New Foodie In Town....

Finn welcomes his little brother to town...

While Finn came in at 10'6, the new guy comes in at a paltry 9 pounds 3 ounces and 20 inches. The arrival at 3:23 today was without complication and mother, baby, father and brother are all doing fine.

The name.... Elias Fox Jones.

Elias is my middle name, the middle name of my Grandpa Dave, the first name of my Great-Grandfather. Also shows up as a middle name of a small multitude of other relatives.

Fox is a family name from M's family and has nothing to with us being nerds, fans of the X-files, nor as a misguided tribute to a local food writer.

I am sure there will be many more pictures to come that will be only of interest to close friends and family! :)

Dad & Son

Live Blogging From Stronghill Dining Company....

Kind of. Since I won't post this till I'm finished it's more of hit by hit series of thoughts on the new 'hot' spot in RVA.

Cold, windy night. Finn went to his first dentist appoint today and as a treat got McDonald's. M did as well. She said she would cook whatever I wanted when I got home or I could just pick something up. Wasn't really in the mood for fast food and restaurant food doesn't always travel well, especially on a night like tonight. So, I decided to stop at Stronghill since it was on the way home and find out what all the fuss was about.

The restaurant is full of nice soft woods and exposed brick-work. It reminds me of establishments in the Pacific Northwest rather than Richmond. For such a cold and rainy night they had a pretty good crowd. Between the brick and the wood the acoustics are nice. Just loud enough to know your not alone but not the din of Can-Can. I would describe the place as warm and relaxed.

For a cocktail I ordered a Hendick's and Tonic. The bartender poured the drink and excused himself to go see if they had any cucumber for the drink. Nice touch knowing that cucumber goes better with Hendrick's then lime.

Just ordered an appetizer.... Fried Frog Legs (from the special board).

Served on a grilled pineapple with a jicama salsa on top. The smell is fabulous. The legs are juicy and tender. They would be perfect except they seem to be a bit bland. A little seasoning or salt would have made them perfect.

For a wine I ordered a bottle of Layer Cake Primitivo. Very nice.

Notes on the staff. They all seem very professional (career people not college students making some drinking money) and it looks like they frequent the establishment across the street quite often.

Dinner ordered.... Pan Seared Venison Medallions - the perfect dish for a cold wet night...

The wife, at home, and I are IM'ing as I eat. See.... I'm not a lonely diner... :)

Went to use the rest room. Nice back of house. Quiet professional sounding kitchen. Someone really thought this design through.

Entree arrived. Wow! The venison is more like twin fillets rather than medallions but cooked a perfect medium rare. Sitting on a bed of navy bean puree with onion and garlic with rosemary is a nice departure from the usual berry based sauce for venison. To top it off is one of the most amazing side I have ever had.....

Okra and tomato with bacon. The okra is not overcooked to the point of a Campbell's soup veggie, the tomato gives colour and a little bit of flavour, the bacon crispy and smoky. The venison was good but I would eat a bowl of this.

For my very, very, very, very pregnant wife at home I order a slice of the chocolate peanut butter pie.... She'll have to give you feedback on that.

Bottom line... We are going to try to squeeze one more dinner into the schedule before the new baby arrives... I think we'll be coming back here.