Red River Smokehouse

May 8, 2017

I recently told you all about Redwood Smoke Shack, a BBQ food truck that has placed itself soundly in the top tier of BBQ in the area. I love BBQ and smoked meat. Pulled pork, beef brisket, BBQ chicken - whatever! If it was on a grill I'm probably going to like it.

Last month I got a message from a guy named Jon Basco asking if I wouldn't mind checking out his authentic Texas BBQ operation called Red River Smokehouse. Of course I said, "YES!"

(I didn't really yell like that, it was in message, but that's how it sounded in my head.)

A little bit about Red River Smokehouse, the truck is named after the Red River that separates Texas and Oklahoma. Jon is a Texan transplanted in the area through his service in the Marines. After getting out of the service he ended up staying here and with him his take on BBQ. I think we lucked out.

Red River Smokehouse was going to be at Commonwealth Brewing Co. early the next week after we talked and I planned on meeting him there. Monday rolled around and it was the big day, I mean I get to eat BBQ and drink beer at the beginning of the week, that's about as good as it gets. I went straight to the truck to meet Jon in person and check out his setup. He uses a custom trailer that affords him a lot room (more than some of the rigs I've seen out there) and it's equipped with a smoker on the back. Jon let me jump up and check out the truck but I didn't get too far in because he was busy and I didn't want to get in they way. I told him I was going to grab a beer and he said he'd put together a little something for me try. Excellent.

I love Commonwealth Brewing Co., they have an IPA called Wapatoolie that is hazy, citrusy, and amazing to drink. I know some people might look for something a little darker to pair with BBQ but I like to say, "I can do what I want!"

That's my Commonwealth Brewing Co. Wapatoolie

I grabbed my beer and was scoping out a place to sit with some good lighting and notice a someone getting their photo taken in the brewery and then immediately recognized her as one of the local lifestyle/fashion bloggers Tilley Hansen of Tilley's Threads. We follow each other online but have never met in person, I'm all about meeting the people I see online. I figure if you can creep on them online you can definitely (at least) say hello in person! She was with her friend and photographer Meridith A. Bright who shoots for Elizabeth Ashley - Virginia.

Tilley stole my beer, luckily she she left a little for me

After chatting for a bit I went to check on the food, luckily it was finished by the time I got to the truck. I know I already posted a photo up top there, but here is another because we eat with our eyes first right?

I got hooked up with some smoked turkey breast, BBQ pork ribs, brisket (dry and wet), and some sides. I went straight for the beef brisket first. Jon explained to me earlier that this brisket was only seasoned with salt and pepper then, of course, the smoke. It was delicious! Seriously, after having the brisket I was thinking I really needed to sit down and do a comparison from the notable BBQ trucks out there. I could eat this stuff all night.

The ribs were excellent, didn't fall apart, the meat firm on the bone. Lightly sauced and tasty. The turkey breast was a nice surprise too, some people out there don't eat beef or pork so bird is always a good to have on the menu too. I liked the smokey flavor.

I liked the mac and cheese a lot and cole slaw is always good. Oh yeah, look:

Usually when I'm out, I'm the one taking all the pictures. It was fun to watch someone else out there doing their thing. I peeked outside and saw someone else I knew...

...Boss Lady Caity! She runs the Your Pie Pizza joints in Virginia Beach and Norfolk. Try their pizza if you haven't yet, the Great White is my favorite. Let me get back to the BBQ.

If you haven't tried Red River Smokehouse you need to. Put it on the list of great BBQ trucks we in the area you need hit and definitely get the brisket!

I have another truck I'm scheduled to visit, I've had their food a few times before but I'm going to check out the operation a little more in depth! Till next time!

Redwood Smoke Shack

February 27, 2017

I caught the new BBQ truck on the scene the other weekend - Redwood Smoke Shack. I've bumped into the owner, Bob Roberts, around town at events that usually that involve beer. I got an invite from him to check out his truck at Benchtop Brewing Company in Norfolk, VA.

Bob Roberts (owner) was visited by HomeGrown's chef Nic Hagen

The truck is actually a trailer with the smoker attached to it; looks pretty cool! The menu has lots to offer: ribs, brisket, pulled pork, sides (including the huge Supreme Potato), and much more! I got a sampler plate, a couple of beers and dug in.

Bonus: I saw a lot of friends and my fellow photographer buddy Amanda from Stellar Exposures. Check out the food!

Red Angus Japchae - Korean stir fried noodles with shredded smoked chuck steak, onions, peppers and lime dressed watercress.

Hashi for Lunch

October 24, 2014

I lucked out today. There was actually a food truck parked in the general area of my office building and not just any truck but Hashi!

The office park I work in a surrounded by a lot of places to eat and I admit to loving a quick trip to the fast food joint but when Shelby told me Hashi was going to be down the street I got excited. It was rainy but all the better with what was on the menu. We ended up with a smoky stew and some Korean noodle stir-fry. We got a good portion and it was very filling. Both were delicious but I think I could eat the the japchae all day long. Shelby loved the pickled onions which added some pop to each bite.

They were serving a house made apple soda too, which I almost passed. I'm glad I didn't, it was tart and sweet and made your tongue tingle. The apple pulp gave the drink a great texture and all together it was a delicious drink--I wish I bought two.

Don't pass Hashi up if you see them parked around town, definitely worth a stop.

Smoked Chicken and Chili Stew - Pasilla, miso and honey laced stew of smoked free-ranged chicken and butternut squash. Carolina rice with pickled red onion.

The tasting room was open during the CRAFTED event.

Running Around Town - Oct 11, 2014

October 20, 2014

October 11th was a busy day. Saturday kicked off with the CRAFTED: Indie Arts & Craft Market at O'Connor Brewing in Norfolk, VA. Local crafters were joined by crafters from Richmond to display and sell their work. We saw a lot of friends and our buddies at HomebrewUSA were there serving up their beer; a demonstration on home brewing was setup for those who wanted to see how it's done.

After O'Connor went headed over to Smartmouth Brewing--also in Norfolk--because Shelby saw that New York Souvlaki was setup there that day. We kept missing it when it was out so this was the perfect opportunity to finally try it. It was great! Lucas inside poured me a nice, cool Rule G Shelby and I finished while we ate our chicken and pork kebabs.

We went to Cheap and Cheery at Grape & Gourmet in Virginia Beach, VA after we finished up at Smartmouth. I've posted plenty of Cheap and Cheery event photos and it's one of the events Shelby and I look forward to every month. We bumped into a bunch of friends while perused and sampled wines, beers and ciders on the tables. A great event that lets you sample things you might not normally buy. Wen we finished at Grape & Gourmet we took a little break at home to finish up a pita full of meat called "The Bomb" we got from New York Souvlaki earlier. After our brief down time we headed out again.

The last stop of our run for the day was at Lynnhaven Pub to meet the local chapter of Barley's Angels. Barley's Angels Coastal Virginia is a group of female craft beer enthusiasts who aim to educate and promote craft beer in their region. One of the ways they do this is through volunteering and that night's meeting was a big one because the next day they were going to work the Treasure Chest event.

San Diego brewing company Green Flash has held a breast cancer awareness benefit called Treasure Chest Fest. This year is special for Virginia Beach because it was going to the first one and held on the future spot for a brand new Green Flash brewery! We bumped into a lot of friends and met the friendly people from Green Flash mingled about.

We headed home at a decent time but I still stayed up too late. In the morning I was headed to Treasure Chest Fest where I was asked to be the event photographer. I'll write about that later.

Three Ships Coffee

September 30, 2014

"Sail from that safe harbor" Mark Twain

I remember first meeting Brad Ewing of Three Ships Coffee, it was at the Old Beach Farmers Market in Virginia Beach, VA. I try to stop by the market when it's in season and under Terrapin's tent was a guest vendor selling cold brew coffee. I'll admit I had no idea what cold brew coffee was all about. I'm like most people, I have an electric pot at home that I program to brew on a timer. That way our coffee is ready when we get out of bed for work in the morning. I assumed cold brew was a little more involved than that.

After talking to Brad for a bit what I picked up was this: He wanted to do something new in the area and I really liked his coffee.

It's been well over a year now (longer?) and Three Ships Coffee is well known in the area. They have a mobile Slow Bar that prepares their home roasted bean on-site. They're also carried and served in select shops in the area. I discussed with Brad the direction Three Ships Coffee was headed while attending Buy Fresh Buy Local's Farm to Fork the other week. They have outgrown the home roasting operation and will be moving to the Oceanfront in a space that will provide room for people to sip and relax while being immersed in the delicious aroma of hand roasted coffee. They also want to have their mobile operation covering more the Hampton Roads area so there should be an announcement on how that work soon.

To learn more about how Brad and Amy jumped into the coffee scene read Brad's story:

"I am not very good about little blurbs. They are typically long like this ...I have always been into beverages and my first coffee was what my grandma called a "Cowboy Coffee". It was likely 90% milk 10% Maxwell house, but I felt like I was an adult for a minute. In my time out west the local coffee shops in small beach towns like San Clemente and Encinitas were always the centers of the community where you always run into someone you know. The other thing is that Amy and I got into the tradition in our travels to always try the local cuisine. That to us is food, beer, wine, and coffee. I originally wanted to start a woodworking business, but that required too much time. Two things happened that got me real into coffee.

1. Amy asked me to stop drinking beer and whiskey when she was pregnant. Coffee became my pacifier.

2. I bought a growler of coffee at a downtown pop-up food market in NYC to keep me awake on the way home and the rest is history.

Three Ships Coffee working a pop-up outside of Handsome Biscuit in Norfolk, VA

While using all kinds of coffee from all around to make my cold brew recipe I learned that coffee has so much more to offer than that burnt tire and dark chocolate. Amy is the secret weapon in all this. Her sommelier's palette and attention to detail have made it look easy. But we put a lot of emphasis on quality control, but what has propelled us forward is that we spend a lot of time tasting coffees from around the globe and researching how the best coffee roasters work their magic. We are small enough that we can make the kind of coffee we love and that has led us to a Nordic Style of roasting that is very unique to our area and only now catching on in big cities.

We think what sets us apart is that we feel its so important to engage people in a conversation about coffee and show them what is possible with coffee. That often means leaving the preconceived notions about coffee behind along with the milk and the sugar. We are excited about expanding our operations in the coming year so that we can have more opportunity to engage more people about the potential of coffee and our local community."

Brad and friends enjoying a sunny morning at the Old Beach Farmers Market

The official copy on Three Ships Coffee:

We are a small batch coffee roaster in Virginia Beach Virginia. We believe coffee creates community and are focused locally to great coffee and a pride of place to our small town.

Our goal is to give our customers a truly different coffee experience. This is achieved with a craftsman's attention to detail in how we source, roast, and serve our coffees. We define a quality cup as one that has a clean and exhibits a high degree of complexity. We are a Nordic style coffee roaster. What this means is that we roast lighter than traditional American roasters to expose the natural beauty and fruit qualities that best represent the coffee growing region where they are sourced. It’s our goal to engage our customers more like a wine tasting and talk them through how we experience each coffee. Our coffees vary based on seasonal harvests to ensure they are as fresh as possible when we roast and sell them.

All our production is done from our home garage and we are regulars at our local farmers markets and pop ups around town in our 1970's camper. Our coffees can be found in select retail locations around town and have been shipped around the country. We are currently building an online store for release in June.

If you see them around town, try a cup. It's light, flavorful and probably very different from anything you've tried before.

O'Connoroo!

June 5, 2014

The new O'Connor Brewing Company facility is huge, especially compared to the old building the next street over. Standing on top of the roof you can see for miles over the low rooftops of the industrial area, past the neighborhoods and beyond. Taking in everything around the building, getting a bead on the location. What caught my interest was the old coffee roasting plant a couple blocks away. It used to house First Colony Coffee & Tea, the 109-year-old business closed it's doors in 2011. I asked brewer Skylar Sickles what he thought about the new place.

“I love it.” he said.

I stopped by O'Connor Brewing Co. to check out the new spot before the huge grand opening dubbed “O'Connoroo.” I was greeted by their marketing director, Hannah Serrano, who gave me a quick tour around the warehouse. She then handed me off to the brewers, James Moriarty, Brian Mandeville, and Skylar Sickles who were there getting the new tanks hooked-up. The 211 W. 24th Street location started out as a food processing plant, then furniture warehouse before being converted into a brewery. The wide, open space allowed O'Connor to triple the annual output to 15,000 barrels. The building houses a cooler and docking area too; this will allow them to produce and hold more beer in addition to convenient shipping. This all equals higher product output.

The extra space will allow the brewers to experiment with small batches. They've done this in the past, but they'll have more to share and they can test out barrel aging. Barrels are going to be brought in from distilleries in the surrounding area. The brewers said they're going to love the extra space and the large windows that line the brewery's walls can be opened to let air in. I remember spending a couple hours with the brewers in the old location a few years ago. It was summer and it was hot, damp—the new space will be a lot more comfortable. The old spot on 25th Street has been shuttered up and the tanks there will be going to Midnight Brewery outside of Richmond, another craft brewery that started in 2011.

Kevin O'Connor, said, “I just love the way the place looked, architecturally, and how the place felt.” I can understand the feeling. The space allows the brewery to add a lot more the O'Connor experience. There is a mezzanine “VIP” area above the taproom bar. The bar is housed in what was formerly a refrigeration area—you can still see the large doors that was used to access the units. Twenty-one taps will be behind the warmly lit, wood-worked and corked lined walls. For the curious, the cork walls are original to the building, insulation for refrigeration units. As I was leaving I couldn't wait see how this place would be put together in a week for O'Connoroo!

The weather was perfect. We showed up to O'Connoroo around 3:30 PM, this was the official grand opening of the new location. We missed the 2:00 PM kick-off—pipers, ribbon cutting and the small crowds. The place was packed already with lines for beer tickets winding out of the gate! The docking courtyard was lined with food trucks and pop-up restaurants. The trucks included Karnage Asada, CXB BBQ and Eats, Granby Street Hot Dogs; the pop-ups were from Waffletina, Belmont House of Smoke (the brisket was very good!), Cogan's Pizza, 80/20 Burger Bar and Colley Cantina. In the center were spots to hang out and play cornhole. Speaking of games, if you go inside, there is a gameroom. They still have their oversized Jenga from the old joint and there is a shuffleboard court to boot. More games will be added in the future.

A proper stage has been built in the brewery to host their weekly performers. The O'Connoroo had four bands to check-out: The Framers, DJP and MrT, The Dahus, Big Virginia Sky. Between the stage and taproom are long tables and a bar with stools that runs the length of the lined-up tanks. The seating allows patrons to check out the brewing area and equipment in addition to anyone on stage. We moved around the facility a bit and made our way up to the mezzanine. A smaller bar was up stairs to cater the VIP area. A good number of people from the area's craft beer scene were there to help celebrate O'Connor's big day.

Approximately there were 5,000-6,000 people who walked through the gates to attend O'Connoroo. This made for long lines for beer and the brewery posted an apology and promised to make good in futures events. They will definitely honor any beer tickets people held onto. So if you have some, don't throw them away! All the tickets O'Connor had available were sold by 8:15 PM that night. 42.5 barrels of beer was consumed, which roughly translates to over 10,500 pints poured! So much beer was pulled that the tasting room will only be open Friday and Saturday the week after O'Connoroo to allow them to refill the kegs.

Even though there were lines for drinks, everyone took it in stride. It was great seeing the community come out and support the area's spearhead unit into the craft beer scene. They've come a long way since opening in March 2010. Here's a little traditional Irish toast to close:

May you always have walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, beer beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
and all your heart might desire.

I changed that a little bit, hope you don't mind. See all the photos from the event here.

(Special thanks to Michael Palfrey Jr., OBC Tasting Room Mgr., who let me ping him for information.)

Tacos and Beer

April 3, 2014

I saw that Karnage Asada was going to be at Young Veterans Brewing and I knew I needed some of more of those Kimchos they make.

Kimchos?

Nachos with Kimchi on them! Seriously, they're good.

After work, we hopped in the car and drove over. After taking a quick look at the menu we ordered the Kimchos--adding pork and anything else they'd put on them. We also ordered a "full rack" of tacos and some beans and rice. The full rack had one of each of their tacos and served in the shells fried right there in the truck. Donna in the truck told us that they have a little deal going on with the brewery, if you buy food you get a pint for $2! Perfect.

After ordering we went inside Young Veterans, it was Shelby's first time in the shop. She looked around a little and I took her to the bar. Kasey was working the taps and I introduced Shelby to her. I ordered a Pineapple Grenade, their weissen that always kicks quickly, and Shelby got a flight. This was perfect because she hasn't had too many of their beers yet.

After finding a place to sit our food was brought in by Donna. You get a ton of food with the large order of Kimchos. Loved the sauce they put over the whole thing in addition to the kimchi and cheese. Shelby liked her tacos but was full after two. I ate about half of what she had in her box and we took the rest home for lunch the next day. I probably could have eaten everything but I was already full and I was at the point of eating just for the sake of eating. It's hard to stop when you're eating something that tastes so good.

Swing by Young Veterans Brewing Co. and definitely catch Karnage Asada if you see them parked somewhere.

O'Connor Brewing Turns Four

March 18, 2014

Norfolk's O'Connor Brewing Company turned 4 years old today -- St. Patrick's Day! I remember hearing about the brewery first coming around through rumor and then opening. It's come a long way since then and it's only getting better: it'll be moving to a new location soon, they've been putting out great seasonals, and the crew is getting bigger.

Shelby and I didn't go out tonight but I did get a early St. Patrick's Day pull this past Saturday when the brewery celebrated its anniversary and three wins from the Dublin Craft Beer Cup. Turn-out was great and delicious food was being served by one of the newer food trucks in the area -- Karnage Asada. I'll write a little more about them in a separate post but I will say they're worth stopping for if you see them parked somewhere. I had a "full rack" of tacos and Kapow Kimchos, kimchi nachos. Seriously, it was good!

The weather was perfect. They had a couple of pouring station working on the inside and did a good job at keeping the glasses filled, growlers topped-off, and flights flying. Live music was being played by a three piece outfit and there was even some dancing going on. People were playing cornhole outside next to picnic tables occupied by merry-makers.

Happy Birthday O'Connor Brewing Co. and congratulations on the awards.

P.S. - You probably know this already, but in case you don't...the oak tree you see on the sign is part of the ancient, Irish crest of the O'Connor clan.

O’Connor Brewing Co. - Black Saturday Block Party 2013

December 5, 2013

The holiday weekend was punctuated by O’Connor Brewing Company’s Black Saturday Block Party inspired by last year’s Black Friday Hurricane Sandy benefit. A perfect chaser for the Thanksgiving and Black Friday craziness, I planned on stopping by O’Connor’s after a day of shopping small in Norfolk, VA.

I drove Shelby and Marleigh downtown to visit a few friends and support Shop Small. We stopped by With Lavender & Lace, Studio Posy, Nest Home, and Lorak Jewelry. The two of them wanted to walk around and hit a few more stores around Granby St. so I headed down to the brewery on W. 25th St. Pulling up I and hopping out of the car into the cold, the first thing I noticed was someone was grilling. Whatever it was, it smelled great. The brewery’s block was barricaded, restricted to foot traffic; a stage was setup with a band running through its set. I headed in.

As soon as I walked to the check-in table I bumped into AltDaily.com’s Hannah Serrano, who is also Marketing and Events Director at O’Connor Brewing Co. She walked me in and we chatted a little bit about how things were going. We passed by Bobby-Qs and CXB BBQ and Eats, this was what smelled so good when I got out of the car. I was definitely not going to miss out on that food. Porter Hardy of Smartmouth was near the street food so I snapped a photo of him and Hannah.

Checking out the food, I saw one of the Hoffmann Beverage trucks being manned by the local chapter of Barley’s Angels, a local group of female beer enthusiasts. The truck was pretty high-speed, LCD panels displayed what beer was coming out of the tap below it. All the O’Connor flagship brews were being poured: Green Can, Great Dismal, Norfolk Canyon, and more. I grabbed a Black IPA and walked around some more.

Several bands were slated to play that night: Nate Sacks, The Janks, BANTUSTANS, and The Wet Boys. Radiant patio heaters kept everyone warm outside in the docking area and street, though the amount of people in close proximity of each other and beer helped out a lot too. Approximately 500 attended the block party but it would be easy to think there were a lot more. Inside the brewery I bumped into Kevin O'Connor, brewer/owner of the brewery. He was all over the place, chatting and checking up on the event.

There were also small batch beers for the occasion and people could buy flights of these to get a taste of each. Traditionally, craft brewers will let the shop come up with their own recipes and formulas. Here’s what was offered:

Chincoteague Oyster Stout – Oyster Stout
Schwarzwald – Black Lager
Winter Pecan – Pecan Porter
Bockenspiel – Bavarian Weizenbock
The Dark Monk – Abbey Ale
Maes Howe – Wee Heavy
Session Quad #2: Insomnia – West Coast Style IPA

By the end of the night O’Connor Brewing Co. poured approximately 4.5 barrels of beer! That’s about 1,500 standard, 12-oz cans of beer! If you stacked those they’d be as tall as—I have no idea, but I bet it’s pretty high. Everyone was having a good time and the food was great. I walked away with some lumpia in my coat pocket, saving it for Shelby and Marleigh.

All-in-all a great night. If they do it again next year, and you’re in the area, you better go.

Kapamilya's at NAS Oceana

November 25, 2013

Our son recently decided to enlist in the Navy. Luckily, we were given an opportunity to check out a couple of spots on a nearby base to give him a glimpse of military life. We're hoping he'll see something he likes and it'll help him make the right decisions while in (the Navy.)

We were waiting to meet our friend Maria outside of the Navy Exchange and we saw a little food truck (trailer) setup in the parking lot. It was Kapamilya's Fusion Bar & Restaurant that specializes in Filipino food here in Virginia Beach, VA. I think I've had some of their food before at one of the events the Exchange had the past couple of years. I hopped out of the car, I just wanted to take a quick look: Pancit, Lumpia, Chicken Adobo--all staples of Filipino food in the area.

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to grab a plate. I did add it to the mile-long list of places to eat in the area--those BBQ chicken skewers looked delicious! Regardless of missing out on lumpia, it was a good day and we had a lot of fun on base. It always makes me nostalgic for my time I spent in the Army and I'm crossing my fingers for our son.

C-130 rolling down the strip (you know the rest)

Young Veterans Brewing Co. Grand Opening

September 10, 2013

Young Veterans Brewing Company opened its doors to the public this past weekend. The turn out was great and the beer spectacular. The taps were all manned, offering a taste of what the area will be enjoying at their local bar or grocery.

Malbon’s was there with their truck selling tacos and BBQ, the line to get inside to order a beer snaked past it. People were chatting and excited about the new Virginia Beach brewery. The 1st place winner in both local Battle of the Beers “Jet Noise” was popular, as was the Pineapple Grenade, and Semper Fi.

i<3food

Twisted Sisters Cupcakes

July 12, 2013

Dub Burger from Hubcap Grill, Norfolk, Va. Jack cheese, Fried Onion, Chipotle Mayo, and the rest of the dressing on a Hawaiian Roll. Asked for it medium and it was cooked perfectly pink in the center.

Hubcap Grill's Dub Burger

February 24, 2012

Hubcap Grill Breakfast Wraps

February 16, 2012

The other day I visited Hubcap Grill again, this time for breakfast! I ordered a All-in-One Breakfast Sandwich and Breakfast Wrap. They were very good and hit the spot. The sandwich was made with French toast and I added a dash of hot sauce to the wrap. Good stuff!