The Magpie, A(1st great meal in a while)

The Magpie, oh my!  Couldn't keep this place to myself!  Started with asparagus soup with bellavitano cheese, oooh ahhh. Next up, a tempura softshell, cherry tomatoes on the plate and something else but kept sticking my fork in my husbands yummy wild salmon and gnocci so I can't quite remember what was on whose plate, oooh ahhh.  Ended with a chocolate torte with sea salt(I think).  Crust was like shortbread, soooo good, layer of choc and the right amt of salt. Wish son was with us, they had a lobster corndog!  Will go back, get there before 7 if you don't want to wait for a table.

Ironfish, Olive Garden, Place next to Little Venice

Wow, it's been a while.  Have still been eating out but was busy with end of school stuff, then summer travels etc. Unfortunately, didn't make notes at PF Chang, Cheesecake Factory or Tarrant's, so don't remember many details. I do remember I loved the mushroom flatbread at Cheesecake and of course the cheesecake.  Seabass is always a hit for us at PF Changs.  I got the softshell sandwich at Tarrant's, yum.  Also, the Broad Appetit food festival in early June rocked, put on your calender for next yr.
So, the new Short Pump Olive Garden- 3 diners, 3 unhappy.  My eggplant parm, what a disappointment, husbands meatballs, not much flavor.  Oh well, had to try it since it's so close, I'll stick to after tennis cheap lunches there.
Biggest bummer,  Ironfish on Lauderdale.  Have been like 7 times since it opened, I know, why do we keep going?  Well, 1)highly rated chefs 2)I love seafood 3) it's across the street 4)last night I had a free entree from last time I complained about softshells(which they changed the way they prepared, must have been other complaints)and 5)liked it the 1st time but I think that chef is gone. Let me first say I eat A LOT of scallops, last nights were blah!  Good sear but too salty and not much flavor, certainly not moan worthy which they should be for the price,  husbands fish lacked flavor too.  We told each other that we have to stop going there, done-well unless they get a new chef.
Oh yeah, too lazy to look up but we went to Little Venice's new place next door to L.V, can't remember what we got but we both left smiling, will definitely go back there.

Portico and Blowtoad

Portico-Twice for lunch, both times a hit!  Beth and I got there in time to get an outdoor table, 11:45-it fills up fast.  Loved the artichoke soup and the caprese sandwich(mozz, basil, tomato and yummy hard roll).  Both had the tartufo, man oh man! Went back the next week with Karen and enjoyed the crab and corn chowder and split the softshell crab sandwich. Could have easily eaten a whole sandwich but thought better of it since we asked about the desserts before we ordered.  Both had the tartufo(again)! A
Blowtoad-Again, twice for lunch.  1st time Cyndee and I had a longggggg wait, I asked if they had burned the pizza(had read about that happening a lot).  Waiter said in fact they did, offered to comp something and of course I asked for desserts for both of us! Got the lunch special-pep pizza, salad and drink for under $10, good price, ok pizza.  Whipped cream pound cake was so good!  Went back with hubby after Arts in the Park. Got the house made fettucini with charred broccoli, cauliflower and pine nuts, nothing special.  Got the pound cake again, wasn't as good this time. Bummer, loved Jimmy's Frog and the Redneck. C

Bonefish, Asia Garden

Bonefish-Had only been to Bonefish once and that was in Greensboro, NC last summer.  Husband and I were surprised at how much we enjoyed it! Shared the Singapore Calamari, both liked it, had a little kick.  I had the Longfin Tilapia grilled with Pan Asian sauce over sauteed spinach. My two sides were potatoes au gratin and green beans, the potatoes were good but not worth the cals, especially if you were going down to Shyndigz after the meal to enjoy their choc layer cake:).  Loved the fish but also loved husbands sea bass which I'd probably get next time-and there will be a next time!
Asia Garden-Near Short Pump Theatre-Have been 3 times for take-out.  Like the entrees, just don't like any of the lunch special soups and I tried all 3!  Don't like the spring rolls or eggs rolls either.  Told the owner so we'll see if they bump up the quality of the extras but I'll keep going for the yummy shrimp and string beans and chow fun-love those slippery wide noodles.  At least you can substitute a drink for the lunch side. Cheap too!

Bacchus, Kebab & Biryani, The Continental

Bacchus-  First timer.  Fried Oysters, we get them everywhere. These were very tasty, just a bit liquid logged-not sure if it was oil or water.  Seared Sea Scallops with prosciutto and truffle oil, so good.  I thought my(as in the ones I cook) scallops were good, these had a perfect caramelized sear. Got a side of roasted potatoes, needed seasoning.  Husband wasn't impressed with the NY strip, said it didn't have a lot of flavor. I would go back for the perfectly cooked scallops.
Kebab & Biryani-Went stag after a friend got held up getting her 10k packet for the local race. Go hungry, got a ton of food for just under $10 and I liked everything!  The lunch special included a spicy chicken appetizer, rice, naan and mango pudding, my entree choice was chicken tikki masala. Only needed 1 water refill so it wasn't too hot.  Going back soon, it's near Whole Foods.
The Continental-  It's on Grove near theatre.  Looked at menu online before going, it had so much we liked(or thought we would).  Calamari salty, wasn't served with a sauce.  Lobster hushpuppies(3 large)were not cooked through.  My main was a 4 veggie platter, curried cauliflower-eh, smashed potatoes with homemade gravy, although there was no gravy-eh, tossed mixed greens-can't really go wrong, broccolini-eh. Son got lobster roll, menu said New England style.  He hesitated ordering since we go to Cape Cod every yr and eat MANY lobster rolls, should have listened to his gut, bummer! Husband did o.k. with the slow roasted beef sandwich.  Would not rush back!

Sedona Taphouse, Keagan's, update Burger Works & Baker's Crust

In a nutshell....Sedona, Fish Tacos w/ house greens.  Tilapia, sauteed onion, avocado, secret sauce, mango, pineapple and cilantro-really enjoyed and I get fish tacos everywhere! Only have 2 desserts on the menu and Connie, Laura and I split the chocolate one, pretty good. B+, 12 points for tacos.
Keagan's-went with 14 ladies no resie(usually go to Panera after bible study but made last minute switch), would have been happier if they greeted us with, "wow, thanks for coming, please be patient while we find some room", rather than heavy sighing and not very welcoming comments(place didn't even fill up while we were there so don't know what the fuss was about). Anyway, BLT soup(tasted like mix of chowder and potato soup) was decent and 1/2 turkey club was pretty good.  Would certainly go back. B range, 12 points
Went back to Baker's Crust in Carytown, not nearly as good as 1st time. Will try other spots.
Went to Burger Works for 2nd time, extremely disappointed. Went back tonight to be fair, still not as good as 1st experience, movin' on.

Ironhorse Ashland, Pho Boston, A Slice of Grace

Ironhorse-Haven't been in over 5 yrs, going back soon!  Had a great lunch with Mim.  Creamed cauliflower soup was oh so smooth and delish.  We both got Annabelle's Chicken Quesadilla- "pulled bbq chicken, blended cheeses and green chilis, served with blackened tomato salsa and sour cream" and slaw on the side.  It was huge but I finished it!  Great flavors all around. A-, a ton of points
Boston Pho-Son and I are huge Pho fans, frequent all the local spots.  This is in the former home of Dalat, which was our fav, even has the same menu which was kind of a bummer.  We like the menu but with new owners it would be exciting to see new menus/dishes.  We both had crispy spring rolls, he loved, I thought it was fine, not a ton of flavor.  He got Pho, noted the meat wasn't as good, fattier.  I tasted broth, was hoping for more.
I got the broken jasmine rice with grilled shrimp.  They now serve it on a plate, used to be in bowl which was more enjoyable.  The flavors blend better when you pour the fish sauce over the shrimp, rice, scallions, carrots. cukes in the bowl.  Also, the shrimp used to have more flavor,  dang it, gotta find a new hang out.  B-,  14 points
Slice of Grace Bakery, Brook Rd-Of course I had to hit the latest cupcake spot.  Tried the choc cake, choc icing, nice and moist but smaller and lighter than the other local spots I've tried. Pretty good but if I'm traveling that far I'll stick with the best I've found, Pearl's.  B, 7 points

Baker's Crust Carytown, Osaka Shortpump

Bummed that the Short Pump Baker's Crust doesn't have woodfired Pizza's but......Carytown does, giddyup on down, mine was soooo good.  I had the Wild Mushroom & Arugula(wild mushrooms, mozzarella, Fontina, & arugula with a drizzle of balsamic reduction). Keep in mind I'm Jersey girl, love Cappricio's cheese pies, but for woodfired, Baker's Crust's was right up there or better than any I've had locally. A, 19 points
Osaka today with old tennis pals Michele(Happy Birthday), Connie. and Laura. Got there at noon, surprised no one was there.  Got seated at a Hibachi table, a bit put off by smell off clorox, probably did the floors than morn but need better ventilation. Got the lunch combo scallop special. All good, sometimes hesitant to get scallops at non full time seafood places b/c they often lack flavor. These were tasty and chef put a good sear on them. The miso soup was actually better than most around(too watery and salty), liked the flavor and chucks of tofu. Also commented that this ginger dressing was different than most of the orange/red ones in town, was yellowish with great flavor.  Rice and veggies didn't disappoint! B+(only b/c of smell and pieces of rice still on table from previous diners). 18ish points
Of course had to celebrate FAT Tuesday with a Salted Caramel cupcake from Frostings, ummmmm!

Peter Chang's, Dot's, The Trellis

Peter Chang's(near Walmart W. Broad)-google the guy, he's got quite a following(Washington Post, the New Yorker, foodies).  After reading about him I had high hopes for finally getting a great local Chinese spot since nothing around blows my mind(grew up going into N.Y.C for great chinese). I'll give them a little slack since they were barely open a few days when Robin and I went last week. I had the lunch special which included the usual choices of soup, spring roll and rice.  My egg drop soup was fine, nothing special.  Spring roll was cold(prob made a ton in advance since I'm sure they anticipated a huge crowd-place was packed when we left) and the fried rice was pretty bland.  My choice of fish filet w/ bok choy was good, just didn't have the depth of flavor I yearned for, dang it!  I'll give them a couple weeks to get it together and go back for a 2nd chance. C+, 17 points
Dot's Back Inn-2nd visit with the fam to the neat little hole in the wall on Northside, had a great meal on the previous visit.  Place was packed at 5:45, geeze and I thought we were early Sat night eaters! Got the combo soup(chicken and mushroom) and grilled cheese. Nice flavors in the homemade soup, tasted like something grandma made.  The skimpy grilled cheese had maybe 1 slice of cheese and the bacon was ALL fat, gross.  Showed the waitress and she brought a whole plate of bacon to pick from. Tomato was mealy.  Figured you couldn't go wrong with a grilled cheese.  Oh well, it's a cool little spot, will shoot for breakfast next time. B-, 12 points
The Trellis, W'burg- Robin and I went to take her smarty, sweet, cute W&M son(and gfriend) to lunch. Yum! Had the combo, if you haven't noticed by now, I LOVE SOUP & CHOCOLATE! The New England Chowder was top notch, even had 2 clams in the shell in the soup for presentation. Lot's of chunks of good stuff!  The turkey sandwich was fab, tasted like the bread came straight from the farmer's market out front. The cucumber/onion salad was the perfect side, wanted to bottle the light sweet/tangy dressing. Of course had to get their famous Death by Chocolate,  it was good but doesn't compare to Richmond's own Shydigz( their salted caramel chocolate layer cake is out of this world! B+, 23 points

County Seat/Powhatan, Ruby Tuesday/Ashland, Pescados/Midlothian

Couldn't get in to the new hotspot Portico on River so trucked up to Powhatan to the County Seat.  Let me tell you, the people(employees and diners) were so nice I'd go back just to hang out! We were greeted by everyone!  The food was pretty good to boot.  I had the Rappahannock Fried Oyster plate with mac and cheese and zucchini, all good home cookin'.  Also snagged some tilapia & crab cake from husbands seafood platter.  The crab cake was better than most I've had lately, not full of a lot of junk! Had chocolate chess pie and buttermilk pie for dessert, shared with son.  Good thing I had my yearly blood work the day before! B/B+, a heck of a lot of points
Ruby Tuesday, hadn't been in years.  Went to lunch with my 95 year old friend who lives across the street.  I was pleasantly surprised! Got the Veggie Trio, 3 sides and unlimited salad bar.  My veggies were creamy mashed cauliflower, roasted spaghetti squash and grilled zucchini-all fab and the salad bar(which I usually avoid since I'm a bit of a germ freak) was very tidy with lots of choices, love those pumpernickel croutons and cold peas.  The garlic cheese biscuits that they bring for all were way better than Red Lobsters. B+ 12 points
Pecados- man the salsa and those sugar dusted tortillas rock, each table gets a basket. I got the tilapia tacos(good but once you have tacos from the local Boka truck, nothing compares).  The grilled zucchini was a little firm for my taste, coconut black beans ok, more cilantro please.  The Fisherman's chowder was really good and had some of sons calamari, tasty and the addition of pickled onions, oh boy. 22 points, also B/B+

Burger Works and Anokha, West End

The meat loving boys got the beef burgers(blend of Brisket, Chuck, Short-Rib). They said they were the BEST burgers in Richmond, translated-better than our usual go tos 5 Guys and Cook-out. I got the Veggie Signature burger-dripping down the arm juicy! The Veggie had pesto mayo, marinated portabella cap, grilled squash and zucchini, roasted red peppers and fresh mozzarella on a ciabatta roll and I added on grilled onions. Ready to go back A.S.A.P, want to try the cilantro-avocado sour cream! Gave myself 11 points. A-
Anokha-   Eating here confirmed one of the main reasons I started the blog- I can never remember my favorite dishes(now I can just read my blog).  Went to lunch here yesterday and of course couldn't remember what I previously liked so I took a guess.  Quickly realized it wasn't my usual fav but it was still very good. I got the Scallop Masala but the Scallop Goan Curry was what I loved before(which Barb ordered so I was able to swipe some). They actually have similar flavors but the curry dish is sweeter than the Masala.  The flavors are too hard to describe but oh so good, especially when you layer the rice, scallops and raita(classic yogurt sauce) on the naan and dip into the sauces-oh boy.  Lunch comes with soup or salad and Indian pudding- got the Lentil soup(yum with a kick), only had a bite of the pudding(saving points for a cupcake at Frostings later ). Figured 19 points. A-

The Watergrill and Carytown Cupcakes

Decent club, wouldn't run back-although if there is a next time I'd get the Oyster Po Boy. The California Club-smoked turkey, bacon, avocado, Monterrey jack, tomato aioli, whole wheat.  Turkey was good and moist, bacon was just how I like it, thin and crispy. Didn't really notice the other ingredients b/c I was deep in conversation with old friend Annie.  Noted it was pretty dry but really didn't see waitress to ask for more aioli. 10ish WW points, grade B
After lunch, went down the street to Carytown Cupcakes to use my Living Social(like Groupon) deal.  Would never go back- small, not great flavor, not enough icing.  I have fallen in love with Pearl's on Grove and my next fav is Frostings(so far, I'm still working my way around the city). 7ish WW points, grade C-

Ironfish by Pescados, off Lauderdale

Sat night, quick trip over(less than 5 minutes away), hubby had to get back for the football game.  They were packed at 5:30, we usually go out to eat early to avoid the crowds but now may have to go earlier since they stopped taking resies. There was a large gathering of hungry folks waiting at the door when we left, I'm sure happy to see us leave. We have been about 5 times before and we were psyched for some great seafood.  We usually love the crispy oysters(almost as good as Acacia's), they were good, just not as crispy as usual.  Always enjoy the purple potato vichyssoise, it's just fun!  For din I usually get fish or scallops but I'm trying to expand my horizons in 2012, I might rethink that though, nothing better than a perfectly seared scallop!  The crab cakes were kinda blah, loaded with little veggie bits, barely tasted crab(I miss Frog and the Redneck, they were the best crab cakes).  The saffron risotto cakes were just ok.  Since this was our 1st meal there that wasn't up to par, we will definitely go back. 18 WW points. B

Double trouble, Pearl's Cupcake Shoppe and Croaker's Spot

Almost embarrassed to admit that I went to Pearl's(Grove and Libbie) three days in a row, I've got a bit of a sweet tooth! 3rd day was by default though, went to Shyndiz but they weren't open yet. Wow, those are some moist cupcakes, loved all 3.  The Top Hat-vanilla cake, chocolate buttercream frosting.  The Tuxedo-choc buttercream cake frosted with a layer of choc buttercream, a layer of 7 minute frosting, and another layer of choc buttercream.  Could have laid my head on that sweet pillow of frosting, um um good.  The Mexi Cali-choc cake with red pepper and other spices, frosted with spiced buttercream.  This one is similar to Frosting's Mexican Hot chocolate, love, love, love(husband said the carrot cupcake that I brought him was the best he's ever had). Gave myself 9 WW points for each one. Guess I should mention that I recently upped my class attendance at the Y:)   A
Croaker's with Kim(who I recently starting calling Casper). Bring a big appetite or a doggie bag!  I almost never leave with leftovers b/c I usually clean my plate.  I had almost a full takeout container when I left Croakers. I got the Butterfly Shrimp Dinner- 8 fried shrimp, cheddar ranch grits and mac and cheese(instead of the cabbage) and a block of cornbread.  Shrimp were good, grits were very good and mac was and creamy and spicy, just needed a little salt.  Best thing was the enormous hunk of sweet cornbread. Oh yeah, didn't think I liked cabbage but tried Kim's-loved it! Let's just say I didn't count my points, just used up whatever I had left for the day and then added extras. B+

Ruth's Chris

Last Sat went to Ruth's Chris for husbands work function, great company not so great experience.  This was not my first time so I expected a great meal.  Let's just say it was a weird night that left us all perplexed.  The meal was 2 hours and 45 minutes, not by choice!  Seemed like at one point the waitress forgot about us, didn't see her for 20 minutes.  Anyway, on to the food.  The apps-mushrooms stuffed with crabmeat-soooo good, calamari-very tough. Several folks wanted the prime rib special but it was SOLD OUT, at 7pm-hmmm! They all were happy with their filets though.  My "special",  garlic encrusted halibut was WAY overdone, had to push very hard with the fork-no flaking here. For $33 bucks it should have been bangin'. The sweet potato casserole and spinach sides were terrific. We split the creme brulee(smooth, yum) and special lava type cake(tasted like cake I had in my grammar school cafeteria, yuk). Wish I had ordered the sweet potato casserole for dessert. I'll skip the rest of my complaints except: for that kind of money, the food shouldn't be hit or miss, there are too many great places to dine in RVA!

Frostings-It's amazing what a little cupcake can do

Picked up a Mexican Hot Chocolate cupcake at Frostings yesterday(near Trader Joe's Short Pump).  It was one on the flavors featured on Food Networks Cupcake Wars last week. Their website description-"chocolate cake, marshmellow filling, chocolate cream cheese frosting & a hint of cinnamon and spice". My description-"yummy chocolate goodness with a punch".  Although I didn't really taste the marshmellow that much, I didn't care, couldn't get enough of the chocolate icing and spiciness. The invigorating cinnamon and cayenne afterburn lasted for 6 minutes after cupcake completion! Gave myself 9 WW points.

Alexander's BBQ

Picked up Alexander's BBQ(1126 Westbriar Dr) tonight for dinner.  I LOVE their bbq- beans and coleslaw good too.  Got little tub of addt'l sauce-yum, just the right kick.  Child #1 prefers my bbq done in the crock pot but I usually like things better if I don't have to cook:) BBQ is the mushed up style which I prefer over the big chunks kind where you have to pull out gobs of fat. My serving was 10 points-had it on salad with Traders Joe's Light Cilantro dressing.
Coming soon: my favorite foods from 2011

Getting started

I started this blog b/c I wanted to keep track of my restaurant reviews/favorites and also the WW points that I use.  My family of 3(teen who doesn't want to be mentioned but has agreed to be called "child #1", me and my husband) rotates dinner choices every Sat.  The idea is that you can't put up a stink if child #1 wants to go to Dave & Busters,  if I want to eat Vietnamese for my 10th week in a row or if husband wants steak-again.  It really makes choosing a lot more enjoyable when no one can moan and it also encourages stepping out of your comfort zone.  Over the holidays we ate out more during the week than usual and since it wasn't our normal Sat rotation, it took us forever to decide where we all wanted to go, ugh!
My reviews will be simple, I'm not going to tell you about the various ingredients and sauces I know nothing about.  I love food and I'll let you know my favorite spots.
First visit of 2011-the Laurie's and I went to Tarrant's Cafe(One West Broad St) yesterday, 1/3/2011(sat us right next to former Gov Wilder).  Menu was enormous, so many things I wanted to try esp the black grouper lunch special but since it was $16.95(youch) I passed. I got the mahi mahi fish taco and split pea soup combo.  Taco was very good, big chunk of fish, good flavors- would have liked it to be more juicy like those from my favorite local food truck Boka.  You need several napkins to clean up after eating those!  Pea soup was great, almost as good as moms. The homemade chips were nice and crisp, had to share them to keep my points in check.  Oh yeah, they had brought out the BEST garlicy/olive oil bread.  Will definitely go back!
A- and total points I figured 25, a lot but worth it!

1st post Jan 3, 2012

I'm so tired from trying to figure out this blog stuff, the actual "post" will have to wait.  I am not a writer(so please don't correct my spelling or grammar), just a lover of food.  The point counting in my blog title refers to counting points plus, as in weight watchers.  I joined WW a yr ago Oct, lost 30 plus lbs. I love to eat and I eat out a lot, those points sure add up!  When I visit Richmond restaurants I'll try to include my points totals in my reviews.  Ready to pass out, more later.