-priced appetizers, sushi and pizza. The bar offers some interesting Asian- and Hawaiian-inspired mixed drinks, the first of which can be delicious and fruity, but can become slightly sweet and expensive.

Kona’s atmosphere is certainly unique. A 300-gallon tank behind the host’s table displays several varieties of tropical fish — a feature that sets the scene for the rest of the décor. Bright, colorful light panels behind the bar provide a modern touch while oversized felt-crafted art suspended from the ceiling keeps the tropical theme going. Whether the hanging pieces are flowers, sea creatures or 
Hawaiian shells remains to be determined, but they are at least interesting to look at. Overall, the restaurant is causal and comfortable.

Not that parking is much of an issue in Short Pump — yet — but Kona strikes the possibility of parking complaints entirely, providing three options. There is a small lot directly adjacent to the building. When that lot at full, patrons can use the deck behind the restaurant. And if you’re wearing heels or just don’t feel like walking 100 yards from the deck to the door, Kona offers free valet parking to and from the lot. So there you have it. No excuses. 

But if those condos ever fill up and the walking community dream becomes a reality, a pleasant stroll from condo to Kona might become another option.

Web | http://www.konagrill.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:54:22 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Springtime means the quivering anticipation of BLTs</title>
          <link>http://tastyniblets.com/2009/03/24/springtime&#45;means&#45;the&#45;quivering&#45;anticipation&#45;of&#45;blts/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I&#8217;ll be headed out of town for several days, to enjoy whatever pleasures lie in wait in Asheville, NC. This means that I shall not be posting for several days. Thusly, I felt inspired to write a parting post, one about the joys of bacon, lettuce and tomatoes. 
Spring is in the air, what with [...]           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:10:48 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>Style Weekly Names Restaurant of the Year</title>
          <link>http://rfblognisenti.blogspot.com/2009/03/style&#45;weekly&#45;names&#45;restaurant&#45;of&#45;year.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FXi_jBs7yuM/ScmAlkEE_cI/AAAAAAAAAgA/UoRZZx5L4iY/s400/180px-EtchASketch10-23-2004.jpgOh Yes He Did It, Roop named Style Mag&#8217;s restaurant of the year today, Mezzanine. Anticipating  throngs of low-carbon footprint diners coming their way, Mezzanine decides to make their menu even harder to access. It will now be printed on an Etch A Sketch. No more wasting chalk.http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/2326735811449473438-6946525066186739773?l=rfblognisenti.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:49:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>verde: new restaurant opening</title>
          <link>http://whinemedineme.wordpress.com/2009/03/24/verde&#45;new&#45;restaurant&#45;opening/</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
verde, a new local restaurant near broad and gaskins will be opening in the next week. local ingredients - menu to feature wine and food  stuffs such as sandwiches and salads.  rob jones is said to be at the helm of this new venture. as this is the only information we could squeeze out of [...]http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=whinemedineme.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6049413&amp;post=971&amp;subd=whinemedineme&ref;=&amp;feed=1           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:36:39 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>artisanal soy sauce</title>
          <link>http://inmystomach.blogspot.com/2009/03/artisanal&#45;soy&#45;sauce.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
This is from a recent posting by Tasting Table, a great online foodie resource:Umami in a BottleAmerica&#8217;s first artisanal soy sauce   &nbsp; There are plenty of American-brewed soy sauces out there: Kikkoman bottles some 25 million gallons annually on Wisconsin&#8217;s Lake Geneva, and Yamasa turns out more than 1.7 million gallons a year at its Oregon plant. But our sushi and high-end Asian deserve a better condiment&#8212;and they can get it, thanks to Kentucky-based Bluegrass Foods, makers of America&#8217;s first artisanal soy sauce.Working in the back of an old Louisville factory, Matt Jamie combines non-GMO soybeans with locally grown winter wheat and ferments the funky mash in old bourbon barrels tossed out by Buffalo Trace and Woodford Reserve distilleries. The barrels are also used to make Bluegrass&#8217;s Kentuckified Worcestershire Sauce.The final product is lighter in color than your average sushi joint sauce, free of caramel color, hydrolyzed soy protein or any of the other additives that often go into commercial sauces. It&#8217;s also more delicate in flavor, making up for what it lacks in saltiness with a deeply earthy, umami character and the slightest hint of bourbon sweetness. Kentucky Bluegrass soy sauce won&#8217;t put much of a dent in fried rice, but it&#8217;s exactly what sashimi wants.Bluegrass Soy Sauce is $5 for five ounces at bourbonbarrelfoods.comhttp://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SNnTUXww-tw/SckFD6y2k8I/AAAAAAAAAQU/ESpk8b3Rte4/s400/kentuckysoy-sm.jpghttp://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/22118168-2440571521796003754?l=inmystomach.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 24 Mar 2009 06:04:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>State of the Plate 2009</title>
          <link>http://www.brandoneats.com/brandon_eats/2009/03/state&#45;of&#45;the&#45;plate&#45;2009.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
At long last, by dint of sweat and tireless effort, the latest, greatest Style Weekly Restaurant Issue is out and ready to fly off the stands!           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 24 Mar 2009 06:01:00 EDT</pubDate>
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          <title>I wanna go home (for Peking duck)</title>
          <link>http://kitchenmusings.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/03/i&#45;wanna&#45;go&#45;home&#45;for&#45;peking&#45;duck.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
Photo Credit: guides.clickthecity.com Was I-em-ming my brother who lives in the Philippines and he was telling me about this Restaurant called FU that he went to recently. No one gets Peking Duck really right in Richmond, Va - not even&#8230;           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 24 Mar 2009 02:35:39 EDT</pubDate>
<guid>http://kitchenmusings.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/03/i&#45;wanna&#45;go&#45;home&#45;for&#45;peking&#45;duck.html#When:06:35:39Z</guid>
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          <title>Not your ordinary St. Patrick&#8217;s Day&#8230;.Schramsberg sparkling wine dinner at Flemings.</title>
          <link>http://richmondfoodforthought.blogspot.com/2009/03/not&#45;your&#45;ordinary&#45;st&#45;patricks.html</link>
          <description><![CDATA[
I love wine dinners.&nbsp; I find them a great way to try new food and wine and to have dinner with a different cast of characters from the usual suspects. Bob was wrapped up in basketball and not very interested in the wine dinner, so I made a date with my friend Melissa and we attended this dinner together.&nbsp; I came prepared with cab fare in hand and the cabbie&#8217;s number in my iPhone and settled in for the evening.&nbsp; The dinner started at 6:30 and at about 6:15 John gathered all of us strays from the bar and we sat in our appointed places (I have a fondness for place cards) at one of the two large tables set up for the event.&nbsp; As we were seated, our first glass of bubbly for the evening, Schramsberg Blanc De Blancs 2005, was served and was followed by the first course fried oysters with a citrus remoulade and Brie beggar&#8217;s purse with bing cherry gelee. Now, I am a sucker for all things sparkling and am a sucker for Fried Oysters and loved this course.&nbsp; I told John they need to put these fried oysters on the menu.&nbsp; Lightly breaded and crispy these were wonderful.&nbsp; The brie and cherries were a nice contrast and both dishes went well with the light bubbly.Meanwhile the wine representative, Comanche (a lovely blond woman who is the product of hippie parents) explained to us the history of Schramsberg most notably it was the first sparkling produced in the United States.&nbsp; She was outgoing and funny and being from out of town we gave her the 411 on where to go, what to see and what to do during here visit.The second course was sunburst squash bisque with creme fraiche and candied praline bacon and served with Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs 2005. Jay (Flemings Chef Partner) had me at &#8216;candied praline bacon &#8216; but the bisque itself was clearly the star and the bacon topped it off perfectly.&nbsp; This bubbly was my favorite of the evening, very rich, not too sweet or too dry and went down very easily. Our third course was filet tournedos with fois gras butter and lobster and dungeness crab en cocotte served with Schramsberg Brut Rose 2005.&nbsp; This course was incredibly rich and indulgent and well worth every calorie.&nbsp; The filet was perfect medium rare and when I cut through the pastry surrounding the seafood and combined all of the components it was heavenly.&nbsp; The rose was a good pairing for this course and stood up to the richness of the dishes.Our final course was strawberry mascapone cream filled pistachio tuile.&nbsp; I loved this selection because I prefer non-chocolate desserts as a rule.&nbsp; The tuile (crepe meets cookie) was crispy and light and not too sweet and had a nice crunch from the pistachios also.&nbsp; The filling was creamy and not too heavy and the two together made for a very nice ending to the meal.&nbsp; This was served with a sweet bubbly Schramsberg Cremant 2004.&nbsp; I love a nice dessert wine and generally only have it when someone else chooses it because I know just enough to be dangerous.&nbsp; This was slightly sweet but not cloying at all. This was a nice evening and well worth the price of $79.95 (plus gratuity and tax).&nbsp; Jay outdid himself with both the selection and execution of the menu.&nbsp; Michelle and John did an outstanding job of setting up the room and coordinating the evening.&nbsp; Wesley kept the wine flowing.&nbsp; Service was top notch. And Melissa was a fine date also.&nbsp; All in all a very nice grown up St. Patrick&#8217;s Day.http://res1.blogblog.com/tracker/1418050115693093617-2305995969680803573?l=richmondfoodforthought.blogspot.com           ]]></description>
          <pubDate>Tue, 24 Mar 2009 02:13:00 EDT</pubDate>
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