"When I open my eyes, there better be a cheese quesadilla in front of me."

Most people aren’t born with a desire to try foods from all over the world. I’m extremely grateful for my privileged upbringing, because my parents raised me on diverse cuisines. For instance, they regularly took me to Ethiopian restaurants in Adam’s Morgan, as well as many other forays into authentic worldly restaurants around DC and Northern VA. If you’re not familiar with Ethiopian food, you get to eat with your hands! Very exciting for a kid – tearing up bread that looks like a napkin (injera) and scooping your food with your hands. Unfortunately, I wasn’t really into vegetables back then and there were always a lot of those on the communal platter. Also, my mother liked everything spicy, so the meat was often too intense for me as well (probably the rich berbere spice blend).

It was a rocky start with Ethiopian food, but at least this adolescent unlikely foodie got exposed to it. The novel eating style of sharing and digging and tearing at pretty little piles of grub was burned into my memory. Years later, I became more open-minded (mature?) about the different kinds of food that I wanted to understand, and so I started looking around for Ethiopian. Several trips to Philly showed me that, holy shit, I love Ethiopian food – and I was vegan at that point.

Back in Richmond, I looked around and didn’t find much along the lines of Ethiopian offerings. The Nile opened on Laurel St in 2006. Although friends of mine swear by the place, it seemed kind of over-priced when I went ($13.50 for collard greens?).* Maybe it will simply always be the Hole in the Wall in my recovering scene-ster mind. There was also a place on W. Grace just east of Belvidere (called ____), but it didn’t last long. This lack of Ethi-food in RVA really depressed me about the gaps in our multiculturalism, and I kind of put my passion for Ethiopian food out of my mind for the past few years.

Fun game: take a bite. Make an O.

However, now we have another Ethiopian place in Sheba Ethiopian on 17^th Street by the Farmers Market. On my recent visit, the whole experience was delicious, fun, and lovely. (more…)

The best thing about Twitter is that there are basically no rules. We’re establishing norms and etiquette as we go, but for the most part, it’s complete anarchy: humanity on display with all it’s potential for genius and affinity for faults. This isn’t to say that we don’t bear some amount of responsibility to keep the twittersphere free of pollutants and user friendly for all. With that in mind, I’ve made a list of stuff tweeps do that should get them unfollowed by all rights:

1) Quit Yer Bitchin: Negativity ad nauseum is a no-no.  Sure, that UberTwitter app on your phone is more accessible than your therapist, but please quit whining about being in a bad mood, guilt-tripping other tweeps for not inviting you to parties, and complaining about stuff that’s no one’s problem but your own.  Critical commentary needs to have value to someone besides yourself (this is one filter I have to remind myself about).  We followed you voluntarily, maybe even out of obligation and civility and then you bury us in your unchecked angst?  Having a network is a privilege. Don’t abuse it.

2) Unsynch please: If you use Four Square, or a daily horoscope service, please understand that your Twitter followers did not sign up for these games when we decided to follow you.  Read those registration pages and SAY NO to the bit about letting an application take over your tweets.  Friends don’t make friends read about their every fucking gps location. When we get your 4sq updates on Twitter, we know one place you’re not: on Twitter.  Unsynch or you’ve unlocked “the douche badge.”

3) At least you have a job: Unless you’re tweeting as part of your job, don’t vent about your workload or your coworkers or your fucking TPS reports. It’s bad enough that we’ve got our own jobs to torment us, we don’t need your workplace misery infecting us.  (more…)

Ever since a Cafe Ole Facebook group attracted over 500 members supporting the idea of a second location in the old laundromat across from the Byrd Theatre, zealous anticipation has run rampant among Richmond City dwellers or anyone who visits Carytown and has ever tried the downtown district’s legendary burritos and fish tacos. That’s my impression from talking to friends and neighbors and from my own daydreams of 7lb spinach and black bean Mission-style wraps.  In fact, when I passed by the site of the second Cafe Ole during Carytown’s chalk the sidewalk extravaganza, I noticed gawkers puzzling over the empty ice cream shop (go to Bev’s, duh!). Unable to resist straightening them out in a big way, my gung-ho burrito-eating self decided to do the throngs of people a favor and let them know about the silver lining on the demise of the redundant ice cream shop (more like a whole mine full of silver – in the form of foil wrapped burritos).

An unofficial public service announcement.

Yeah, this public service announcement was unofficial and not endorsed by the candidate, I just had to spread the enthusiasm.  Personally, I think my evangelism has a lot to do with the battleground that is Carytown.  Businesses can’t seem to stay open, but it seems like most of them are targeting a market that only manifests for a couple days per week when fancy folk from outside the city descend on Cary Street to spend their considerable disposable income.

Meanwhile, the rest of us, who dine casually, who show up to shops even when it’s raining, whose property taxes pay for the pavement on Cary Street, we have to figure out how to make use of Carytown the rest of the week. Thankfully, there are a couple coffee shops, a used bookstore, $2 movies, Bev’s ice cream, a new Greek place, and soon an uncommonly consistent Mission-style burrito joint. Picturing people walking down Cary Street with football-sized foil wraps held up to their faces, I think the new Cafe Ole may be a catalyst for Carytown’s revitalization. But, that might be a tall order for such a modest place (hint: understatedness is the secret ingredient in those burritos and maybe the future of Carytown, in my not so humble opinion). (more…)

When I posted my rundown of up and coming pizza purveyors in Richmond, I had Aziza’s at the top of the list. Of course, it was in alphabetical order, but even so, I haven’t really hidden the fact that, over Stuzzi, Pie, and Bellytimber, Aziza’s pizza is the one I’m looking forward to most.  At my most recent visit (March 30th?), I lingered over dessert long enough to chat up my server, Bridget, and she gave me a peek at the woodfired oven being built in the addition on the back.  Alas, the lights wer cut off, so there wasn’t anything to see. After dawdling a bit longer, I got the attention of guy sweeping the floors at the end of the lunch shift.  That would be the owner, Billy Fallen, and that would be him in the picture below (with lights).

The brick he's holding is the start of the oven floor. A stone dome and vent go over top of that.

Billy used to bake bread at a little storefront in the Fan. Perhaps you’ve heard of Billy Bread. It can be found all over town in restaurants and your better grocery stores.  It’s a substantial and sought after loaf that fetches a pretty high price tag (at Ellwoods, anyhow).  After perfecting that product, he handed the business over to others a while back and I haven’t heard a word about it faltering one bit.

Now, Billy is running his own restaurant on East Main, making big impressions with his Lebanese inspired deli counter, breakfast and lunch options, and legendary chocolate covered creme puffs. Personally, I’ve been a devoted follower from the first olive I plucked off of my brunch plate of beans and eggs (a dish I termed “huevos Lebananos”).  Although I haven’t tried their Thurs/Fri (only) dinner menu, I’ve tried enough of Aziza’s wholesome daytime options to get a sense about the high quality of Billy’s cooking. That kind of rustic technique, together with a smoke-belching cavern of fire, is sure to produce sublime pizza. Well, that’s my prediction.

The Second Rise of Billy Bread

Talking to Billy about pizza was exciting. I explained how flame-baked pizza changed my paradigm for pizza analysis. He agreed that the pizza stone is just one element. Fire is the other.  Then he explained about one of his inspirations:  American Flatbread’s dedication to a primitive approach to pizza preparation.  (more…)

I wasn’t going to blog about the tofu eating contest until I saw this picture taken by RVAMag’s Ian Graham (more of his pics tofu contest here). It had been a weird weekend and I know that Karen would love a little peace and quite. So, I took Jasper with me down to Shockoe Bottom on a Saturday night and the event started AT HIS BEDTIME. Yeah, not wise at all.

The wild child dancing on tables with tofu on a stick.

The one thing I did right was make this tofu-on-a-stick prop. Jasper and I took turns holding it in the air and yelling TOFU!!! And then he would bonk crusty punks on the head with it, which was okay, because the block was made of foam and crusty punks are generally good humored about immature anti-social behavior. (more…)

My wife’s crafty micro-enterprise, Darling Octopus Decor takes up all of page 7 in the April issue of Richmond’s Belle Magazine. It’s a little story that highlights her process of finding something old and cheap and turning it into something new, fresh-looking, and totally worth paying for. Then, a resource list is offered for every step in the process. Although, Karen gives away some of her trade secrets in the magazine, Belle is not available online. You have to find a box and get a hard copy (update: it’s online now). So, in the meantime, I here’s the coverage Karen got in the Richmond Times-Dispatch to hold you over: