not a lot to eat at broad appetit

6plus6 and i had such high hopes for this past weekends festival of food. we put on our raincoats and made our way down to the few blocks on broad armed with oodles of cash. we got there and showed ids and ambled over to get a stella. prepared with beverage, we pulled out the guide and proceeded to the food vendors. disbelief turned to confusion as we (starting at 1:30pm) moved from booth to booth to find that most were out of many dishes and some provided only one option and that was running perilously low.

running down the list:

mosaic (by 3:00pm) - still serving all of their items along with a tasty vegan crab cake.
tarrants cafe (by 2:00pm) - having trouble keeping up with the crowd, but proximity certainly helped as they continued to run "home" for more.
27- (by 2:00pm) - owner was shutting down and was saying to everyone that could hear "go to the restaurant".
six burner- (by 2:30pm) - all was gone, shutting down booth
popkin tavern- (by 2:00pm) - serving bruschetta (one item from their three)- even though they were located right next door?
positive vibe - (by 2:30 pm) - completely wrapped up and breaking down booth.
la grotta- (3:00pm) - still serving all items, owner there and serving.
africanne on main - (3:00 pm)the place was rocking, they served all dishes along with several additions, they are food festival people and have practice with this type of thing.
mise en place- (by 1:30pm) out of all but turkey legs, though i hear those sliders were "to die for", we wish they had made more than five of them so we could weigh in.
hidden treasure- (by 3:00pm) still serving all of the items, the crab bisque in a huge cup was spectacular.
comfort - (by 3:00pm) still rocking, that proximity thing again, the deviled eggs were a great idea and super tasty.
j. sarge - (3:00pm) - serving everything though it all was brown and looked unappetizing
1 north- wrapped up at 1:30pm, at least their booth looked good while they sat under it and did nothing
savor- (by 2:30pm) had only the java tempwich which was odd but doable again.
louisiana flair - completely moving and shaking with all till about 2:300pm then just beignets till everyone started wrapping it up.
sticky and cous cous - serving all items through the long haul, all owners and partners working, cous cous could not be any better on a rainy day.
enoteca sogno- (by 2:00pm) still serving all of them
beauregards- first, should win an award for most beautiful booth and food, second, served all food with additions till 3:00pm.
personal chef to go- out of everything by 1:30pm
tj's - serving till the end. all three items on one plate for 3.00. best deal at the festival. carrot dill soup was warm and creamy, rice pudding was a bit sticky and the lamb was bbq, non oily goodness.
zeds- serving one dish, salad. organic greens from victory farms with strawberries.
dining room at the berkeley- did they even come?
old city bar- where were you?
ellwoods - (by 2:00pm) down to meatless meatballs and not serving with a smile. ("they taste the same." "if you close your eyes.")
kuba kuba - (till 3:00pm) slinging paninis and cake - ooh the tres leche.
double t's - (2:00pm) out of bbq
croaker's spot- (till the end) i think this may be the only booth that served all food and other till well after almost everyone else had broken down. the fish was hot, the onions and peppers- caramelized, the chili- spicy and the corn bread -sweet and crumbly.


we were under the impression that the event was supposed to go till five ( at least, that was advertised) and so were the presenters and the beer people. it's too bad that they didn't tell the food vendors. we were a little shocked to see that most of the food vendors were out of stuff an hour into the festival. what would have happened if there had been sun? there were almost 5,000 people with rain. at 5:00pm, there were only artists and farmers left. over heard while ambling broad, "we came out in the rain, we were hoping for some good food and no one seems prepared."

* we did get to taste some bugs. i ate a grasshopper and several meal worms. 6plus6 had a beetle? and thought it most yummy. special thanks to jason alley for the beers.

** this blog was done super quickly-so if there are some mistakes- i promise to correct them.

braves take from atlanta (guest blogger)

3 says:

So I just arrived back at my home in Georgia after spending all spring up at college in , and I finally can watch the Atlanta Braves play on a regular basis on Fox Sports South and TurnerSouth. To a casual R-Braves fan, to a Nats fan (if there really is such a thing so early in the franchise’s relocated reincarnation), or to those of you who consider hardball to be a DC show with Chris Matthews, this may not seem to be an overly-significant addition to my evening television habits. However, I assure you that the 5 or 6 innings a night that I can now catch whatever evenings my rigorous evening schedule permits me (My juvenile attention span still keeps me from lasting the full 9), provide me the chance to reinvigorate my feelings of vibrant team spirit and camaraderie that have lain dormant for the first month and a half of the season. My allegiance to the NL East powerhouse went untested during my childhood, as great men such as Avery, Glavine, Maddux, Nixon, Bream, Lemke, Blauser, Justice, McGriff, the Jones boys, and so many others led us to 13 straight division titles. While I still proudly hang a Braves banner in my room, times have been more frustrating the past few seasons. My homeboys Francouer and McCann and my main man Matt Diaz have shown promise of good things to come, but substantial victories have proved hard to string together. So, this preseason, when I read an early ESPN report that this was the year that the Braves would reemerge as a legit World Series contender, I was thrilled that my boys from the A would be back in business and, perhaps, that a little late-September ritual that we in the south affectionately refer to as the "tomahawk chop" would sweep the nation once again. One would think that with our stacked starting rotation and mixture of youth and wily veteran leadership on the field things would be cooking inside Turner Field. Sadly, that has not been the case. While we do lead the majors in home winning percentage as of May 14th, our overall record stands at a paltry .500. Even Chipper Jones’s other-worldly .415 batting average has not been enough to outweigh the damage the injury bug has tainted our roster with. Road wins have been as almost difficult for the Braves as it they were for the Hawks against the Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference NBA playoffs. Atlanta seems to be stuck on a road competition snide, and for us to salvage any respectability as a sports city this year the Braves have to turn things around. Obviously Bobby Cox will keep plugging away like he always does, Smoltzie will boost the ‘pen when he returns in a few weeks, and hopefully Chipper can stay in the zone at the plate. But we need the new guys to assert themselves as respectable MLB ballers for us to make anything happen this year in what is once again a stacked division. All this said, I’m pumped to be able to root for my Atlanta boys once again on a regular basis. And thanks, pop, for the local cable package and the new plasma TV in the living room.

barrel thief to move?

while driving i noticed a new sign on patterson near grove with the barrel thief logo. anyone have news on this could be development? nothing here.

* this could be a serious blond moment for me and they could just have a sign in the empty window. if this is so - it is a great location. they should consider opening a second store. :)

cafe rustica is right on the money.(the little you will spend, anyway)

6plus6 and i ran by this almost downtown restaurant to check out all the hype. it was close to nine so we were expecting to be a bit rushed as we entered. we were seated immediately and greeted by a extremely soft spoken and sedate waitress. she cordially explained that they were out of a couple things - oyster stew and mussels. she dropped off a wine list - gave a couple of suggestions and disappeared behind the bar.

cafe rustica is set up similar to a fan bar - tables down one side of the establishment and bar on the other. the kitchen is bright and illuminates the back two booths with industrial bulb light that can be harsh if you are in the back area. (we were)

we perused the wine menu and were pleasantly surprised that only one bottle on the rather large list was above 25.00. we ordered a grenache but were immediately informed that they were out of it - selling their last bottle to table behind us. we settled on a malbec and a cheese plate to start us off. three cheeses and accoutrement such as olives, strawberries and honey toasted walnuts were promptly brought to the table with the explanation that we must have plenty of time to enjoy the wine and cheese pairing. served with this lovely plate were two slices of grilled flat bread- they barely hit the table before we mauled them. (hot, crispy, grill marks -mmm)

while chatting and enjoying our cheese, we looked at the menu. as soon as we decided on the grilled radicchio and the shrimp, scallop and crab cakes for appetizers- the waitress was right there to take our order. we kept a menu to make our dinner selections. ten minutes later - two HUGE appetizers joined us. the radicchio was expertly grilled with a splendid char on the outside and a fork cutting tender on the inside - strange was the prosciutto draped over the top of it but it came in handy on later bites to add a salty flavor to the almost sweet balsamic. the "cakes" full of seafood (2) - bursting at the sides, if you will- were inordinately large (not that we are complaining) for an appetizer served with a run of the mill mescalin mix. the same can not be said for the seafood. pan seared beautifully, crunchy on the outside - soft and seafoody in the middle; they did not fare long at the table.

food disappeared and a decision was made to skip entrees (how big could they be???) and go straight for dessert. again, our psychic waitress appears -dessert descriptions on the tip of her tongue. strawberry shortcake sounded the most promising. it was soooo good. served on a sweet and savory biscuit, fresh cream and strawberries -drizzled with a strawberry/maybe balsamic? reduction, it lasted all of twenty seconds despite how full we both were.

feeling twenty pounds heavier and happy, we received the check. (note: we did not ask for it. this waitress was at the right place at the right time all night.) we (even though we read the prices) were shocked to see how inexpensive it was- we looked at the check a few times to make sure there were no mistakes. three appetizers (HUGE ones), a bottle of decent wine, coffee, after dinner drink, dessert and seriously legit service- sooo inexpensive. worth making the trip.

* other visits included schnitzel - most tasty, mussels - outstanding and pasta (homemade!) - all out of this world.

who is this kid? on the food scene.

great write up - (we have refrained from writing about lulu's to give it enough time to get something right.) we always wonder about macaroni and cheese made posh. chic noodle? yeah, don't get it.

si, opening in charlottesville?

it has been said that starr hill (closed after owner was rumored to have bought into the satellite ballroom) in uvatown will become a familiar tapas bar. si, on lombardy in richmond has been rumored to be moving in to the large two level spot in wahooland. while there has been little to no news regarding the move, (or at least none that i have seen) the outside of the building has been boarded up as if for renovation and a sign has been posted re: this new tenant. keep in mind, mo, you will have to keep up with the jones': mas and bang. (two local tapas bars that have been dishing out the yum for cavaliers for some time now.)

*i could be incorrect here and it could be a restaurant just of the same name. (like that mexican caliente that sits off of staples mill) that could be a blessing- seeing as josh has left the original.

bloggers and critics take notice...

yesterday, i was home recovering from a bad case of food poisoning and found myself in bed watching television. saddened by the state of day-time television (i don't care for soaps, jerry springer, judge judy and i had watched sportscenter twice), i flipped to find a movie. luckily, ratatouille was on hbo. she and i loved this movie in the theater and i enjoyed it even more in the comfort of my own home.

if you have seen it, you know of its touching story line and wonderful animation. however, it was towards the end of the movie something really struck me. i listened carefully to anton ego's review of gusteau's restaurant and thought about what it is that "we all" do here on a daily basis. i don't think that we should change persay, i just think we should keep these words in mind as we eat, drink, and write. they are words well chosen and well received.

anton ego writes, "In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talents, new creations. The new needs friends. Last night, I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto, "Anyone can cook". But I realize only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau's, who is, in this critic's opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau's soon, hungry for more."

granted there are no little rats serving dishes in richmond (or maybe there are on some levels). i just think that ego might have something worth thinking about.