Whitewater Rafting in the River City

Feel like your summer isn’t complete?  Looking for one last fun activity to squeeze in before the cool weather rolls around?  Well maybe it’s time to finally try white water rafting!

Six of us decided to go with River City Rafting on June 29^th, and it was such a fun experience!  Especially since six is the magic number and fills up an entire raft.  So we had an entire raft to ourselves, it was the perfect weather, perfect water height/intensity, and our guide…captain…whatever, the guy from the company in charge of us was awesome.

It’s only as scary as you want it to be.  Seriously.  Let me explain:  personally, I’m an adrenaline junky and was always on-board to go bouncing through our city on the James River, which is known for being the only urban setting with Class III and Class IV rapids.  But when it was finally the day of our trip I realized that one of my knees was pretty swollen and had obviously gotten a little sprained at either a gym class or volleyball game; therefore, I was not as gung-ho about the idea of being thrown into water and having to swim. 

So I went in a little nervous.  But the whole process prepares you way too much for there to be too much to worry about (yes, there’s always the possibility you might drown when you’re in a river, but there’s always the possibility that you might get hit by a car or have a tree fall on you, so let’s not get carried away).  After transporting us to the departure site, they sat everyone down before we even got near a raft and gave us a rundown of how to sit in the raft, how to hook our feet in, how to hold our paddles, how to handle every scenario that could happen if anyone fell out, etc.  They covered all the bases and answered any questions until everyone felt comfortable.

Then we got into our rafts in a pretty calm point in the river and went through a few practice rapids.  The guide yells out commands for the rafters to either paddle right, left, ahead or back, so these practice rapids were good for seeing how our group handled that and getting synchronized.  Then they give you a chance to get out and swim if you want.  All but one of us did, and it was really fun and relaxing.  (It also gave me a chance to see how my knee handled swimming…not well was the answer…my nervousness came back a little bit).

Then when free swim was over, our guide took the opportunity to show us how to execute the retrieval procedure that had been explained to us at the beginning of the trip (i.e. he was gonna yank one of us back into the raft and then we’d help yank everyone else in).  Guess who was chosen as the demonstrator… hooraaaaay.  I don’t like being the first to do anything out of fear of embarrassing myself.  And this one delivered! Lol Because as he pulled up on my life vest, I was supposed to grab some ropes on the side of the raft and help hoist myself in.  However, I didn’t realize it’d be so easy for him to hoist me up, so I over compensated and went flying out of the water and into the raft and made the most awesomely terrible sound of surprise.  Our guide said he was worried birds might come out of the woods at us because they thought an animal was dying J I’m awesome. ANYWAY the point is, it’s a lot easier to pull someone back into a raft than you think.  No one in our raft fell out (in fact, someone only fell into the raft…into my leg…kinda hurt), but another raft lost someone in a pretty rough patch, and he was fine and his co-rafters had no problem pulling him back in.

Going into the rapids, they looked scary.  They were stronger than they could’ve been because we’d had a lot of rain so the river water was a little high.  But it was so FUN.  You work together as a team, paddling through the rapids the whole time, and as long as you anticipate the rapids and keep your feet hooked, you’re fine. Like I said, during one rough patch the guy next to me fell into the raft, but other than that no one had a problem (including the girl in front of me who’s smaller and lighter than I am).

After the Hollywood Rapids (the roughest rapids we saw that day), all the rafts pulled over onto the end of Belle Isle for a snack and some water.  They bring enough water for everyone to have 2 or 3 cups, and enough trail mix (the good kind with raisins and M&M’s) for everyone to have seconds.  Then it was back in the rafts to finish out the rest of the trip.  It ended at the Pipeline Rapids (which is where the only person fell out) and then at a calm spot, they let us out at some steps, loaded us into the bus, and took us back to the River City Rafting headquarters.  The whole trip (with commute to and from the site included) took about 3 hours.

It really was an awesome day and experience.  I want to go back again.  It feels so good to fight through the water and bounce around.  And getting to swim around for a little bit at the beginning was really nice and refreshing.  If you want to be dangerous and sit further to the outside of the raft, you can.  If you want to be closest to danger, you can sit in the front.  But if you want to be as safe as possible, you can sit further into the raft and towards the back.  It’s all up to you.  But this company took really good care of us and I would recommend them to anyone thinking of setting of a trip.

River City Rafting offers rafting trips, tubing trips, and tube rentals.  Cost for rafting trips runs around $65 a person and typically lasts for 2-4 hours.  Minimum size for certain trips is 4 while 6 for others.  You can learn more by calling 232-RAFT (7238), or via their website or Facebook page.

Cocktails with Avenue 42

On Friday August 2^nd, Avenue 42 Style Studio hosted a party in honor of their five-year anniversary at the business’ place of operation at 16 E. Main St.  The party also doubled as a birthday celebration for employee Rachel Shrader’s father, so it was an extra special night.

To give some quick background, Natalie Gordon founded Avenue 42 in 2008 and they specialize in hair, airbrush makeup, lashes and more, and have been featured in several magazines, documentaries and ad campaigns.

To say it was a lovely party is an understatement.  There were beautiful decorations, champagne, wine, hors d'oeuvres, gift bags, a place to sign up for free style consultations and, of course, wonderful company.

Avenue 42 is run by wonderful people and I hope their salon continues to thrive.  If you missed their anniversary party, do yourself a favor and keep an eye/ear out for the next one and check it out.  In the meantime, call them for all your beauty needs at (804) 303-3139, or visit their website.

Photos courtesy of A. Meyer Photography and all the pictures from that evening can be viewed at http://ameyerphoto.smugmug.com/Ave-42-Red-Carpet/i-zQzwkBL/A.

 Owner Natalie Gordon (far left) and stylist Rachel Shrader (far right) with some party guests

 Gordon with Avenue 42's public relations guru Caroline Birgmann

Me and my lovely dates

Gordon and Shrader with guests                 The lovely ladies who were serving us all evening

Find more information about Avenue 42 and all their services on their official site here.

Random Article Post

Dear fellow coffee addicts and drinking buddies,

2 birds with 1 stone.

Sincerely,
Meagan & SCIENCE


So I don't usually repost articles on my blog, but 1) this is worth sharing, and 2) sharing it on my blog allows me to go back and find this article easily later when I'm able to try this haha (pssshhhh, forget bookmarks).

Scientists have found a way to make an alcoholic beverage from used coffee grounds. Yes, it tastes like bitter coffee (but apparently that can be lessened by aging it).  Yes, there's a whole process involved (ever tried an at-home beer making kit?).  Yes the caffeine mostly disappears in the brewing process.  But with 40% ethanol (i.e. same lines as vodka and tequila) I'm giving it a shot damn it! :D

I'll let you guys know how it turns out.  In the meantime, check out the article:

http://news.sciencemag.org/technology/2013/08/scienceshot-shot-coffee-gets-you-drunk

The Daily Kitchen & Bar: My Soon-to-be New Fav...When They Calm Down

Carytown has another new hot spot!  As if the Charlottesville pizzeria Mellow Mushroom opening a new location in the old Plan 9 space wasn’t exciting enough, The Daily Kitchen and Bar just opened in July at 2934 West Cary St. on the corner of Cary and Sheppard St.  On the home page of their website, they state that they “strive to serve foods that are not only delicious but also health conscious, environmentally friendly and socially responsible”.  Sounded GREAT to me- Richmond needs more restaurants like that IMO.

First off, if you’re not a fan of crowds, WAIT to try this place.  I tried to go on a Tuesday evening around 7:00 and there was about an hour wait.  Given it was the 2^nd week they were open and I expected some kind of wait, we had a movie to make so we just opted to go elsewhere.  But that Friday I went back with a patient friend and all the time in the world.  We were told the wait would be about an hour and a half, but our optimistic selves were sure it wouldn’t take that long, so we gave them our phone number.  Their list situation is cool in that they take your number and send you a text with your estimated wait time and a link to a web page that shows you your progress as your move up the list.  So we walked over to the bar for a glass of wine and I checked our wait page:  15 parties ahead of us….yeah, it was going to be an hour and half.  So I went into hawk-eye mode at the bar, and thankfully so because I noticed a couple of gentlemen at the end of the bar that looked like they were leaving and politely asked them if they were leaving; they were indeed, offered us their chairs, and then stayed and chatted for awhile and even gave us recommendations as to what to order.  We got to sit in about 5 minutes, but this will not be the case with the majority of people that go in the next couple of weeks.

So that being said, we had a wonderful experience getting to view the whole bar and restaurant throughout our meal.  It was madness lol (as it got closer to 9:00, the bar looked like it had stadium seating, with 3 rows of people standing behind the people sitting).  It also didn’t hurt that one of my old friends was our bartender.  Anyway!  We sat there sipping on our $6 glasses of sauvignon blanc, examining the menu in all its tasty looking glory.  Everything looked good.  It’s a good mix of crowd pleasers:  for appetizers they have calamari, lettuce wraps, spring rolls, and seafood like shrimp, scallops and fish (raw and cooked); they have little sections for pizzas, salads and sandwiches; entrees include sesame crusted yellow fin tuna, roasted chicken, mole braised short ribs, Isreali cous cous and veggie stir fry; and they have lots of desserts including avocado blackberry brulee, chocolate panna cotta and lavender shortbread.  Seriously, look at all those options! They have it all!  Chicken, pork, beef and seafood, all with a healthy/fresh/refreshing twist.

We ended up going with the idea of sampling several things.  We had the lettuce wraps (with chicken versus tofu, vermicelli noodles, picked carrots and cucumber, cilantro, and a trio of sauces), grilled shrimp (with tomato, pickled watermelon SAY WHAT, lemon turmeric quinoa, and a cilantro emulsion), and their margarita pizza.

In general, the food was good.  Specifically, the pizza was surprisingly amazing J  When I think margarita pizza (margherita?) I see dark red tomato sauce with round patches of mozzarella scattered throughout.  What we got was the cheesiest margarita pizza I’d ever seen with the most delicious light tomato sauce and perfect crush (not too thin, but not deep dish).  And my friend agreed.  We were in love with that pizza.  Maybe that’s why they spelled it that way versus the traditional way with the “h”.

The lettuce wraps were good, though nothing out of the ordinary and served with the standard peanut, chile, and mystery sauces (oh lettuce wraps don’t usually have a mystery sauce? Well we couldn’t figure out what the hell it was.  The bartender wasn’t even sure but we didn’t want to make her ask). 

The shrimp was REALLY good.  The shrimp by itself would’ve been tasty enough, but when combined with the watermelon, quinoa and sauce, it was a flavor combination I’d never experienced before and it was out of this world. Highly recommend it. 

(Sorry for blurriness in some of these - camera was just overwhelmed by the glory I guess.)

And with the prices set the way they are at The Daily, it shouldn’t be too hard to try anything there because you won’t be breaking the bank.  The appetizers were $9.95 and $8.95 respectively, and the pizza was only $7.95!  Can’t remember what the exact size was for the pizza but it was big enough for us each to have two out of the four slices and be full (would definitely fill up one person as their meal).

While we didn’t try any of the entrees this time around, we heard they’re good and range from about $13 to $23.  I’m sorry I can’t weigh in on those in this post, but was too full to even try to split one after those three dishes.

MOST IMPORTANT FACT ABOUT THE DAILY:  they are now the only restaurant in Carytown besides Moms Siam to have a first floor completely outdoor patio on a corner plot.  It looks like such a perfect hang out spot from the spring, summer, and fall months.  They also have giant sliding doors with big windows that open up to turn the front part of the restaurant into patio seating as well (basically).

With trees/nature as their theme in the menu and the décor of the restaurant, The Daily provides a classy yet rustic feel, while striving to provide “organic, all natural, local and sustainable ingredients as much as possible” (as stated on their website).  The Daily is open Monday through Saturday for dinner only (so far) from 5:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. and can be reached by calling 804-342-8990.  Check them out!  Sooner or later.

Savory Grain

I was going to do a post on Jorge's Cantina first, but then my friend told me their brunch is AWESOME and I haven't been yet.  So I should probably hold off until then.  In the meantime....

Where Empress once stood, now there is only Savory Grain.

The new restaurant opened its doors at 2043 W. Broad Street in March or April….spring of 2013 damn it.  Some friends and I went to check it out back in May.  We had a group of 11 and thankfully made reservations because even on a Thursday it was crowded (and from what I’ve seen, restaurants in that area that don’t have a thriving bar scene don’t typically get busy…or do well…hence Empress’ closing). 

We were seated in our private little dining room/nook, and I must say I found it quite charming.  The decorations and ambiance of the place are homey with a touch of class.  It’s very relaxing IMO.

A friend and I started out by splitting the calamari as an appetizer, and it was the most interesting calamari I’ve ever come across. In a good way – a VERY good way.  It’s tempura battered calamari served over a fresh tomato sauce and mixed with grilled jalapenos, chorizo, smoked shallots and topped with a fried egg. Say whaaaaaaat?  Even though I typically stay away from spicy things (stomach problems) I still went for this and was so glad I did. It does have a kick (how could it not?), but it was so good it was worth it.  And it was only $8!

In fact the prices at Savory Grain impressed me more than anything.  This group does a monthly “let’s try a new place” dinner, and it’s typically at a pricey place.  But at Savory Grain you can get a good selection of appetizers, salads or sandwiches for $8 or $9.  And their entrees run anywhere from $14 to $22.  Not diner prices or anything, but not too shabby.

For my entrée, I chose the grilled quarter chicken.  Since I got a fried appetizer, I decided to go the healthy route for the main course.  It was good, nothing out of the ordinary.  It was served with a Belgian herb au jus, and maybe if I was familiar with that I would’ve known what to expect, but what I got was a lot sweeter than I had anticipated.  Wasn’t a huge fan of that.  But the chicken was a little dry so I kinda had to use it.  But the red skin potatoes were really good, and the grilled zucchini was…grilled zucchini. Not much you can do with that when it’s just a side on an already tame dish.

Other dishes ordered include the Mimi’s crab dip, house made bruschetta, and lamp “pops” for appetizers, and the Savory Grain burger (I mean, obviously people got other things and liked them, but the myself and the people immediately around me were too caught up in our food to discuss it too much with folks across the table J).  The crab dip was really good with a tiny kick, but heavy. Definitely for sharing.  The bruschetta was fresh and delicious.  And I didn’t try the lamb but everyone who did raved about it.  My friend who had the burger said it was good, but with a little shrug.  So I’m sure it was good but just nothing spectacular.

Overall, the Savory Grain is a place you can go to over and over again for good food and good wine (and beer) for moderate prices.  They also have a patio area on Broad Street which will be an excellent ahng out spot come fall.  So, 3 out of 5 stars in Yelp terms haha.

Check them out at the Savory Grain website or call them at 804-592-4000.