rva street art festival

[Mike Broth from the RVA Street Fest Tumblr]

The #WhenInRVA Tumblr got me all nostalgic tonight. People often ask if the transition to the Bay Area was tough, and it was, but not in the way most expect. Richmond, VA is a great town with a lot going on. Tonight I'd like to share an awesome event in RVA that is officially over but lives on- the RVA Street Art Festival. If you are near Richmond, time for a visit.

[Some of the participating artist from the RVA Street Fest Tumblr]

lemaire

[Manhattan, on the rocks. Bellini with glass swizzle stick]

Sometimes I am very spoiled. Lemaire, which I wrote about recently, has a wonderful happy hour where their expertly prepared classic cocktails are only $5. Yesterday I joined two friends for happy hours where I enjoyed a manhattan while they sipped bellinis and Pimms Cups. We had several amazing appetizers that I do not believe are listed on the menu. Whatever comes with grits though- order it. And I will dream of this risotto.

[Fettuccine wrapped prawn with corn grits and coke barbecue sauce]

[Parmesan risotto with balsamic roasted figs and preserved meyer lemon coulis]

the last first fridays (for me)

This being my last week in Richmond, there was no way I was going to miss July's First Fridays. While the event has become more contentious recently, in my opinion that is no reason to stay away. The event is crowded, but there remains much to do. My friend Holly and I went somewhat early, worried about parking now that Broad is closed to parking. Our 6:30 arrival put us there before most and our first gallery stop was fairly empty. The night picked up quickly, however. A highlight was this band playing outside Visual Art Studio, the young woman leading the band had such a soulful voice.




At Quirk's front window, an artist was creating portraits using a sewing machine. They were quite inexpensive at $10, but I would have wanted a larger size. I didn't catch his name so I guess I'll just have to work on my sewing machine skills. (A recent attempt to use a friends abruptly ended in less than desirable results.) Holly and I did pick up several whimsical items from the sale section.



We ended the evening in need of a drink and cool place to sit. The Broad Street restaurants were packed, so we headed back to the area we had parked and went to Lemaire. We enjoyed labeling items on our table with stickers from our purchases (though moved them all to the paper napkin before leaving.) Lemaire is an upscale establishment in the Jefferson Hotel and so diners are a mix of hotel guests, locals and other out-of-town visitors. As Holly and I were waiting for another friend to join us, a bathrobe clad woman came strolling through the premise asking if anyone had seen her husband. Weary of the scene that could happen if he was discovered, the waitstaff quickly helped usher her back to her room, handling the situation professionally, as expected. Later, a friend who is a chef there revealed that she had previously been dining with her husband and enjoyed several $400 bottles of wine as well as $80 shots.

life update

Posting has been inconsistent over the past month, partially due to my camera being broken and then sent off to repairs but also because there have been some big changes in my life. I've left my job and am preparing for a move to the West Coast. I plan to continue to the blog as I move and settle into my new city, appropriate since it was started as I learned to love Richmond.

I am sad to leave Richmond. I hope I have shown some of the magic of this Southern city that I have discovered. I'll have a few more Richmond posts before I join the Partner-in-Crime in the Bay Area and begin again making a new city home. Over the next month or two as I live in transition, spending time at home and the beach with family, last visits to Richmond, DC and maybe New York posts may be infrequent but there are a few way to keep track of my adventures, musing and just pictures I enjoy.

Twitter: @percentblog
Tumblr: percentblog.tumblr.com
Pintrest: pinterest.com/percentblog
and, of course,
Etsy: percent.etsy.com

secret garden party

The Secret Garden Party is an event I wanted to attend last year but missed, so I was excited to have a new to Richmond friend, Diana, agree to join me and bring her man companion who I had yet to meet. Immediately upon arriving at the first stop I ran into a two good friend who I had wanted to introduce to Diana. Serendipity! The rest of the evening was a lovely stroll through hidden downtown garden, delicious sweet potato ham biscuits and copious drink tickets. We didn't make it to the fifth stop, but strolling along downtown was lovely, despite the overcast weather. If this benefit for the Historic Richmond Foundation continues in the future, definitely check it out.

[A non-alcholic drink made with vinegar. Surprisingly tasty.]

More pictures after the jump.

restaurant review: six burner restaurant week

[Ed. note- meant to post this a while ago but had blogger issues]

Richmond just had Restaurant Week, having added a spring week to the annual fall Restaurant Week. Partner-in-crime and I headed to Six Burner. They had a larger menu, with five or six entree options and overall we were both quite pleased with our meals. I definitely want to go back here again, perhaps for their prix fixe menu Mondays-Thursdays before 7.

weekend review: a too-short long weekend

Partner-in-crime was in town this weekend and so while I took Monday and part of Tuesday off, the weekend was far too short. It was full of excellent adventures and celebrations, however, and I got to use his camera to document. He took many of the best shots.

[He sampled a Richmond tradition- the Sailor]

[Carytown was covered in sidewalk art]

[Bev's]

[A good friend's field day birthday party]

catwalk for kids

“We’re firemen in stilettos,” according to handbag designer and Catwalk for Kids founder Mary Norton. “We’re putting out emergencies.” Mary started her charity events in her hometown of Charleston and chose Richmond for the first of many cities in its international expansion. Held in the RVA Fashion Week Finale tent, the event was a luncheon, fashion show, auction and concert benefiting the Children’s Hospital of Richmond Pediatric Cardiology Division.

Check out the full post on GayRVA.com.

the vacancy project

Yesterday was an action packed day with Catwalk for Kids, shopping at Halcyon's rummage sale, and drinks with a good friend at The Belvidere at Broad, my friend and I ventured over to The Vacancy Project at the abandoned Central National Bank. "The project hopes to creatively address and affect issues of building vacancy in Richmond by observing the history of the Central National Bank and its current state of decay and disuse. Lighting design in the space is compo...sed with respect to the building's architectural features, history, and deterioration. The project's sound design is composed of natural audio recorded at the Bank in 2011, and of local popular music recorded in Richmond in 1929. "














The project reminded me of wandering around an empty former bank in Philadelphia as part of my senior project. I can't spend time in old buildings without thinking about how they could be used today- clearly an objective of the project. There were slightly creepy aspects of the installation with the darkness and music, but overall the project presented an opportunity of resurrection for an incredible old building in an area of town that has been neglected but is central to the city's revitalization. The question is how can we do that responsibly.

fashion for a cause

Tonight I went to Fashion for a Cause, held by GayRVA as part of their Fun for the Cause benefit for The Fan Free Clinic. It was the first fashion show part of Richmond Fashion Week, which kicks off next weekend. I have to miss the first weekend of shows for work, but am excited to make it to many of them. Here are some of my pictures from tonight's show...

[The wonderful opening act]

[There were actually several men, but few of my pictures of them turned out well.]

[This skirt is one of my favorite pieces from the show.]

quick pic: peacock

[Outside Tom French Flowers on Belmont St]

mystery bread

Walking down 17th Street to the Brunswick Stew Festival, I caught an unlikely scent of fresh baked bread. I looked up and noticed this sweet vintage sign. There was a smaller sign next to a door that said "retail/ sales" but all the doors were closed. No other hints could be found about this bakery.

I took to The Interwebs, but again my search came up mostly empty. Most reviews were company profiles which state Weiman's is "private company categorized under Bakery: Wholesale or Wholesale/Retail Combined... established in 1945... employs a staff of approximately 20 to 49." There are no Yelp reviews, though The Berkeley Hotel name drops Weiman's bread on their lunch menu.

Seems like it's all wholesale now, but a slice of thick bread would have been perfect with my Brunswick Stew.

dining locally at sprout

In honor of the Groupon for Sprout today, I wanted to post these pictures. The adorable little cafe sources locally and used many repurposed materials in renovating the restaurant. I went for the 'Grand Opening' a few months back (maybe June?) but then hadn't stopped by again. A few weeks ago I went in for lunch and had the best grilled cheese ever. And a pretty soup. But the best grilled cheese ever. I seriously regretted doing a half sandwich/ half soup combo because I wanted about 3 more sandwiches. (The soup was something with chicken and potatoes, and was very good.)

The sandwich was so good I let the owner talk me into ordering the last slice of the apple raspberry cheesecake. It was very good, there was a cheesecake layer, and some sort of apple compote layer, along with whipped cream and raspberry sauce.

I may use my Groupon solely on grilled cheese. Well, maybe one piece of cheesecake.

[Dried flowers in old soda bottles? Hand drawing signs? In love.]

[Cheesecake? In love.]

long live the queen

Last week I joined a wonderful friend at The Empress. My friend has a wheat allergy and we had heard that The Empress had gluten-free bread. What we hadn't realized is that one of the owners has Celiac's so the majority of the menu is actually wheat-free (including their French toast at brunch!) At the time, The Empress was facing the possibility of having to shut down (due to their landlord possibly going to jail) but since they've announced that they will be staying open, I want to share these drool-inducing photos. I had told myself I wasn't going to document the meal, until it came out and was just so adorable. We ordered several of the appetizer/ tapas and shared, eating our meal slowly over gossip. Our server was great and the owner came over to talk once she heard we had a wheat-allergy at the table. Now that they are sticking around, I'll officially recommend them.

[I believe this was an orange-and-honey soaked apricot with blue cheese, but it may not have been blue cheese. Either way, it was heavenly.]

[Our adorable glassware]

[Bacon-wrapped dates]

[Beef carpaccio. Note: this bread is gluten-free. And I loved it.]

[International meats and cheeses]

[Red pepper crème brulée]

This one was a risk. The Empress has constantly rotating crème brulée selection and the selection while we were there was red pepper. They were so fresh that ours was actually stuck in the freezer to cool before being brought out and it was still slightly warm when served. (We had been warned and, as I said, it was a risk.) It didn't quite work but I definitely want to try a slightly-more traditional version soon.

banh mi throwdown

Monday night was the notorious banh mi throwdown at Cafe Gutenberg. If you live in RVA but missed the hype, check out here and here. In short, Patrick of Boka Truck claimed to have the best banh mi and was challenged RVAFoodie, aka Jason, who found a competitor to take on Boka Truck. Cafe Gutenberg's chefs Jen and Garrett agreed to both put their skills to the test and host the event and Jason pulled together a full event that included official judging and audience taste-testing of a pork banh mi and vegan banh mi. The decision of the judges? Both were delicious but Cafe Gutenberg won both categories. I agreed with the judges- Gutenberg's pork banh mi had better balance and their vegan option actually made me want to eat tofu (though Boka was at a serious disadvantage trying to get me to eat mushrooms, sorry.)

The best part of the event was just bringing so many people together. The crowd of 50-some people were packed together, trying to see the demonstration from the chefs and grabbing sandwiches to try. I made new friends by sharing napkins with strangers and stealing bites of sandwiches from people I had just met.

The event also benefited to great charities- Chefs Move to Schools and Lunch Boxes 4 Life; both organizations promote healthy foods in schools.

Judges (left to right):
Robey Martin of Style Weekly, An Mekong of Mekong,
Chef Ellie Basch of Savor and Jason of RVAFoodie

Cafe Gutenberg's vegan tofu banh mi

Boka Truck's pork banh mi

Patrick, of Boka Truck fame, passing out sandwiches

The competitors: Garret, Jen, Patrick

Surprise ending:
Cupcakes from Pearl Cupcakes for Jason's birthday

I tried to include links and photos of all the wonderful people and businesses that contributed to this amazing event, but somehow I can't seem to find my pictures of the macaroons from Petites Bouchees! They were my first ever and the texture of the macaroons was much lighter and crunchier than I imagined without actually being hard. Thanks to all who contributed, I had a great time and this type of event is what makes Richmond such a vibrant city!