And now a word about our sponsors...

Just wanted to say thanks to some of the people who helped make our holiday a yummy one...

T and C at Belmont Butchery. From the leg of lamb, the steaks, even the home made bacon and fresh local eggs, they were present at nearly every meal in one way or another.

Yellow Umbrella Seafood. For quite possibly the best side of salmon I have cured, ever.

Fresh Market. Great fresh veggies, mushrooms, breads. Where else can you get three pounds of very nice cooked and peeled shrimp at 10 on a Sunday morning.

P and J from River City Cellars. We were considering a wine of the month club for M's sister, L, until we saw how much would be eaten up in shipping charges. A phone call to P at RCC and they put together a case of wine (3 sets of 3 and 3 singles) with handwritten tips and commentary. Can't get that kind of service at Total Wine.

Ikea. No, really. My sister, K, used some of the lingonberry concentrate to make some very tasty lingonberry martinis/cosmos.

Thanks to all. Hope the new year is prosperous for you all!

Stick me with a fork... I'm done.

The food fest that was Christmas is over.

The eve before was our new family developing our traditional evening meal. M made a crab and cream soup. A recipe of her mother's, we tried it last year and decided it would stick. Served with crusty bread it makes for a very nice meal. Perhaps she will post the recipe.

To add a bit I made a traditional steak au poivre. Small filet's coated with fresh crushed black peppercorns then seared in very hot butter. Reserved in a warm oven while the sauce is made. Add a fresh pat of butter then (CAREFULLY) add a shot or two of brandy. Once the excitement has died down add a cup of cream and reduce. When the desired thickness has been achieved return the steaks to the pan and flip to coat. Steak Au Poivre. Done.

For the big meal on Christmas day we had leg of lamb. T at Belmont Butchery deboned and set up a really nice leg for me. Coated/Stuffed with a mint pesto (mint, toasted pine nuts, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, cream sherry) then tied back together. Let it sit out on the counter for an hour prior to placing in a roaster rack cooking at 450 (convection roast mode) for 20 minutes then an hour at 300. Let rest covered for 20 minutes prior to carving.

I wanted to keep the cooking simple so to go with I cut up fingerling potatoes (please note the heart shaped potato we found!), added pearl onions then tossed with grapeseed oil, salt, white pepper, and fresh rosemary. Tossed in a heavy dish and tossed in the oven when the lamb had half an hour to go. For veg we had brussel sprout. Stole a recipe from Ina. Tossed in olive oil with salt and pepper, spread out on a sheet pan and added to the oven when the lamb had 15 minutes to go. Once the lamb was removed I cranked the heat back up to 425 and didn't remove until the lamb was ready to go to the table.

While the lamb was resting made a gravy in the roasting pan. Threw in a cup of shallots and got them sizzling. One cup red wine and two cups stock as well as mint and rosemary went in next. Got all four burners going and reduced the liquid. Transfered to a bowl and hit it with my stick blender.

What I did wrong... The lamb came out a little too rare. Not dangerous rare, but close. I hadn't used the convection roast setting on something quite so large (7.5 pounds) before and was worried I would overcook. Should have let the temp stabilize for an hour and a half before cooking, add 5 minutes to the sear temp, then change the cooking temp to 310 and add 20 minutes. That should take a leg that size from rare to medium rare. Let you know after the next attempt.

When the next morning rolled around, well, I was bushed. Actually played hookey. First time I have not opened the store in two years. Don't feel a bit bad about it.

A Christmas Miracle & Open-House Recap

The man from Comcast stopped by this morning and.... at this point all is well. One scheduled service call, two additional follow-ups, three hours spent on hold, and in need of a martini...

The open house went well. The gravlax was well received. Made a nice dill honey mustard sauce. Added a couple of tablespoons of strong coffee to round out the flavour of the sauce.

From Belmont Butchery we acquired 3 flat iron steaks. Seasoned lightly and grilled the night before, chilled then thin sliced and served with rolls and horseradish sour cream.

A wild-mushroom pate rounded out the items made in house. The pate was made with 3 pounds of mushrooms (shitake, crimini, chanterelle, oyster, porcini), seasoned with thyme, parsley, shallots and sherry, then finished with eggs, cream, and ground almonds. Baked and allowed to set overnight. It was a hit, especially with a newly pregnant friend of ours.

All in all, a nice evening.

Pizza Musings

Another blogger here in Richmond had a rather unfortunate experience at a local pizza place and it got me thinking about pizza.

As a youngster I really did not like pizza. We lived in a small college town in Oregon and, this being the early 70's (prior to the 'Home Alone' generations kids getting their own cheese pizza), the only pizza I ever saw was a super combo type pizza piled high with all sorts of bits that I was supposed to 'pick off.' Never really have recovered from this as I still could care less for olives and have an intense dislike of even the mere presence of green peppers.

The mid to late 70's found me in central Africa, in Zaire, and yes, the culinary landscape did include a pizza place. This particular eatery tended to burn the crust and even a amateur pizza consumer such as I could tell that this was, well, crap.

I returned to the west coast for my senior year and at my particular school my classmates had a tradition of going out for pizza after football games. I resisted. They persisted. I gave in and allowed them to order for me. What I had is, to this day, my favourite type of pizza: Canadian Bacon & Pineapple. My friends introduced me to many different types and places. A whole new world of food had opened and I enjoyed it. One place stood out as 'our place' and I eagerly returned there with some friend for a mini reunion a couple of years ago. Very sad. The toppings were all canned or prepackaged cheap deli meats. It's true, you can never go back. And sometimes you just shouldn't even try.

The 80's found me on Hilton Head with a number of great pizza joints and then off to Atlanta for one of the best pizzeria's I have ever been to - Everybody's Pizza. If you ever get down to Atlanta an evening there is a must.

I lost interest in pizza upon arriving in Richmond. Never could get real excited about the local fav - Bottom's Up. It's ok, just not my cup of tea. Combine that with most places (even Domino's and Pizza Hut) declining to deliver into my neighbourhood. The 'Hut' delivers now and has become our default pizza for the meals when we are just too lazy to cook. The shame of it all.

Anyway, as I started saying, the discussion of Piccola's made me think maybe it is time to explore the pizza universe in Richmond. It just so happened that the next day our friends, Cy-an-Ide, called to say they had just tried a place called 8-1/2. My interest piqued and, while getting ready for Sunday's bash and feeling a bit peckish, I began the search for this place. Not in the phonebook, not on the internet. Couldn't find any reference to this place. A call to Cy-an-Ide got the number and I called. I probably annoyed the poor person who answered as I had no idea what was on their menu but he was helpful and an order placed.

I hopped in my car and made my way to Strawberry St and found this little hole in the wall place near the Strawberry St Cafe (no, I do not think it is cute to eat from a salad bar that is in some strangers bathtub). No tables, ramshackle decor, and a horde of people working furiously putting food together. They even looked vaguely related to each other. I was handed a pizza with steam jetting out of a hole in the box and a bag of other goodies. Got it all home and....

The pizza was really good. I think the mushrooms may have been canned but it didn't detract. The sausage had just enough heat for me to enjoy but not too much for little Finn. The carbonara had thick noodles that soaked up the sauce very nicely. It was nice to find the carbonara with just enough sauce to coat, not swimming, and the big chunks of meat were very tasty.

The menu there is pretty simple. Not a lot of bells an whistles. The pizza is on the smaller side (cost $8 plus $1 per topping) but it and the carbonara fed M, Finn and I very nicely. Well worth the drive!

Ladies & Gentlemen.... Start your ovens!

The cooking for Sunday's bash has begun!

Who needs the chaos of present shopping when you can spend all day looking all over town for just the right ingredients. Who knew fresh mint was so hard to find this time of year.

Started the first of many dishes last night. Gravlax! The guys at Yellow Umbrella Seafood set me up with one of the best pieces of salmon I have seen in years. Can't get wild caught (out of season) so they got me a whole side of organic Tasmanian sushi grade salmon. They even removed the pin-bones for me. The piece is beautiful! Richly marbled, very thick, without the florescent orange of artificial colour. Got it home and, after washing, let it relax in a nice bath of akavit. Patted it dry then packed it sugar, kosher salt, white pepper and fresh dill.

On Saturday I will unpack, brush clean and wrap for the next day. Crusty bread and honey mustard dill will be served with it.

This is actually a new recipe for me. In the past I have made gravlax with a different sugar/salt ratio and have employed cheese cloth and a tight wrap as well as weights to help force out the liquids (mmm, salmon juice, tasty!---actually, not so much.). While that worked really well there was a fine line between gravlax and salt-lick salmon...

Santa & Comcast

Took Finn to see Santa at the Children's Museum yesterday. It went fairly well, he melted down the last 5 or 10 minutes we were in line. Not bad for a 3 year old after spending over an hour in line. Pictures turned out great and we headed over to Buddy's for a quick G&T and some fries.

The real fun began at home. Comcast called. Me! They called me! OK, a computer called me. To find out if the service call went well.... Needless to say 2 (for no) was pushed a lot over the next couple of minutes. The computer then inquired as to whether I wanted to speak to a live rep. I assumed this queue would be staffed and pressed 1 (for yes). Forty-five minutes later what must be the only Comcast rep in the country answered the phone.

No need to share what transpired. M said I was fairly restrained. So, on the 24th, we will be awaiting the arrival of Santa and the man from Comcast....

Comcast & Brisket - A tale of two leftovers

The visit from the man from Comcast was as expected. The prelude to another visit.

Sadly, I wasn't there but it really isn't M's fault. The problem with the phone was relatively simple yet very sad. M described the problem. The man from Comcast said:

'I'm seeing this a lot with the new upgrade. Techs forget to set this one switch and you can't receive phone calls.'

Sigh. So Comcast techs all over the country are running around flipping the switch because the first tech didn't flip it. Next time you pay your mammoth Comcast bill think of all the scurry little tech ants running one after another because the one before didn't get the memo. Kinda sad that a company the deals in the movement and transfer of data cannot communicate with itself.

The replaced DVR box is why they will be back, and soon. Simply put, they brought an old box. M knew there was a problem with the old box but thought it was specific to ours. You see, the fan ran 24/7 with bouts of strange and disturbing noises. According to the first man from Comcast, the fans are defective. It's not that I have to have the spiffy new box that they are providing, but the noise was driving me batty. M assured me that the new box was not making any noise but then called back a few minutes later. The fan won't stop and it's making crunching noises....

Comcast - 'Why do it right the first time when we can drag it out and hope you give up.'
The man from Comcast shall return!

The brisket was more of a success. T from Belmont Butchery recommended it as I seem to be on a slow roast/braising kick with the new kitchen. It was actually a leftover before it was even eaten. On T's advice I cooked it at a low temp, very simply with red wine, stock, fingerling potatoes, parsnips and onion. Only used salt and pepper for spice. During the last 10 minutes of cooking I turned up the heat to caramelize the top.
Cooked on Sunday then placed in the fridge.

Last night we skimmed the fat then sliced the brisket. Slipped the brisket into the oven while the root veggies were spread onto a sheet pan to roast. The result was good. The texture was correct and the flavours basic.

You are wondering - Piet, why so basic?

Well, after 25+ years of smoking I gave it up after Finn's birth. My taste buds are coming back bit by bit. With the new kitchen I am cooking very plain to reintroduce myself to these ingredients. As I relearn all the base flavours, then I will layer on the spices and add complexity.

Check back for the re-education of my taste buds.

Comcast - Who needs a stereo when you can just spend your life on hold...

As part of our home refurbishment we had added a cable line into our new kitchen. Planning for the joys of a Comcast home visit we ensured the new cable jack was complete, the hole drilled through the brick and the wire (with 8 extra feet) run through and coiled neatly next to the Comcast box outside. Comcast was overjoyed at our call since it seems our type of phone service is being discontinued (you were planning to tell us when?) and new equipment must be installed. So, an appointment was made, details discussed as well as two new DVR boxes requested. What could possibly go wrong?

Friday arrived and I, fortified with a glass of Tanqueray 10 properly chilled to -1 F, awaited the arrival of the man from Comcast. He arrived well within his 4 hour window and quickly and efficiently installed, switched out, and connected all the things that needed to be installed, switched out, and connected. Then he called Comcast to authorize all these fun new toys and get them to work.... Oh, did I mention that he had to make the authorization on my phone as his company phone as well as his personal phones had dead batteries haven given their electrical all while waiting on hold.

With muzak playing softly from my phone we discussed the false economy of saving money on phone reps when compared to his hourly and, as the hour grew later, his overtime rate. The actual authorization took less than 5 minutes. I imagined hundreds, possibly thousands, of Comcast technicians around the country waiting on hold for this one, poor, lonely phone rep.

His mission complete I waved goodbye to the man from Comcast, blissfully unaware of what the weekend had in store for me.

After a light dinner we went upstairs to relax. Time to set the controls on the new cable box and set a couple of shows to record. Wait, where's the DVR option? After checking the tv downstairs and some fiddling upstairs it was time to call Comcast, after 9 on a Friday... The hold was a 'Comcast reasonable' 45 minutes I informed the rep that 'DVR only seems to work on one of our two boxes' whereupon I was informed of what seemed to be obvious to me 'you only have one DVR box'. She asked if I would like to have the second box upgraded to DVR, I sighed, sipped a little gin, and stated that, as that was the original request then, well, yes, I would like a second box. No real point in arguing that this was what was supposed to have happened. I was just hoping not to repeat my last Comcast 'upgrade' a couple of years ago which resulted in no less than 6 visits over a two month period.

An appointment was made and I settled back into my easy chair, wondering what Comcast had next in store for me.

Saturday dawned bright and clear and I headed off for my store. It was a quiet morning, which was ok as I felt like the cold I have been fighting was making a bit of a comeback. After my assistant, 'N', arrived I took off for Ellwood Thompson's with a hankering for split pea soup, of the homemade variety. Stopped by Belmont Butchery and asked T and C what they might have for the soup pot. A nice ham hock and some bacon ends acquired and it was off for home.

I walked in the door and the house smelled great. M had some friends from C1 over and the girls were giving the new kitchen a full test run by having a cookie bake. Racks and boxes of freshly baked cookies were everywhere and several sugar charged children were stress testing the newly refinished hardwood floors.

I grabbed a cutting board and after some chopping and a short sweat in the pot the soup was ready for an afternoon of simmering. I grabbed a few cookies, including an interesting cayenne infused ginger cookie, and retreated upstairs for some serious relaxation. Little did I know that Comcast had a little surprise for me.

M came up and informed me of a text message wondering why we weren't answering our phone. A bit of checking and..... we can make outgoing phone calls but incoming, not so much. The thought of another Comcast hold held no desire for me so I decided to call on Monday when they have two reps scheduled instead of one. We already had an appointment for that afternoon so just a heads up so the tech is properly equipped.

So, once again all is in place. M is on her way here to pick up Finn and then to home for the man from Comcast. What will be in store for us? Only time will tell. Tune in tomorrow for the conclusion... or will it be just the next installment?....

Battery Park is Finished! Really?.....

Just read that our globe trotting mayor has declared success in Battery Park and the new storm drains are done. Wow. Driving by there everyday it looks like it may be close, but not done by any stretch of the imagination. There are still several truck size pieces of pipe laying by a very large hole in the ground. Perhaps it's a bit like when you take something apart, put it back together, and have a couple of leftover pieces. Hey! It still works! They must not have been critical pieces. Just scratch out 'pipe' on the invoice and relabel it 'playground equipment' and be done with it.... Or maybe one of the new sinkholes that are popping up through the park will dispose of the evidence.

The Book Room in Style Weekly!

Our friend Valley over at Style Weekly just gave us a nice mention concerning our book covers. Sometimes it's hard to pick a book for a gift since it is tough to know what someone may already have or which author they may secretly loath. We have covers that fit mass market, trade, and many hardbacks. Sadly, covers for the new larger mass market size are not available yet. We should be stocking them sometime in the early spring when they begin making the new size.

These make great stocking stuffers!

How to drive a business into the ground....

Yesterday afternoon started out well. Met up with T from Belmont Butchery (the only place in Richmond to get quality meats and homemade sausages!) at Can-Can for beverages to discuss the trials and travails of the small business owner and plans for the grand opening gala of our new kitchen at home. Finn fell asleep on my knee with a piece of their most excellent bread clutched in his little hand.

After we headed home and, as M was not feeling too well, we decided to go out for a quick bite. I had heard a bit about Zed's Cafe and after a quick check on the menu called for a table. We arrived a little after 7 to a very lonely restaurant and were told to sit 'wherever'. Discussion ensued about the 5 course tasting menu but as M wasn't feeling too adventurous we looked at the other options. The menus were ambitious and interesting and the wine list was well rounded and fairly reasonable. We narrowed it down to the 3 course prix fixe for M and I would hit the a'la carte. The waiter looked startled by our choices and basically said 'no'. Upon questioning the waiter informed us the chef would not serve us from two different menus. We persisted. He asked the chef. The chef said no. We said no. And left.

Having worked in F&B for a number of years I am no stranger to the way a kitchen works and why somethings that seem simple to most diners will bring a kitchen to a screaming halt. That said, this made no sense. Had we ordered the 5 course tasting menu I would understand. The menu said every one at the table must order and timing that many small and large courses would make it difficult at best if multiple menus were used. In this case there were items present on both menus, we would have the same number of courses (except for Finn) and the dining room was empty.

Chefs with a full dining room and a line out the door can be inflexible to showcase their creativity. Chefs with only one table left at 7, need to pay the electric bill.

After a quick hop down the road we arrived at Kitchen 64 for our second visit. The first had gone so-so. Way too busy for the number of staff and way too many flies on the patio. The food had been good but I had made a critical mistake when I had ordered on our first visit. Know the restaurant you are in. Too often you get taken in by a special or the 'fine dining' part of a menu that is reaching very high when compared to the rest of the offerings. Look around. If everyone you see is eating massive sandwiches and good looking salads, ordering the whole roasted snapper may be a mistake. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, just not stellar. I made M promise to smack me the next time I tried to order out of a restaurants comfort zone.

Kitchen 64 made us a very nice meal. Burgers for Finn, M had some kind of beef sandwich that was tasty, and the lamb pita hit the spot for me. The waiter was nice and efficient and wasn't a fan of Zed's either. Seems on his visits and those of his friends Zed's always seems to be out of multiple items. Not a good sign when a restaurant can't keep stocked for when they do have patrons who stay...

Sue Grafton Alert!

We have received Sue's latest work, T is for Trespass! 25% off list and we have SIGNED copies at both stores! Great gift for fans of her work or to add to your collection. It's been a while since Sue has graced us with a new work, actually 2 years. My understanding is she started 'T', didn't feel inspired and started over. The buzz on the result is good and the books are moving fast.

About my (our) house....

Brick. Plaster. 1927. 2600 sq ft. Battery Park.

Bought in the early 90's in a very scary 'hood. The 'hood has slowly become a neighbourhood and the house has also become less scary. Prior to my son's arrival we went on a lead reduction binge (what, peeling lead paint isn't a design statement?) and removed the mirrored tiles on the walls. In 2007 we called in the professionals to deal with a few issues....

Did you know...

That when plaster separates from the lathe on the ceiling of a room, gravity takes over and your afternoon nap WILL be interrupted.

or...

Steam leaking from radiators does interesting things to hardwood floors and if they were covered for years by crappy carpet the result is amazing (this was discovered after I bought the house and removed said carpet).

You get the picture.

We just had the downstairs pretty much finished off with new electric, ceilings, refinished floors, and a fully operational kitchen. Still a lot of work to do, but not today.

About my store(s).... - The Book Room

The Charlottesville store was opened in 1978. My mother bought it in the early 90's and passed it along in 2003. Seeing a need for our particular brand of bookstore I opened the second one in June of 2005 in Richmond. We're a basic used bookstore with an emphasis on current paperback fiction and very strong romance sections. Audio books, both tape and cd, as well as brand new books (at at least 25% off list) help round out the stores.

About me....

After living all over this little world I ended up in Richmond, VA. The required stint at Richmond's mega corp (if you don't know which one check your wallet and think about it) ended abruptly after 9/11. A little soul searching followed and after acquiring my mother's used bookstore in Charlottesville I opened a second one in Richmond. Now spend the days with my toddler son and the evenings with him and my wife enjoying life and what Richmond has to offer as an increasingly cosmopolitan city (it's not there yet but it's moving in the right directions).