Archive for January, 2008

Jan30

Ribs and Potatoes Redux

Last year (or maybe slightly beyond a year ago), I made baby-back pork ribs. I followed a recipe from the Gourmet cookbook for so-called “Chinese” style ribs. It seemed to me at the time, to go well with potato latkes. This time around, I followed Gourmet’s recipe for latkes, and we had a delicious meal. The ribs […]

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Filed in: In the Kitchen

Jan30

Quick Pasta Dinner

Thanks to Cavanna Pasta, this delicious meal was quick to prepare. I like the concept of meatballs without spaghetti. So I served for each person, two of Gianni’s meatballs with his porcini ravioli. My sauce: onion, garlic crimini mushrooms radicchio parmesan cheese marsala wine sweet red pepper relish salt, pepper EVOO applewood smoked bacon I also served Cavanna rolls, but I split the tops, and poured-in […]

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Filed in: In the Kitchen


Jan21

Eat out or in?

Neat discussion on eating out vs. eating in, and the budget implications.

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Filed in: Banter

Jan19

Beef Short Ribs

I have had short ribs several times at nice places, and each time, the dish, or more properly, the meat, has been delicious. Meltingly delicious, complex, and when served on the bone, it falls off, a real pleasure. I have never made short ribs; I did this weekend. I kind of made my own recipe based upon […]

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Filed in: In the Kitchen


Jan17

Kitchen 64

Last week I finally had the opportunity to visit Kitchen 64, located off I-64 in Richmond, VA, at the Boulevard. This place has gotten a lot of press and friends recommended it. They seem to have priced things for a good value on the amount of food you get; the cocktail list wasn’t cheap. On a Saturday […]

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Filed in: American 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