Shelby showed me how to send my Instagram food account photos to my Facebook food page. Gonna be spamming it now lol.
Busy Friday!
This past Friday was set to be an busy, but exciting day. A couple of big events were happening: Back Bay Brewing's soft opening in Virginia Beach and Chayce's band, Long Division, playing their CD release show in Norfolk.
First, Back Bay Brewing had a soft opening over the weekend. Friday and Saturday they were going to have the taps pouring for anyone who might stop by. Friday night Nick Vitale from Zeke's Beans & Bowls next door invited some of the area's food trucks to hang out and serve food. There was no shortage of food options.
Tasting room at capacity
From what I hear, about 1,000 people came through the tasting room. I was impressed with the staff, they kept the drinks coming and didn't skip a beat (with the lights flickering here and there.) We met our friends John and Connie and shared a couple of flights while catching up with a few familiar faces. Afterwards, we decided on dinner at Field Guide; and made our way to Norfolk.
Field Guide was packed, it's not uncommon for there to be a little wait if you go in for dinner or lunch. The line was moving fast though and the wait gave us a moment to check out the menu. Shelby grabbed a specialty cocktail made with the house soda and gin. I had a sip, it was refreshing. After a bit we were seated and we ordered our meals. I got the Lou-Wow and Shelby ordered the Boaring Meatloaf. The Lou-Wow was a delicious pork BBQ with a little Hawaiian flair and the Boaring Meatloaf was a pork meatloaf served with mac and cheese and kale. Both dishes were beautiful and delicious--I have to say it was tragic later that evening when we got home and I forgot the leftovers in the car overnight! I almost curled up into a ball on the couch the next day after I realized what I did. Oh! I need to mention that I had a Smartmouth Safety Dance Pilsner. This is served exclusively at Field Guide at the moment - loved it.
After finishing up at Field Guide we had about an hour so we decided to head over to The Birch and say "Hi". We met our friend Matt, who was at the bar with Malia - owner of The Birch; and the other Matt serving behind and bar. I ordered an Italiano TipoPils, it’s my go-to when I’m there--it's good!
We had just enough time to chat a little bit, take a few goofy photos before we were off to Belmont House of Smoke on 21st St. That's were Long Division was playing.
Super Bonus: Marleigh was meeting us at Belmont. She drove down from Richmond to see her brother play what might be his last show with the band before he leaves for the Navy.
Marleigh and Kelsie at Belmont
It was about 10:30 when we arrived at Belmont. There was a good crowd upstairs where the band was playing. They were still setting up for their set we walked in. We said our hellos to the those we knew in the room and I ordered a Smartmouth Rule G.
Long Division played to a packed out and the set was great. I really am going to miss not seeing Chayce on stage playing with the band. Knowing this was going to be one of his last shows with the band made it special.
Long Division
After the show we chatted with Chayce and several others, then we hit the merch table for some Cds and a t-shirt. We bought a copyof their new album for John and Connie and one for our friend Cappy who was there too. We made the rounds and headed out.
John drove us home. Sadly, our leftovers never made it out of the car. I hope it didn't smell too much like BBQ pork in the morning.
Listen to Long Division at their Bandcamp page. Here is one of my favorites off their new album called Skipping Rocks.
Coastal Virginia Magazine Photos
Grab a copy of Coastal Virginia Magazine and check out my photos from the recent WHRO Strolling Supper benefit!
Chicken Piccata
Chicken Piccata
I stayed a little late at the office last night and I texted Shelby to figure out what we should have for dinner. She offered to cook; we're trying to eat at home more because we've been all over the place recently. You could probably guess that it gets expensive!
We had some chicken in the freezer and some mushrooms in the fridge--Shelby was feeling creative. She looked up several recipes and decided she's put together Chicken Piccata. She's made it before and it came out really good the first time but she worked it a little different this time around. After going through several recipes she melded together what she liked best out of all of them and started.
She kept seasoning the dredge until she was happy with it dry, then browned the chicken breasts. Adding whatever she figured would taste good (onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper) and saved the some of it for the sauce. The sauce was made up of wine, lemon juice, shallots, capers, lemon zest, garlic--the dredge had salt and pepper in it already.
She added the browned chicken to the sauce and let it simmer to finish off. She had me clip a little bit of our parsley in the garden to garnish. We ate it with some old bread we toasted and buttered.
Old and new design on the glasses
Hitachino Glasses
I didn't post our sweet Hitachino Nest Beer glasses we got at The Birch's St. Kiuchi Day the other week did I? Love these things. We got one of each!
Trip to the Bier Garden
Shelby and I recently had dinner at The Bier Garden in Portsmouth, VA. One of the first establishments to have an extensive beer menu in Hampton Roads. It's the "opa" in our craft beer scene!
We walked around a bit and check out the bar--warm, cozy--it reminded me of some the places we actually ate at in Germany when we lived there. We made our way to the dining area and ordered dinner. We both loved our food, I can't wait to go back. Of course, I had a nice Ayinger Weisse and Shelby had a Duchesse De Bourgogne sour. You're not taking in the whole experience without sipping a good beer while there.
I wrote about The Bier Garden in HR Growler. Please check out my article and leave a comment about your experience or anything related to the story and restaurant that comes to mind.
Read it here: Comfort Zone: The Bier Garden
Check out the rest of the photos here.
Prost!
O'Connor Brewing Turns Four
El Guapo!
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.
Karnage Asada
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's Brewers
Kevin O'Connor with the muscle
HR Growler - March 2014
Pick-up a copy of today's Virginian Pilot and check out HR Growler! My write-up of Bier Garden is in it and a photo of Shelby enjoying a Duchess.
Salads from Heads Up Hydroponic
Virginia Beach's Verticle Acres uses a hydroponic growing system that produces vegetables, fruits, and herbs petrochemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. Under the label Heads Up Hydrogreens, they provide local CSAs and markets with what they grow in their new facility. I've had their lettuce before and it tastes great, I like getting by their table to see what's new. At the last Old Beach Farmer's Market we stopped by the booth to say "Hi" and ended bringing home a few of their salads. This was new—at least to me—and I was excited to try them out.
The salads were package to stay fresh and included nice, sweet beets and cheery tomatoes. We were given three dressings to use, one being a Green Goddess that I liked. We ate two the night we brought them home and later that week I used one to make myself a nice BLT.
They'll be at the Old Beach Farmer's Market this weekend, Saturday 15 March. Please go down and support our local producers. Buy Fresh Buy Local too!
Jie Yu, Malia, and Ben
Italia Night at The Birch
Ben and Jie Yu Neidhart of B. United International, Inc. recently held a session at The Birch where they described their Connecticut operation—from international shipping, distribution, and specifically the budding craft beer scene in Italy. Their distribution company imports from all over the world and that night at The Birch was a celebration of Italian beers. Listed below are the breweries and the beers on tap for Italia Night:
Nora - Ginger Herb/Spice Ale and Al-Iksir – Belgian Dark Strong Ale
Chocarrubica – Carob Oatmeal Stout and Strada San Felice – Chestnut Ale
Rubus Lamponi – Raspberry Wild Ale
Verdi Zymatore – Granache Sour Chili Stout and My Blueberry Nightmare – Scotch Sour Blueberry Stout
TipoPils – German Style Pilsner and Nigredo – Hoppy Black Lager
Ben and Jie Yu handed out information on the breweries which included a little history, the stories brewer bios, and how the Italian breweries operate. It might be surprising to hear that the land known for millennia of wine making tradition has a very young craft beer scene. From what I've read from other sources it didn't start taking off till the 1990's. Today there are approximately 500 craft breweries in the old country.
It was nice going through the information Ben and Jie Yu passed around. Reading the stories behind each Italian brewery, the training/educational background of the brewers, and the passion behind why they dived into craft beer. Ben described the difference between cultured and wild yeasts used in beers and how introducing selected bacteria causes the sought after sour notes.
After the session ended Ben joined Jie Yu and Malia in sampling some of the beers The Birch had on tap. They invited me to sit with them and sample the line-up. I tried out the Verdi Zymatore Granache Sour Chili Stout and My Blueberry Nightmare, both are made with the same award winning Verdi Imperial Stout. Though they might have come from the same base, both beers had extremely different flavor profiles.
The Granache Chili was aged in Granache casks that were also used to age a chili mead. The imperial stout became a complex blend of lightly sweet and spicy tones that didn't overwhelm me, but I felt the chili in the back of my throat for sure. It had some weight, was sour and dark.
Even though it was made from the same stout base, the Blueberry Nightmare was very different from Granache Chili. Just as rich and darker, the intense fruit really came through with the tart.
I mentioned to them I was still trying to warm up to sours; I talked a little bit about the Duchesse De Bourgogne Shelby had ordered elsewhere. Jie Yu and Malia rattled off a few to see if I knew them and then we sampled some. I need some work on this but I'm getting there. We also talked about B. United and I found out Ben's father runs the distributor. They take their beer seriously and the effort that goes into moving this stuff from the far corners of the earth is respectable.
I enjoyed getting a little sampling of all the Italians (and a few extras) in addition to the one I bought. I stuck around to chat a little more, said my goodbyes, then I headed home.
Hit The Birch to and try some of this stuff before it's gone. Check out all the photos from the event here.
To read more about Italian craft beers try these links:
B. United's blog Nepenthiology has tons of great info
Italy's Craft Beer Awakening – The Beer Connoisseur Online
The Birch's Beer Education Wednesday cheat sheet on Zymatore
Lots of Photos!
Putting some write-ups together and should be posted soon. Make sure you check-out all the new photo sets here.
Indonesian Peanut Saute
Noodles & Company - Virginia Beach
Ran over to the new Noodles & Company that opened this week in Virginia Beach, VA.
Thai Hot Pot
Shelby and I have never eaten there before but we've heard of people who have enjoyed it. They had a grand opening where the first 50 people earned some kind of special treat, but I had meetings. No First Fifty for me.
After checking out the menu beforehand I decided to try the Indonesian Peanut Saute and Shelby got the Thai Hot Pot--that looked really good. One of the first things I noticed when we walked in is that local/regional craft beer and cider was being served in the restaurant. I thought that was pretty cool. Wine is served there too, Shelby almost ordered one just for the novelty of doing so in a fast food joint.
We ate in, once you order you get a number and seat yourself. It was pretty busy but we quickly found an empty table. Checking out the menu on the wall you'll see they serve noodles in all styles. You could get Mac and Cheese, Spaghetti and Sauce, Stir-fry--all kinds of ways. Our food was brought to our table. The portions were good and it was tasty. It's near my office, I'll probably come by here for lunch sometime.
Check it out sometime.
p.s. - Oh, Shelby got 3 chopsticks in her package. What's that mean?
Vivian Howard from A Chef's Life
We attended the WHRO Strolling Supper last night and got to meet Vivian Howard from A Chef's Life. She was very nice approachable. Mage performed a cooking demonstration putting together her version of a samosa. They were delicious! After the demonstration everyone went downstairs for the main event.
I'll write more about that later and I'll have a lot of photos.
Plate from Shula's
Strolling Supper is coming!
If you don't know what the Strolling Supper is here's the deal:
Mannino's award winning She-Crab Soup
Around 20 of the area's best restaurants come together to benefit WHRO, Hampton Roads' public media station. The restaurants are picked by Chef/Author Patrick Evans-Hylton and his selected Platinum Plate judges (Coastal Virginia Magazine sponsored.) They're there to impress too--the tables will be serving the best that the restaurants have to offer.
Duck Tacos from Still
The sold out VIP event ($100 a ticket!) will feature Vivian Howard from PBS's A Chef's Life--she'll perform a demonstration and VIP ticket holders get a meet-and-greet in the lounge before the general ticket holders arrive. General admission tickets are $50 advanced and $65 at the door. We attended last year and we realized immediately that it was definitely worth the money. It is a excellent opportunity to try the best Hampton Roads has to offer all under one roof.
Buy tickets here.
Here are photos from the event I post to I Heart Food's Facebook page.
Shelby's favorite from last year's event: Lamb Sliders from Traditions at Williamsburg Lodge
Misako Full-House
When I picked-up our sushi take-out Friday and was surprised to see Misako was packed. There was a waiting list to get in there. I think that's the first time I've seen it all the years I've been going.
Very nice, they're good people and the food is tasty too. Figured I'd share on here ;)
Valentine's Day
When Valentine's Day comes around people like to scope out what other people are doing. When they ask Shelby and me, we usually say "nothing." I think some people are surprised but we've always been low-key about these holidays. Birthdays are the same way. We've been together for a long time and I think since we were on a tight budget when we first got married (see About) we've always just enjoyed a card and/or some candy. As the years went by we just kind of kept things simple and we're good with that.
I did get Shelby a card and I decided instead of giving her a real flower I made one...from Maltesers!
Shelby loves Maltesers. It's her favorite candy. Before, I would have to drive anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to the only shops in the area that carry them. Now we have one in Virginia Beach that keeps stocked up; I guess I'll tell you it's the big Kroger on Holland Rd. but you better buy them all!
All it took was about 7 bags of Maltesers, some jasmine leaves, and lots of tape. She really liked it.
Happy Valentines Day Mrs. Shelby.
Foothills Hits The Birch
Malia of The Birch and Jesse from ChesBay
Leaving O'Connor Brewing Wednesday night, I headed over to The Birch for the Foothills event. Sexual Chocolate and a couple of other Foothills brews were on tap.
I recently had the Sexual Chocolate Stout at Tubby's Tavern so I had a Jade IPA. Bumped into Jesse Scott from ChesBay who distributes Foothills to our area. Malia was working at the bar and came over to chat with us for a little bit.
It was nice seeing everyone in keeping warm. We just had a bunch of snow dumped on us. The Birch is very cozy and has a pretty relaxed atmosphere--perfect for the weather.
A Drink with AltDaily
AltDaily recently announced that Pilot Media acquired the magazine ensuring a solid future (and funding.) They invited people to O'Connor Brewing Co. for a drinks. I'm always up for a drink.
Read a little more about how Jesse and Hannah or AltDaily feel about the what's happening:
The Pilot's president, David Mele, said that the magazine will be able to keep it's voice to "allow it to succeed and thrive." Good luck guys and thank you for allowing me to contribute to the magazine.
Merroir Terroir at Terrapin - Jan 2014
We made it to January's Merroir Terroir at Terrapin. If you'll remember Merroir Terroir is the oyster and wine pairing dinner the restaurant hosts. Once again, Chris Ludford was our captain on our journey to enjoy our favorite bivalve—the oyster. Terrapin's Brian Williams perfectly paired our wines to compliment the oyster selection for the night.
Brian Williams
Chef Rodney Einhorn, his parents and Shelby
Chris started off by talking a little bit the oysters we'd be having that night. Of course, we would be enjoying some of his delicious Pleasure House oysters and a couple of new ones—new for us at least. He also explained how oysters were, until recently, primarily eaten cooked. It wasn't unitl after the 70's and 80's that a shift in the market came about with more people opting to eat them raw. Cooked is still the preferred serving for the majority but fresh on the half-shell is appreciated more now than ever before.
Erika came around and help set our places and assisted in the direction of the servers. We were seated at her space, so she made sure things moved along smoothly. After everyone was in place, Brian started pouring the first wine.
Our first pairing consisted of a L'Oiseau D'or Muscadet with a Grand Pearl oyster from the Eastern Shore. The Muscadet was a natural pairing with the oyster—light, crisp and a great finish. The bayside oyster marketed with the trademark name Grand Pearl has a salty liquor and a light, thin shell.
The second course paired Domaines Schlumberger Pinot Blanc and a nice James River Oyster. The oyster had a dark flesh. The lower salinity contributes highly to fooling your mouth into thinking you're eating something sweet, but it's the lack of salt letting the oyster come through. It's a very opaque, winter oyster. The fat (glycogen) is high to protect the oyster in the cold water. The Pinot Blanc went well with the James River Oyster, it's high acidity and clean finish showcased the oyster.
Our last pairing had a bonus treat. We were given two oysters: Keeling's Pride and Pleasure House. We've had the Pleasure House Oyster from Chris' farm before—love them. Big, juicy, very satisfying to eat. The Keeling's Pride were new to us, these are an old oyster that grow wild in the Lynnhaven. Somewhat rare but hopefully making a comeback, it was a treat to eat them. Keeling's Pride Oysters are meaty, salty with a sweet connective muscle. The Pleasure House Oyster is huge, sweet and a little sandy. Brian poured a bubbly, something he wouldn't normally do, but the dry Crémant drew out the flavors of the oysters. A little bit about the Cote Mas Crémant De Limoux, though it is French and like a champagne, it is not made in the Champagne region and cannot be designated as “champagne.”
Comparing the Keeling's and Pleasure House
Once again, we had a great time at the Merroir Terroir dinner. Terrapin never disappoints. I do have to give an honorable mention to the Charcuterie plate one of the diners had in lieu of oysters. It looked delicious and something I need to try in the future.
View all the photos from our dinner here.
Luke and Emily Stephens
Shady Grove Marketplace is closing
Sad to hear the other day that Shady Grove Marketplace will be closing it's doors for good. Sequestration and cutbacks in government spending really hurt the small shop; they lost their lunch crowd which put a big dent in their revenue.
The cozy cornershop stocked up with local produce, sandwiches, and other goods you wouldn't normally find in the chain supermarkets. In addition to the inventory, Luke and Emily are good people; I hope their next project is as well received as the market was.
Check out some photos from their anniversary event a couple years ago.