Archive for November, 2007

Nov25

Italian Dinner - Sausage with Risotto

Despite my good manners, I know that photo could make the mind wander. I am not sure a single sausage on a white plate in a brown sauce is the best presentation (some how, a lot of parsley seems appropriate). Yet, I kid you not, this was a tasty, albeit simple, meal. Ukrop’s recently started selling […]

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Filed in: In the Kitchen

Nov25

Thoughts…

This week marks a year since the new emergence of Messy Cuisine. I know, because I had to pay another bill to host this site. I have mixed feelings about sites with advertising. Among my three websites, this one earns the most number of “hits,” and I appreciate the readership. Ads could help me pay for […]

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Filed in: Banter


Nov23

Thanksgiving Highlights

The big turkey-day has come and gone, but I know MessyCuisine readers may be interested in some highlights from the meal. All photos are “clickable” for the Flickr originals. To wit: Roasted Smokey Butternut Squash Soup A MessyChef Exclusive roasted butternut squash 1 colossal sweet onion garlic 2 slices Applewood smoked bacon heavy cream fresh-ground nutmeg salt, pepper butter vegetable stock Root Vegetable Gratin This one combines equally-sized […]

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Filed in: In the Kitchen

Nov10

Minestrone Soup

Tonight for dinner, with a cold night, it seemed right for a hearty soup. I made a variation on my minestrone featuring: vegetable stock tomatoes green beans broccolini hearty green escarole pasta parmesan cheese, evoo carrots sweet onion First, sauté the onion in EVOO, garlic; add the carrots. Stir until a brown residue appears on the bottom of the pan; add salt, and tomato paste. […]

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Filed in: In the Kitchen


Nov10

Java Jodie’s

I frequent the Goochland Courthouse-area coffee shop Java Jodie’s at least once a week, either for lunch or a morning coffee. This is a combination you can get: a small soup with a half-sandwich. Most are grilled panini-style. Their food is good, but it is rather expensive. In this case, I didn’t care for their tepid soup […]

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Filed in: Restaurant Review



About Messy Cuisine

What is Messy Cuisine?

Several years ago, friends and I decided to produce our own cooking show. What might we call it? The Messy Chef was born, a moniker inspired by my own mother’s description of my abilities in the kitchen. “You might cook well, but you sure are messy.”

Messy Cuisine is a website dedicated to restaurant reviews and future online video productions of The Messy Chef. I hope to find ways to make the site more interactive for visitors.

How do I see all the restaurants you have reviewed?

Under the navigation section, choose Category > Restaurant Reviews and the page that is displayed will show all reviews in alphabetical order.

Is Messy Cuisine a business?

No, a pasttime and a passion.

Messy Cuisine Logo

Who designed the logo for Messy Cuisine? I did. It was produced using Adobe Illustrator. It’s adapted from the typeface PMN Caecilia.

Tell me more about the Restaurant Reviews…

Unlike the NY Times, or other well-established locations, the reviews I write may be based on one or more visits, but sometimes it is just one. Typically, I’ll cover the best and worst points. I usually mention what I had, and make comments too on the service and the atmosphere of the restaurant. The ratings I assign are not derived from some complex rubric, but are a genealized, overall reaction to my meal at the particular restaurant. I do not discriminate on price: cheap eats can earn a top rating, just the same as an expensive restaurant. I think price and formality, however, can affect your choice when dining, so I’ve begun to use a 3-tiered indicator for price to guide your choices.

About the Chef

Not a chef, really… a gourmet, or simply an enthusiast for good things in life. I have shared reviews of places I eat online for over 6 years. I typically go out a lot, due to convenience and a desire to try new things. At home, I gravitate towards Italian cuisine, but also French technique and simple dishes and dinners. My baking skills aren’t great, but I do love a good pie or croissant.

Show Models

Probably my favorite TV program for cooking is TV Food Network’s Barefoot Contessa, for its style and content. We’re also inspired by NBC’s hit comedy show, The Office, and have attempted some take-offs on that filming style and charactature.

The Blog

The blog is powered by WordPress, the open source blog engine. I evaluted several content management systems (CMS) when beginning, but I was most familiar with this and its templating system.

Where else do you recommend I learn about good food online?

I really like a number of food blogs, which I link to up above in the main navigation area, a blogroll, so to speak. I also have included a link below to Vaynerchuck’s Wine Library TV.

WLTV