The House of Marinara

It took a few weeks but I finally made it over to Balliceaux. I’ve been anticipating this opening for about 6 months and yet I somehow missed it. Oh well. It really doesn’t matter. Really, it’s one of my favorite chefs running the kitchen so I just needed to get over there and enjoy some amazing food.

BTW, don’t expect an unbiased review here. I’m a huge fan of Russell Cook and so I have a hard time being objective.

I was so desperate to eat there, that I took lil’marinara. I figured it would be a good test on how friendly and gracious their staff could be. I requested to sit in the back because it seemed a bit more low-key.

The Genius- Russell Cook

The staff was very engaging. Russell came by and I ordered “something low carb” and “something for kids.” I also ordered a bowl of their golden gazpacho, which was light, fresh and seasoned with a nice cayenne kick. The “something low carb” showed up and it was crispy pork belly on top of a cabbage salad and served with grilled veggies and au-jus. The “something for kids” was a heritage cheeseburger made with a Flour Garden roll, artisan cheese and local, grass-fed beef and fries.

Both dishes were great. Lil’ marinara tore up the fries and the burger, not before I was able to take a few bites. I dug into the pork belly, which Tony Bourdain refers to as the 5 layers of heaven. It was crispy and tasty on the outside. The inside was rich and tender. The au-jus was only really necessary for the inside pieces. The pieces with skin were perfect.

What I appreciated about the restaurant was that the prices were not outrageous. The pork was $16 and the burger was $10. With reasonable prices, it was amazing how well they were able to stay local, organic, and/or sustainable with the ingredients and wine.

I can’t wait to go back but I think I’ll leave the 2 year old at home and take the wife for a nice night out.

Dale and Aline Reitzer- Richmond.com

I want to give special thanks to Chef Dale Reitzer for talking with us. Please enjoy as we talk about his history, influences and his restaurant.

Please let me know if you have any issues with listening to this.

It’s not perfect, but I still love the place. I have been a fan of Karen’s, now known as City Diner, for years now. Located near the corner of Strawberry and Broad, this cozy diner has become the regular spot for me and little marinara on our weekly morning out.

Read more »

My good friend Bookstore Piet gave me the hookup a few weeks back. He arranged a special meal which consisted of the traditional steak tartare. Now this is something that is not traditionally on the menu at Can Can and it was Piet’s brilliant negotiations with management that afforded us this luxury.

For the few novices (like myself) who never have tried it, the dish consisted of finely chopped, raw filet topped with capers, onions and a raw quail egg yolk.  I’m not sure what was used to bind the beef but it was creamy and spicy.  This dish was served with grilled bread and crsipy onion rings.

It was delicious and wonderful and I am anxious to try it again!

• The lamb rib chops at Whole Foods are amazing when coated in salt & Greek oregano and quickly seared on the outside.
• Tipo 00 pizza flour can be found European Market for $4 a lb. I cheated this week by buying my dough from Arianna’s.
• Made Gravalax with wild king salmon. Tried using thyme and sage instead of dill. Not quite as good.
• I do love me some Ledo’s pizza. Don’t ask me why.
• Had a hell of a chicken fried steak at Weezie’s Kitchen.

Delivery to the museum district isn’t great. I have some pizza options, a Chinese option, and then what. Really, MoJo’s Philadeli is the only place with some other options… not to mention the only place that I can find that delivers real chicken wings. It was wing delivery one night that changed my whole perspective on wings in Richmond. Read more »

I met Brent Young about 2 years ago at Belmont Butchery. Brent amazed me with his creativity. His creations were anywhere from amazing to toxic. Last summer, Brent took off to Brooklyn and was quickly brought on to work at one of Brooklyn’s thriving restaurants- Diner. More recently, the owners opened a butcher shop called Marlow & Daughters and Brent has been able to take his time in Richmond and put it to good use. Brent was kind enough to take some time to answer some questions
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I can’t get RVAFoodie to shut up about this place. “Capriccio” this and “Capriccio” that. I love me some good pizza but I am in ignorant bliss living blocks away from Arianna’s and Mary Angela’s. So for me to go out to the west end for NY Style pizza seems a little over the top.

Yesterday the perfect storm hit and I was in the West End and we were in need of dinner and Little Marinara wanted pepperoni pizza (never mind that he always wants pepperoni pizza) so we ended up at Capriccio’s.

And……. It was good….. really good.

Let me be upfront, this is nothing close to the stuff I have had in Brooklyn. But it was very yummy.

• The crust was light and crunchy. Perfectly browned.
• The cheese was extravagant. Way too much.
• The sauce was the perfect complement.

Was it better than Mary Angela’s? I am not ready to go there. I definitely don’t think it is a 20 minute drive better.

I was a little disappointed in the topping selection. It was very standard fare. Little or no creativity, but does it matter when the product is so good?

Mrs. Marinara wanted me to mention that they served crushed ice with their fountain drinks and that should be noted a plus.

So, have you been? Is it better than the other Richmond stalwarts?

No matter how many good restaurants or street vendors surround a stadium, undoubtedly most people end up dining within the ballpark. That is true even at Camden Yards. As a result, I am making it my mission to try out the different food options at Oriole Park in hopes of providing some guidance for the next time you visit the park.

Boog’s is probably the most notable of all the vendors. It stands on Eutaw Street right next to the flag court. While the venue is named after the legendary Boog Powell, it is not his product or recipe. He is merely the friendly face of the place.

The style of BBQ at Boog’s Read more »

I love that I can review Acacia-Midtown and then KFC and not think twice about it.

I saw the commercial for the grilled chicken on a Thursday. By Saturday, I was in line at the drive-thru ordering it.

I purchased a wing, a thigh and a breast. I really don’t like the drumstick so I passed on them.

I really liked the chicken. Crispy exterior, nice grill marks, flavorful skin and flavorful meat. The wing and the thigh were sufficiently juicy and wonderful. The breast was not. I ate two bites before I threw it away. I noticed that the major portion of skin was gone and I’m not sure if that it is why the meat was so dry.

Overall, I prefer the Pollo Arrosto at Peruvian Rotisserie places , but for fast food it is not a bad alternative.