|
Recent Entries
Syndicate Monthly Archives Lunch at Aurora
Karen Newton
October 30, 2008 8:09 AM
A restaurant that is starting out life as a bakery with the goal of eventually serving three meals and being a lounge at night is a place with lofty goals. And lofty is exactly the right word considering the ceiling height in the place; I’d hate to pay that heating bill. While beautiful, the soaring ceiling and abundance of windows left me a tad cool during our meal. My friend arrived first and, despite the room being empty of diners (it was 11:45), was led to a tiny two-top table. Luckily, after requesting a booth instead, the hostess was gracious enough to allow the switch. I’m not sure why early lunchers would be penalized with the smallest table for being the first customers. My turkey and swiss on homemade focaccia with lingonberry/chipotle mayo was large and quite tasty. The bread was better than average (well, it is a bakery…duh) and the amount of turkey generous. My friend got the fish special, glazed salmon, with a rice-stuffed tomato and rated it a 7 out of 10. The special came with access to the salad bar, so although the rice/tomato side didn’t impress, it wasn’t hard to augment with the salad choices. It will be interesting to see how this place develops. At our lunch, the size of the staff seemed quite large; there seemed to be a different wait person for every third table. And unfortunately for me, my sandwich was so large I didn’t have room for dessert (a rarity), so I’ll have to return to see what baked goods they can wow me with. For now, Aurora seems to be getting its sea legs and hopefully management is figuring things out. I wish them the best with keeping the place warm, though. It Started with an Exploding Cat & Ended with Pizza
Karen Newton
October 27, 2008 8:12 AM
My weekend, that is. The Art House Film Fest Friday at the Firehouse served up 13 local filmmakers’ best. Drama, comedy, romance and animation (including the exploding cat) were all represented in short form and showcased just how much local film talent there is here. The communist bogeyman and quivering boy in the satiric “Give Me Shelter” were laugh out loud funny Saturday’s Zombie Walk was much-delayed because of the rain, but when it finally took over Cary Street, it was worth waiting for. There were some magnificent open wounds, dripping blood and much moaning. The highlight for me: the little zombie girl holding her zombie mom’s hand and asking plaintively, “Mommy, are we there yet?“ Apparently some questions follow us beyond the grave. Sunday’s Mingus Awareness Project at Gallery 5 was even more impressive than last year’s. Brian Jones does an amazing job of gathering rva’s best musicians to pay tribute to jazz great Charles Mingus for 3 hours. Starting with the trio’s expressive set, followed by Fight the Big Bull’s 3 original arrangements (which had the crowd barely breathing so as to not miss a note) and finally the big band’s fullness of sound, it was a memorable afternoon. The sheer number of musicians in the audience was testament to why this was a must-see performance. Stellar music was followed by my first tasting of Tarrant’s pizza. It was a white pie, with bacon, onion and spinach and just a little greasy in just the right way. This is the closest pizza place to where I live, so I was overdue to check it out. The cheese/grease ratio was just right, so I’ll be back. Broken Social Scene: A Lot of Bang for the Buck
Karen Newton
October 22, 2008 8:21 AM
It’s not often a band does a three hour set, but that’s what the audience got from Broken Social Scene last night at Toad’s Place. The beauty of a collective like BSS is there are so many talents to share, so many people’s songs to perform and so many permutations to offer that they can just keep going…and going…and going. Opener Land of Talk put on a fine set, depsite the vocalist’s mic problems. Shouldn’t the singer’s lyrics always be audible? BSS followed shortly after 10:00 and didn’t finish until after 1. A few slower songs were included, but most were high energy musical romps that challenged the ear drums of more than a few in the audience (I saw a surpsising number of people wearing ear plugs) but carried most of the listeners right along with them. And best of all, they pulled in two stellar local musicians from No BS Brass Band, including my favorite, the always amazing “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop” Reggie Pace. Tickets for the show were a mere $15, which was an amazing price for two excellent bands, much less four hours of music. And, since both bands were Canadian, they were eager to share their hope that American voters make the right choice on November 4th…for the sake of Canada and the world. The audience clearly agreed with them…and then it was back to the music. A Tale of Two Brunches
Karen Newton
October 19, 2008 2:51 PM
Saturday: Can Can Sunday: Bacchus Both brunches offered a tasty meal and a chance to enjoy a friend’s company. Can Can’s high energy and noisy ambiance was a complete contrast to the low-key, retro vibe at Bacchus, but I’d recommend both for brunch…depending on what kind of experience you’re looking for. As for me, I’m off to buy a bottle of that Horton Sparkling Viognier I was denied. But not for today; those will be bubbles for another day. This is How We Roll
Karen Newton
October 16, 2008 8:00 PM
Sure, I lived through the 80s once, but I was more than happy to revisit that sound at Plushgun’s show at Alley Katz Thursday night. All that synth! That bouncy pop! The back beat that wouldn’t quit! The glow sticks! So catchy and infectious, they might as well have been an STD (and I mean that in the best possible way). These three guys from Brooklyn put on a show that gave the audience no choice but to shake its collective ass and beg for more (for which we got one more song, so it was definitely worth it). Luckily, after endless listening to their stellar EP for months now, we have only to wait until January for the new CD, Dancing in a Minefield. And hope that Plushgun returns to Richmond very soon to show off more of their indie/new wave/electro-acoustic wonderfulness. I know I’m not the only one who can’t wait. Chocolate 101: Learning by Tasting
Karen Newton
October 16, 2008 1:20 PM
What kind of food lovers attend a chocolate lecture and tasting on a Wednesday night at Agecroft Hall? Mostly women, with a smattering of secure male types thrown in for good measure. Cookbook writer Francine Segan explained the history of chocolate, starting with its New World origins and tracing its journey and transformation in Europe and the U.S. There were familiar explorer names: Columbus and Cortes…and familiar wrapper names: Lindt, Cadbury, Mars, Nestle and Hershey. Comparisons to wine tasting were made. One should look at the chocolate for glossiness, give it a sniffy-sniff to detect the floral or vegetative notes, break it (fine dark chocolate snaps crisply) and finally, taste it. Spitting may be optional for wine tasting, but my friend and I opted to swallow…every taste of chocolate we were offered. Toasted cacao beans…rosemary infused chocolate…milk chocolate…chocolate with chili spices…64% and 75% dark chocolate…even white chocolate, which uses only the cocoa butter and not the cocoa powder of cocoa beans. Segan warned us that chocolate, unlike wine, does not improve with age. Her professional advice: If you have a chance to eat chocolate, do not procrastinate. Eat it now. The Blue Letter Rocked The Tell-Tale Heart
Karen Newton
October 15, 2008 8:51 AM
Local band The Blue Letter provided the outstanding accompaniment to last night’s Silent Movie Revival feature, Poe’s Tell-Tale Heart (the 1928 silent, avant-garde version, of course). The haunting score they improvised as the movie unfolded was one of the best pairings of audio and video imaginable. Eerie in parts, threatening in others but always loud and evocative, The Blue Letter’s music advanced the well-known story forward, even as it enveloped the audience. The Halfway to Halloween show at Rumors was another perfect example of the abundance of Richmond talent: Jameson Price of the Silent Movie Revival for choosing the perfect film short (again!) and The Blue Letter for enhancing the experience with their spot-on performance. These Were a Few of My Favorite Weekend Things
Karen Newton
October 14, 2008 12:32 PM
Destination Dining: Stronghill Dining Company on Boulevard Art: Change for A Ten at VCU’s Brand Center DIY: Richmond Zine Fest Music: Richmond Folk Fest Theater: Richard III Film: Black Orpehus at the Firehouse From Charles Manson to G.W. Bush
Karen Newton
October 14, 2008 9:05 AM
Last night found me at the Camel to hear crime writer Vincent Bugliosi talk about his new book, The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder. I remember being fascinated with his first book, Helter Skelter, about the Tate/LaBianca murders. Now that was a work of non-fiction that read like a lurid crime novel. For those who don’t remember, Bugliosi convicted Charles Manson of murder even though Manson was never at two of the crime scenes when the victims were murdered. As a Los Angeles prosecutor, Bugliosi went on to win all 21 of his murder cases. Last night, Bugliosi made the case that Bush is guilty of murder as a result of the lies he told to justify the invasion of Iraq. His argument is amazingly simple: Bush wanted a war with Iraq, but had to show that a preemptive invasion of Iraq was justified. To do this Iraq had to be an imminent threat to the U.S., but intelligence couldn’t prove any connection between Saddam Hussein and 9/11. So Bush simply reversed the National Intelligence Estimate findings that were presented to Congress. Voila! Congress approved the invasion and Bush got his war. Not surprisingly with a subject like this one, there were some people of strong opinions in the audience, including a couple of vocal Republicans who had been at the Palin rally yesterday. But, for the most part, this was an audience of surprisingly well-informed and opinionated people looking for answers about a war that few seemed able to understand, much less justify. No One Throws a Party Like Parker
Karen Newton
October 06, 2008 8:07 AM
The Carnival of 5 Fires kicked ass for three nights in J-Ward and I can’t imagine there was a better time to be had anywhere in rva this weekend. Not surprisingly, the crowd went through the Magic Hat a tad faster than anyone could have anticipated, but what great party doesn’t run low on some kind of alcohol? Other options abounded. Highlights: Sweet Tease Burlesque getting the crowd hot and bothered not one, but two nights…having my palm read (how could my hand tell so much about me?)...Gull, showing the crowd that playing guitar, drums and vocalizing simultaneously is just what he does…Accordion Death Squad’s toy piano plinking alongside the booming double bass and cello….Huckiddy Puppet Theater’s hilarious and poignant take on relationships and death…Lily’s to-die-for home baked bread and garlic aioli…Alison Self’s incredible voice…all of it really was worth twice the price. And so I bow to Ringmaster Blackfire and his amazing ability to entice, impress, amuse and tease his guests for three nights running. When Parker throws a party, I intend to be there. |
RSS 2.0