2 for 1

I love a good sale as much as anyone, especially when it's a BOGO (an acronym I learned from my dear friend Shannon). And while I promise to never sell you anything from my blog, I would like to feature two separate culinary experiences to make up for last week's neglect.

The first, which actually happened second, involves late summer tomatoes from my parents' garden, CSA sweet and hot peppers, half an onion, the oven, and one of my favorite kitchen tools. I tossed the vegetables in olive oil, salt, and pepper, then roasted them at 450 for about twenty five minutes. When they were sufficiently browned and sizzling, they got a very quick immersion blend treatment, and I added fresh avocado and cilantro. 

There aren't any pictures because it's not pretty to look at, but the resulting salsa-type mixture is a compelling combination of summer and autumn that can be eaten in or on just about anything, including a spoon.

Earlier in the week, we tried 525 At the Berry Burk with a couple friends, and we were all very pleased with our meal. I started with the Four Mushroom Spinach Salad, which had a sufficient amount of mushrooms, fresh spinach and a lemon vinaigrette. The vinaigrette, while effectively tart, was somewhat creamier than I expected, but still satisfying.

Davy and I shared three small plates, and were thrilled with all of them. The seared scallops with sweet pea and lobster risotto may have been my favorite dish of the evening, though the ceviche and duck confit spring rolls were also beautifully prepared.

Our server was both attentive and well-versed in the history of the building and development of the restaurant, which set a very nice tone for the evening. 
My one concern with 525 at The Berry Burk is that it wasn't very crowded, so go see the newly renovated space for yourself sometime soon!

Dinner at Lunch

I was going to try to wait until next week, when I'm having a sandwich delivered, to post about Lunch, a new eatery in Scott's Addition, but I just looked at this picture of my meal again, drooled a little, and wanted to share a little bit about it. 

My cod "crowned with tomatoes" and served with mashed potatoes and a garnish of corn and soybeans was visually appealing, tasted wonderful, and was offered at the reasonable price of $12. In fact, the priciest item on the menu, a filet, was only $14. 

We managed to sneak in a few drinks before the end of happy hour, which meant our beverages ranged from $2.00 to $3.50. Davy and our friend, Leslie, both ordered the "Loaded Chicken," a chicken breast stuffed with pork, wrapped in bacon, and smothered in cheese and barbecue sauce. To soak it all up, the chicken is also balanced on a pile of mashed potatoes. 

None of us could think about dessert, a brownie a la mode, but considering how much we liked our meals, I'm sure it would have been just as flavorful and indulgent. 

With its cheery exterior and friendly service, not to mention the flexible breakfast hours (breakfast food is served every day until 3!), I know I'm going to make a point of trying every meal - including brunch - at Lunch. One down, three to go!

Festival Season

Spring in Richmond brings a plethora of appealing festivals to go to, most of which are centered around food.  


The first one Davy and I attended was the Lebanese Food Festival at Saint Anthony Maronite Church.  We went last year and knew that we wanted falafel, chicken shwarma, and a spinach and feta cheese pie.  We also tasted the meat pie, which had a savory filling of ground lamb (I believe) and onion, and agreed that it was even better than the spinach and feta version.      


For dessert, we indulged in awamat, which are luscious fried dough balls with a sweet syrup coating, and they're available fresh from the fryer at the festival.  I wanted to just look at the other desserts, because there was the possibility of bringing home some baklava, but we were sidetracked by the katayef.  


From what I can tell, a katayef is sort of like a sweet empanada.  There were three varieties to choose from.  One was filled with sweet cream and topped with pistachios and syrup.  The other two were stuffed, pinched closed, and fried.  One had a walnut and honey filling while the other encased mozzarella cheese.  Both were decadent and satisfying, but the cheese was by far our favorite.  


This is how we felt during the last few bites:

Everything was so tasty, and it's probably worth going more than once to avoid a post-festival food coma, but those sweets are tough to resist. 
        

Sprout in the Spring

Today is the first day of the 2011 CSA, and as a warm up, Davy and I went to Sprout for dinner last night.  Actually, we had a Groupon that was going to expire, but it was a nice way to begin the CSA season.  The link to the specials for the day was titled "Nice Weather, Excellent Food," and neither description was misleading.  


I started with the soup of the day, which was mushroom stew, and it reminded me of hot and sour soup without a lot of heat.  It had a pleasant, earthy flavor and texture from the mushrooms and a sweet edge from a few soft chunks of sweet potato.


The local meat and cheese plate was hearty and delicious, consisting of pork sausage, chicken breast meat, swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, mixed greens, caramelized onions and a spread that I think may have been a pimento aioli.  They were served on a wooden pizza board with a large basket of tasty Billy Bread, and the remaining goodies made a beautiful sandwich to take home.


Instead of sweet potato and caramelized onion on the pizzetta du jour, there were two kinds of cheese, bechamel and roasted tomatoes, plus fresh mixed greens to cut through the rich cheesy flavors.  I was pleased with my order, and Davy liked his fish soft tacos, which were prepared with trout.


Sprout is one of the most loyal local food venues that we have in Richmond, and is worth a trip, even if you aren't celebrating the start of a CSA.  In fact, it's a great place to console yourself if you aren't, because 90% of the food is produced in Virginia.  Happy CSA season!