amuse

Let me be perfectly honest. The only reason for this post is so I can flaunt this cocktail picture.

You all know that I am not a photographer. Once in a while I accidentally take a good picture at a restaurant.  These occasions are rare!

When my in laws came to visit from Michigan we took them to a lot of places. We went to Hardywood Park’s food truck court, Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, Stella’s for Dinner and this stop at Amuse for cocktails after seeing the Pop Art Exhibit.

Evan had the Blackhound (pictured above), absolute vodka, blackberries, grapefruit, and St. Germain.

I ordered my go to favorite, the Jalapeno Pineapple Popper (pictured below), Hornitos Tequila, jalapeno, St. Germain, pineapple juice, and strawberry poprocks.

Jane had the Cheeky Tiki, Cruzan Gold Rum, Kelt Cognac, mango, Orgeat, angostura spray, Kraken Spiced Rum float, and hibiscus syrup.

We all had a nice little buzz.

lamplighter roasting company

Photos by Patrick Hannan

When you are starting a business there are many times when a meeting over coffee is appropriate.

Want to talk about a loan? Let’s meet for coffee.

Want to talk about a lease? Meet at the coffee shop down the street from the space.

Want to talk about working with us? How about a coffee after your 6am cycle class?

People selling coffee have got to be making a killing in this town with all the entrepreneurial activities going on! 

Here is the thing. I am just not that into coffee. I am trying. I get it. People like caffeine. I like caffeine. I would even go so far as to say that I like coffee, but my excitement for a cup is just not on par with most business-doing folks in this town.

That is why I love Lamplighter Roasting Company (116 S Addison St). Yes, it is a coffee shop with very fancy coffee service, pour-overs, espressos, half and halfs, and all kinds of coffee things I am learning about. But the best part is they serve great non-coffee drinks, too!

My new jam is their ginger ale. It is basically seltzer water mixed with house made ginger syrup poured over lovely lemon slices and ice. Sounds simple, but it is oh so good. Way more enjoyable than a cup of coffee, if you ask me. And the ginger will perk you right up if you need a boost.

My friend Patrick went to Lamplighter just to photograph this ginger ale for me.
I am pretty sure he is hooked!

mekong is for winners

photo by Eva of Nomicidal Tendencies and Hype is Cheap

I have posted many times about how much I love Mekong. Here and here are some examples if you missed it. I without a doubt have Mekong in my top 5 restaurants in Richmond. Mostly because this place is awesome! And apparently, I am not the only person who thinks this because they just won Best Beer Place Ever in the whole wide world… or something like that. They celebrated by offering all of there draft beers for $1 last night. I imagine that is what the beer lists look like in heave, $1 down the line for every possible craft beer you could be craving. I am just a little hungover.

Congratulations to Mekong voted on Craftbeer.com as the #1 Great America Beer Bar!

virginia craft beer month

This week, I was working late, doing some off site research. I really go above and beyond for the job.

What was I doing? Having beers.

If you haven’t heard, the Virginia General Assembly actually did something good this session. They joined the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild in declaring August as Virginia Craft Beer Month.

         HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 522: Virginia’s craft breweries already are an economic engine in the Commonwealth; most sell their beverages only in Virginia, thus the money raised from sales of craft beers and the revenue from tourists visiting the breweries remains largely within the local economy… Virginia Craft Brewers Guild has designated August as Virginia Craft Beer Month, encouraging residents and visitors alike to patronize the dozens of traditional craft breweries in the state….

There are some phenomenal breweries making beers in Virginia and it is about time that we have a whole month dedicated to celebrating that. In addition to driving people directly to the breweries, plenty of Richmond restaurants will be featuring Virginia beers.

The beer that we tasted was a stout from O’Connor Brewing Company in Norfolk. The beer drinks like Guinness, but is a little fuller and creamier. It is a great beer to look out for during Virginia Craft Beer Month.

Ask your bartenders, “What do you have that was brewed in Virginia?”

{drinking} chateau chantal pinot blanc

We brought home 22 bottles of wine from our Michigan vacation. Buying obscene amounts of wine was not part of the plan, but it has helped me transition out of vacation mode. You can’t quit vacation drinking cold turkey or you may experience heroin-like withdrawal symptoms. Or so I’m told, I don’t risk it.

For dinner last night, we ordered Thai Diner (8059 W Broad St.) takeout. Noodle of the Drunk for me (no coincidence) and Yellow Curry Chicken for Evan. Both were ordered with a spice level of American Hot. Thai Diner has four options when it comes to the level of spice, no spice, medium, American Hot and Thai Hot. We stay in the Medium to American Hot level unless we don’t have any where to be the next day.

The Pinot Blanc from Chateau Chantal was probably not the perfect pairing for our spicy Thai meal, but it sure was tasty. It is light and semi-dry with some pear, melon, citrus brightness.

I am totally an amateur when it comes to pairing wines with food. I just eat what I like and drink what I like and hope for the best. This time, it worked out pretty well.