Category Archives: restaurants

“The comfort food choice: 821 Cafe”

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Style magazine has an article this week on “Unexpected places to dine when you don’t eat meat or dairy.”

Here is an excerpt:

At 821, meat lovers can order a one-pound burger served between two grilled cheese sandwiches, but there’s also a vegan chicken salad sandwich on the menu. If it’s bar or comfort food, 821 probably has it in meat and veggie forms. The vegan chili fries ($4) are enormous, a perfect drinking companion to soak up excess alcohol from 821’s well-chosen taps. Fried artichoke hearts ($8) aren’t elegant, but they’re strangely habit-forming with a classic crunchy exterior and creamy interior, served with a spicy sweet chili sauce.

And as long as we’re sticking with fried and unhealthy, the buffalo tofu ($7) has been a favorite of mine since before it was on the regular menu. Beer-battered tofu is covered in buffalo sauce and served on a roll with lettuce, tomato and vegan mayonaise. The house-made veggie burger ($7.25) feels healthier, with black beans, sweet potatoes and quinoa, a South American grainlike seed, making up the patty, with an avocado for a topping. Though the patty could be firmer, the subtle flavors strike a nice balance of sweet and savory with a hint of garlic. 821 offers an extensive vegan menu with breakfast choices, appetizers, sandwiches, salads and pasta.

821 Cafe
825 W. Cary St.
649-1042
821caferva.com
Monday-Wednesday: 8 a.m.-10 p.m.
Thursday-Friday: 8 a.m.-11 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m.-11 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

There’s also a nice bit about the Nile on Laurel Street.

Hollywood Cemetery’s Guardian Dog Now Has Urban Legend Beer

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From Richmond BizSense article:

Through 19 years of business, Legend has been fairly straightforward with its names — Legend Brown Ale, Legend Pilsner, Legend Porter.

“We like to be sure that people know what they are getting,” said Dave Gott, vice president of operations. Names sell the brewery and build brand allegiance.

One day, though, assistant brewer Brian Knight and others started tossing around ideas. They came up with a theme, the Urban Legend Series, and four names: Guardian Dog Doppelbock, Richmond Vampire Imperial Red Ale, Lost City Saison and Locomotive 231.

“They had all the names ready to go. We said, ‘Sounds good to us,’” Gott said.

History and local lore predominate. The Guardian Dog Doppelbock, the initial release that’s out now, pays tribute to the iron statue of a black dog that watches over a child’s grave in Hollywood Cemetery. There are several versions of the tale, and Legend notes the mystique.

“The dog has a personality of his own and has been reportedly discovered looking in various directions. He is said to come alive if he feels the need to protect his young mistress,” Legend’s description says.

The Iron Dog is one of the most popular monuments in the cemetery, and it appears the Legend series is a hit as well.

“People are really reacting to the names,” Gott said.

Positive Brunch Review for EAT

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The RVA Brunch Club recently visited EAT Oregon Hill, compared notes, and gave it a positive review (click here to see more on their blog)–

Rating: 4
Food – Very Good. Guest bruncher Liz (yay I Heart Vegetables!) was really impressed that there was a vegan breakfast option and that the cauliflower was so flavorful. Nice selection on the menu, and it was obvious that the chef took some chances when putting the dishes together – lots of twists on familiar dishes. Some of us felt like there could have been a few changes to enhance the food, such as avocado on the huevos rancheros, or a few more eggy dishes on the menu, but otherwise, delish!
Service – Good. Our server was friendly, personable, and checked in on us often, bringing prompt refills of our hot beverages. Michele arrived first and was happy that the hostess took her jacket and was ushered to our table right away. However, our party didn’t get our drink orders very filled very promptly. Further, because several of us ordered mimosas, we felt like we should have been alerted to the option to order a pitcher, but we weren’t.
Atmosphere – Good. Not fancy or pretentious, but cute. Mix of booths and kitchenette-style chairs (surprisingly comfy!). Bright colors suited the Caribbean flavors that often are infused in the dishes. However, we found the wall paintings (e.g., a Bob Marley octopus – we called him Bobtopus) to be a bit weird. The overall look to the restaurant didn’t quite match the food quality or price. We were sat at the table closest to the door, so it was rather cold and drafty.
Coffee/Tea – Very Good (C)/Good (T). They serve Blanchard’s coffee. The java drinkers in our group were super thirsty and the caffeine was readily flowing! The tea refills were prompt but guest bruncher Rina wanted a larger selection of flavors to choose from.
Mimosa – Very Good. Traditional mimosa had delicious freshly squeezed orange flavor and a hat of a clementine slice on top.
Bloody Mary – Good. Appreciated that it is customizable, but not quite to Michele’s taste. Great spice to the drink, but also a weird sweet flavor in there.