Brunch at Black Sheep

With my sister in town this weekend, it was a great excuse to try out the brunch at Black Sheep. I didn't even have to look at the menu. I knew I wanted the sausage gravy biscuits. SM (my sister) got the Beret Frittata. MTH got the special - huevos rancheros with mole verde and black beans.

My sausage gravy biscuits were definitely not from a can at all. The biscuits were light and airy. The gravy was not too thick and not too white nor greasy. Plus, they didn't drown the biscuits in it.

SM's frittata had a nice dose of goat cheese that allowed for some in every bite. The broccoli was perfectly cooked.

MTH's huevos looked great. I didn't really get to try it because of the undercooked eggs. Oh well, I did get the fresh tomatoes that went with it. They were so good. No acidity at all - just sweet. I should have asked where they got their tomatoes from.

We bought a piece of the peanut butter pie to have as dessert with dinner. That was a nice ending to the day. The peanut portion of the pie is so light and airy, it's almost like peanut butter marshmallow cream. Then, the pie shell is some graham crackers with a nice layer of chocolate on top. I highly recommend this dessert when you go make your own visit.

Black Sheep - A New Restaurant Addition to Richmond

A friend of mine from work has opened a restaurant with her boyfriend. It's called Black Sheep. It opened on April 15th. They've already gotten a write up in Style Weekly. I checked it out on Thursday night with another friend. It's a little off the beaten path (901 W. Marshall Street - one block from Broad Street in the middle of VCU's campus). The old house it's in is quite cute and they did an awesome job renovating the space. There are booths and tables with chairs. The atmosphere is laid back and the service was great. I ordered the Miss "E" sandwich. It has avocado, bacon, cheddar cheese, tomato and horseradish. I loved it except for a little too much horseradish that I had to scrape off. For my side dish, I tried the Bread and Butter Pickled Vegetables. In choosing them, I wasn't entirely sure that I was going to like them but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I loved them. My friend ordered the chicken and dumplings. She's from Massachusetts and has only had that type of dumplings one other time - a Southern friend had made them. She couldn't stop raving about the dumplings. She loved the gravy they were served in. The dumplings themselves were perfectly cooked. I know from experience that there can be "duds" when making such a dish. Her side dish was the fruit cup. I was more than just melon balls. Then, we had to decide on dessert. There were several that sounded good: creme de menthe brownies, peanut butter pie, banana pudding or upside down pineapple cake. We ended up sharing the upside down pineapple cake. Very delicious.

I'm ready to go again so I can try some of the other items on the menu. ALso, the breakfast loks great. They have sausage gravy and biscuits! A childhood favorite and sure fire artery clogger but hey, we only live once!

Coliseum Deli

I actually don't remember how I found this place. It's a little take out place on Broad in the bottom of the Coliseum Lofts across from the Kroger and Lowe's near VCU. The proprieter is from Iran. They have falafel, hummus, kebabs, dolmades and other Middle Eastern type foods on the menu. I always get the chicken kebabs. It comes with a nice fresh green salad with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and banana peppers (or something like that) herbed rice, yogurt sauce and a pita like bread. The bread is thicker and is not a pocket like pita so I'm assuming it's actually not pita but I don't know the name. I love the fact that the food is not too greasy and the garlic flavor is not overpowering like Athens Tavern's souvlaki.

A friend of ours had the falafel and she loved it. In the little store where you pick up the food, they have huge tubs of Bulgarian feta for sale as well as other Meditteranean and Middle EAstern spices and staples that you might like to try.

We will continue to eat take out from here!

The Phoenician - A New Lebanese Restaurant in Richmond

As some of you may know, I absolutely love Lebanese food. So, when one day I was driving along Broad Street and saw a sign saying that the Phoenician, a Lebanese restaurant, was coming soon, I called MTH right away. Well, it has finally opened and MTH and I tried it out 2 Friday evenings ago. Unfortunately, we have to drive to it versus walk but it was worth the short 2.5 mile drive west. When we walked in, we could tell it was more upscale than our Lebanese mainstay in Alexandria, The Pita House. But, would it be as good or possibly even better? When you are seated, they bring a basket of pita bread and a yogurt dipping sauce (no, it's not like tzatziki - there's no cucumber). We started with the Kibbe and Halloumi. Again, if you're an avid reader of mine, you know that I love Halloumi. It's not exactly Lebanese since I believe it's only made on the island of Cyprus but it's definitely Mediterranean. Kibbe are fried balls of meat and Bulgar stuffed with pine nuts. My description may not sound appetizing but it tastes very good. Then, for the appetizer we both ordered the shawarma. I went with chicken and MTH went with beef. They're both served with vermicelli rice and seasoned green beans. There was a nice hint of cinnamon in the dish. And, we ended with baklava. My favorite flavors in baklava are rosewater and pistachio as I already mentioned here.

Overall, it was a great meal and we'll definitely be going back many times in the future. The next time we go, I think we'll try the meze platter and not order any entrees.