Archive for December 10th, 2006

Saturday evening I had dinner at the Stony Point Shopping Center’s PF Chang’s, a very popular Chinese restaurant chain. I love the interior and the drama inspired by the absence of light and stone sculptures.

What I hate are the waits… I hate waiting for dinner, it’s always crowded. Yet, I did this time, and I was once again affirmed in my previous ideas about this restaurant.

Service this time, once seated was good, until the end. I suffered because a large table of 6 behind me expected all separate checks. Problems with these checks ensued, and the delay was palpable. Only one refill on a soda in a two course meal was a bit pathetic, too.

The food was tasty. Especially so the orange-peel beef. Be prepared, however, to order a vegetable side dish. Many dishes don’t come “complete” with vegetables. I like being able to get brown rice here, it’s better for me (and you).

The new Sichuan menu was spicy as all heck. I ordered the appetizer of wontons that were good, flavorful, but way too spicy. One thing I have to proffer Chang’s—they’re not afraid to spice things up.

In total, some good points; nice atmosphere, reasonable service during the meal. The rough edges are the same ones I’d seen before… over-spiced dishes, and pockets of disappointment with service.

Since this review in May, 2006, a subsequent visit resulted in even longer waits. Service quality here needs serious attention. We are demoting its rating.

For a Sunday lunch at Carytown’s new Ginger, the small restaurant served us first a simple menu that was easy to follow. Often, I find some Thai menus confusing. I think it has nothing to do with the cuisine, but with purveyors who simply can’t make easy to follow menus. Ginger does it right.

Pick a style of preparation, such as spicy basil, or perhaps the spicy drunken noodles, then pick a meat or vegetable. In our case, it was both with tofu.

We ordered these entrées mild, and they came to us quick enough, deliciously portioned in lunch-sized plates. The spice was there, but not to the point where it was hard to eat. It might be too much for “mild” for some folks, but I loved it.

Appetizers included their fried calamari (especially cut thick, and tasty) and the fresh shrimp spring roll (not my favorite, but this one stands out for using a prodigious amount of healthy carrot).

All in all, the decor isn’t a knock out, but with a couple of tables in the corners with pillows, it’s nicely enough appointed, and no doubt a comfortable place to enjoy great food.

One report says that the restaurant is run by the former owners of the Thai Garden of Innsbrook, in the west-end. Subsequent visits have been less consistent, but not enough to change our rating.

I recently visited California Tortilla, a casual restaurant chain, located off Lauderdale Dr. in Richmond’s far-west end.

This place is about 750-800 feet from Broad Street, in the second section of the shopping center across from Short Pump Mall. I put it in a similar class to Moe’s, Chipotle, and Baja Fresh. Mexican food fast, but not “fast food.”

The burrito menu here is quite adventurous compared to, say, Chipotle. I ordered the crunchy ranch burrito which was not bad. It lacked authenticity, but it had some interesting flavors and textures. We also got the BBQ wing flavored burrito which was too hot to eat.

If you like hot sauce, they have quite a collection. The salsa and chips that came with my meal as a “combo” was not bad, but they give a pitiful amount of salsa for the amount of chips.

The draw here are the creative, inventive solutions on how to “improve a burrito.” I still prefer Chipotle for the quality of ingredients.

I recently dined for dinner at Ipanema Grill, located off Cox Road, near Broad, in Richmond’s far west side.

This churrascaria is a restaurant focused on a Brazillian tradition of spit-prepared meats. The decor is nice, in an upscale direction, and dinner is a one-price per person. $24.95 per person, in fact, so it’s not necessarily cheap eats. But the eats were oh so good.

The meal is centered around meat. “13 types of meat,” although we didn’t precisely count 13. Several meats came in different cuts and preparations, and one meat was actually pineapple. But if you like meat, and really good, flavored meat, this is the special place for you.

You have a choice of a “salad” bar featuring some single vegetables, such as roasted red peppers, olives, hearts of palm, broccoli, and then there’s a hot-area, featuring warm vegetables, deep-fried bananas, and rice. They even had lasagna. And if you like cheese, they feature two big wheels of cheese: an aged cheddar, and an authentic parmesan wheel. The parmesan wheel has been carved out, with the cheese in large chards, inside. If you are a parmesan freak, you could easily eat your meal’s worth in just this so-called king of cheeses.

So, while you are getting up for these items, the waiters are coming by in quick succession with various cuts of deliciously flavored meats. Beef rib that is so succulent and flavorful that you question the legality of eating something so good. Beef tenderloin still pink and tasty. Pork belly, chicken wrapped in bacon, sausages, lamb, etc., etc. My favorites were the beef rib, and the opening chicken—so packed with delicious, mouth-watering flavor. You say to yourself: “this is the way good meat should taste…”

The service was good. Frequent visits to our table kept the glasses full, and when you turn-over your sign for more meat, it’s always quick and warm, carved piece by piece, at your table.

Very highly recommended.

There can be a lot said about meat and bones. Some say chicken with the bone-in is better. Steaks with bones, more flavor. Yet I find myself in that extreme lot of society that fears the bone. It’s not convenient. And depending upon your feeling about animals, it’s your teeth up against the skeleton of another animal.

This weekend I swallowed my comfort and made pork ribs. I won’t risk breaking copyright, but the recipe included:

• ketchup
• sugar
• soy sauce
• garlic
• ginger
• sherry

You cook the ribs at 325 degrees in the oven, and they came out great. I served homemade lattke (potato/onion pancakes) with them. Everyone ate the ribs with their fingers. I got by, surprisingly enough, with a knife and fork. They were scrumptious.