A Weekend in Richmond [Food Highlights]

Potato gnocchi from Heritage

Figures that on the eve of the next weekend, I'm writing about the previous weekend. Sometimes at night, I sit in bed and wonder what I've been doing with all of my time. And why I couldn't manage to go to bed sooner. I think I might actually be a victim of time theft. Yes, someone has actually figured out a way to steal time from people without them realizing. Can you believe it???

Until we catch the criminal, you'll have to put up with me and my delayed posts.

This past weekend, I had two very special people come and visit me: Sarah and my sister Cherie. Sarah arrived on Friday night, and Cherie on Saturday. Here are some highlights...

FRIDAY

• Happy hour at VMFA. This is such a fun experience! Its fairly casual, and the setting is so different from anywhere else in Richmond. We enjoyed a bottle of bubbly white wine as the sun set over the reflecting pool and sculpture garden.

• Dinner at Metro Grill. I've been wanting to try Metro Grill for a while, mainly because I heard that their truffle macaroni and cheese is to die for. Well the rumors are true, people; their mac & cheese was unique and totally crave-able. I can't tell exactly what cheeses are used, but there's a certain tang that I think might be blue cheese. We also enjoyed the lobster dip and some soups (vegetable and chicken tortilla).

• Baking pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. We baked this recipe from My Baking Addiction. It was only appropriate that I baked my first pumpkin recipe of the season with one of my first baking buddies :) These cookies are best enjoyed right out of the oven or the day they are baked. They tend to get a little sticky the longer you store them.

SATURDAY

• South of the James Farmers' Market. The great thing about Sarah and I is that we literally are the same person. At least twenty times last weekend, we opened our mouth only to say the exact same thing. So naturally, we both wanted to go to the farmers' market. We got ourselves some delicious amaretto iced lattes from the Crossroads Coffee truck and fresh sourdough donuts from Mrs. Yonder's Kitchen---OH MY GAWD, THOSE DONUTS!!! It was a true sugar overload, but thoroughly enjoyable. We also picked up some honey, apples, homemade dog treats, and flowers.

• Lunch at the Water Grill. Yes, for two weekends in a row, I have sat in a booth at the Water Grill. It was the perfect afternoon for a lunch on a patio, and they happen to have great outdoor and window seating. We shared some fried green tomatoes as an appetizer--which I think I'm becoming obsessed with, by the way.

• Shopping in Carytown. I finally was able to venture into Penzey's Spices. It was majorly overwhelming, in a good way. I managed to keep my purchases to a minimum, but I'll probably be back there soon. Also, I bought new running shoes! I love going to local sports shops like Roadrunner because: they are well-trained, they care, and they're local. I can't wait to cross the half marathon finish line in November in my pink Brooks!

• Dinner at Heritage. This restaurant is still fairly new, having opened a few weeks ago, but I was anxious to test it out. It was the food highlight of the weekend. We shared pork fries (i.e. deep-fried barbecue pork) and pimiento croquettes. Both were unbelievable. I still have mixed feelings about the serving sizes...which were small. But they did allow us to save room for dessert, which is normally really hard to do. I ordered the potato gnocchi next, and it was unlike any I've had before: super soft and the flavors of the bacon, onion, and apple together were right on point. We ended dinner with chocolate cubes of mousse with a coffee crumble. LOVEEEEED this place. 

• Midnight snack from Belmont Pizza. Total necessity.

SUNDAY
Before my guests departed on Sunday, we headed to Kitchen 64 for brunch. I enjoyed the pancakes with a side of fruit and what looked like a bacon ladder.

...Now who wants to come visit me? :)