Recently in Little Chef Category
When we arrived, it was threatening to rain. Nothing had started yet, but it was leering at us. With umbrellas at the ready, we headed out. the event was larger then either of us thought it would be, and there was a good number of people for a first time event. Broad Street was blocked off for three blocks. Twenty Five restaurants set up along the street. Most booths had an assortment of items that could be bought for three dollars each. It appears that some booths were running out if items. We snatched up one of the last peanut butter brownie cupcakes from The Sweetest Thing, and they weren't even a restaurant booth. I overheard them saying that they brought a little over 300 cupcakes.Well -- what did we have, and how did we choose it. They provided everyone with a map of the area, and the courses offered by each restaurant. There were a few TBD, but you could walk up and see what they were presenting. Many of the restaurants had shellfish on the menu. After seeing the setup, we decided it would be a good idea to avoid any of the booths that served shellfish. I'm allergic to it, and the odds of someone preparing a shellfish based dish, then preparing a vegetable or meat dish were high. I don't like to take risks in a crowded environment like that.
I'll see if I can remember the order we ate things in.
From Positive Vibe Cafe
We got Tuna Seviche and Bison Flank Steak with Jicama Slaw
The Tuna Seviche was unexpected. Well, the presentation was. I'm used to seeing diced fish. This was like a tenderloin of beef. Slices were cut off the hunk of tuna and laid over a bed of iceberg lettice with some diced tomato and onion. I was quite pleased
The bison flank was also good. I think we have added this a place to eat lunch. I grabbed a business card and was pleasantly surprised when I looked them up on-line. The cafe is a 501c3 charity that, and I quote:
We got Tuna Seviche and Bison Flank Steak with Jicama Slaw
The Tuna Seviche was unexpected. Well, the presentation was. I'm used to seeing diced fish. This was like a tenderloin of beef. Slices were cut off the hunk of tuna and laid over a bed of iceberg lettice with some diced tomato and onion. I was quite pleasedThe bison flank was also good. I think we have added this a place to eat lunch. I grabbed a business card and was pleasantly surprised when I looked them up on-line. The cafe is a 501c3 charity that, and I quote:
Povides hands-on training and meaningful employment in food services to individuals with physical and developmental disabilities.
The GLMD Foundation/Positive Vibe Cafe is creating an evolving model for training and employing people with disabilities in order that they enjoy the satisfactions of geing gainfully employed and fully contributing members of our community. This focus will help to create their confidence to self-actualize through the development of their diverse talents.
We will end up eating here for lunch soon.
Enoteca Sogno
We got the Stuffed Olives - stuffed, battered, and deep fried. These were good, and very temperature hot. Three for Three dollars seemed a little steep.
Antipasta plate. mortadella, parmigianno reggianno (I think ), buffolo mozzarella, roasted red pepper, and salumi of some sort. Not spectacular, but not bad..
We got the Stuffed Olives - stuffed, battered, and deep fried. These were good, and very temperature hot. Three for Three dollars seemed a little steep.
Antipasta plate. mortadella, parmigianno reggianno (I think ), buffolo mozzarella, roasted red pepper, and salumi of some sort. Not spectacular, but not bad..
We got the Kahhlua chocolate mousse served in a filo dough. Three per plate, so we all got to eat one. This is another place I'd like to try for lunch.
Savor
We got the Fat Elvis Panini - Brioche, bananas, peanut butter, and chocolate. All pressed together in a panini grill. When it was fresh from the grill it was good. As it came to room temperature, it started to lose its appeal. Not to gloat, but I make some damn good brioche.
We got the little guy a raspberry Italian soda. He was QUITE happy with it.
We got the Fat Elvis Panini - Brioche, bananas, peanut butter, and chocolate. All pressed together in a panini grill. When it was fresh from the grill it was good. As it came to room temperature, it started to lose its appeal. Not to gloat, but I make some damn good brioche.We got the little guy a raspberry Italian soda. He was QUITE happy with it.
TJ's at the JeffersonThis was a freakin steal. most booths had three dishes. If you wanted to try all three, you were out nine dollars. Not here. They gave you all of it for three dollars. This was great, especially considering that the portions were the same size the nine dollar places. We got Carrot and Dill soup (hot), Smoked Shenandoah Valley Lamb with (cheesy) Ashland Grits, and Rice Pudding with Gold Flakes.
Everything was good. Jen even liked the rice pudding, and she normally hates them. The grits were the best. Stone ground - so they had a lot of texture, and cheesy. Some panchetta would have thrown them over the top.
Jen tried a fresh salad from Zed Cafe
They pride themselves on offering locally grown and organic items. the salad was good, but I thought it was a little salty.
We've eaten there multiple times, so I knew what to expect.
We got the Pimento cheese with homemade bread and butter pickles
I don't know if it is because my mom made it, but I leek my pimento cheese to be spreadable, not tossed grated cheese with pimentos and mayonnaise. I like it all mixed together and almost pasty. nice and spreadable. I guess if I want it that way, I will have to continue to make it myself. The pickles were good. cheese was ok.
and Deviled eggs with surry sausage and watercress.
As RVA foodie said, deviled eggs are deviled eggs. Anyone can make them and they all kinda taste the same, not great, not bad. Surry sausage is surry sausage. These were split lengthwise and griddled. I'm pretty sure they are the same surry sausages that they have at FreshMarket (IE::I can make them at home).
We got the Pimento cheese with homemade bread and butter pickles
I don't know if it is because my mom made it, but I leek my pimento cheese to be spreadable, not tossed grated cheese with pimentos and mayonnaise. I like it all mixed together and almost pasty. nice and spreadable. I guess if I want it that way, I will have to continue to make it myself. The pickles were good. cheese was ok.
and Deviled eggs with surry sausage and watercress.
As RVA foodie said, deviled eggs are deviled eggs. Anyone can make them and they all kinda taste the same, not great, not bad. Surry sausage is surry sausage. These were split lengthwise and griddled. I'm pretty sure they are the same surry sausages that they have at FreshMarket (IE::I can make them at home).
That was it for the restaurant booths. There were five judges who were given a signature dish from each of the restaurants. The judges will award one of the dishes the "To Die For" award. I expect it will go to a shellfish based dish, but I could be wrong. There were an assortment of bakeries. Next year I think they should have a competition for the best baked item. that would draw more local bakeries into the mix.
The turnout was very good. Especially considering about 45 minutes after we got there it started to rain. People in line with umbrellas, eating under the trees, zipping strollers from booth to booth. Even with the intermediate light rain we had a really good time. Hopefully next year we will see some restaurants that didn't show up. Like Sensi, Julip's, and something from the RRG. I was surprised that the RRG did not send any representation. Europa practically makes small three dollar tapas.We left right before it started to pour. The one thing that it really lacked was music. We were told that the band went off stage right before we got there because of possible rain. They need a tarp or something. Or backup outdoor speakers to pump atmosphere music in. It would have given it the vibe that it was missing. They did get the kid entertainment down. Hey had two tents for activities, and a little game spot that was being changed when we walked past. I think it was a beanbag toss. Overall -- this was a great event for Richmond, and I look forward to this next year.
Ok -- updates!
Well first, Happy Birthday to me :D
Second - updates!
In the last month I've made bread, killed my sourdough starter, started another seed culture, cooked with the little guy, painted another mural, was ill for two weeks, and am healthy again!
I'll start with the seed culture/sourdough starter. I killed it. I killed it good!. I started a new one a few days ago, and it is starting to smell like beer. That's a good sign :D I have two more days of cultivation before I convert it to a barm. The barm is the actual sourdough starter. I've asked some questions and done some research on how to preserve your barm, so some will be dried, and another bit will be frozen. when you really want bread, you realize you are about a week from being able to make sourdough.
-----
I finished the second wall in the little guy's room. A continuation of the space scene, this wall is more detailed, little planets, stars, more colors. I'm quite happy with it. It was greeted with an "ISH" and finger point.
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On the cooking front, I made carbonara a few days ago. I was 'trying' to be a little healthy and made it with whole wheat pasta. well, the cheese, bacon, wine, and garlic were on point. The pasta was just weird. The texture is different, and the flavor was really strong, almost to the point of overpowering. I know, it seems weird that pasta can overpower the raw garlic and cheese, but it did. I think I will make this again, but make some homemade pasta with white wheat and AP flour. See if that comes out with a better taste/texture while still getting some whole wheat in the diet. Carbonara is a simple recipe to make, and it looks fancy when done.
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I attempted to make sourdough whole wheat bread. It was a whole wheat brick - a two pound brick - massive bread baking failure on my part. I will attempt this recipe in the future. On the up side - I made a great sourdough bread with cheese mixed in. It came out incredibly good, but I was in a hurry and cut into it a little early (it smelled SO good). Well, I now know why a full size boule is supposed to rest for 2 hours. The first slice was perfect, the second slice was perfect. Warm, cheesy, full of goodness. Then the next slice ran into gooey, sticky, steamy, raw dough. Yeah -- it wasn't done cooking. I freaked out, what should I do? Do I put it back in the oven, do I throw it out, do I just leave it? I opted to leave it alone.
The carryover heat from the initial bake cooked all of the bread. the exposed uncooked dough even cooked up. It was a little tough and deformed there, so I cut that part out, and the rest of the bread was cooked. Lesson - Let the bread rest for 2 hours - it's still cooking!
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I got a new banneton, so I now have a round one for boules, and an oblong one for ... um.. rustic loaves?
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Lets see, what else can I talk about. The Little Chef! He's really coming along for a 2 year old. He runs into the kitchen and tries to pull the tower over to the counter. Last night, he was mixing his goldfish with flour, salt, and Swedish fish. He loves the spice drawer. We are at the point where he will open the spices and sniff them, then he puts the lid back on and puts them back in the drawer. He helped me make a spice run for some pork a few days ago. I gave him around 7 jars of spices on the counter, he chose to use 4 of them. It was a little strong, so I added some flour to balance it out, but overall, it was quite tasty. He's quite fond of the turmeric, I think the bright yellow color is attractive. I think he used turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, and the cajun spice mix. It was very cute and he was incredibly happy.
He has learned *poof* -- I was making some bread while he was in the tower, so I looked at him and did the magician hand thingie - flour flew off my hands. He now will say poof and make the hand gesture. It's so cute. He will even dip his hands in flour and make a tiny little cloud. I think we are a few months away from him actually making bread dough, but he enjoys watching me make it, and he LOVES to eat the final product. He has a little "daddy bread" radar. He would run off with the entire boule if we let him.
Well first, Happy Birthday to me :D
Second - updates!
In the last month I've made bread, killed my sourdough starter, started another seed culture, cooked with the little guy, painted another mural, was ill for two weeks, and am healthy again!
I'll start with the seed culture/sourdough starter. I killed it. I killed it good!. I started a new one a few days ago, and it is starting to smell like beer. That's a good sign :D I have two more days of cultivation before I convert it to a barm. The barm is the actual sourdough starter. I've asked some questions and done some research on how to preserve your barm, so some will be dried, and another bit will be frozen. when you really want bread, you realize you are about a week from being able to make sourdough.
-----
I finished the second wall in the little guy's room. A continuation of the space scene, this wall is more detailed, little planets, stars, more colors. I'm quite happy with it. It was greeted with an "ISH" and finger point.
-----
On the cooking front, I made carbonara a few days ago. I was 'trying' to be a little healthy and made it with whole wheat pasta. well, the cheese, bacon, wine, and garlic were on point. The pasta was just weird. The texture is different, and the flavor was really strong, almost to the point of overpowering. I know, it seems weird that pasta can overpower the raw garlic and cheese, but it did. I think I will make this again, but make some homemade pasta with white wheat and AP flour. See if that comes out with a better taste/texture while still getting some whole wheat in the diet. Carbonara is a simple recipe to make, and it looks fancy when done.-----
I attempted to make sourdough whole wheat bread. It was a whole wheat brick - a two pound brick - massive bread baking failure on my part. I will attempt this recipe in the future. On the up side - I made a great sourdough bread with cheese mixed in. It came out incredibly good, but I was in a hurry and cut into it a little early (it smelled SO good). Well, I now know why a full size boule is supposed to rest for 2 hours. The first slice was perfect, the second slice was perfect. Warm, cheesy, full of goodness. Then the next slice ran into gooey, sticky, steamy, raw dough. Yeah -- it wasn't done cooking. I freaked out, what should I do? Do I put it back in the oven, do I throw it out, do I just leave it? I opted to leave it alone.
The carryover heat from the initial bake cooked all of the bread. the exposed uncooked dough even cooked up. It was a little tough and deformed there, so I cut that part out, and the rest of the bread was cooked. Lesson - Let the bread rest for 2 hours - it's still cooking!
-----
I got a new banneton, so I now have a round one for boules, and an oblong one for ... um.. rustic loaves?
-----
Lets see, what else can I talk about. The Little Chef! He's really coming along for a 2 year old. He runs into the kitchen and tries to pull the tower over to the counter. Last night, he was mixing his goldfish with flour, salt, and Swedish fish. He loves the spice drawer. We are at the point where he will open the spices and sniff them, then he puts the lid back on and puts them back in the drawer. He helped me make a spice run for some pork a few days ago. I gave him around 7 jars of spices on the counter, he chose to use 4 of them. It was a little strong, so I added some flour to balance it out, but overall, it was quite tasty. He's quite fond of the turmeric, I think the bright yellow color is attractive. I think he used turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, and the cajun spice mix. It was very cute and he was incredibly happy.He has learned *poof* -- I was making some bread while he was in the tower, so I looked at him and did the magician hand thingie - flour flew off my hands. He now will say poof and make the hand gesture. It's so cute. He will even dip his hands in flour and make a tiny little cloud. I think we are a few months away from him actually making bread dough, but he enjoys watching me make it, and he LOVES to eat the final product. He has a little "daddy bread" radar. He would run off with the entire boule if we let him.
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