Let's Give that Space One More Try

Well it seems that F.W. Sullivans will be moving into the old Longstreet Space, Which was the of Las Palmas space, which was the old University Cafe space. 

I think FWS might actually make it in that space based on their track record in Richmond.  This still begs the question on what they are going to do with the Faty J's space they had previously committed to.  Hmmm?

Another One Bites the Dust

Well both Asia Bistro and Sunset Thai have closed.  I think the Fredericksburg food scene is probably better for it.  Asia Bistro served food that was indifferent at best and Sunset Thai served me the worst meal I have had in the last year.

Let's hope whatever replaces them is better.

Longtime, No Posts

April 25, 2011

Wow.  Been busy and haven't posted in quite a while. Got a few things to talk about. Went to a few restaurants.


Tried the new Longstreet's.  Enjoyed the Hoisin BBQ Pork Flatbread Pizza.  It was crispy, but a little soggy as I got to the middle, however it tasted good.  It had a combination of ingredients including, pulled pork tossed with the hoisin bbq sauce, roasted red peppers, scallions and carrot sticks.  Went nice with my sweet tea.

Finally tried  Foode.  I like the idea they are trying to push.  I don't particularly care for the space they are in.  I can't believe with the amount of time it took them to open up and they still have to go outside then back inside to bring you your food.  Doesn't seem like real good planning to me, I think they could have found a more conducive space for a restaurant downtown.  On to the food.  I ordered what was called the Not so Sloppy Joe.  Maybe they were trying to be ironic or something.  It was actually the most sloppy Joe I have ever eaten.  While the flavors were good, they didn't knock my socks off.  I enjoyed the fries more than the sandwich.

Went to La Petite Auberge for the first time in like 30 years.  While the food was way better than I remember it from my pre-Prom dinner back in the early 80's, there is better food to be had for the price in Fredericksburg.  I had the Shad Roe wrapped in bacon, which was tasty if a little bit heavy.  The sides that accompanied the dish were nothing to write home about.  Skipped their dessert and walked downed to Soup & Taco and got some Tres Leches cake to go. Mmmm.

909 Saloon

12/23/10

A very new comer to the Fredericksburg dining scene.  I would not have even known this one was there, if I hadn't saw the article in the Free Lance Star.  It's in the little store front next to the old Colonial Theater (for those of you who've been around a while - otherwise it's at 909 Caroline St.) .  There is no sign, just a peace sign on the door.   The interior is covered with rock memorabilia from the 60's and 70's mainly.  The bar stools are from the cover of either the Destroyer or Love Gun Album from KISS and are pretty cool.  Food wise I think the place did OK for being only open a couple weeks.  I had what they called the Southwestern Pizza with Andouille Sausage.  The pizza was good and had surprising things in it like corn, which added a nice taste.  The crust was OK, but I would have liked a more crispy crust, with a bit more flavor, but I think that will come with time.  They have a nice selection of beers and very friendly bartenders.  The couple Blue Moons I had went nicely with the pizza. Starting on New Years Eve they will start having musical acts.  I think this one is a good addition to downtown.

The Blarney Stone Public House

11/24/10

I really wanted to like the food here, but alas it was average at best.  I ordered what their menu called "Fredericksburg's Best Fish N' Chips" for lunch today.  I really hope they aren't the best in Fredericksburg, because they weren't that good. It was an obviously pre-frozen piece of fish, cut into a non-fishlike polygonal shape, not the nice piece of fresh fish I was hoping for.  At least it was fried properly and was warm on this cold day.  The fries were steak cut and were fine, although I would have preferred a more traditional cut.  Sadly the star of the plate was the curry dipping sauce that came on the side.  It had a nice curry taste that made up somewhat for the fish.

I'll probably give the food another chance sometime in the future, but for now I'll probably just stick with a pint of Guinness.

2400 Diner

November 14, 2010

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  So my thinking is you better make it a good one.  2400 Diner does that in spades.  What the interior space lacks in size, they make up for in portions of food on the plate.  I ordered the 3 stack pancakes with a side of bacon, the waitress suggested I start with 2, and she'd bring another if I was still hungry.  Man, I am glad she said that.  When the plate came out it was covered in 2 hubcap size pancakes, with 3 huge slices of bacon.  The pancakes tasted awesome.  No fancy fruit covered or nut filled pancakes here, just straight up pancakes and syrup.  It was everything I could do to eat those 2 pancakes and the bacon.  I didn't eat again until dinner.

Looks like I may have to become a regular at 2400.

Bistro Bethem

November 6, 2010

I have loved this place from the first time I went to it a few years back. Tonight’s meal was the best I’ve ever had there. Both my App and Main were Specials. I started out with the Grilled Spanish Anchovies served with a green tomato salsa, preserved lemon and olive oil. The combination was very tasty, the lemon and salsa were a perfect accompaniment to the nicely charred fish. For my main I went with the Braised beef short ribs served with baby tomatoes, white beans and salsa verde. I have one word for it. Awesome! I finished up the meal with a Chocolate Pot du Crème served with peanut brittle. A very nice dessert. I broke off pieces of the brittle and scooped up the chocolate with it. Mmm good. My better half seemed equally happy with her meal. She started off with the Prince Edward Island Mussels, which are sautéed in a garlic-chili-seafood broth. This is a good sized App, so if you’re not big eaters you could probably share this one. For her main she chose the Fresh local rockfish served with apple wood bacon potato hash and baby bok choy. She ate everything on the plate, so you know it must have been good. She finished the meal with Vanilla Crème Brulee served with Chocolate cookies. The cookies taste good, but are shaped like dog bones for some reason.

Can’t wait to go back for my next meal.

http://www.bistrobethem.com/

Sunset Thai

November 6, 2010

I should have known something was up when I walked into the place and no one else was in there. I was hoping that it was just a slow Saturday for shoppers and not many had ventured in yet. Unfortunately I was wrong. This was the worst lunch I have had in a long time. I ordered the Red Curry Chicken, which included a side salad and spring roll. There was a consistent theme that ran throughout the meal. That theme was “flavorless”. None of the food had any taste to it. From my first bite of the salad to my last bite of the chicken curry there was no depth of flavor to anything. While lettuce is not known for tremendous amounts of flavor, this had none; I do not know what they did to render it so bland. The spring roll was the same story, bland, bland, bland (any very small). I was hoping the curry would redeem the meal, but alas it did not. There was no “savoryness” to the curry like you would expect. It was like they used a drop of coconut milk in it, instead of the correct amount.

This meal sucked. Don’t think I will be going back anytime soon.

Old Towne Grill

October 30, 2010

I've walked by this place a million times, but never went in.  My Loss.  I always noticed how packed it was when I walked by, and now I know why.  The interior is not much to look at, a well worn counter and maybe a dozen tables, but who cares when the food is good.  I sat at the counter and ordered the Garlic Burger, a nice size burger with a great garlic aioli, cheese, and beautiful fresh tomatoes.  The first bite into the burger is awesome, it is super juicy and you taste the garlic right away, but not in an overpowering way.  It's the best burger I have had in a Fredericksburg restaurant in a long time.  I can't wait to go back and try breakfast one morning.

Poppy Hill Tuscan Kitchen

October 2, 2010

Man, Poppy Hill was slammed tonight, which may have explained the food we received on this visit.  There were two very large groups there, plus every table including the ones outside were full.  I ordered my old reliable Balsamic Chicken, which I normally love, however on this visit it was dry and not as flavorable as it normally is.  My wife got the sea bass special which looked nice when it came out, but was dry as well.  I think both must have spent some time under the heat lamp because of the crush of people that were in there.  The Sangiovese I drank however was great.

The other thing that bothered me this visit was the noise level.  The two large groups and one particular four top were extremely loud.  One of the things I like best about Poppy Hill is that it is usually has a more chilled vibe about it.  The amount of noise this night was not the restaurants fault, but it did add to a disappointing evening at one of my favorite restaurants. 

Hoping my next meal there will be better.

MISO

August 28, 2010

Me So Hungry, Me Love You Long Time!  Wow, the sushi is really good here.  I popped in for a quick lunch and got the "Sushi Bar Lunch Special", which consists of 2 rolls for $7 or 3 for $10, plus your choice of miso soup or salad.  I chose the 2 rolls option with the salad.  The salad was the typical one you would expect in a sushi type restaurant consisting mainly of lettuce with a few onions and tomatoes thrown in, with a really nice sesame dressing on it.  Now, onto the sushi.  I chose the Eel & Cucumber roll and the Spicy Scallop roll.  Both were excellent.  I love eel sushi and Miso's was excellent.  It was savory and refreshingly light at the same time.  The spicy scallop roll was even better in my opinion.  The sweetness of the scallop combined with a not overpowering spiciness made for a great flavor combination.

If I might say a quick note about Miso's interior.  I like it.  It looks nice, you wouldn't have known the building used to be a Burger King back in the day, until you walk outside and see the remnants of the drive thru on the side of the building.  I look forward to going back to Miso and trying some of the other items off their menu.

Castiglias Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria

July 5, 2010

Didn't so much pick this restaurant, as have it thrust upon us.  It was one of the only restaurants open on the evening of July 4th in downtown.  I had been wanting to try the pizza here, so we said why not.  Unfortunately, the best thing I can say about the pizza is that the crust was good.  It was crisp and had a nice flavor to it, but that is about all the good I can say.  The sauce was average, the mushrooms were from a can and the peperoni seemed to come from a grocery store.  I make a better pizza than they do.  My wife had the lobster ravioli, the sauce it came in was nice, but the ravioli lacked any real pizazz.  It was some pasta filled with lobster, nothing special.  We did try their private label Syrah  and found it to be not too bad, especially considering the $14.95 price for a bottle.  Not the best wine in the world, but worth the money for what we got.

Soup and Taco, Etc...

5/31/10

Another trip to Soup and Taco. We went really simple this time and just ordered the Fish Tacos (Pescado) with a side of refried beans and rice (Arroz con frijoles). Man the fish tacos are awesome. They are probably the best fish tacos I've tasted. They use nice portions of Tilapia topped with Pico ge gallo, napa cabbage and crema.  Squeeze a little lime over the top and you're ready to go. Mmmm good. The refried beans and rice were really nice as well. They mix the rice with chopped cilantro, which gives it a more savory flavor.  The refried beans were a combination of whole beans and smashed beans, not the typical bean puree you see at a lot of restaurants.

In my opinion, Soup and taco is the best meal for the money in town.

Poppy Hill Tuscan Kitchen

5/29/10

Poppy Hill is one of my favorite places to eat at in the Burg. They have consistently good food and wine. While tonight's meal was not the best one I have had there, it was still above average.

We started off with the Mussels Marinare. A good classic preparation, prepared in white wine. Nice size, tasty mussels and a nice sauce to dip bread in. For main courses I went for the Mushroom Carbonara Special and my wife went for the Baked Trout Special. The Carbonara was a bit different in that instead of the more traditional bacon, the Chef used Steak Tartare. It gave a different, but good taste to the dish. The baked trout was served, skin on over a bed of risotto and grilled asparagus. The trout was cooked well, and as usual, the risotto was great. The Chef really knows how to make risotto here. I have had bad risotto at restaurants; it's not a fun experience.

We had a nice bottle of Bearboat Pinot Noir 2006 that went well with both dishes. It had a lot of red fruit and was nicely balanced.

http://www.ciaopoppyhill.com/

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

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

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 .

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/

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.

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.