In September 2009, I came across a brightly colored palm card advertising ice cream and popsicles in Spanish.  The card showed pictures of day-glo frozen treats that seemed too psychedelic to be real. After searching online and coming up empty, I put the idea of scouring Hull and Midlo for this place pretty far out of my mind.

You want these.

Since then, my friend Matt took me for a surprise dessert treat after a trip to El Vaquero. Low and behold, in a strip mall behind Chicken Fiesta and La Sabrosita, sits the barely noticeable La Michoacana heladería (ice cream parlor). That visit was surreal. We sampled flavors frenetically. One tasted like a pat of butter on your tongue, another was straight essence of strawberry. I wound up with “moccacake,” a combination of coffee ice cream and thin ribbons of crispy chocolate. (more…)

This post has nothing to do with pizza. I’m not posting this to harangue Stuzzi’s owner for overhyping his alleged Neapolitan certification, nor expose him for seeming to fabricate Zagat reviews just as he’s purported to have stuffed the Richmond Magazine ballot boxes back in his Pasta Luna days.  Whatever with that stuff.  Richmond is a small town, and even our small time crooks can be seen as quaint when they’re being crooked.  So, we let them get away with whatever forever.

But if there’s one thing that’s very un-Richmond, it’s ugliness.  Publicly dishing out abuse is just not done.  Despite Stuzzi’s controversial popularity, there is a common thread running throughout the commentary on the various blogs and review sites: Peter Caserta is a misogynist, and an angry one.  His pattern of publicly belittling and coming on to his female employees and patrons crosses a line, or lots of them. As an employer, it’s an abuse of power and trust.  And for customers, his transgressions are upsetting and creepy.   But, don’t take it from me. The comments below speak for themselves.

From a comment on Varmit Pickrel’s Richmond.com review:

I have to say the owner did leave a bad taste with us… we asked to speak with him and he got belligerent with the waitress who relayed our request to meet with him. She apologized for his actions but the way he treated her and us as paying customers does make us put a return visit to on hold indefinitely. (more…)

I’m totally fascinated by anyone who steps out of the mainstream, defies conventional wisdom, and takes a stand despite certain consequences.  That’s why I’ve been meaning to write about the cash only rule at McCormack’s Whisky Grill and Smokehouse for months now and why I can’t resist tackling the topic as they’re getting ready to make some compromises in their principled stand. (but not in the spelling of whiskey with no E)

When I first perched on a barstool at McCormack’s Whisky Grill on Robinson, it was in their first couple weeks being open. Mac, the bartender and owner, let me know up front, “we only take cash.” Well, I’ve got $10 if that’ll afford me a rusty nail. Thanks to Mac’s willingness to explain the philosophy behind his bar’s economic system, I got a lot more than the drink for my ten bucks (gave the rest as tip).

The other guys at the bar were clutching their wads of greenbacks, ordering whiskey and canned beers alternately. But Mac made time away from them to explain how he’s learned from his experience running McCormack’s Irish Pub in the Bottom that credit cards and bars don’t mix, at least, not in the bar he was hoping to helm on Robinson. From the sparse looks of things on that night, I wasn’t immediately convinced, but I was riveted by the valiant effort.  Not only was Mac pushing the tantalizing flavors of hundreds of bottles of booze, he was putting it out of reach of anyone who didn’t play by his basic rule: cash only.

Drop the Debt

Mac went on (and on) about the trouble that comes with running credit cards (more…)

In the past couple months, visits to El Vaquero, Latinos Unidos, and various taquerias have brought memories of my honeymoon in Mexico flooding back.  Basically, I’ve been pining for the food that I encountered in Mexico City, Puebla, and Veracruz ever since that late 2006 trip, but it’s just recently that Richmond has shown me anything that even reminded me of those days.  This walk down memory lane is, without a doubt, a symptom of withdrawal from international travel. And since there’s no trips planned for the foreseeable future, it’s probably the beginning of a series where I mine my Mexican memories for a few fresh insights.  But hey.  Fantasizing about going abroad is cheaper anyhow, right? (making sad face now)

El Vaquero’s Fin de Semana

On the weekends, the alarmingly sparse El Vaquero offers special foods and drinks that you can’t get during the week.  There’s tamales for $1.50 a pop (be sure to get some salsa verde or crema to go with, cuz tamales tend to be a little dry), sopas (mostly offal/guts, but also seafood – both pho-like  in the hangover-curing dept), pozole (high on my todo list), and a lot more. I’m still working my way through the list (or bringing people with me to see them try out the meaty stuff.  If going during the week, be sure to try the refried beans.  They look like pintos and puree, but taste more like slow cooked pork than beans, which will probably make any omnivore swoon.

Fried plantains not included.

One thing I jumped at from the weekend offerings is the drink called atole or champurrado: a thick cinnamony hot cocoa.  (more…)

Apparently, Richmond Magazine did a readers’ survey, and this blog got the most votes for “favorite food blog.” What an honor!  I didn’t even know there was a contest.  It’s kind of funny to win a popularity contest when you’re trying hard not to win any popularity contests.  But, it’s validating, just the same.  Since some Richmond Mag readers might be visiting here for the first time, I’m including a listing of posts from the past year.  I hope it helps you get to know me, for better or worse.

There are so many food blogs in Richmond with large and small followings, both local and national in scope.  I try to make mine different and worth reading, or at least worth making fun of.  Richmond Magazine had Richmond.com as the #2 favorite food blog, which is peculiar, since it’s a Media General site with paid writers (whom I enjoy reading) and a confusing aggregation of local blogs, including this one (so, were some of the Richmond.com votes intended for actual bloggers?).*  And the legendary, BrandonEats is listed third favorite, despite only posting a few times in 2010.

I don’t know how many people voted, but I take these rankings as a sign that food writers’ reputations are kind of a misnomer in terms of our usefulness to readers, blurring the lines between professional and amateur, with fanfare attached to both authoritative and inquisitive perspectives.  All in all, the diversity of approaches gives us a rich environment in which to write about the food happenings in our kitchens and around town.  I hope it continues, regardless of who thinks who is “on top” (the readers will be the winners).

I’m still not totally sure that Richmond Magazine’s voters correctly understood that they were voting for best and not worst food blogger, but I’d revel in the recognition either way.  I do feel like I got off to a better start in 2010 than any year since starting the blog in 2006. (more…)