Richmond, Virginia
Apart from the considerable frustration in not being able to access IE on the computer (Please! Anyone with suggestions please advise: running Vista Home Premium: 2 users set up for access), well after that glitch everything is Hunky Dory.
Last things first . . . Tonight's dinner at "Mamma-Zu's" had to be experienced to believe or comprehend. After surprisingly good American Thai at "The Thai Room" last night, a few doors from our hotel; and a cheap & cheerful buffet style meal at "Ma-Masu's Africanne" the night before, a real local neighbourhood place which fused local Southern cooking (Collard Greens, Cornbread, Black-eyed Peas) with Liberian African cooking. We had to go early, as the place Closed at 7:00pm. After one served oneself, the dish was weighed and the cost tallied at $5.99 per pound. Spiced Lemonade ($1.00 small cup) was to drink, and Sweet Potato Pie for dessert ($1.50).
It would be difficult to outdo our first night's choice though -"Bank" an initially daunting too-cool-by-half Bar/Nightclub/Restaurant in a converted uh - Bank. The décor was fabulous, service typically attentive, and the small menu well priced. Bob and I shared a Spinach Salad, Chesapeake Crab Cakes and the most divine Seared Tuna.
Lisa opted for a Roasted Chicken Breast, while David also had the barley seared, pink throughout Tuna. The prices were surprisingly reasonable, not only given the surroundings and the quality of the food, but fast food & 'cheap' places here are a similar price.
But onto Mamma Zu's. I had checked the address in the Yellow Pages, and knew the street wasn't too far away. Heading south on Pine to 501 ended in a dead end, and as darkness rapidly encroached the 4 of us were standing in a park with large signs proclaiming it shut at Sunset (Newsflash: 4 Aussies arrested in the USA cause Diplomatic meltdown), accented by the advice of a nearby motorist that this was a pretty dodgy neighbourhood.
With heavy cloud cover it took a while to fire up the GPS, but once hooked on to a satellite, it directed us along a parallel street of frame houses with countless candle-lit Halloween Pumpkins lighting up the windows, and life taking place on the stoops & sidewalks amid children's toys, dubious bicycles and wheelchairs. Crossing over the massive python of Interstate Highway 95 (I95), we could soon smell garlic in the air. Mamma Zu beckoned.
An unprepossessing building on the corner in a residential district, we wondered if it was open, with no windows to emit light or noise, and c heavy closed door with the hand painted sign 'Pull Hard'. We did, and after a few attempts were granted access to a small dark cavern full of people with a deafening buzz, a full blackboard with dishes described over the bar, and the promise that this was going to be good!
We found that it was likely to be a 30-40 minute wait for a table, so we clustered around the solitary stool and had drinks. With the background din and southern accents we couldn't understand the choices, only managing to hear Budweiser (blah) and Heineken. Poor Lisa once again found herself unable to drink as she didn't have I'D on her. With a drinking age of 21, and a strictly enforced "If you look younger than 40, You must present your ID", she has been thwarted & then grilled at every turn. Protestations that she is 26 cut no dice, Let alone our initial support and advice that she is a high-powered lawyer with 2 years of work in the UK, a World Champion and Elite athlete.
We asked the guy sitting next to us at the bar about his meal - a huge plate of broiled white fish with a big bowl of spaghetti on the side. (What a glutton I thought, ordering 2 mains concurrently when they were so big). He highly recommended his Rock Fish and side of Spaghetti con olio e' aglio (oil & garlic). The wait (it wasn't even 7pm when we arrived) did give us the opportunity to study the board. Those of you who know me may realise that my difficulty in restaurants is finding enough on the menu of interest that I am confident is as at least as good as I usually prepare myself. When you are used to eating well, one gets very discerning when presented with mediocre options.
There was no such dilemma here: in fact the options were so numerous, the difficulty was in limiting it to one. Before we were seated, we had all but decided to return the next night. But what to choose? All the fish looked good, and was something of a specialty here. The pasta would be undeniably excellent , and a good Italo-American dish such as Spaghetti & Meatballs was tempting. But then there were the Zuppa di Pesce (Fish Soup), Oxtail, Calves Liver, Veal Sweetbreads, Osso Bucco . . . It was heaven in chalkdust.
Our 'Server' was a sassy, Italian American woman, the efficiency and knowledge I have never yet seen. Only she and one other worked the room, in between filling water glasses, fetching drinks, explaining the menu and constantly racing off in the gloom to pick up and deliver orders when the call came. She was amazing and seemed genuinely friendly in this Southern manner where you are constantly asked "How Ya' Goin'?" as you walk down the street.
It was a tough choice, but we were hungry, and settled on Rock Fish for Bob & Lisa, Tuna (Tooona' Fysh) for me, and Orichette with Garlic & Italian Sausage for David. Despite my critical appraisal of the guy eating at the bar, the fish came with a side dish of pasta. We three all opted for the Spaghetti with Garlic. Good Bread helped us while we waited, and shared Arugula (Rocket) Salad with Parmesan ($9 for a huge single serve) provided our greens. Our mains (or entree' in the local vernacular) were even more spectacular than our high expectations had anticipated. My Tuna ($24), was crusted in black pepper, flash grilled and served in a shallow pool of an intense, garlicky jus. Only lightly coloured from the grill for a millimetre or two, the large chunk was pink and tender throughout . I was enraptured with every bite. Bob & Lisa were similarly enthusiastic about their Rock Fish ($21), and David's Orichette ($14) was as good a pasta dish as one has had anywhere, including Italy and home cooking there.
Apart from the considerable frustration in not being able to access IE on the computer (Please! Anyone with suggestions please advise: running Vista Home Premium: 2 users set up for access), well after that glitch everything is Hunky Dory.
Last things first . . . Tonight's dinner at "Mamma-Zu's" had to be experienced to believe or comprehend. After surprisingly good American Thai at "The Thai Room" last night, a few doors from our hotel; and a cheap & cheerful buffet style meal at "Ma-Masu's Africanne" the night before, a real local neighbourhood place which fused local Southern cooking (Collard Greens, Cornbread, Black-eyed Peas) with Liberian African cooking. We had to go early, as the place Closed at 7:00pm. After one served oneself, the dish was weighed and the cost tallied at $5.99 per pound. Spiced Lemonade ($1.00 small cup) was to drink, and Sweet Potato Pie for dessert ($1.50).
It would be difficult to outdo our first night's choice though -"Bank" an initially daunting too-cool-by-half Bar/Nightclub/Restaurant in a converted uh - Bank. The décor was fabulous, service typically attentive, and the small menu well priced. Bob and I shared a Spinach Salad, Chesapeake Crab Cakes and the most divine Seared Tuna.
Lisa opted for a Roasted Chicken Breast, while David also had the barley seared, pink throughout Tuna. The prices were surprisingly reasonable, not only given the surroundings and the quality of the food, but fast food & 'cheap' places here are a similar price.
But onto Mamma Zu's. I had checked the address in the Yellow Pages, and knew the street wasn't too far away. Heading south on Pine to 501 ended in a dead end, and as darkness rapidly encroached the 4 of us were standing in a park with large signs proclaiming it shut at Sunset (Newsflash: 4 Aussies arrested in the USA cause Diplomatic meltdown), accented by the advice of a nearby motorist that this was a pretty dodgy neighbourhood.
With heavy cloud cover it took a while to fire up the GPS, but once hooked on to a satellite, it directed us along a parallel street of frame houses with countless candle-lit Halloween Pumpkins lighting up the windows, and life taking place on the stoops & sidewalks amid children's toys, dubious bicycles and wheelchairs. Crossing over the massive python of Interstate Highway 95 (I95), we could soon smell garlic in the air. Mamma Zu beckoned.
An unprepossessing building on the corner in a residential district, we wondered if it was open, with no windows to emit light or noise, and c heavy closed door with the hand painted sign 'Pull Hard'. We did, and after a few attempts were granted access to a small dark cavern full of people with a deafening buzz, a full blackboard with dishes described over the bar, and the promise that this was going to be good!
We found that it was likely to be a 30-40 minute wait for a table, so we clustered around the solitary stool and had drinks. With the background din and southern accents we couldn't understand the choices, only managing to hear Budweiser (blah) and Heineken. Poor Lisa once again found herself unable to drink as she didn't have I'D on her. With a drinking age of 21, and a strictly enforced "If you look younger than 40, You must present your ID", she has been thwarted & then grilled at every turn. Protestations that she is 26 cut no dice, Let alone our initial support and advice that she is a high-powered lawyer with 2 years of work in the UK, a World Champion and Elite athlete.
We asked the guy sitting next to us at the bar about his meal - a huge plate of broiled white fish with a big bowl of spaghetti on the side. (What a glutton I thought, ordering 2 mains concurrently when they were so big). He highly recommended his Rock Fish and side of Spaghetti con olio e' aglio (oil & garlic). The wait (it wasn't even 7pm when we arrived) did give us the opportunity to study the board. Those of you who know me may realise that my difficulty in restaurants is finding enough on the menu of interest that I am confident is as at least as good as I usually prepare myself. When you are used to eating well, one gets very discerning when presented with mediocre options.
There was no such dilemma here: in fact the options were so numerous, the difficulty was in limiting it to one. Before we were seated, we had all but decided to return the next night. But what to choose? All the fish looked good, and was something of a specialty here. The pasta would be undeniably excellent , and a good Italo-American dish such as Spaghetti & Meatballs was tempting. But then there were the Zuppa di Pesce (Fish Soup), Oxtail, Calves Liver, Veal Sweetbreads, Osso Bucco . . . It was heaven in chalkdust.
Our 'Server' was a sassy, Italian American woman, the efficiency and knowledge I have never yet seen. Only she and one other worked the room, in between filling water glasses, fetching drinks, explaining the menu and constantly racing off in the gloom to pick up and deliver orders when the call came. She was amazing and seemed genuinely friendly in this Southern manner where you are constantly asked "How Ya' Goin'?" as you walk down the street.
It was a tough choice, but we were hungry, and settled on Rock Fish for Bob & Lisa, Tuna (Tooona' Fysh) for me, and Orichette with Garlic & Italian Sausage for David. Despite my critical appraisal of the guy eating at the bar, the fish came with a side dish of pasta. We three all opted for the Spaghetti with Garlic. Good Bread helped us while we waited, and shared Arugula (Rocket) Salad with Parmesan ($9 for a huge single serve) provided our greens. Our mains (or entree' in the local vernacular) were even more spectacular than our high expectations had anticipated. My Tuna ($24), was crusted in black pepper, flash grilled and served in a shallow pool of an intense, garlicky jus. Only lightly coloured from the grill for a millimetre or two, the large chunk was pink and tender throughout . I was enraptured with every bite. Bob & Lisa were similarly enthusiastic about their Rock Fish ($21), and David's Orichette ($14) was as good a pasta dish as one has had anywhere, including Italy and home cooking there.
Yes, you forgot the paragraphs ;)