stay in the shallow end

Sunday: Lunch at Big Jim’s: We wanted to go to Old Virginia Fried Chicken, but we forgot they went the Chick-Fil-A route and started closing on Sundays. We decided to go to Big Jim’s instead. We ordered a philly steak and a pulled pork sandwich. The philly steak was exactly what one would expect: nothing exceptional, but it got the job done. The pulled pork was disappointing, especially for a place called Big Jim’s BBQ. Next time I’ll go back to the burger. I know that’s good.

Tuesday: Lunch at Just Curry: They had lamb! Unfortunately, it did not live up to the Just Curry standards that I’m used to. The curry itself was really good, but the lamb was way overcooked. It was really dry and very tough. What really stung is that they were only selling it as a large for $10. I’ll give the lamb one more shot if they have it again, only because Just Curry’s stellar performance up until now has earned them the benefit of the doubt.

Dinner at O’neils: Blah, blah, blah… Mushroom and Swiss Cheeseburger… blah… Blue Moon… blah… unbelievably delicious Homemade Potato Chips… blah… so inexpensive.

Wednesday: Lunch at Amigos: I love the Amigos on 5th Street by the Food Lion. I do not share that love for the Amigos on the corner. In fact, I question whether they are even owned by the same people. The menu items are different, the rice is different, and so many other things. I ordered the Speedy Gonzales and was sorely disappointed. The tortilla was soggy, the beans were tasteless, and everything tasted kind of old. Lunch at Amigos was an experiment, and it failed. Amigos on 5th for me!

Thursday: Dinner at Mamma Zu: My favorite restaurant in Virginia! I’ve written about Mamma Zu before. In my mind, they can do no wrong. We started with the Broccoletti, which is really rabe broccoli, which has more to do with mustard greens than broccoli. They saute it in olive oil and tons of garlic and serve it with pine nuts and lemon wedges. Drizzle a little balsamic on there, and it’s pretty much the perfect appetizer. It’s a huge plate, but I could eat it all myself. For an entree, I unsurprisingly ordered the pork chops. Two thick cut bone in chops stuffed with garlic and rosemary served in a brown wine reduction sauce on top of white beans. This dish has never not been perfect. Until Mamma Zu, the best pork chop I ever had was my first pork chop senior year of high school. Mamma Zu wins now. Friends ordered the jumbo shrimp pasta, lamb sausage, and cuttlefish. The jumbo shrimp was a bunch of shrimp served with a light garlic cream sauce. At $19, it was way overpriced. The lamb sausage was really good, but the flavor was so robust, we could only handle it in small doses. We ended up leaving a couple of links behind since we couldn’t take anymore of it. The cuttlefish was also really good, but once again, the portion was so huge, we couldn’t finish. Finally, I got a cannoli, which was heavenly. Considerate it a must-order if you ever make it out to Richmond.

Friday: Lunch at Himalayan Fusion: When I first wrote about Himalayan Fusion, I wasn’t too impressed, but very optimistic. Subsequent visits (which unfortunately happened while I wasn’t writing) confirmed my optimism, and I was very excited to have an Indian restaurant in town that I looked forward to going to. Unfortunately, this week was pretty disappointing. All of the food tasted rushed. Most of the curries were too watery and obviously didn’t spend enough time simmering before they brought them out. The biggest offender was the Chicken Tikka. It was runny, and something about the flavor was just wrong. All of the problems with the food were buffet related. I still haven’t eaten off their ala carte menu, but I think it’s time to make that a priority. I do have to commend them for putting carrot halwa on the buffet. Frankly, the American palate finds most Indian deserts very off putting, and I would put carrot halwa at the top of that list. Carrot halwa is essentially boiled carrots, milk, butter, and sugar all mashed together. Putting it on the buffet is a bold act, and I commend them for that. I thought it was delicious.

Saturday: Dinner from Asian Express: My parents we driving in and arriving past 10:00, so I placed a big order from Asian Express to have waiting for them when they came in. Kung Pao Chicken, Chicken with String Beans, General Tso’s Chicken, Shrimp with Black Bean Sauce, Veggie Lo Mein, Veggies with Garlic Sauce, Schezuan Beans, and a little sashimi for me. I would never expect Chinese delivery, especially in Charlottesville, to be especially good. For what it is, though, I think that you’d be hard pressed to do better than Asian Express. I order through CampusFood.com, and it is awesome. You can pay for your order and tip with credit card, and I love that I can actually write out my special requests rather than trying to communicate them over the phone. They’ve never got an order wrong, and we have a lot of special requests.

Except for Mamma Zu, it was a pretty disappointing week. You win some, you lose some.