Europa: Revisited

 

May I start off by saying, what a pleasant surprise!  Although it probably shouldn’t be.

Europa Italian Cafe and Tapas Bar is nestled in…actually a pretty decent sized space (since it has an upstairs and downstairs) at 1409 E. Cary St. in Shockoe Bottom.  I ate there for the first time probably 5 or 6 years ago.  I remember that it was a great meal, with the only bad thing being there were so many things to choose from, my group had trouble deciding what to get!  But the wine was good, the food was good, and we were coincidentally there the same night that DJ Williams and The Bricks were scheduled to play, so we got treated to a convenient post-dinner show (and it was my first time getting to see DJ Williams, who at the time was relatively unknown but now is pretty much a bonafide star in the Richmond music scene).

But somewhere between that first experience years ago and my experience last week, I began to think of Europa as just a bar/club.  On weekends Europa opens up its downstairs bar/lounge area (sometimes with a DJ, sometimes just blasting music).  The few times I’ve been there just to drink, it’s been fun, but it’s kind of like a middle ground between a club and just a bar/lounge.  So you have a crowded area where some people are standing and talking, some are dancing, and some are sitting at a table area that’s usually always full.  So I stopped seeing Europa as a restaurant and started seeing it as a place to go once in awhile when I was willing to deal with a club atmosphere (which is getting rarer in my old age ;)).

So imagine my surprise when my friends and I stroll into Europa on a Wednesday evening and am able to get four chairs together at the bar (we were using two Living Social deals and, long story short, we needed to sit at the bar in order to use both – yaaaay loopholes).  We were able to pick our wines and beer within 5 minutes, but then had the same problem as my group did the first time and took about 15 minutes to pick what plates to share.  Two of my friends are gluten-free and one is also lactose intolerant.  Luckily, Europa has a gluten-free menu that highlights everything that is already gluten-free as well as dishes that can be made gluten-free upon request.  Many of their dishes are lactose-free, but you’ll have to spot those on your own ;).

 

We ended up ordering their small Signature Starter Platter (which serves 2-3 and comes with an assortment of Spanish meats and cheeses, olives, pecans, and hummus) to hold us over until we made up our minds.  Even though it says “Serves 2-3”, four of us shared it just fine.  The pecans were particularly good, which surprised me because they were COVERED in spices which usually means it’s going to be too much for me.  But no, they were sweet with just a little kick and it’s my new favorite snack there.  

Then for the main courses we ordered the Seared Rare Tuna, Pan Roasted Mussels and Clams, Baked Artichoke and Lump Crab, Wild Mushrooms and Soft Polenta, and Parmesan Grilled Asparagus.  Now I’m not a huge fan of raw fish (unless it’s in sushi) so I can’t say too much about the tuna.  I tried an end piece that was more seared than other pieces, and it tasted good, but I just can’t get over that texture and rawness I guess.  The mussels and clams were good, but my very first bite had something really crunchy in it (was it that anyway?! Sand??) so that was a deal-breaker for me.  The asparagus was pretty much just my attempt at getting a healthy vegetable side dish (luckily for me they put a good amount of cheese over the middle though!) so it was good, but nothing amazing.  Hands down, my 2 favorite dishes were the Artichoke and Lump Crab and Wild Mushrooms with Soft Polenta.  For some reason when I ordered the artichoke dish, I pictured crab meat wrapped in artichoke leaves or something.  Instead what came out was a dip…an amaaaazing dip.  It was so cheesy and delicious and rich!  I’d eat again in a heartbeat any time… as long as I had a friend around to help me eat it.  And I didn’t even think I was going to like the polenta dish that much, I just agreed to order it because I’m a big fan of mushrooms.  But turns out it was unquestionably my favorite dish of the night!  I don’t think I’ll ever go back to Europa and not order it.  The sauce was perfect, the polenta was so flavorful, and the mushrooms are just a perfectly sautéed (I assume) tasty bonus.

 

All the small plates are $6-$15, so depending on what kind of dinner or date you’re planning, it could be pricey or it could be pretty cheap.  If you’re going the expensive route, the small starter platter is $22 and I do think it’s worth starting your meal out with (especially if you’re drinking wine).

We were too full to get dessert (which if you’ve read my previous blogs, you know that’s a big deal lol) so I can’t help you out there this time, but rest assured, I’ll be going back soon!

State Fair of Virginia 2012

We went on the last day, which happened to be kind of dreary.  But hey, it was empty and we had a BLAST.  Here is the State Fair of VA this year, in a photo nutshell...

 

 

Balliceaux Sunday Suppers

Note:  Once again, it's been awhile and I have a lot of things to post about.  My laptop died :( So that delayed me a little bit (especially since it has all the accompanying pics for these posts) but I figured I should go ahead and get started. 

One of my favorite restaurants in Richmond is the chic looking establishment at 203 N. Lombardy St. known as Balliceaux.  In the past, they’ve had some of the most creative dishes I’ve ever seen in such a small city, pairing together ingredients I never thought could and would taste so wonderful together, as well as throwing in ingredients I’d never heard of!  They’ve changed their menu (dishes as well as layout) several times since their opening a few years ago, and for every dish I was sad to see gone, there was a new favorite to take its place.

However, my last visit to Balliceaux could be called nothing but disappointing.  And it PAINS me to say that.  I’m assuming this situation only occurred because we chose to go on a Sunday.  Balliceaux seems to be following a recent trend in Richmond restaurants known as “Sunday Suppers”, which pretty much just means a very limited menu.  Whereas usually we’d be handed a menu filled with options for cheese plates, miscellaneous appetizers, entrees that cover the spectrum from vegetarian to seafood to beef, etc., we instead had to look up at a very faint and hard to read chalk board located in the middle of the main side wall in the front part of the restaurant.  Luckily our table was right across from the board, but we still found ourselves having to stand up to see it anyway because people kept walking up and standing in front of us to read it.

The options were very limited:  3 appetizers, 4 sandwiches, and (my biggest problem with the menu) only 4 main entrees.  They had 4 or 5 dessert options though, so that was ok.  But the entrees were so limited and simple, I couldn’t wrap my head around it.  I guess I had been too spoiled by the regular menu, because I went expecting the collage of flavors and ingredients, but instead saw just sirloin steak, fried catfish, duck, and salmon.  And while I’m sure they were expertly cooked and full of good flavor, I wanted my seafood pasta!  I ended up going with my safety choice there:  the natural beef burger.  As always, it was cooked close to perfection and was delicious.  They even offer it with cheese and bacon now I believe.  I got my usual truffle fries as a side (my happy place! :) haha) but my friend got their mac ‘n cheese and it was DAMN good.  They seemed to have a lot more side options than usual that night.

My friends got the duck, catfish, and salmon, and they all said that it was pretty good, but no one seemed incredibly impressed considering the prices (the entrees ranged from $18-$26).  My burger was just $8 so I had no complaints. 

In fact, I think I lucked out all around compared to my dining companions.  For dessert, I got the caramel crème brulee.  Not only was it delicious (like, oh-my-sweet-goodness, I will dream about this later delicious) but it was huge!  I’m usually a stickler (i.e. brat) when it comes to sharing desserts, but in this case I insisted because there was no way one person could/should finish that.  However, my friend got a chocolate mousse concoction and he was not impressed, to say the least.  While we thought it would come in a ramekin and be rich and smooth, we got what looked like a square piece of silly putty that was chalky and flavorless.  Even though we knew our server, he couldn’t help but complain a little and send it back.  No one at the table wanted to eat it.

I feel guilty writing anything bad about Balliceaux.  The food has never disappointed me in the past.   I still highly recommend it.  Just not on Sundays.  (And beware of that mousse for dessert!)

Foster the People Take 2

Foster the People put on an AMAZING show at the Merriweather Post Pavilion (in Columbia, Maryland) on June 10^th, 2012.  I had seen them in Richmond at The National last year, but this was almost like seeing them for the first time again.  Maybe it has something to do with all their new experience, like a 2011 summer tour, a 2012 spring tour that includes 23 stops (we were there for the 7^th stop), a performance at the 54^th Annual Grammy Awards, and their recent performance at Bonnaroo.

The Kooks opened up and gave a straight forward, lackluster performance.  That’s not to say that the band was lackluster – after 8 years of performing they still put energy (can’t with all certainty so “their all” though) into their songs, but that’s still somehow not quite enough.  And they don’t have a whole lot of interaction with the audience outside of saying thank you for coming and singing Foster the People’s praises for letting them tour with them.  And guys (the band and who ever helps set up their stage show), the bright lights are alright but not when you’re just waving them around the stage and into the crowd (thanks for the eye damage).  Put up a banner or something! Promote yourselves and give the people something else to look at besides a black curtain.  And maybe wear something other than jeans and t-shirts.  Although I’m sure a lot of fans appreciate that kind of humble consistency.  It was just my first time seeing them (and hearing some of their songs) and I would’ve appreciated feeling something more/having something else more stirred inside me than foot tapping and head bobbing.

Now I have to admit, part of the reason (to be read “the only reason”) I went up there to see Foster was because it had been presented to me as Foster the People and Kimbra.  From that I assumed that Kimbra was going to have her own full set, and I was super amped for that.  She is such a unique artist who most people only refer to as “that girl from the Gotye song” (despite having at least 2 CD’s under her belt), so I was very excited to see what she could do.  Her voice – wow.  Her style – love it.  Her energy – you can tell it’s there.  So much potential. But neigh, it was not meant to be.  She was only there to perform WITH Foster the People, and even then it was only one song and you could barely hear her. Bummer.  But she was cute and I at least got to see more of her crazy fashion sense.

But Foster the People already had a strike against them in my eyes when they came onto the stage (since I was expecting Kimbra).  Imagine that, being disappointed to see the headliner come out lol.  But hey, I couldn’t help it.  But they went right into it and all was forgiven. 
They played the crowd pleasers as well as a slower song that you could tell meant a lot to them as a band, but maaaay have put the crowd to sleep a little bit.  But they also played an unreleased slow track that managed to hold my attention and keep the audience awake.  It was a really good song, and I wish I knew/remembered the name (an on-line search WILL be done).  Sadly I don’t think they played “Helena Beat” which is my faaaavorite song.  (But for all I know they might have played it and I missed it, as I was distracted for one song by an altercation with a classy.. oh wait I mean wasted concert go-er that was annoying me, my friend, and about 4 people around us.) 

But what really blew me away and demolished any question as to whether or not it was worth it to go to a concert 2 hours and 40 minutes away from Richmond was “Pumped Up Kicks”.  I had planned to leave during this song as it is beyond played out and I had seen it in concert already.  But instead, I think the memory of that performance will be my new mental happy place for a little while.  Of course the band delivered the song with their usual talent and energy, but unlike the Richmond show it turned into a big bright party on stage. I can’t even describe everything that was going on (but I’ll try).  They had pretty rainbow lights (which I’m a fan of – shiny J) that I don’t think anyone can resist getting extra energy from.  They had Kimbra and some of her entourage/band come out on stage to help dance.  They had an extra drum battle/break down.  They had lots of confetti.  They had giant inflated dolls on both sides of the stage.  They had a guy in a black mask with fire for hair come out of a suspended sun on the stage and dance and throw stuff at the audience.  They had a friggin’ party and we were all invited.  I loved it.

If you haven’t seen these guys live yet, entertain the thought.  And there was a lot of talk about their next album.  I know it’s hard and you write your first album (book, movie, etc) your whole life, but I hope it’s at least as good their first if not better.  These guys seem to be the real deal.  I have faith in their talent and longevity.

I didn’t take any video as I am without an actual camera and my phone sucks, but I hope my camera phone pics do them justice.  Ch-ch-check, check it out.

Get your Rox off...

How exciting!  I finally had another new restaurant to write about! But then sat on this blog for weeks and weeks and am just getting around to posting it now.

After realizing that Element, a bar in Shockoe Bottom on 18^th Street known for hosting live music (mostly bands from the local rock scene), had shut down, I was able to actually fathom the idea that a new restaurant had opened there. 

On the Rox opened up months ago (you know, when I originally intended to post this blog) under owner Erik Brockdorff.  If you haven’t been there by now, you’re behind the times my friend (you’ve been living under a rock? J Too corny?).

Instead of bar tables and booths against the exposed brick walls, now there are (relatively standard) black dining room tables spread out across the main floor.  They made good use of the space, fitting as many tables as possible into the space up front near the floor-to-ceiling windows.  I was there with a large group (about 20 people) for a birthday party and there were able to accommodate us comfortable and (as far as I know) easily.

While the stage that was in front of the main bar is no more, the one in the back behind closed doors remains – but is also the smoking area (heads up non-smokers) and special event area.

I guess I was still stuck in the Element mind set by the time I looked at the menu, because I found it to be very surprising!  It’s not very big, but what they have is impressive.

Now it has been awhile since I first went there, and I don’t exactly have the best memory (nor can I find a full menu on-line) so I can’t tell you exactly what everyone got.  One of my friends opted for an interesting seafood concoction, while another friend got what we called “the heart attack sandwich”, and both said their dishes were really good.

I opted for the boring healthy option, and got the trout which came served over brussel sprouts and…  Now, I had only had brussel sprouts twice before:  once at Acacia and once at my apartment.  Obviously, Acacia sets the bar high and convinced that I liked brussel sprouts and everyone else who bashed them were crazy (yep, tried ‘em for the first time at the ripe old age of 26).  The home-cooked sprouts…maaade me rethink my previous assessment.  So that’s my scale for critiquing On the Rox’s attempt at the controversial veggie, and I must say, they were pretty close to Acacia quality.  I think what made me not a huge fan is how many of them there were – the entire bottom of this huge bowl/plate was just filled with ‘em!  Just enough so that the slab of trout could fit on top without passing the brim of the dish.

It also has what has been called the best happy hour in Richmond.  And rightfully so, since it’s half off EVERYTHING…except entrees.  But that means all appetizers and other food as well as drinks – All. Half. Off.  Check it out Tuesday through Sunday from 3:00 to 7:00 pm at 119 N.18^th Street.

Another shameless movie endorsement...

I hate to re-start my blogging off by promoting another movie trailer (that has nothing to do with Richmond) but it just looks soooo good. And you guys should know by now that I’m a thriller/horror movie fanatic.

So ok, first of all:  I’m a big fan of the Paranormal Activity movies, as well as Insidious.  If you’re not into either of those, well maybe this isn’t for you.. because this comes from their producer.

The story line of this movie seems to be a mix of the story lines from Insidious and Paranormal Activity (probably as well as some other movies you’ve seen about authors trying to write novels and stumbling upon trouble), but it still looks really well done and fresh.  Sometimes using one unique ingredient from several different recipes creates a whole new delightful dish J

I appreciate creepy images without blood and guts, and there definitely seem to be an abundance of new creepy images in this one (see:  kid coming out of box folded up backwards… and alive).  Insidious was some of the creepiest imagery I had seen in a long time, and this movie seems to be picking up where it left off. 

Plus I always thought Ethan Hawke was a pretty decent actor, and he’s definitely really good at acting jittery, confused, and anxious haha.  Plus I adore Vincent D'Onofrio, the actor they have explaining the demon to Ethan Hawke (I only knew him as Abbie Hoffman from Steal This Movie and detective Robert Goren from Law and Order:  Criminal Intent…glad he’s still getting work).

I’M SO EXCITED FOR THIS!  Check out the first trailer below.

Sinister Movie 2012

So it begins! ...again

It's hard to keep up with a blog when you have a really crumby laptop that can't be disconnected from the charger for even a minute without dying.  But I have been working on many blogs over the past few weeks/months (some now sadly outdated haha BUT I'M GONNA POST EM ANYWAY) and I will be gradually getting them all up soon. 

I'm sure all 5 of my followers are thrilled :)