BRAISED LEEKS! and Vegcetera in Tomato Sauce

For the sauce: I minced shallot 1 smashed or minced clove of garlic bit of Olive Oil or butter 1-1/2 cups tomato puree (or sauce) 1-1/2 cups chicken, beef of vegetable stock or broth Dash of vermouth or white wine Bay leaf, thyme For the Leeks and Veg-cetera 1 large leek 1 potato 2 small turnips 1 or 2 carrot 1 or 2 stalks celery 3 tbsps. California Olive Ranch Olive Oil Cappelini or angel hair pasta for two Grated Peccorino romano cheese – sheep milk from Italy! Bit of oil or butter Cut the leek tops off leaving about an inch of green. Clean the leek tops carefully enough to remove all dirt and save them for another use tomorrow. Trim the root hairs without disturbing the bottom attachment. Split the leek and clean the top end, very carefully removing ALL traces of dirt. Keep the leek halves whole. Turn them cut side down on a paper towel to drain a bit. Heat three tablespoons of olive oil in a large stainless or enamel skillet that can be covered. Brown the cut sides of the split leeks over medium heat – don’t let them blacken – a good medium brown will be pretty enough. Remove the browned leeks from the skillet. While the leeks are browning, in a separate sauce pan brown a minced shallot and a clove of garlic, also minced; then pour in equal quantities of tomato sauce or puree and stock or broth (chicken, beef or vegetable) into the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add a bay leaf and some thyme, as well as a good dash of Vermouth or white wine. I used a Blue Fin Viognier – because it was handy, because I like it better than Chardonnay, and because it’s both cheap enough to cook and good enough to drink with dinner. Left over Viognier will not be a problem. Simmer the sauce gently while you brown the leek and the vegetables – to set the flavors. Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf. While the leek halves are browning, peel a potato and two turnips. Cut the potato in thick rounds or, if it was small, in two halves. Cut the turnips in half. Brown one flat side of each piece in the olive oil, adding more if necessary. Peel the carrot; trim its stem and root end, and then (if it is fat) cut it in half longways. If it is not fat, use two thin carrots. Organic carrots generally taste better. Unpeeled carrots have slightly more minerals than than peeled carrots (from the dirt), but I don’t like the taste of the peel. Cut them into several short lengths. Take at least two good stout stalks of celery, trim the top end, remove any bad or snail-chewed parts, and cut them in lengths to match the carrot. Brown these morsels in the skillet, adding a bit more oil if necessary. N.B. You may add half a box of sliced mushrooms and sauté them if you have some on hand – and if you like mushrooms. Arrange the leak halves side by side head to toe cut side up in the center of the skillet. Surround them with the other vegetables. Pour the sauce over. It should come nearly high enough to cover the vegetables. Bring to a simmer over low heat on top of the stove, then cover the skillet and braise in the oven at 325 degrees for an hour or so, until everything is tender.. About 20 minutes before it is done, fill a large saucepan ¾ full with water and bring to a boil. Salt to your liking for cooking pasta. Add a bit of oil or not, just as you please. Add enough cappelini or angel hair, broken in half, to feed two people. A circle of thumb and foreginger works at my house for a measure. Cook a few minutes until just done. Two minutes may do. Do not overcook. Drain. Return to the saucepan. Add a spoon of oil or butter to your liking and a light sprinkling of the real Romano sheep milk cheese from Italy. Stir. Serve from the saucepan, which should be carried to the table with its cover on to keep it warm. For the dishup – Put a serving of angel hair in the center of a warm plate, top with vegetables and sauce. Sprinkle on a bit more cheese – not enogh to be more than a grace note. We used homemade ciabbatta to wipe the plates clean. Use the leftover leek tops in soup or stew. Discard any bits that have gone yellow.

THE BARBEQUE EXCHANGE

102 Martinsburg Ave
Gordonsville, VA 22942
Phone:(540) 832-0227
Open 8am-11PM

There are plenty of places to get ordinary quality food in Central Virginia, but we hope you will find few meals as disappointing as the meal we ate at The Barbeque Exchange in Gordonsville recently.  If your standards for Barbeque are very low, or if you are friendly with the owner, you might actually write a positive review.  

The Barbeque Exchange is easy to find on Rt. 15 on the right as you come into Gordonsville from Zion Crossroads or Interstate 64.  If you eat outside on the porch, you may catch some diesel exhaust from trucks in the parking lot.  On May 25, 2013, two of us found the food to be unpalatable, though (with one exception) not quite inedible.

All of the “hot” food we ate was served in a lukewarm condition -- and on the cool side of lukewarm at that.  The lukewarm Beef Brisket was slightly too chewy.  The Pulled Pork Barbeque was served rather too far toward the cold side of lukewarm, and worse, it was served on a semi-stale roll that had been neither steamed, nor warmed nor toasted. 

It should be unnecessary to point out that holding meat on a serving line at a lukewarm temperature is a dramatic violation of basic sanitary procedure that the proprietor should correct immediately.  Perhaps investing in a few instant read thermometers for the serving line would the servers keep serving temperatures of the pulled pork and brisket in the “safe” range. 

Re-chilling and then re-heating leftover meats that were held at a lukewarm temperature on the previous night, might actually be a health hazard.  I am sure it is something the Louisa County Health Inspector may check before long.

As for the coleslaw at The Barbeque Exchange, the cabbage had been chopped chunky instead of being shredded, and … the dressing had scarcely any flavor. 

The lukewarm collard greens, which we love when done right (and which are hard to ruin), had not been stewed long enough to create a suave mix of cooked greens and smoked pork flavors in the pot likker.  Worse, one of the two servings we ordered  had plenty of grit (it was dirt, not salt or pepper, just gritty dirt or sand) throughout one portion, indicating it had not been properly washed.  Very little pot likker was served in the cups.  The hushpuppies, though tasty, had cooled off before they were served.  We don’t balk at eating cold hushpuppies, but generally we save cold hushpuppies for a dog we love.  The Mac and Cheese, recommended by a friend as outstanding, was served on the cold side of lukewarm and had congealed to a stiff consistency when it should have been creamy.

One element of our  experience at Gordonsville’s Barbeque Exchange stood out as substantially less than lukewarm, however: the level of hospitality from the cashier and the servers was impolite, unhelpful, downright rude and could even fairly be called teenage-snotty.  We had to carry a bottle of that good cane sugar Dominion Ginger Ale back inside to get it opened. 

That Dominion Ginger Ale was the only thing we really liked. 

We ate on the porch on a Saturday night watching a gorgeous sunset over the Southwestern Mountains.  The Barbeque Exchange wasn’t that busy, though a fairly large party of what seemed to be Mennonite farmers and their bonneted wives just leaving as we came in. 

The lukewarm undercooked brisket at The Barbeque Exchange was actually slightly tough, and we felt the slices were a bit too thick.  There were no burnt ends, and there was no smoky exterior crust.  Worse, the brisket was so lacking in flavor that we thought it might have been stewed before it was smoked.  There was no fat on the brisket’s exterior, and none on the interior neither.  Only the cheapest leanest old cows have that kind of brisket.  Fat augments flavor.  The pulled pork barbeque at The Barbeque Exchange also lacked flavor, perhaps for the same reason. 

We wondered why the Barbeque Exchange enjoys such a good reputation, and concluded that, after all, it is pretty much the only restaurant within a ten mile radius.  The table sauces were fair. 

We’ve had much better barbeque recently, and truly outstanding sides at The Hogshead Café on Broad Street in Richmond’s West End, where the Hogshead, the service is also outstanding (and friendly) – and you can get a fabulous freshly-made limeade.

The good people at The Barbeque Exchange in Gordonsville have a lot to learn, especially in the basic areas of hospitality and serving hot food at a hot temperature.  A bun steamer on the kitchen line might help.  The ribs might have been better than the brisket or the pulled pork, but after an experience like ours, well … 

Would you hurry back any time soon?

Despite all this, we are glad there’s a restaurant in Gordonsville. 

It’s been awhile.

Real Hot Chocolate

Usually I use Droste Dutch chocolate powder to make this, but Trader Joe chocolate powder or even Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder will do in a pinch.  In a medium sized bowl with sloping sides, put in about ten or twelve tablespoons of chocolate powder.  It should not come more than a third of the way up the sides. Add a good big dollop of honey and two tablespoons of sugar.   Mix gently until the chocolate powder takes up all the honey.  Pour in about half a cup of heavy cream and stir (slowly, so as not to make the powder fluff up and escape the bowl) until the cream is all taken up.  You can use milk, if you like but the result won't be nearly as good, and it won't mix as easily.  Add a capful of vanilla and a small sprinkling of cinnamon, then the rest of the cup of cream.  Stir until smooth.  This is chocolate base.  It should taste like unsweetened frosting.  It will keep quite well in the fridge for up to a week. 

To make hot chocolate, pour water fresh off the boil into a mug.  Add a dollop of the chocolate base.  A tablespoon or less will do for most people.  Stir until blended.  Taste for strength.  Add more chocolate base if necessary.  Then use a small whisk, twirled in the cup, to produce some tasty froth. 

Slurp happily to your heart's content. 

La Cabana - Very Good Tacos

La Cabana

4086 Crockett St

Henrico, VA 23228

I had two excellent very Mexican tacos at La Cabana: al Pastor, and Carnitas.  Both were the best taco of its type I've had in Richmond, Virginia.  From Staples Mill Road, turn right (going toward Richmond) or left (going toward Montpelier) at the light for Crockett Road.  You'll find La Cabana on the right at the end of the shopping center.  I'll stop here often.  Two tacos are way, way better than McDonald's dollar menu.  Tacos are a dollar each on Fridays.  (I think.) They serve Jarritos Mexican sodas made with sugar -- my favorite soft drink.  I like the Mandarina, but Tamarindo is also good.  Crockett Road is just a bit before Anthony and George's Steak House going west on Staples Mill.  They'll cater parties and you might could call ahead for a large order, but hey -- sit down and soak up the atmosphere. 

The Belmont Butchery

15 N. Belmont Avenue
Richmond, VA 23221‎

(804) 422-8519 

belmontbutchery.com

 

 Really it is impossible to tell how clearly The Belmont Butchery sticks in the mind.  I keep remembering the lamb bacon.  I look forward to linguica so I can make a proper Caldo Verde.  And a Wagyu brisket for Texas Barbecue.  Time for the paleo diet?  Thank you, Tanya Cauthen!   From the bottom of my sausage-loving heart.

EASY CALDO VERDE

Requires about 80 minutes.

Really, Caldo Verde is  just kale or collards or even broccoli soup thickened with mashed potatoes.  Linguiça is a main flavoring, and you can get some very good linguiça at The Belmont Butchery in Richmond, Virginia.

However, ordinary country sausage might be too sage-y. Couple slices of smoked jowl?  Few drops of smoked flavoring or smoked torula yeast? Or, really, you can just use California olive oil and vegetables.

Caldo Verde is really easy:

Brown up some linguiça or other sausage in your soup pan while you slice several onions.  And mince two or three cloves of garlic.  

(Alternatively, for a vegetarian version, just start with onion and butter or olive oil, and skip sausage completely.  But why skip the sausage if you live within driving distance of The Belmont Butchery?)

Chorizo or andouille, I think might have too much black pepper for some people to use them in Caldo Verde.

While the onion and sausage become nicely browned, peel a large baking potato, cut in half lengthwise and crosswise.  Put in with onions and garlic.  Add a diced carrot and a diced stick of celery. if you have some.

Wash the kale very thoroughly, especially if it is curly kale.  Purple kale works well.  Cut off the ends of the stems, and then cut the stem ends into short bits. 

When the onion and sausage have browned, add good water to come up pretty full.   But not too full for adding all that shredded collards or kale.  Put all the stems  in the pot.  Season with bay leaf and thyme and maybe a bit of rosemary.  You can add an ancho chili if you like, after removing its stems and seeds.

Add broth, stock, or essence, if you have some.  Chicken or beef or vegetable.  Bring to boil and simmer until the potatoes are tender.  You may add a handful of quinoa (washed and then toasted) or a handful of organic short grain brown rice for more strength, if you like.  Add 1/4 of the shredded kale.

Pull the sausages out and slice them into eating chunks, then return them to the pot.  Or brown some tofu in olive oil and use that instead.  Continue to simmer.  Ten minutes before serving, raise heat to a good but not furious boil. 

Put in the rest of the kale shreds.  After the liquid boils (not long, the kale should stay slightly crunchy) mash the potatoes right in the pan with a smasher   The soup will thicken up.  Adjust the seasoning (the salt, especially, because the potatoes will absorb salt.)  Add a dash of vermouth or Port.

Turn off the heat and let stand, covered, for about five minutes while the guests assemble at the table. 

Put a spoon of the best California Olive Ranch Olive Oil in each bowl.  Ladle the soup in. A spoon of the real grated sheep milk romano cheese from Italy will be an ideal sprinkle-on.

Drink good red wine.  Or good white wine.  Or Port.  Not vinho verde.  And certainly not Mateus. -- Christian Gehman

El Parian - My True Favorite of All Great Tacos in Los Angeles

 El Parian

1528 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Neighborhood: Pico Union

(213) 386-7361

El Parian was my favorite taco place when I lived in Los Angeles -- it's down near the Omni.  El Parian's storefront window on Pico has intimidating heavy bars, and looks a bit like like a jail in a small town in Mexico.  The front entrance, alongside the grill up front, is small and narrow, but El Parian expands to barn size in back.  You'll probably drive right by it the first time -- signage is neither great nor noticeable, but just turn at the next corner and pull into the spacious parking lot in back, which goes all the way through the block.  The parking lot will often be full of cars that are better set up than the one you're driving.  Go in through the back door and sit down at an empty table.  Wait for a waitress.  Order a beer and some tacos.  Get a full plate if you want and make your own.  If you're really in a hurry, you can order up front and wait for takeout.  but then the waitresses won't smile at you.

You'll feel safe inside, unless you don't like tacos -- or unless Latinos frighten you as much as they do my sister Marthat Gehman.  The food's great at El Parian, and you get plenty of it.  Carne asada tacos ... Carnitas tacos ... Lengua ... Cabeza ... Birria ... whatever you like.  Get a plate or takeout.  I used to drive down from the corner of Western and Santa Monica, which seemed like a hike ... but I was always happy I made the trip.

And you will be too.

On my first visit I got a bag of tacos to go -- carnitas and carne asada -- and they smelled so good I pulled over halfway home and ate them all. Then I went back the next day. 
  

El Parian's motto is:

"Como hay solo uno Mexico,
hay solo uno El Parian."

("Just as there is only one Mexico,
there is only one El Parian.")

There may well be better tacos in Los Angeles -- but I never ate one. 
The waitresses who bring your beer and your food will smile very kindly if you stumble over a few words of Spanish.

There is dancing at night - sometimes - Fridays and Saturdays? - on the big dance floor, so lunch to late afternoon might be your best bet.

Most other customers will usually be Latino.  Not many will be women.

The storefront on Pico has intimidating, heavy bars, looks a bit like like a a jail -- in a small town in Mexico.  The entrance, alongside the grill, is very narrow, but El Parian expands to barn size in back; swing around and park in back like everyone else.

Quality and Service can be a bit uneven, but beer is cold and the restrooms are clean.  AND THE FOOD IS ALWAYS GOOD.

Trust me, you'll like El Parian -- unless you don't like tacos, or unless people who speak Spanish frighten you as much as they frighten my best-loved half sister Martha Gehman.

Green Beans Pizza, Panko Crust Bread

Okay, I didn't invent Green Beans Pizza.  But .... on the other hand ....

Adding French Haricots Verts from Trader Joe -- or fresh green beans from your garden -- to any frozen pizza (these days LL and I  are favoring Paul Newman's Thin Crust Plain Cheese) is a wonderful idea.  And we never heard of it before.  Start with a frozen pizza.  Add green beans.  I blanced my green beans.  I considered tossing them with olive oil and garlic -- would have been good.
Then I added some fresh mozzarella cut thin here and there and baked until done.  With a salad of romaine lettuce, rocket, radicchio, parsley, capers, and thick slices of avocado dressed with lemon juice and California Olive Ranch olive oil ... well, we were so happy we watched an episode of Scandal.

Now, as to this business of the panko crust ... for bread.  I never read about this anywhere.  Started one day when I ran out of corn meal, which is what I usually sprinkle on the baking sheet to keep bread from sticking.   So I used pankl crumbs instead.  Worked greaat.  Much, much better than corn meal.  the bottom crust not only didn't stick to the pan, it developed a wonderful crunch that lasted several days.  The bottom crust was so good I tried rolling the entire loaf in panko ... equally good result -- very crunchy crust, with long lasting crispiness.   Try it!  -- Christian Gehman

FULL KEE -- REAL CHINESE

6400 Horsepen Rd 
Richmond, VA23226

Congee - Full Kee is a great Chinese place with good dim sum and wonderful congee, barbecued duck and red cooked pork. It's not always tame, nor is it always spic and span or tidy -- but the dim sum cart is very, very entertaining, and if you like "real" Chinese food then this is the place for you. The chicken feet are also wonderful. If you don't like bao (pork buns), maybe there's something amiss with your approach to gastronomy? Diners wanting bland American style "Chinese" food like orange chicken or "chop suey" will do better at the Peking and in any case would do well to please leave the seats at Full Kee to those of us who like real Chinese food, especially on the weekends when seating is at a premium.
Used to be, one had to drive to DC to visit the restaurant with two doors to see a real Chinese menu -- or to taste real Chinese food.  Not since Full Kee opened. 
Although there is not much reason to call ahead, the telephone number is (804) 673-2233.  
I HAD A GREAT BOWL OF CONGEE WITH ROAST PORK, to which I added some stir fried Chinese vegetables. LL seemed a bit uncomfortable with the Chinese family atmosphere, slovenly housekeeping, and  food that was strange to her. The dim sum cart frightened her -- too much stuff that she found very strange. 

.  I have no idea what the name means.  -- Christian Gehman

Wonderful Coffee, Delicious Food, and .........Teriffic Biscotti!!!

Caffespresso

(804) 350-4504
1127 Gaskins Road
Henrico, VA 23238

Now open on Sunday, this is a congenial cafe with terrific food!

LL and I had a wonderful brunch.  I started with a double espresso, which was made properly with plenty of foamy crema.  And served in a cup.  Just the way I like it.

For lunch, LL and I tried an egg custard wrapped in crispy pancetta.  Wonderful!  The owner kindly brought us some absolutely divine roasted potatoes with olive oil and rosemary, one of his mother's recipes.  And a few bites of spinach frittata -- also wonderful.

The potatoes made me remember what a real pleasure it is to be in the presence of a man who understands and loves food.  And who serves great food to his customers.

The almond biscotti that he handmade were just so much better than the plastic-wrapped machine made kind one has to make do with at Starbucks or Panera -- they were better than the biscotti I make myself!  Possibly I may get better at making real biscotti now that I've had a few hand-made by a master to guide me.

LL and found the almond biscotti so good that we took a tray of them and a few of  each of the other wonderful cookies -- including very good pizelles, bite-sized amaretti, and a few other scrumptious morsels along to a church supper later in the day.  Where they  disappeared ... steadily at first and then quickly toward the end.  There is something about a good cookie.  One more really won't hurt ....

You must be sure to stop in at the Caffespresso for an espresso and some kind of snack whenever you are in the Gaskins neighborhood.   I do especially recommend the almond biscotti.  

Believe me when I tell you: the coffee is better than what you will find at the now ubiquitous Panera Bread ... or at any Starbucks.  

 LL and I will stop in at least for a coffee whenever we're nearby. 

My one regret?  LL and I were could not try a pannini -- because we were on our way to a church supper. 

 

Terrific! Terrific! Terrific!

The Belmont Butchery

15 North Belmont Avenue
Richmond, Virginia 23221
(804-422-4519)
Open at 9:30 am, til 7 pm M-F, 6 pm Saturdays

I can't write enough good things
about Tanya Cauthen and The Belmont Butchery in Richmond
to explain why I always want to go back there..
I can't stop remembering how good it is. 
The shop is in the Upper Fan and walkable from Carytown. 
Or the Museum. 

Artisanal meat.  Boudin! 

Some truly fabulous Lamb Bacon ... Great steaks!
Anyone passing by Richmond should stop at this store with a cooler and a cold pack.  You really can't find this kind of meat "just anywhere."

Gary Gerloff would have loved The Belmont Butchery so much I like to think he's smiling down on all of us from Heaven.

It's 
Terrific.

www.belmontbutchery.com

 All! 

Thank you, Tanya

High Coffee - Charlottesville's Terrifically Fantastic GREAT Coffee Shop @

The Mudhouse
213 West Main Street  Charlottesville, VA 22902

(434) 984-6833

Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!  
... For my perfect large Americano.  In a cup!  
And for the interesting scenery ... Thank you!  
(And for a glass of ice for water!  served in a glass!)  
Truly it is not so easy to find wonderful coffee served in a china cup these days.  
And I suppose it's maybe not impossible to find a triple espresso with the requisite and proper amount of crema.  And honey on the fixings bar.

 The Mudhouse IS! : My favorite coffee shop of all time.  

Thank you -- from the bottom of my coffee-craving heart! 

Christian Gehman

Sublime Aromas - Charlottesville

Aromas Cafe

Owner - Hassan Kaisoum 
104 Emmet St N
Charlottesville, VA 22903

Telephone 434-244-2486

@ Barracks Road (across from the Fountain)(where the Gaslight used to be when I was its manager) (now a Five Guys, which will never match The Riverside) 
11am til 9pm Monday-Thursday / 9:30 pm Friday-Saturday / 3:30pm Sunday

Thank you, Hassan Kaisoum!  

My very beautiful daughter Jessie Jane and I went to Aromas Cafe for a special occasion lunch ... I found the quality on a par with the last meal I had upstairs at the C&O ... and slightly better than the last meal I had downstairs.  Jessie Jane and I fought over the C&O's food too, perhaps a bit more than we did at Aromas ... portions might have been larger at Aromas? (necessitating less squabbling over morsels?)  Lunch for two with baklava and the chocolate dome dessert, the Moroccan Merguez Tagine, triple mezze and tzadziki came to I think $50 plus tip, or 60.00 all in.  So yes, it was expensive but on the other hand it was also  ...  Extremely Terrific.  I'm betting the rent is still really steep at Barracks Road these days.  The rent  about killed The Gaslight when I was its manager. That was long ago, but I think it is still difficult to make a profit on a small house (with only 50 seats) when you don't own the building.

Possibly three people could have done very well on the same amount of food Jessie Jane and I squabbled over so happily?  Three of us would have meant some real competition for tidbits and crumbs, however, and we would have needed two of the Chocolate Dome desserts.  And the Merguez sausage in the Tagine would have disappeared in a trice -- probably before I got my fair share.

However,  in rating Aroma's version of the cuisine bourgeoise of the Med, like many other people, I started from memories of the many very ordinary mediocre Greek/Mediterranean restaurants that do such a passable job of selling lackluster (and often canned) items for top dollar to people who probably neither know nor care much what they're eating.  Maybe I liked the lamb twang of the Moroccan Merguez Tagine so much because it was authentically Berber or North African more than Eastern Mediterranean?  

Can't we get a spit with some real lamb roast turning on it?  Pretty please? Mr. Kaisoum?  Maybe for parties? or special occasions? 

Anyone who reads this is welcome to review my notions about why individual differences in tasting ability offer an adequate explanation for why most restaurants don't find it profitable even to attempt serving food as sublime as that Moroccan Merguez Tagine Jessie Jane and I loved.  We ate every last lentil.  It was not overpriced.  I wanted the shrimp and white bean cassoulet, but got outvoted by the birthday girl.  I will get some the next time it appears on the menu.  I promise.

The mezze, also, were not overpriced.  More importantly, they struck me as being the best I ever ate in any restaurant.  Great Baba Ganouj.  Superb falafel.  Scrumptious tzadziki.

Cheap, however, Aromas is not.  It did not seem full on the Saturday late lunch hour of around 2:00 pm ... Barracks Road might probably perhaps not be the place most people would think to go for an outstanding but relatively high-priced lunch?  Perhaps we missed the rush?  A reputation for pricey-ness sometimes makes it hard to fill seats no matter how good the food is.  That said, Peter Chang seemed steep, too -- worth it to me but perhaps not to the others in my party -- so I'm blaming the rent.  And I haven't tried Aromas at dinner yet.  

Comparing prices seems silly, but lunch for two at the Nordstrom Cafe in Short Pump, my most-frequented nibble these days (because it's not just very good but also very reliable), comes in at just over $30 total including tip, though it's possible to feed two there for under $20 including coffee and dessert (and they do serve a "secret" breakfast menu ALL DAY.)  Nordstrom Cafe is worth a visit any time you're in Short Pump.  Coffee's great too, and bottomless.  After lunch you can slide down to Trader Joe's to pick up some triple cream French cheese and organic California wines for a price so reasonable you might be glad you drove to Richmond.  I hear they're opening  a store in Charlottesville this year.  Keep fingers crossed?  (though alas, I hear it will be North of the City -- Wegman's, I hear, will go for a 29 South location, which I think will be easier to get to.   -- Christian Gehman

Dalessandro's -- The Paragon of Philly Steak

In Philadelphia. Of course.

Where else would it be?

Dalessandro's is on the Left Bank of the Schuylkill. From downtown, it's upriver to Manayunk and then over the hill to be precise.  On Wendover Street.  You can call ahead (215-482-5407) but then you'll miss out on experiencing a good anticipatory drool while you sit at the little counter waiting for your  steak.

You can have your Pat's, your Tom's, your Geno's. Take your wife there -- please! But don't expect to find a steak nearly as good as what you get at Dalessandro's.

Dalessandro's is at 600 Wendover Street on Henry Avenue, just a short block from the Walnut Street Entrance to the park. Handy for that empty feeling after golf. And they do serve beer. On the left bank of the Schuylkill, on the hill above and slightly northeast of Manayunk. You are at best a fool and at worst totally insane if you don't stop at Dalessandro's whenever you are even just near Philadelphia. Dalessandro's beats the sox off Pat's, Geno's, Tom's, and Chubby's -- though I have read that Chubby's, used to be the go-to call on Sundays before Dalessandro's began opening on the Sabbath, I have never been to Chubby's, can't personally recommend it and doubt I'd try anything but Dalessandro's whenever it's open.

Dalessandro's serves subs, too, very good subs -- but the best subs I ever ate were at The Rendezvous on West King Street in Lancaster, around the corner from my father's boyhood home at 342 West Orange. "You can go die in a well if you don't like it" (as someone said in another forum), and that's exactly how I used to feel about The Rendezvous. They have a great cheese steak, too. I pray the sandwiches are still that good. I used to stop there for a steak to fill me up and couple subs to tide me over on my long ride home to Charlottesville after visiting my grandparents, Martin Weaver and Nellie Boyd Gehman, often after the Gehman Family Reunion at the Behrville Fire Hall, where my great-uncle Harold B. Gehman, who was Town Constable in Blue Ball much of his life, used to tell me every year that his main job was "arresting drunken Amishmen on Saturday night." I don't know if that meant he had a lot to do or almost nothing, but that story, though perhaps apocryphal, may have been where my father, Richard Gehman, got the idea for his musical By Hex

How hard it IS to make a sub or steak sandwich properly, you will be able to judge for yourself -- but only after tasting a truly good one, after which you'll probably realize you have been eating cardboard imitations stuffed with inferior sliced meats at a shopping mall up until then. Amoroso rolls are one part of the secret. Not using "Wiz" is another. Wiz crept in later.  It's just watered-down Velveeta -- which I will admit does make a passable con queso. 

Measuring up to these two paragons is what I was aiming for when I opened Christian's Restaurant in McIntyre Plaza, Charlottesville. How nearly I succeeded! How people love great sandwiches! may be indicated by the fact that I was doing, sometimes, $1,700 a day at lunch -- in the middle Seventies! out of a place not much bigger than two big flat screen TVs.  Three previous restaurants had failed in that location.  I was aiming for enough business to pay the rent so I could make money catering.  But -- possibly thanks to the beignets!  One of my partners declined to continue -- too much stress.  The other one, I caught coming out of the place with an entire cooked roast beef and three six packs of Heineken under his arm.  We made the best sandwiches in Charlottesville!  (at that time) ... Before long we were doing a land office business!

Alas, the location has now morphed into a somewhat lackluster Vietnamese restaurant that I can't recommend: the Saigon Cafe, where the food was so mediocre on my last visit almost two years ago, and the place so devoid of happy customers that I began to wonder why I didn't just volunteer to help them learn to make subs and steak sandwiches.  Ah, youth!

There were hardly any decent sandwiches in Charlottesville back in the Seventies. There are not many today, for that matter. John Crafaik once asked me for the secret of making a great sandwich. Judging by the significant success of Bodo's Bagels, possibly the best advice I should have given him would have been: serve the sandwich on a bagel fresh out of the oven. And NEVER wrap it in plastic.

The best sandwich I have eaten in Charlottesville recently was at the Bodo's on University Avenue.

 Most people are not passionate enough about good sandwiches.

It is worthwhile remembering the great chef Louis Szathmary's notion that "Great restaurants are like a woman's private parts -- men know how to find them."

That said, I haven't visited Dalessandro's recently. I hear a rumor that it changed hands.  Let me know how you like it, please? (since I probably won't get up there this summer) ....

Dalessandro's
The Rendezvous

Richmond's Best Steak?

Libbie Market

400 Libbie Avenue

Richmond, VA 23226
Telephone (804) 285-6414
 

The Libbie Market is a very good place to buy steak.  I used to live very quietly and happily just a block away on the other side of Grove Avenue, a stone's throw from St. Stephen's Church.  My opinion is thatLibbie Market is a wonderful addition to the neighborhood.  My opinion is that you will probably find better meat at Libbie Market than at Tom Leonard's.  And the service is better.  Staff seems friendlier too. Also, the lamb chops are a continuous temptation.  And the Italian sausage.  But mostly I go there for the top choice Angus beef.  I brought home a lovely piece of top round last week -- $4.99 a pound -- a solid three inches thick, well trimmed, Ten Dollars.  And tender?  Man, this may have been the best piece of top round I've ever had.  Certainly it's the best since I last bought meat at Tom's in Burbank, California.  Tom's had a great top choice tri-tip, too.  Libbie Market does not cut much tri-tip -- yet.  If enough like-minded grillers here in Richmond ask for tri-tip, we can hope that the butchers at Libbie Market may be happy to oblige us by stocking some in the case.  The Libbie Market butchers are very friendly.  They told me they'd cut me a tri-tip if I call ahead.  Tri-tip makes great chili, too.  Libbie Market also has great looking lamb chops, pork chops and outstanding beef tenderloin that even my girl friend will eat happily -- call it filet mignon, if you like.  But please -- oblige me by asking the butcher for a tri-tip.  Sooner or later they'll get the idea.  Tri-tip, after all, is the prime piece of beef to grill for a party.  Flavorful.  Tender.  Not ll that popular in Virginia yet, though you can find it at Tom Leonard's.  Cooked rare and sliced thinly across the grain, I like it a bit better than most top round.  Tri-tip also makes great Texas Chili, and cooks up tender quick enough to make it manageable in a chili cookoff.  I had the honor of being the chief judge at XL-102's Richmond Chili Cook Off twice.  Long ago, before I ever heard of tri-tip.  Before I finished up my walkabout in Orange County, California.  Now I can get off the Powhite at the Grove Avenue exit, swing by Elwood Thompson for Swiss Chard and sundry other organic greens and vegetables, an avocado roll if I need a snack -- and then I can hop up Grove to Libbie Market on the way home for outstanding beef.  And a few other good things. Some of the sandwiches and cooked items I saw in the deli case looked yummy.  But I did have a hard time attracting attention at the deli counter one afternoon when I wanted a sandwich.  Probably a fluke.  When you're done shopping at Libbie Market, unless the loading dock exit is blocked by a delivery truck, you may do better slipping out the back way, instead of trying to turn left on Libbie Avenue, which can get hectic sometimes. Depends on where you're going next, I guess.  Home to fire up the grill, I would hope. 

MAMA ZU! Truly a Wonderful Restaurant!

Mama Zu 

501 S Pine Street
Richmond, Virginia 23220
(804) 788-4205

Mama Zu is Great! Ed Vasaio is a god!! Thank you thank you thank you. And also, my special thanks to YOU, Ed, for that magnum of Valpolicella you so kindly brought over to the cassoulet party on Three Kings Day when I lived on Pine Street so long ago ... during the Blizzard of '96. Thought I saw Tancredi at Elwood Thompson's not so very long ago! Saw someone with that name on a soccer shirt in any case. Could there be two in Richmond?  Good luck to you!
My one regret is that I can't actually eat everything on the menu every time I get hungry.
Llewellyn and I will stop in for the Osso Bucco soon!

 

Feast - Charlottesville

You can really do a lot worse for lunch (and pay a lot more) than a baguette from the Albemarle Baking Company and a nice piece of triple cream French cheese -- a Délice de Bourgogne or a St. André, or even a small piece of properly-well-aged Bucheron, possibly supplemented by a bowl or a cup of extremely tasty soup -- from Feast, at 416 W Main Street in Charlottesville.  Feast offers some elegant and very tasty charcuterie, including a slender little Italian salami with fennel.  Feast has a truly wonderful selection of interesting cheeses including Grayson, an outstanding red mold Taleggio-like offering from the Meadow Creek Dairy (located down in Grayson County near Mt. Rogers (which I haven't climbed yet) and a wonderful hand-dipped ricotta that seems way too good for lasagne.  If the ricotta survives the trip home, you might try dishing it up in dollops next to a great red-sauced pasta.  The terrific Albemarle Baking Company baguettes are properly crispy outside and yet tender within.  Snag one or two as you walk in the door, especially if it's well after lunch time, or they might be gone by the time you reach the register.  Adding a bowl of soup from Feast's kitchen, which also offers tasty sandwiches and salads, might be all most people will need for lunch.  With a bottle of Pellegrino from the cooler, you'll be very happy.  Feast is a great place for an easy, no pressure, no problems lunch.  You can find the menu online at http://www.feastvirginia.com/cafe.pdf.  But my advice is just walk in -- Feast is on Main Street behind Orzo -- sample some cheese and olive oil, wander around, see what the kitchen's specials are, eat something and ... go home very happy. Thank you, Feast! Thank you very much indeed!
Feast | 416 West Main Street | Charlottesville, VA 22903
(434) 244-7800
 

Downtown Thai - Charlottesville

Jessie Jane and I went out for early dinner Tuesday evening, March 27 at Downtown Thai (at 111 Water Street just off Charlottesville's Downtown Mall, catty-corner across from the ever-popular Mono Loco).  Jessie Jane and I found the food terrific.  I was a bit doubtful, at first, because when we first walked in there was literally no one else eating in the well-appointed modern dining room , but hey! The Vegetarian Spring Roll -- freshly prepared, all ingredients fresh, the skin supple -- was great!  The Tom Yum soup with shrimp was the best I ever ate in a restaurant, and far, far better than a rather mediocre offering I worked my way through most unwillingly at Tara Thai in Short Pump not so very long ago.  And the Pad Thai Tofu was ... one of the best Pad Thais I've ever eaten.  Tasty, tasty, tasty!  And we finished with dessert -- Sticky Rice with Mango! (the rice was tinted light green) a great finale -- the mango slices were fresh and the sticky rice, also, seemed very freshly prepared.   Exactly the right texture ... And delicious!  Dinner for two did not seem expensive.  My main question would be -- why wasn't the place filled up with happy people eating great Thai food???  Does Downtown Thai need a happy hour tradition?  Should they try welcoming diners with a small pot of tea and maybe an ever-varying amuse-gueule (on the house) to help lure more customers?   Maybe they just need a little more  effective advertising?  A takeout window?  Our meal seemed relatively mild in chili heat -- which I thought a plus.  But possibly that doesn't appeal to the legions of Thai-fire-tiger-eaters?  Would selling spring rolls from a cart on the Mall be feasible? Or even -- offering samples from a tray?  during the busy lunch hour?

Byrd Mill Old Tyme Grits - Terrific!

From Virginia -- these stoneground grits, available in yellow or white -- are terrific!  The grains are larger and taste better than the ordinary fine ground grits you may be used to. Legend has it that young Patrick Henry visited the mill often at its original site, bringing corn, wheat and buckwheat from his father's nearby plantation.  Byrd Mill's original location burned untimely in 1968 and the company is now located in Ashland, Virginia.  Change your mind about grits! -- try these next time you see them on the shelf.  Available at Martin's in the Richmond area, or online at $7.90 for a 5 lb. bag (plus shipping, I reckon) or $3.45 for a 12 oz. package.  Making up your mind between white or yellow grits might be your only problem.  You can find Byrd Mill Old Tyme Grits and other products online at www.byrdmill.com.

Szegediner Goulash -- Again?

*Sauerkraut Goulash*

From Jean Anderson’s book,
Falling off the Bone

*Serves 6*

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
1 large Spanish, Bermuda, or Vidalia onion,
           moderately finely chopped
1 pound boneless beef chuck, trimmed
         of excess fat and cut in 1½-inch cubes
1 pound boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat
             and cut in 1½-inchcubes
1 pound boneless veal shoulder, cut in 1½-inch cubes
         (Jean substituted 1 pound sliced,
            sauteed mushrooms for the veal)
3 tablespoons Hungarian sweet rose paprika blended with
        ¼ cup warm water, ½  teaspoons salt,
       and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup water or beef broth
2 cups sauerkraut (preferably fresh), rinsed well
         and wrung fairly dry in a tea towel
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

1. Melt butter in a large heavy nonreactive Dutch oven over moderately high heat and as soon as it froths and subsides, add onion and sauté, stirring often, until limp and golden—6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, lift to a large bowl and reserve.
2. Brown meat in Dutch oven in three batches in order listed, allowing about10 minutes per batch and lifting each to bowl as it browns.
3. Return onion and meats to pot along with accumulated juices, paprika mixture, and water, and bring to a boil. Adjust heat so mixture barely ripples, cover, and simmer very slowly until meats are tender—about 2 hours.
Note: Check pot occasionally and if mixture threatens to scorch, add a little more water, turn heat to lowest point, and slide a diffuser underneath pot.
4. Mix in sauerkraut, cover, and simmer 10 minutes, then smooth in sour cream and bring just to serving temperature—3 to 5 minutes. Do not boil or sour cream may curdle. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed.
5. Serve hot with buttered poppy-seed noodles or boiled and peeled redskin, fingerling, or Yukon gold potatoes.