A Wolf in the House

Last week the Wolf range was delivered and it is sitting in the front hall waiting to be installed. I can not believe that very soon I will be frying up some grub on this monster appliance. We got the 36" duel fuel range with a griddle in the middle. As excited as I am about cooking again (it has been six months), I am sad that my eating out days are soon to be over. So, I'm dedicating this blog to all of the Richmond restaurants that I've been frequenting since March.
At least once a week we get pizza from 81/2. They named this restaurant after Fellini's movie - I'm not sure why and I don't care because all I care about is the pizza. It is probably the best pizza I've ever had in my life and I've lived in a lot of places, including New York, where I always thought the pizza was not to be compared. We will probably continue to haunt this place on Friday's as I will never be able to replicate the crust and won't even try.

Our second most frequented spot is Shield's Market. This isn't a restaurant but a place where we pop in for a soda, a bottle of wine or a take out meal from Joe's restaurant across the street. Shield's used to allow dogs inside . My dogs should try out for the Iditarod race as their pulling abilities have greatly improved since we moved here. They know the word "Shields" and even know which block to turn onto if they even get a hint that we are going over there. I guess the health department caught wind of the dog policy and so now we all have to tie up our dogs up outside. The owners always have dog treats by the door so the pups don't mind waiting for me to run in for some Chardonnay. Here is a photo of Joe's - across the street from Shields Market

I frequented Joe's this summer when they started serving their famous Country Greek Salad which is made with local Hanover tomatoes. I couldn't get enough of it. They hang a sign on the door when the tomatoes come in season - and serve the tomatoes with feta and onions and some thick homemade bread. The sign came down recently so I probably won't be back again until next summer.

The buzz in the neighborhood is about this new restaurant - Baliceaux. Harry Homeowner and I walked down there last weekend for our anniversary dinner. The place was hopping with activity and has a cool urban vibe and the food was really good.
Fu Jian and European Market Bistro are right next to each other on Main Street, and are both take out places. Both are excellent and I will miss them. Fu Jian is Chinese take out and our boys, when they're home from college, hit this place pretty hard. European Market Bistro's menu often looks like this: Caramelized Balsamic Duck Breast w. Ginger-Rhubarb Apple Compote, Served Over Wilted Summer Greens & w. Truffle Roasted Potatoes... I guess I'd better locate the box that those cookbooks are in.

A little farther afield but worth the walk is Little Mexico. I love the mural and when the craving for Mexican food hits, they are our go-to spot. The atmosphere is a little lacking but who cares - the quesadillas are really tasty and the margaritas ain't bad either. Walking home afterward helps aide digestion!!
There are several other restaurants that we've tried in the last six months but I'll save them for another posting. Thanks to all of them for feeding us while bringing a new kitchen to life.

There is a big push here at Hanover this week to finish up Phase I. I've got an electrician, painters and a wallpaper hanger here today. I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel (it's lighting up recipes).

Have a great week.