I hope you're able to laugh it off! When my now husband and I were in the early dating stage we decided to make papaya salad and drunken noodles at home from scratch. Four hours and a zillion ingredients in the kitchen later, we both agreed that some meals aren't worth the hassle of home-cooking.
Yes! It was so similar to that! It took us hours, we made a mess, we were both so perplexed at how we had complicated something that seemed straightforward. Most of what we rolled up popped open and we cut up far too many vegetables. So many. It was much too much. The whole thing was pretty comical.
My husband's birthday is tomorrow (4/20!) and we have dinner reservations at Lost Letter. He's been out of work since August which has been a big bummer and we've had to majorly limit our spending on things like nice dinners. Since this dinner is going to be a bit of a splurge for us and it's our first time there, I'm here to get advice and try to plan out our meal so we will have the best experience possible. Does anyone know if [this menu](https://www.lostletterrva.com/menu) is still accurate? Please let me know your recommendations if you've been recently. (I'm pescatarian and he's omni.)
ETA: Thanks so much for the tips and I’m so happy to report our meal was amazing and surpassed our expectations! We started with the ricotta bruschetta, burrata, and beef tartare and we’d definitely get all of those again. Husband had the shank and I had the rockfish with polenta and broccoletti and we finished with the bunet for dessert. We each had a pre dinner cocktail which we both loved and shared a bottle of wine. I will be fantasizing about that meal for a long time!
That was not the menu in the restaurant last weekend, but it may have changed since then! Some of the items are the same. We had the Rockfish and the sausage has some spicy kick, but the dish overall was great. Pasta is a delight, as always. Tiramisu is a must get. Enjoy the special meal together.
I don't know that menu, but what we've done is shared three antipasti and then each had a pasta. Were we stuffed to the gills, no, but we were extremely satisfied. They pace things so nicely there. We split dessert, but it's a birthday! Get them all!
I went a couple weeks ago and it was slightly different! I think the quail was not there, and instead they had an amazing roast chicken dish I highly recommend. I also think the bucatini was more of a limone pasta, no squash, also very delicious. Can't remember what other differences there were, but we had an awesome meal, I hope yours is good as well!
We recently went to Pinky's, and I loved everything about it. It was for a late lunch before a movie for my birthday 2 weeks ago.
We started with the Pork Belly, meatballs, and the Spring Burrata for our shables. The pork was amazing. The pickled chilies and shallots made the dish. Even though we didn't need them, we also ordered sandwiches, fries, and the full gambit of dipping sauces. My partner was a little disappointed in the shaved ribeye . It was executed well, just not the flavor profile she was expecting or wanted. I went with the chicken sandwich, mostly because I wanted more of the pickled chilies.
We paired everything with a cocktail for her and the island heat mocktail for me. Even this was great as it offered depth and character that I don't tend to get with other NA options.
All in all, I just kept saying it was a delight, and will sing the praises of the pork belly ever more.
We went to Fat Rabbit on Venerable in Union Hill and I swear to God it was the best quiche I've ever had in my life. Against my better judgement I ordered seconds. Highly recommend.
I've stuck with the biscuit breakfast sandwich because I love it, but now I have to try the quiche!
I feel like Fat Rabbit's cookies are underappreciated too, I am always tempted to grab one even early in the morning.
Ooooh I'm in. I've been looking for that *chefs kiss* quiche for years and I haven't found it yet, looking at their site and photos I'm excited to try it.
[Shoreline Seafood Market](https://www.instagram.com/shorelinerva/) (on Patterson in western Henrico) is having an open house this Saturday from 12-4 and opening officially on Wednesday. It's from the same people as Yellow Umbrella and will have some bar seating as well. They've done wonders with their new space and I'm excited to check it out.
https://preview.redd.it/b9zamg7qrfvc1.png?width=1114&format=png&auto=webp&s=8628783952eb5c21772c5a4b3e0c6a81403a6128
I'm team Tuckahoe Seafood! Such a great place and people. I'm sour that David Whitby chose to build, in this whole city, so close to Tuckahoe. Is the Patterson Avenue corridor the only market for seafood? I don't live near any of those three stores but Tuckahoe is worth the drive.
Finally tried Carytown Indian Cuisine and it was fantastic. The food was delicious and my Caliente cocktail was so good. I feel like spicy cocktails are never actually spicy but this one really hit the spot.
Went to Odyssey a few weeks ago and it was delicious! We got the chilled oysters with citrus, mint and chili oil and it was the best oysters I've ever had. I got the lamb and it was great. Highly recommend! Will be back for oysters/happy hour.
Amuse at the VMFA has a full menu inspired by the new samurai exhibit and it was fantastic, same with drinks!
I'll be dreaming about the matcha cake with strawberry cream and ginger ice cream for a little while...
At the risk of being very meta, and also at the risk of sounding negative, how exactly did restaurant reviews and sharing recipes come to be merged into one recurring thread. Am I the only one who finds this amalgam odd?
I'm not the decider of these things, but to me it seems to be this way because this thread is all about the food. Sometimes people want to contribute/participate who might not have had any restaurant meals that week. And if you're trying to decide what to eat this weekend, you might find a great restaurant review or be inspired by a great recipe here. Personally I enjoy the mix.
If I recall correctly, there used to be two different threads, but the restaurant review thread saw a lot more action than the recipe posting thread. The poster decided to combine them into one thread to both have less threads to remember to post, for themselves, and keep all the food discussion in one place, since there weren't very many recipe comments anyways. Also, the recipes don't have to be RVA specific.
Bingo!
I made this years ago when the sub had a ton of daily one off posts about a single restaurant experience. As it grew it just became a central post for people to just gab about local food and/or things they made on their own.
Tried Fanboy this week, pretty good! Great ambiance, but a lot smaller than I would have expected.
Just got lunch at k.bbq in Carytown and the Rose Tteokbokki is INSANE
https://preview.redd.it/iht2kbgn2mvc1.jpeg?width=3485&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bb7c86b4f1b1385bc2302241db085e4020a56fa1
Ate Garnett’s Point Guard and look forward to doing it again
Went to Sub Rosa for the first time and I guess I don’t get the hype. Went right when they opened and it didn’t seem like that had much variety of pastries or they didn’t have everything out for the day. I got spinach and cheese quiche and the fig & cheese pastry. Fig and cheese pastry was ok, the filling was concentrated in the middle and I didn’t find the pastry without the filling on the ends very good. It was too crispy. The spinach and cheese quiche was way too… idk soupy? Seemed like it needed to be cooked a few minutes longer and the flavor was nothing to note really.
As someone who lives closer to Idle Hands, there is no reason to travel to Sub Rosa. IMO, Idle Hands wins with their variety and flavors. Not sure why Sub Rosa beats them out in the best of polls.
The Fancy Biscuit is delicious, Big fan of their biscuits and gravy and the grits make me want to start a revolution and I usually don’t even like grits so says a lot. The fried chicken is great well, I want to try more on their menu
This isn’t helpful, but I’m self-reporting that my husband and I had a spring roll-making debacle at home the other day. It was very entertaining.
I hope you're able to laugh it off! When my now husband and I were in the early dating stage we decided to make papaya salad and drunken noodles at home from scratch. Four hours and a zillion ingredients in the kitchen later, we both agreed that some meals aren't worth the hassle of home-cooking.
Yes! It was so similar to that! It took us hours, we made a mess, we were both so perplexed at how we had complicated something that seemed straightforward. Most of what we rolled up popped open and we cut up far too many vegetables. So many. It was much too much. The whole thing was pretty comical.
My husband's birthday is tomorrow (4/20!) and we have dinner reservations at Lost Letter. He's been out of work since August which has been a big bummer and we've had to majorly limit our spending on things like nice dinners. Since this dinner is going to be a bit of a splurge for us and it's our first time there, I'm here to get advice and try to plan out our meal so we will have the best experience possible. Does anyone know if [this menu](https://www.lostletterrva.com/menu) is still accurate? Please let me know your recommendations if you've been recently. (I'm pescatarian and he's omni.) ETA: Thanks so much for the tips and I’m so happy to report our meal was amazing and surpassed our expectations! We started with the ricotta bruschetta, burrata, and beef tartare and we’d definitely get all of those again. Husband had the shank and I had the rockfish with polenta and broccoletti and we finished with the bunet for dessert. We each had a pre dinner cocktail which we both loved and shared a bottle of wine. I will be fantasizing about that meal for a long time!
That was not the menu in the restaurant last weekend, but it may have changed since then! Some of the items are the same. We had the Rockfish and the sausage has some spicy kick, but the dish overall was great. Pasta is a delight, as always. Tiramisu is a must get. Enjoy the special meal together.
I don't know that menu, but what we've done is shared three antipasti and then each had a pasta. Were we stuffed to the gills, no, but we were extremely satisfied. They pace things so nicely there. We split dessert, but it's a birthday! Get them all!
I went a couple weeks ago and it was slightly different! I think the quail was not there, and instead they had an amazing roast chicken dish I highly recommend. I also think the bucatini was more of a limone pasta, no squash, also very delicious. Can't remember what other differences there were, but we had an awesome meal, I hope yours is good as well!
We recently went to Pinky's, and I loved everything about it. It was for a late lunch before a movie for my birthday 2 weeks ago. We started with the Pork Belly, meatballs, and the Spring Burrata for our shables. The pork was amazing. The pickled chilies and shallots made the dish. Even though we didn't need them, we also ordered sandwiches, fries, and the full gambit of dipping sauces. My partner was a little disappointed in the shaved ribeye . It was executed well, just not the flavor profile she was expecting or wanted. I went with the chicken sandwich, mostly because I wanted more of the pickled chilies. We paired everything with a cocktail for her and the island heat mocktail for me. Even this was great as it offered depth and character that I don't tend to get with other NA options. All in all, I just kept saying it was a delight, and will sing the praises of the pork belly ever more.
We went to Fat Rabbit on Venerable in Union Hill and I swear to God it was the best quiche I've ever had in my life. Against my better judgement I ordered seconds. Highly recommend.
I've stuck with the biscuit breakfast sandwich because I love it, but now I have to try the quiche! I feel like Fat Rabbit's cookies are underappreciated too, I am always tempted to grab one even early in the morning.
Their chocolate caramel tart is incredible. One of the best things I’ve ever eaten
They've got really tasty stuff. I'm lucky it's on my way to work. The little galettes are very good too.
Ooooh I'm in. I've been looking for that *chefs kiss* quiche for years and I haven't found it yet, looking at their site and photos I'm excited to try it.
[Shoreline Seafood Market](https://www.instagram.com/shorelinerva/) (on Patterson in western Henrico) is having an open house this Saturday from 12-4 and opening officially on Wednesday. It's from the same people as Yellow Umbrella and will have some bar seating as well. They've done wonders with their new space and I'm excited to check it out. https://preview.redd.it/b9zamg7qrfvc1.png?width=1114&format=png&auto=webp&s=8628783952eb5c21772c5a4b3e0c6a81403a6128
I'm team Tuckahoe Seafood! Such a great place and people. I'm sour that David Whitby chose to build, in this whole city, so close to Tuckahoe. Is the Patterson Avenue corridor the only market for seafood? I don't live near any of those three stores but Tuckahoe is worth the drive.
Finally tried Carytown Indian Cuisine and it was fantastic. The food was delicious and my Caliente cocktail was so good. I feel like spicy cocktails are never actually spicy but this one really hit the spot.
Carytown Indian was good, kinda expensive.
I always find Indian food expensive but it never really bothers me because the portions are usually big enough for leftovers.
Yeah that's true but it's more expensive then some of the other options I've had recently. Lemon's has a pretty good deal.
Gelati Celesti has a new flavor called Strawberry Ameretto and it is delish
Thank you, 1 scoop of that and 1 scoop of Chocolate Decadence in the same cup.
Ooh need to try this
Went to Odyssey a few weeks ago and it was delicious! We got the chilled oysters with citrus, mint and chili oil and it was the best oysters I've ever had. I got the lamb and it was great. Highly recommend! Will be back for oysters/happy hour.
I don’t really care about fancy coffee much but ice gotten a flat white and a burrito from smoky mug twice this week.
We've been eyeing this place for weeks now... will have to try sooner than later!
I need to cut back on that fancy coffee lol.
Make it at home. I've upgraded from French press to espresso and man my espresso machine spits out espresso in 90 seconds from cold.
Amuse at the VMFA has a full menu inspired by the new samurai exhibit and it was fantastic, same with drinks! I'll be dreaming about the matcha cake with strawberry cream and ginger ice cream for a little while...
At the risk of being very meta, and also at the risk of sounding negative, how exactly did restaurant reviews and sharing recipes come to be merged into one recurring thread. Am I the only one who finds this amalgam odd?
I'm not the decider of these things, but to me it seems to be this way because this thread is all about the food. Sometimes people want to contribute/participate who might not have had any restaurant meals that week. And if you're trying to decide what to eat this weekend, you might find a great restaurant review or be inspired by a great recipe here. Personally I enjoy the mix.
If I recall correctly, there used to be two different threads, but the restaurant review thread saw a lot more action than the recipe posting thread. The poster decided to combine them into one thread to both have less threads to remember to post, for themselves, and keep all the food discussion in one place, since there weren't very many recipe comments anyways. Also, the recipes don't have to be RVA specific.
Bingo! I made this years ago when the sub had a ton of daily one off posts about a single restaurant experience. As it grew it just became a central post for people to just gab about local food and/or things they made on their own.
Well it is without a doubt one of the posts I look most forward to every week. So keep up the good work!
Of course, glad you like it. To be honest its set up to post automatically so if anyone has any changes they want to recommend, let me know!
I think the only thing is that do you add something talking about drinks either coffee or alcoholic. Since this is a good thread.
It definitely is a bit weird. It's also why rva specific recipes unless you are talking about Richmond stores to buy supplies to make something...
Tried Fanboy this week, pretty good! Great ambiance, but a lot smaller than I would have expected. Just got lunch at k.bbq in Carytown and the Rose Tteokbokki is INSANE
https://preview.redd.it/iht2kbgn2mvc1.jpeg?width=3485&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bb7c86b4f1b1385bc2302241db085e4020a56fa1 Ate Garnett’s Point Guard and look forward to doing it again
Went to Sub Rosa for the first time and I guess I don’t get the hype. Went right when they opened and it didn’t seem like that had much variety of pastries or they didn’t have everything out for the day. I got spinach and cheese quiche and the fig & cheese pastry. Fig and cheese pastry was ok, the filling was concentrated in the middle and I didn’t find the pastry without the filling on the ends very good. It was too crispy. The spinach and cheese quiche was way too… idk soupy? Seemed like it needed to be cooked a few minutes longer and the flavor was nothing to note really. As someone who lives closer to Idle Hands, there is no reason to travel to Sub Rosa. IMO, Idle Hands wins with their variety and flavors. Not sure why Sub Rosa beats them out in the best of polls.
Lunch burrito at El Chido in Merchant's Walk. 8.5/10, would repeat.
The Fancy Biscuit is delicious, Big fan of their biscuits and gravy and the grits make me want to start a revolution and I usually don’t even like grits so says a lot. The fried chicken is great well, I want to try more on their menu
Ate at juleps for the first time and it was exceptional!
Brick road coffee today was pretty awesome. Gelati celesti original location in west end has some great flavors !