stay in the shallow end

I found this mysterious folded up piece of paper in my pantry today. It has Jeremy’s address printed on it, but it’s not an envelope. That’s my handwriting, but I don’t ever recall folding up a pork chop mix in a sheet of paper.

I was about to open it, but then I thought, “ANTHRAX!!”, so I wrapped it in plastic sheeting and duct tape. Then I realized that by not opening it, I would be letting the terrorists win. So then I tasted it, and it was delicious. Take that Al Qaeda!! Now I’m making a pork chop.

Feel free to send Jeremy mail.

This time, it’s on time! This was the first week of a pilot program between my friends and I to have bring-your-own-lunch days during the week, so expect the repetitive Corner lunch reviews to subside.

Monday: Lunch at Lee’s Grill: I got the Teriyaki Chicken yet again. Are you tired of hearing about this one yet?

Tuesday: Dinner and Drinks at Wild Wings: I met up with a way too large group of friends for Wild Wings’ Tuesday Night specials. Buy one get one free wings and $3 pitchers of Pabst Blue Ribbon after 9 PM. I just mooched five wings off of a friend’s plate, and they were flavorful, but were pretty dry on the outside. My personal preference is a really saucy wing, so they weren’t perfect, but they were still pretty damn good. Buffalo Wild Wings still wins in the wing category for me, though.

Friday: Lunch at Jimmy John’s: I don’t know why I don’t eat at Jimmy John’s more often. The price is right, and the quality of the food is a step above Subway. I had the Vito, which is the only sandwich I’ve ever had there, and I don’t see that changing. It’s just too delicious.

Saturday: Dinner at Aqui Es Mexico (formerly known as El Tepeyac): I love this place, and I really should come here more. Since my last visit ten weeks ago, they’ve really spruced up the place. They have a new paint job, new name, and it’s definitely much livelier inside. The food is still as awesome as ever. I got Chicken Enchiladas Poblanos. Three chicken enchiladas stuffed with mole poblano sauce with rice and beans. It was heavenly. I managed to finish the entire dish of deliciousness, and was so full, I thought my stomach was going to rupture. I’m going to try to remember to go back soon.

Only four reviews? I guess our pilot program is a success! See you next week.

I was reading this article over at the Gene Expression Blog, and was shocked to learn that there is more than one Voltron:

Look at me! I’m all caught up. I hope you’re enjoying this Scott, cause I only write them for you.

Monday: Lunch at Bodo’s: I should’ve gone to Bodo’s more this summer. It’s so cheap, so delicious, and so refreshing compared to heavier fare on the Corner. I had an avocado sandwich on an everything bagel with onions, mustard, and horseradish. So good. I kinda want one now.

Monday: Dinner at Amigo’s: Once again, I order the Chili Verde, and once again it is awesome. Chunks of slow cooked pork simmering in a salsa verde. The pork is so tender it falls apart in your mouth, no chewing requires. I am really, really glad I found a dish here that I love, because it is the most convenient Mexican restaurant for us. Mmmm… pork…. well, my bagel craving has passed

Tuesday: Lunch at Jaberwocke: I ordered three sliders (mini burgers) with onion peels for my entree, and we got a large order of Jabercrusties for the table. Jabercrusties are some of the best appetizers I’ve ever had. Who knew that knots of pizza dough and cheese could be so good. The sliders were disappointing. It’s settled, from now on, I’m only ordering Jabercrusties at Jaberwocke.

Thursday: Lunch at Christian’s Pizza: My parents were in town on their way up north to drop my brother off at college. My mom even cooked a feast of Indian deliciousness for all my friends the night before. On their way out, we went to Christian’s, which is my mom’s favorite pizza. I had a slice of fresh mozzarella and a spinach sausage slice that I’d never seen before. They both lived up to Christian’s usual awesomeness.

Saturday: Dinner at Five Guys: Sesame seed bun + 3.5 oz of 80/20 ground beef + tomatoes + sauteed mushrooms + fried onions + raw onions + jalapenos + a handful of peanuts while I wait = crazy delicious.

Finally, all caught up! If anybody’s still reading at this point, I hope you enjoyed it!

This week takes us to Chicago and Lollapalooza. In addition to these meals, we had tons of food at the show itself, which was reasonably priced and provided by Chicago restaurants. In fact, the only reason we went out to Adobo Grill was because their food at Lollapalooza was so good. I stretched this week back to Friday evening for the purpose of keeping all the Chicago meals on one page.

Friday: Dinner at Giordano’s: Giordano’s makes the heaviest slice of pizza I’ve ever seen. After running around all day at the festival working up an appetite, we ordered some Cheese Garlic Tomato Bread to start and a large stuffed pizza and were worried it wouldn’t be enough for the four of us. We tore through the appetizer and when the pizza came out, we each hefted a slice onto our plates. What happened next can be likened to running as fast as you can into a brick wall. After we finished that slice, we all just stared at the other half of the pizza in silence. Then we got a box. Giordano’s is crazy good, and if you’re heading to Chicago and haven’t been before, you need to check it out.

Saturday: Dinner at Adobo Grill: Saturday afternoon at the festival, I grabbed a tamale and some guacamole from one of the vendors. They had three squeeze bottles of salsa out: mild, medium, and hot. I drowned the tamale and chips in the hot sauce and took first bite of the tamale. Nothing could have prepared me for the hell that was unleashed in my mouth. Combined with the high 90s heat that we’d endured outside all day, I’ve never sweat that hard in my life. I was kind of annoyed that the only warning I’d received was the “Hot” written on the bottle with a Sharpie, but it also made it easy to decide where to go for dinner. After cabbing it across Chicago, we were unexpectedly dropped off in front of a very posh looking restaurant. I ordered the Pork Tenderloin and my brother got the Chicken Enchiladas with Mole. Both dishes were unbelievably good. The only bad part of the meal was the sticker shock in realizing we’d spent over $100 on mexican food for four.

Sunday: Lunch at Big Bowl: When we lived in Nashville, I frequently commuted to Chicago to dock with the ThoughtWorks mothership. Big Bowl was right around the corner from my normal hotel. While it is a chain restaurant, it’s a very good one. Besides, any place with a page of their menu dedicated to their most fiery dishes gets on the top of my list. I ordered a glass of their fresh ginger ale, which is actually made with ginger, and has the bite to prove it. I don’t remember exactly which noodle dish I ordered, but it had a creamy lime sauce, chicken, red peppers, and red chilis. It was sublime. I would love for a Big Bowl to open closer to here, even if I had to drive to DC.

Monday: Breakfast at Potbelly: If you’re ever flying in and out of Midway, do NOT dismiss Potbelly as crappy airport food. They’re sandwiches are incredible.

And now, back to Charlottesville…

Tuesday: Lunch at Littlejohns: Littlejohns is probably the best deli in Charlottesville, but I still don’t think it’s very good. I had the Littlejohns Special this time around, which is corned beef, pastrami, cheddar and horseradish on a kaiser roll. Except for being greasier than I would’ve liked it to be, it was actually pretty good. I’ll be ordering it again next time I’m in Littlejohns.

Wednesday: Lunch at College Inn: I would classify the Meatball Sub I had here as “awesomely mediocre”. Quality wise, it was a very average sandwich, but sometimes I get that craving for something to be reliably average. It really hit the spot.

Wednesday: Dinner at Italian Villa: Speaking of awesomely mediocre, Italian Villa definitely falls into this category. The few times I’ve been there, my order has come out and been exactly what I imagined it being. Reliability like that is hard to come by, and the only reason I don’t eat her more is because Waffle House is so close to home. This particular night, I had the gyro platter with onion rings, and surprise, surprise, they were exactly what you’d expect.

Thursday: Lunch at Take It Away: Corned Beef on Onion Rye. If College Inn and Italian Villa are reliably average, Take It Away is reliably awesome. I guess it’s hard to mess up meat and mustard on bread.

Friday: Dinner at la Cocina del Sol: Something about this restaurant in Crozet makes me really happy. I had a couple of mojitos, lpk had a couple of margaritas, and we started with their fundido appetizer, which is basically a little pan of molten cheese. For my entree, I had their fish tacos. They were really good, but I like my fish to be pan seared, rather than breaded and fried. If you like them breaded and fried, you’ll love these. You know, I might love la Cocina del Sol so much because I know I’ll be going to Dairy Queen after.

Only one more week to go!!!

Tuesday: Dinner from Old Virginia Fried Chicken: Our monthly Research in Progress meeting at school was catered by OVFC, and I stuffed myself full of fried chicken, green beans, mac & cheese, and mashed potatoes. While I’ve said that OVFC’s fried chicken is seconded only by Food of all Nations, I think if you throw the sides into the mix, I can put OVFC on top. I only wish they’d brought some of their pies.

Wednesday: Dinner at Five Guys: Rob and I split a burger and hot dog. I am so glad that they opened their new location. The downtown mall really needs more laid back dining options.

Thursday: Dinner at Martha’s: Everytime I go here, I enjoy the food but say I’m not coming back because it’s so slow. Then a couple of months pass by and I go back, and the cycle continues. This time around, I ordered the green pizza and split some nachos for an appetizer. The pizza had the saltiest olives on it I’ve ever had. They were inedible to me. After taking them off I really enjoyed the rest of the pizza. If you know the owner of Martha’s, please ask them to hire another lunch server. I’d eat there once every two weeks if it were quicker, which is much more than my current once every three months.

Friday: Lunch at First Wok: First Wok is a staple for me when it’s cold out. Nothing feels better than extra spicy hot and sour soup on a cold day. I don’t feel the urge to go there nearly as much in the heat. I was surprised to see that things had changed considerably since the last time I was there. I ordered the Chicken with Garlic sauce. It’s amazing that you can get a fresh cooked bowl of soup, rice, and stir fry for $5 here. It’s also one of the few places that understands just how spicy I mean when I say extra extra spicy.

Sunday: Dinner at Mono Loco: We decided on Mono Loco for dinner before the Ryan Adams show. I ordered the Pork Tamale and a Mojito. Both of them were pretty much perfect. For some reason I always forget about Mono Loco when we’re trying to decide where to eat, which is a shame, because it is always good. The tamale was moist and was stuffed with plenty of pork. If you’re ever trying to decide where to eat with me, suggest Mono Loco. I’ll buy you a Mojito for your kindness!

Monday: Lunch at Himalayan Fusion: The quest for an Indian restaurant I approve of continues! I’ll begin by saying that Himalayan Fusion is the best Indian Restaurant in Charlottesville. Unfortunately, that’s still not saying much. IMHO, the dishes on their buffet are much more representative of home cooked indian food, namely, they don’t toss in nineteen sticks of butter to try to cater to American tastes like most other Indian restaurants. Unfortunately, they suffer from their own failures in attempting to adapt Indian food to the American pallet: blandness. It is definitely possible to make curries that don’t sear the inside of your mouth without dampening the boldness of their flavors, but the food at Himalayan Fusion tasted watered down. This place has potential, though, and I’m anxious to go back for dinner sometime to see how it fares compared to the buffet.

Tuesday: Lunch at O’Neils: I’m back for the $2.50 burger! I learned two things on this particular visit. You can get Mushroom & Swiss on your burger, and a $2 Blue Moon counts as a beverage. For $4.50 we each had a beer, burger, and fries. That’s pretty much unbeatable. Be sure to tip your server on the menu price of the meal!

Wednesday: Lunch at Lee’s Grill: I got the Teriyaki Chicken again. It was delicious. If you haven’t made it out to Lee’s Grill yet, you really should give it a shot.

Thursday: Lunch at Fat Daddy’s: I’ve passed by Fat Daddy’s a million times driving up and down 29, and I imagined to being a comfort food paradise inside with a deep fryer waterfall and a river of grease running through it. I was having my tires replaced at Sears this particular afternoon, and I walked across Rio and gave it a shot. I had a catfish sandwich and onion rings, and while they were very good, they weren’t much better than you’d expect a catfish sandwich and onion rings to be anywhere else. Now that my curiosity is sated, I don’t have a reason to go back.

Saturday: Lunch at Lime Leaf: I’ve written about Lime Leaf before, and my opinion stands. It is the best Thai restaurant in town. I’d even go as far to say it is the best Asian restaurant in town. I had the Shrimp Panang curry, and it was thick, rich, and delicious.

A pretty boring week, except for the last meal at Mamma Zu in Richmond, my favorite restaurant in Virginia.

Tuesday: Lunch at O’Neils: O’Neils has an excellent lunch special on Tuesday which we discovered this week. Buy any beverage and get a $2.50 burger and fries. It’s probably the best lunch special on the corner. I ordered the burger with bleu cheese, and it was your typical step above fast-food burger. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and for $2.50 with fries, I’m going to try to make it back more often.

Tuesday: Dinner at Marco and Luca: Yet another round of dumplings and cold noodles. They were tasty and cheap as usual.

Wednesday: Lunch at Milan: I pretty much universally dislike Indian buffets. Milan is no exception. Hopefully that new Himalayan Fusion restaurant on the downtown mall can prove me wrong.

Thursday: Lunch at The Virginian: Could it be? A never before reviewed restaurant makes the list? In any case, we splurged for lunch there, and we were all pretty disappointed. The food wasn’t bad, but it was pricey. I had the seared tuna steak sandwich, and the tuna had been cooked dry. I’d take the same sandwich over at Michael’s Bistro any day of the week.

Friday: Dinner at Lee’s International Grill: I love Lee’s Grill. It’s quick, cheap, and delicious. I tried the General Tso’s Chicken this time around, and it was pretty good, but doesn’t live up to their Hibachi dishes. I’ll switch back to the Teriyaki Chicken next time.

Saturday: Dinner at Mamma Zu: Mmmmmm… Mamma Zu… This is by far my favorite restaurant in Virginia as well as one of my favorite restaurants of all time. I don’t know the back-story behind the place, but it’s an Italian restaurant in a rundown building in Richmond. The service is unapologetically bad, but I put up with because the food is so good. We started out with the Broccoletti, which is Broccoli Rabe (nothing to do with Broccoli, though… it’s more like a mustard green), steamed and sauteed in olive oil, garlic and pine nuts. Nothing fancy, but a good substitute for a salad. We also got the Caprese Salad, which was a typical pile of thick sliced tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. Both were very good, but they are hardly something you could mess up. Then for my main course, the pork chop. The portions here are enormous. This particular entree comes with two or three thick cut bone in pork chops that have been stuffed with a blend of rosemary, garlic, and olive oil served over white beans. I had my first pork chop pretty late in life… I think it was senior year of high school. It was by far the best pork chop I’d ever had. I’ve spent the rest of my life chasing that pork chop. Mamma Zu is without a doubt #2, but if I ever had the chance to compare them side by side, I’m sure Mamma Zu would win.

One week down, six more to go…