5/2/10
You'll have to forgive me a bit on this one. I waited a little too long to post about this meal, so my recollection is a bit fuzzy.
Culpeper is a bit outside of the Fredericksburg area, but close enough. My wife and I took a spur of the moment road trip and ended up in Culpeper as our base for visiting some wineries the next day. I'd never heard of Foti's, but it looked interesting from their website. The Chef is the former Sous Chef from the Inn at Little Washington.
We started out with appetizers of scallops and lamb. The scallops were grilled nicely and were sweet and delicious. The lamb was shaved thin and placed on a crostini, it was great. Our main courses were a trio of duck and monk fish. Both dishes were above average. The duck consisted of a pan seared breast, a sausage made with cabbage and pan fried ravioli's. while they were all good, I think I could have eaten about 20 of the ravioli. The monk fish was cooked with tomatoes on top of couscous. Monk fish can be tricky to cook, but this one was cooked perfectly.
If you find yourself in Culpeper, I would encourage you to stop in and try the food at Foti's.
www.fotisrestaurant.com
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Old Towne Butcher
Old Towne Butcher
Man, I am so happy we have a butcher in town now. I think it is something that was sorely lacking and from my last visit there, I can see a lot of people agree with me. The place was packed with customers getting steaks, roasts, bacon and of course their famous sausage. I was there to get some ground lamb, which they ground fresh, right in front of my eyes. In talking with the butcher, he said he can basically get anything you want (in my case a whole lamb) if you let him know a little ahead of time. While I haven’t ordered that whole lamb yet, I plan to at some point. I also want to take his sausage making class. Talking to some of the other customers there that had taken it, they said it is both fun and educational. I wish good luck and prosperity to Old Towne Butcher, it’s a welcome addition to the Fredericksburg area.
www.oldetownebutcher.com
Man, I am so happy we have a butcher in town now. I think it is something that was sorely lacking and from my last visit there, I can see a lot of people agree with me. The place was packed with customers getting steaks, roasts, bacon and of course their famous sausage. I was there to get some ground lamb, which they ground fresh, right in front of my eyes. In talking with the butcher, he said he can basically get anything you want (in my case a whole lamb) if you let him know a little ahead of time. While I haven’t ordered that whole lamb yet, I plan to at some point. I also want to take his sausage making class. Talking to some of the other customers there that had taken it, they said it is both fun and educational. I wish good luck and prosperity to Old Towne Butcher, it’s a welcome addition to the Fredericksburg area.
www.oldetownebutcher.com
India Queen
4/24/10
Normally I wouldn't be caught dead at a buffet, but it was lunch, it was an Indian restaurant and I was hungry. If I can stay on the buffet theme for a second, I will say I was the only person in the restaurant with a normal B.M.I. Overweight people seem to be able to sniff out buffets better than a Bloodhound chasing a criminal. But I digress, so back to India Queen. It was the typical Indian lunch buffet set-up. Several dishes, plus some kind of dessert. The entrees consisted of a number of vegetarian Kormas, plus coconut chicken, butter chicken and tandoori chicken. I was a bit disappointed that all the meat entrees were chicken. A lamb Vindaloo or some Rogan Josh would have been nice. The only thing that stuck out at all for me was the butter chicken. It was nicely seasoned and the spiciness came through well. The other dishes didn't really standout as anything special. This place will do if you are hungry and nearby, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get there for a meal. The lunch buffet ran $8.95 on a Saturday.
www.indiaqueen.com
Normally I wouldn't be caught dead at a buffet, but it was lunch, it was an Indian restaurant and I was hungry. If I can stay on the buffet theme for a second, I will say I was the only person in the restaurant with a normal B.M.I. Overweight people seem to be able to sniff out buffets better than a Bloodhound chasing a criminal. But I digress, so back to India Queen. It was the typical Indian lunch buffet set-up. Several dishes, plus some kind of dessert. The entrees consisted of a number of vegetarian Kormas, plus coconut chicken, butter chicken and tandoori chicken. I was a bit disappointed that all the meat entrees were chicken. A lamb Vindaloo or some Rogan Josh would have been nice. The only thing that stuck out at all for me was the butter chicken. It was nicely seasoned and the spiciness came through well. The other dishes didn't really standout as anything special. This place will do if you are hungry and nearby, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get there for a meal. The lunch buffet ran $8.95 on a Saturday.
www.indiaqueen.com
The 3/50 Project
The 3/50 Project
This is pretty cool. It’s a website set up to help support local independent businesses. Since my site is about food and restaurants I really want to support this cause. I hate chain restaurants. They make uninspired, lowest common denominator food. The true heart of a community comes from the local businesses and we need to support them wholeheartedly. The website for this great project is www.the350project.net/home.html .
This is pretty cool. It’s a website set up to help support local independent businesses. Since my site is about food and restaurants I really want to support this cause. I hate chain restaurants. They make uninspired, lowest common denominator food. The true heart of a community comes from the local businesses and we need to support them wholeheartedly. The website for this great project is www.the350project.net/home.html .
Jake and Mike's
4/17/10
OK. I have to admit I was a little nervous when I went inside and saw the bad faux paint on the walls, not to mention the tacky pseudo-Italian Kirkland’s wall decorations. My apprehension was compounded further when the waitress said they were out of burgers. How does a place that specializes in burgers and sandwiches for lunch run out of burgers? With none of their many burger choices available, I went for the Blackened Mahi sandwich with Cajun aioli. WOW, I’m glad they were out of burgers. I overheard the Chef say to the waitress when he handed the plate to her thru the pass-thru, “Now that’s a good looking sandwich”. He was right, it was nice looking. A nice thick piece of mahi, with lettuce, tomato and the aioli all on grilled bread, cut across the grain. My spirits were lifted further when I took that first bite. The spice, the moistness of the fish and the aioli blend to make a great first impression on your tongue. As you continue to eat the sandwich, the heat builds and in my case started to clear out my sinus. Not overwhelming heat, but a nice amount. At $14.95 it might be a bit pricy for some, but I found it worth the money.
www.jakeandmikes.com/
OK. I have to admit I was a little nervous when I went inside and saw the bad faux paint on the walls, not to mention the tacky pseudo-Italian Kirkland’s wall decorations. My apprehension was compounded further when the waitress said they were out of burgers. How does a place that specializes in burgers and sandwiches for lunch run out of burgers? With none of their many burger choices available, I went for the Blackened Mahi sandwich with Cajun aioli. WOW, I’m glad they were out of burgers. I overheard the Chef say to the waitress when he handed the plate to her thru the pass-thru, “Now that’s a good looking sandwich”. He was right, it was nice looking. A nice thick piece of mahi, with lettuce, tomato and the aioli all on grilled bread, cut across the grain. My spirits were lifted further when I took that first bite. The spice, the moistness of the fish and the aioli blend to make a great first impression on your tongue. As you continue to eat the sandwich, the heat builds and in my case started to clear out my sinus. Not overwhelming heat, but a nice amount. At $14.95 it might be a bit pricy for some, but I found it worth the money.
www.jakeandmikes.com/
Kenzo
4/10/10
Had a Bento Box for lunch. Love those things. Little apartments with their own edible occupants. I got the seafood bento box. Of course it starts with some Miso Soup. The box itself consisted of seafood teriyaki, California rolls, a salad, fried rice and some tempura. The teriyaki seafood mix consisted of squid, shrimp and scallops. I know the sauce it’s in probably gave me a week’s dose of sodium, but damn it’s good. The California rolls were typical, as was the fried rice. I love sesame dressing, so that’s all I really need to make me like the salad. The tempura was light and crispy. Fried vegetables, hmmm, the Japanese must have some Southern relatives. Warning it’s a lot of food for lunch, it will definitely fill you up.
Had a Bento Box for lunch. Love those things. Little apartments with their own edible occupants. I got the seafood bento box. Of course it starts with some Miso Soup. The box itself consisted of seafood teriyaki, California rolls, a salad, fried rice and some tempura. The teriyaki seafood mix consisted of squid, shrimp and scallops. I know the sauce it’s in probably gave me a week’s dose of sodium, but damn it’s good. The California rolls were typical, as was the fried rice. I love sesame dressing, so that’s all I really need to make me like the salad. The tempura was light and crispy. Fried vegetables, hmmm, the Japanese must have some Southern relatives. Warning it’s a lot of food for lunch, it will definitely fill you up.
Soup & Taco, Etc...
4/2/10
Soup and Yummo is more like it.
First time trying this place. Looks very small from the outside, but when you walk thru the doors there are a surprising number of tables.
I ignored the menu and ordered some of the daily specials posted on the chalk board above the counter.
I started with Menudo. No not the 80's Mexican Pop band featuring Ricky Martin, but the soup made with hominy and tripe in a clear broth (I think mine had both stomach and lung). Mmmm offal. The soup was heavy on both onion and cilantro, and had quite a nice kick from the spices. This was the best thing I ate during this meal.
Next I tried the Carnitas Tacos. These were done a bit differently than other carnitas tacos I've had. The pork was plain, with no sauce like you see in some other places. Inside the double flour tortillas was the pork (of course), plus onions, cilantro and avocado. A lime wedge on the side adds a nice bit of acid if you choose to use it. I did, and it helps bring the flavors together. Not the best carnitas I've had, but not the worst either.
Lastly was the Pupusas. Here they use hand made corn tortillas and stuff them with either beans and chicken or cheese and pork. I found the cheese and pork ones to taste better. There was a depth of flavor there that I didn't really pick up with the bean and chicken ones.
2 tacos with a cup of soup is only $8.95. That's a good deal.
Kybecca Wine Bar
3-27-10
Wow. Kybecca was busy this evening. The fullest I’ve ever seen it. Every seat, stool and booth in the place was filled and this was before the night’s musical entertainment showed up. Service was a little slow at first, but smoothed out nicely as the evening went on.
Let’s start with the Enomatic machines. They were acting a little wonky and actually charged me for a half glass, but didn’t dispense the goods. The problem was quickly remedied by Matt, one of the Co-owners, who had to run downstairs to the guts of the machine and make some adjustments. He then credited me for the wine.
Getting into the actual food and wine we consumed.
Thai Red Curry Mussels – Very Tasty. The curry had a slight sweetness to it along with just a hint of spice. The broth itself was excellent to sop up with the baguette provided. Remember to ask for an extra baguette to enjoy all the broth. Also remember not to eat unopened mussels. There were a couple barely open in the bowl, that we elected not to risk eating.
Lamb Chop trio – These are served with a dollop of house-made pistachio pesto and shaved pecorino. There is a nice salty explosion when you first bite into one of these little meat lollipops.
Lentil Salad – I really like this salad. It’s simple, but delicious. Lentils, mixed with a bit of goat cheese on a bed of greens.
Shrimp & Grits – While I have had better shrimp and grits as an entrée, this small plate version was not bad. I would have liked the grits a bit creamier, but the taste was pretty good.
Chocolate Pot de Crème – I’ve had this dessert at Kybecca before. This night it tasted better than I remember. The chocolate taste really came thru and went very well with the Cote du Rhone I was drinking at the time.
Domaine Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone – This was the wine that stood out for me tonight. It’s on the by the glass menu, not in the enomatics. It had a nice dark ruby color and a medium body. A lot of pepper on the tongue. I thought it went equally well with both the lamb chops and chocolate Pot du Crème I had.
All in all, an enjoyable night at Kybecca.
http://kybeccawinebar.com/
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