Pomegranate: You Gotta Be Good If You're Replacing Moshi Moshi...

(Picture from Pomegranate's official website)

Ok, so yeah I have to admit that when I heard Moshi Moshi (the sister of Sumo San, with excellent prices and delicious food, located at 3321 W. Cary St. in Carytown) was closing its doors, I was really bummed.  So bummed that I didn’t give a seconds thought to whether or not a new restaurant would be opening in its place, nor what said restaurant would be.  In fact, I heard about a new restaurant called Pomegranate that was getting good reviews first, and then later realized it was in the old Moshi Moshi spot.  I had to let my love of Moshi Moshi go in order to experience this new restaurant objectively.  So let’s see how it worked out, shall we?

The ambience was a complete 180 from the casual Japanese restaurant it once was, with a candlelit, old European-romance ambience.  Very homey yet classic and romantic, IMO.

(Picture from Pomegranate's official website)

They have a decent sized wine menu.  Not extensive by any means, but pretty typical for small yet semi-fancy restaurants in Richmond.  But the cocktails! The cocktails were unique and delicious.  I tried one with “moonshine” and it was amazing.  My friend got one that made me feel like I could cause an explosion if I opened my mouth too close to the candle on our table after taking a sip.  But it still tasted good J

I started out with a spinach salad with local tomatoes (yay local!), pancetta cracklins and creamy avocado dressing for $7. It was pretty darn good.  The dressing was a little overwhelming for me, but then again I didn't ask for light dressing or dressing on the side so that's not necessarily bad on their part.

For my main course, I got the pan seared arctic char with a duck fat buttermilk biscuit, carmelized onions, roasted local mushrooms (again, yay!) and a pancetta cracklin butter sauce for $24.  Oh. My. Gentle. Jesus.  It was so good.  The fish was cooked perfectly, the biscuit was oh-so-amazing, and all the flavors just blended together really well.  It seems everything comes with pomegranates as a garnish, scattered all over the plate, which is a little weird and I couldn't figure out if I should try to eat them with the rest of the meal or not.  After I few bites I decided, no, not with this dish at least.

And for dessert…well their dessert menu is different every time, and unfortunately my friend and I can’t remember exactly what we had lol.  We know that it was chocolate, possibly hazelnut related, and dense.  This tiny little thing came out and we were like, “Ugh, European portions” (which I recently found out really aren’t that small, at least not all over Europe), but we assumed it’d be filling enough.  It really wasn’t that filling, but then again, do you really want to leave dinner feeling stuffed?  Well when you spend over $100 on dinner, maybe ya do.  This is not a moderately priced restaurant; it’s just slightly past that.  So don’t go here for a casual dinner.

For more info on Pomegranate, check out their website or their Facebook page.  So far they're only open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 5:00-10:00 pm, with the bar opening at 4:30 pm.

Viceroy: Getting There, But Still Not Quite Hitting the Mark...

(Yeeees yes this post is way overdue.  I went when it first opened, but now that I’ve been there more than once I feel like I have a more accurate view/opinion on the place)

I’ve now visited this restaurant twice, once in early February for a friend’s birthday and once back in October (2013) with some friends just for fun.  The experiences were similar – good food but nothing special, and the service needs work.

The old Café Diem spot at 600 N. Sheppard St., previously known for being a bar specializing in live music, is now a fully renovated restaurant space with a heavy wood décor.

The first time the waitstaff service needed work.  We were able to get sat on time (around 8:15), but despite deciding what we wanted early, having all our orders ready, and the only “appetizer” being one person getting the French onion soup, it took us over two hours to finish our meal.  Our server was impossible to track down and didn’t check on us nearly enough. 

The 2^nd time the kitchen needed work.  One of my friends claimed that her food didn’t come out the way she ordered (but I think she might’ve been confused, for the record), but her boyfriend’s (i.e. the birthday boy) food wasn’t ready with the rest of ours, and by the time it actually came out most of us had finished eating.  But to make up for it, our sweet server brought out his dessert (that I hope was on the house) and held a lighter in front of him while we sang “Happy Birthday” bc she couldn’t find any candles. Aw!

But let’s get down to the important stuff:  how was the food?  

For my first visit, I was the one who ordered the French onion soup.  Yes that’s right, it was ME!  I really hope that wasn’t the reason behind our entrees taking a RIDICULOUSLY long time to come out.  We’re talking an hour.  Anyway, it’s a standard form of the soup, broiled with Fontina and Swiss cheeses with a giant piece of grilled bread in the middle for $7.50. 

For the second time, I had the Viceroy French Onion soup again, so obviously I liked it.  It’s just too much bread though, hiding the plethora of onions underneath it.  I can never finish it all.  I probably won’t be getting it again.

For the main course on my first trip, I had the grilled filet of Angus shoulder tender (medium rare) served with Yucca-purple potato gorgonzola croquette, charred guajillo chile demi and some asparagus for $24. I ordered it medium rare, but it came out a bit too rare if you ask me.  As in it was already getting close to purple before it had completely cooled.  Depending on who you talk to, this could just be the style of cooking they were going for, but it's not what I've adjusted to and come to expect at most Richmond restaurants (outside of CanCan).  But, it was still delicious and perfectly tender (at first haha) and the potatoes were phenomenal.  And just look at that asparagus!

The 2^nd trip I had the seasonal fish (which I believe this night was rockfish) served over handmade fettuccine in a lemon herb crab butter with asparagus, English peas and artichoke hearts for $24.  This dish was irresistible, with the flavors being enhanced perfectly by my glass of sauvignon blanc (yes, BTW, pretty decent wine selection).  The handmade fettuccine was cooked perfectly, and the fish flaked apart every time my fork touched it.  And the sauce went especially well with the English peas IMO.

And I only got a dessert on the 2^nd visit bc the 1^st visit took way too long, and this February trip was in honor of my friend’s birthday (and he was getting dessert sooo…you know, just being polite ;) lol).  For my dessert, I had the Smores.  But clearly, not your typical smores.  These smores involve a Masa graham cookie, Colombian chocolate truffle, torched marshmallow and warm horchata for $8.50.  Now, while this was pretty tastey, it was so impossible to eat it without the marshmallow being pushed out or something falling off that you couldn’t get all of the flavors at once, which I feel is the point of a dessert coming out with all these combinations of flavors.  Plus, it’s messy. Duh.  It was such a pain to eat without enough “Mmmmmm” that I probably won’t order it again.

All-in-all, I don’t think Viceroy is a bad place.  I like what they’ve done with the place, they have a really cool bar, and the food is good… but I think there’s still some work to be done.  The food could be better.  And while the service improved the 2^nd time around, I feel like people expect more for the prices they’re paying.  So in the end I hope Viceroy sticks around, but I think they’re going to have to work a little harder to ensure that they do.

For more information, check out Viceroy's website here.

My RVA Fashion Week 2014: Part 3 Winter Gala

Thursday Jan. 23^rd, 2014

(Photo courtesy of Michael Hostetler Photography)

This year, the RVA Fashion Week Winter Gala took place at the new F.W. Sullivan’s location, down at 1101 Haxall Point off of 10th St. on the Canal Walk.  Most of the models were chosen from either the first or second model calls, so since I went to the third I was safe (lol) and got to sit this one out and enjoy the show.

Attendees could buy a table, or I think some could buy a seat (er, stool), but general admission was $10 and got you a standing space.  Luckily, my group and I were able to find a seat at the bar and a non-reserved stool across from it (which happened to be at the end of a row of reserved seats so the rest of our group could at least stand).

The stores participating this year included a lot of my favorite stores (many of which happen to be in Carytown).  The list included Fabrik, Alternatives (which I modeled for during Carytown Fashion Feeds the Byrd, so of course I luv them lol), and Traveling Chic Boutique.  I saw a few pieces, maybe one or two outfits, that I was ready to buy on the spot.  That alone makes me want to call the event a success lol.

After the show, a few vendors (including Salon Vivace who did all the hair and make up for the models) were set up in the hallway outside of Sullivan’s.  The rest of the evening was filled with checking out said vendors, drinking, and shmoozing with friends.  It was a relaxing, enjoyable night with friends that also happened to be filled with a lot of awesome clothes and beautiful models :) 

 (Yeah, I need a better camera phone. What can I say?)

(Want this dress. Very badly.)

 (Photo courtesy of Michael Hostetler Photography)

(Photo courtesy of Michael Hostetler Photography)

(Photo courtesy of Michael Hostetler Photography)

My RVA Fashion Week 2014: Part 2 First Meeting

Sunday Jan. 29^th, 2014

So not too much to report with this one, but I'm trying to maintain some consistency here.

Our first meeting started out with an explanation of what to expect with the upcoming "model workshops" and Winter Gala, and then an explanation of the day’s meeting agenda and how we would basically be going through three stations.  

The first station: filling out yet ANOTHER form (where do these keep going?) and release form.  But whatever.  Painless and NBD.

At the next station, we had our our official RVA Fashion Week model head shots taken in our white t-shirts (or tanks tops…I wish I’d known that was an option) and jeans.  The photographer taking the head shots was my favorite photog, Mr. JC Vera J  I don’t get to see him much so that’s always a nice treat.

Then for the last station we got to walk yet again, but with no feedback or constructive criticism.  I later realized that was all being saved for our workshops (which I still didn’t realize existed after the first meeting lol).

So another relatively painless meeting down, and the RVA Fashion Week Winter Gala to look forward to J 

My St. Patty's Day Saturday

While St. Patrick’s Day weekend (ok that just felt weird – callin’ St. Patty’s Day from now on) is usually dominated by one festival alone in Richmond, this year there was a competition.  RVA-ers could either go to the classic festival Shamrock the Block in its new location on the Boulevard between Broad Street near En Su Boca and W. Moore St. near Bow Tie Movieland at Boulevard Square, or they could go to the classic location of the festival in Shockoe Bottom (around the 17^th Street Farmer’s Market on E. Main St.) and experience the new Shocko Fest. 

I chose Shockoe Fest for several reasons.  For one, I was convinced that the new location wasn’t going to be great.  Whereas Shockoe Bottom had provided a more spread out, grid-like layout, the new location is just one straight line that spans over about 4 blocks.  Also, while it’s profitable for the city to host the festival in a location with few bars around it (therefore forcing restaurants and other vendors to rent spots/tents), being able to dip into bars and get off the street is part of what makes the festival fun for me…and probably many others.  The only two bars located near the new Shamrock spot are En Su Boca and Fat Dragon.  Thirdly, I was convinced this year was going to be the time when they (organizers...well, and everyone) recognize the kinks that need to be worked out, since this is the first time a festival of this size would take place in this location. I heard a statistic (no idea if it's accurate! Forgive me) that gave me chills:  supposedly the Pumpkin Festival hosted this past fall on the Boulevard drew 13,000 visitors, and that was a bit too crowded for me – Shamrock the Block supposedly drew 30,000 visitors!  And lastly, if I associate celebrating St. Patty’s Day anywhere, it’s in the Bottom, and that’s just where I wanted to be this year. Sticking with tradition!

So some friends and I made our gameplan, which included meeting at a friend’s place in the nearby Locks Apartments (311 S. 11^th St.) for a brunch.. which I missed. Nailed it!  Great start to the day haha.  So I went straight to Sine Irish Pub (at 1327 E. Cary St.).  We assumed it would quickly get packed so we made sure to start there nice and early.  Now I have luck anyway with parking, AND I was looking for parking at about 11:00/11:15 a.m., but I was shocked at how easy it was to find street parking.  I parked right behind Sine! Crazy.  So that was nice. Kinda makes or breaks a day sometimes.  There was no line or cover at Sine when we got there, so I walked right up and in and was shocked how easy it was to secure a big table near the windows facing Cary St.   Eventually the table next to us left, too, so we basically had a whole corner of the restaurant to ourselves (and there was about 15 of us, so hey, we needed it lol).

Sine was a blast!  I had my “healthy breakfast” of pretzels with beer cheese since I missed brunch, and discovered the wonderful treat that is an “Irish Trashcan”.  My naive self thought it was just a vodka-Redbull with a little blue curaçao added to make it turn green, but noooo no no no.  I overhead my friend say, “Oo, too much tequila in mine.” And I was like “Eeeehhhh ‘scuse me?”  Yeah, this bad boy was basically a Long Island iced tea with Red Bull.  LOOK OUT.  I know it at least had vodka, tequila, and gin on top of the blue curaçao and Red Bull.  If there was something else in it, I didn’t want to know. I got three.  

Oh, and important sidenote (especially for the ladies):  for anyone who’s been to Sine before, you know the bathrooms are located downstairs.  So I set off on my merry way, walked down the stairs, and then stopped dead right at the bottom step.  This is where the line for the girls bathroom started! I was so bummed lol BUT the organizers, being the geniuses that they are, anticipated this problem and set up about six porta potties out back at the very edge of the patio.  And those lines took no time.  I think all establishments that had a patio or alley set up porta potties for the festival. Lifesavers.

We stayed at Sine, gradually watching the line grow longer and longer (which apparently was still around the block by 5:00 according to my friend, despite the $5 cover that started at some point and the festival supposedly ending at 4:00) and decided to give someone else a chance to enjoy our spots.  

(Liiiiiiiiiiines!)

We made our way towards the heart of the festival, i.e. the area around the Farmer’s Market at Main and 16^th, 17^th, and 18^th.  It was such a beautiful day, the walk was a divine welcome escape from the loud music and dim lighting inside the bars.

(You know I'm tipsy when my finger starts to make its debut in my pics)

We met our friends at Rosie Connolly’s Pub & Restaurant (at 1548 E. Main St.), which not only had a packed house inside, but had opened their back area (which I didn’t even know they used) complete with a tent for performances and beer tables.  

When you first walked into the alley next to Rosie’s, you could either buy beer tickets or choose to go buy drinks inside.  For whatever reason, I decided to switch to rum and diets, so we went inside.  Considering how busy they were, it didn’t take long at all for four of us to get our drinks and head back outside.  We got to watch the bagpipers and enjoy the beautiful weather some more.  This is also where the day began to get a little hazy for me (understandably, right?).

We decided to migrate again after probably another hour and a half (remember, hazy) and head over to McCormarck’s Irish Pub (at 12 N. 18^th St).  Walking through the Farmer’s Market and cutting through the alley next to C’est le Vin Wine Bar was a HOOT.  But no one was being belligerent or too ridiculous, no fights (which was one of the reasons cited by for moving Shamrock the Block to Boulevard), and no puking or anything like that.  When we got to McCormack’s, it was busy, but not packed at all.  If anything, our group made it crowded.  My only complaint here was that they were out of PBR, and that was my attempt to slow down on the drinking.  So being intoxicated and not too quick to think on my feet, I simply asked for another rum and diet.  We hung out there for probably another hour and then, I don’t know, I guess people decided it was time for dinner lol.  I was just along for the ride at this point.

(You'll notice there are no pictures here.  That's bc the one's I have are just of my friends and I, and it's nothing you need to see lol)

So our day was close to ending, it was time for food, and we decided to go to Casa Del Barco (at 320 S. 12^th St., back by my friend’s place).  I won’t go into that experience too much.  That’s either for a different blog, or I need to cut them slack for being overwhelmed.  The food took over an hour and was pretty crappy for everyone.  But whatever, we got to sit outside and it was still BEAUTIFUL.

So I think it’s safe to say we all had an amazing day.  Sadly I didn’t hear the same story from friends who went to Shamrock the Block.  The stories I heard were mostly that it was way too crowded, the beer lines were too few and out of control, Fat Dragon (the one bar towards the middle of the festival) was too packed to stay in for more than one drink, and it just wasn’t a good enough time to stay at for more than maybe an hour.  But like I said, it was the first year at this location and they need to work out the kinks (or move it back to Shockoe).  While I’m sorry my friends didn’t have the best time there, hey, you could’ve been with us! J  Good job and kudos to all the organizers of Shockoe Fest who didn’t let the city moving Shamrock the Block get them down, and decided to organize their own festival.  I hope it was a success in their eyes. I know my friends and I consider it success and a wonderful start to the St. Patty’s Day weekend.  And in the end, isn’t that all that matters? ;) lol

Keep an eye out for (possibly) both events next year!
Find more info about Shockoe Fest at: 
the Richmond.come event article
the Shocke Fest Facebook event page
the official Facebook page

Find more info about Shamrock the Block at:
the official Shamrock the Block page
the Richmond.com event article

My RVA Fashion Week 2014: Part 1 Auditions

This year I participated in my first RVA Fashion Week model call… well, kinda.  I had previously modeled in an RVA Fashion Week show in 2012, but I only had the opportunity bc a friend of mine was in charge of it and had a model bail after the first rehearsal, so he asked if I would step in.  Uh, will I help a friend by having my hair and make-up done for free and wearing pretty clothes I probably can’t afford?  Yeah, for you, friend, I will J Then technically in 2013 I auditioned, but to say it was half assed would be…accurate lol.  I had no make-up on, no poses planned, and had never practiced my walk (I feel so silly every time I say that, but it’s legit – the walk is important and harder to nail than one might think).

So this year was the first year I really wanted it and went for it.  Hey, I’m 28.  Who knows how many more opportunities I’ll get to be styled and dolled up for free (and the pictures don’t hurt for Facebook profile pics).

Prelude:  anything fashion related in Richmond is always interesting to me.  It’s obviously not “real” in the sense of bigger deal cities like NYC or LA (or Paris or Milan or blah blah blaaaah), but the people in charge take it seriously.  They expect a lot from you, they’ll judge the crap out of you, and they always look like they’re ready to be in a music video or fashion mag article.  So even though it's not the big time by any means, it's still intimidating.  But that being said, it always seems to be kind of an unorganized mess.  If I were trying to really make it as a model, it wouldn't be a big deal.  But I’m just here for fun and new experiences. However, my reasoning is some friends of mine are involved in the planning this year, I know a lot of the models auditioning now thanks to those two shows and some shoots, and (like I already said) how many more opportunities will I have to do this?

This was the third and final model call held on January 11^th (the previous two having happened in October and November, I believe) from noon until 4:00 at the First National Apartments down at 9^th and Main St. in the middle of the city.  I showed up right around 12:30.  I walked in with another hopeful model to a room of about 10 other hopefuls (with refreshingly different ages, skin types, body types, styles, etc.) who had all shown up around noon…and they had not even started yet.  Oh the modeling world.  Even in Richmond they have to start everything fashionably late (except our first meeting, which I’ll write about later…that was an experience for me).

So at about 12:50 a Model Week representative came out to say they’d be getting started at 1:00 and give us instructions on how the audition was going to go down, from filling out an electronic form to taking a head shot to doing our walk.  Two important bits of information that were left out IMO – should we line up to go in one-by-one to fill out the form, and how should the walk be done (sometimes they want you to walk down towards them, strike one to three poses, then walk back and your done; other times they want several walks and any number of poses). 

It was up to all of us in the room to choose what order we went in since there was no sign-in process and we knew who showed up when.  Believe it or not, these people wanted to all keep sitting and have one person at a time walk up to this giant sign/barrier (that we couldn’t see past from where we were sitting), stand next to it, wait to be called back, and then wait to have someone come out and ask the next person to come back.  One at a time. It was going to take so long!  I tried more than once to say we should just line up in the order we arrived so we would be able to see when it was time to go back, but noooooo, it took like two other people saying the same thing for anyone to listen *rolls eyes*.

Anyway, standing in line was kinda nice bc I got to know some of the girls better and we could see everyone as they came out and get feedback/ask questions.  When I got called back it was embarrassing from the start bc the electronic form was filled out on a Macbook and I’d never used one lol (don’t judge me).  I didn't know how to scroll down!  I was like “Where are the arrows?!”  So someone had to tell me (luckily it was my friend Leah who’d done my make-up several times).  Then I went to take my headshot, which I’d practiced relaxing my face for like 10 times in the mirror since deciding I was going to try out.  But wouldn't you know it, as soon as a camera’s pointed at me I get all giddy and goofy bc I think it’s just so silly, so I strike this terrible smile-without-showing-teeth, deer-in-headlights face that was plastered on my face during my first Fashion Week show and has haunted me ever since. Damn it.  And when the guy taking the picture said “Perfect”, signaling me to move on, it took everything for me not to say “No no no can we take another one?” lol, but oh well.

Then it’s time to walk.  I stand at the opposite end of a huge, long room in front of a table of 6 judges (none of which I know BTW).  Since I’m not sure of what to do, and bc I’m impatient, I ask them what they’d like me to do.  They explain that they want me to do three walks with one pose each, but that they still need to write my name down and they’re not ready for me so hold on.  Great start to that, Meagan- nailed it.  So when they give me the cue I take off, and after my first walk they tell me to relax my shoulders (damn it I say to myself, I’d practiced that more than anything when working on my walk).  Then the 2^nd time they tell me to swing my arms (really? Darn it I didn't think I was keeping them still :/).  

(Photo credit:  Michael Hostetler)

Then the 3^rd walk they asked me to put my hands on my hips, which I was fine with bc I’d never tried that and therefore it was impossible for me to over think it and do anything weird.

(Photo credit:  JC Vera)

Then they asked me a few questions (actually…all the ones that were on the e-form, but I guess there was no way for them to have seen it yet):  my height, my dress size, had I done any shows before, and how old I was.  I had fun with that last one.  I like answering cutely and almost apologetically that I’m 28 and “so old”- it always gets a chuckle.  And even better, someone else on the panel was around my age and was like “Don’t worry, I’m old, too. And you don’t look it.” Yay! lol 

Then on the way out I answered a few questions from the people still waiting in line, got some “Good luck!”s, and even ran into a friend I hadn't seen since the 2012 fashion show.  Then I walked out convinced I’d blown it and wasn't going to get in.  I called my mom so she’d make me feel better (it worked), went to brunch with my friend and talked about it a little, then pushed it out of my mind.  But guess what, I MADE THE CUT (obviously since I've already referenced the first meeting in this post). 

And after the first two little organization hiccups, I was actually really impressed with how organized the process had become since previous Fashion Weeks and looking forward to the rest of the experience!! WOOHOO :D  Keep up with all the RVA Fashion Week news by checking out their site here!

(Photo credit:  JC Vera)

GardenFest of Lights 2013: A Collage

Duh. Of course this is going to be a picture montage/collage.  How could I write about a bunch of beautiful lights? You have to SEE them.  And honestly if you haven't seen them yet, you really need to plan a trip and get out there before the season is over.

The folks over at The Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens have put a lot of work into laying out and stringing up over HALF A MILLION lights all over the garden grounds for the annual Dominion GardenFest of Lights (along with botanical decorations, holiday dinners, and more). And the results are amaaaazing.  Check out some highlights below.

And seriously, if you haven't seen this for yourself yet, make it happen.  The GardenFest of Lights runs from Friday Nov. 29th to Monday Jan. 13th (only closed on Dec. 24th and 25th) from 5:00 to 10:00 pm.  It's always open rain or shine, unless there's SUPER inclement weather.  General adult admission is $11, or $10 for seniors, $7 for children ages 3-12, and children under 3 get in free!  It costs $6 for members unless you go on a member night (and see the Lewis Ginter website for those dates and other info).

Hope you guys enjoy and make it out to appreciate this beautiful event!