Old Beach Farmers Market - April 2013

Old Beach Farmers Market. Virginia Beach, VA

Judy’s Sichuan Cuisine - Virginia Beach, VA

Judy’s Sichuan in Virginia Beach. Soup Balls at the top.

i<3food

Beer Tasting at Grape and Gourmet

Beer Tasting last week at Grape & Gourmet

Hampton Roads Beard and Stache Society - 16 April 2013

Made it to a Hampton Roads Beard and Stache Society meeting this week. It was held at Belmont House of Smoke and it was all-you-can-eat rib night. So I had the ribs ;) They were great.

WINESday - 17 April 2013

WINESday at Whole Foods Virginia Beach, 17 April 2013

Cheap and Cheery - April 2013

Cheap and Cheery April 2013. Grape and Gourmet tasting, Virginia Beach, VA

I-Heart-Food Contest

ATTENTION!!! I-Heart-Food’s first give-away! A ticket for the 30 April Dishcrawl in downtown Portsmouth, VA!

Chynne from Dishcrawl Hampton Roads will take a group of hungry trekkers on a tour of four selected restaurants in a highlighted area of the city. The ticket includes food and gratuity (drinks not included). The meals will be prepared especially for the tour.

Meet new people, eat some good food—you can’t beat it! AltDaily.com posted a run-down of their Norfolk Dishcrawl if you want an idea of what’s in store:http://www.altdaily.com/features/food/ghent-dishcrawl.html

To qualify for the ticket you must do the following:

1. “Like” I-Heart-Food on Facebook
2. “Like” Dishcrawl Hampton Roads on Facebook
3. Post on I-Heart-Food’s wall your favorite local nosh.

That’s it! Tell your friends, family—whoever to join-in. I’ll pick a winner 16 April after verifying they meet the requirements and post the person’s name on the wall. Read more about Dishcrawl at http://www.dishcrawl.com/norfolk/.

I’ll also mention that you must be able to attend the Dishcrawl (traslate: live in the area.) I know that’s probably obvious, but I wanted to toss that out there anyway :)

Good luck! Start posting!

Baker's Crust - Hilltop

Had lunch at Baker’s Crust-Hilltop, Virginia Beach. Very busy but the food was out quickly and the service was good. 

Top to bottom: Mediterranean Chicken w/ soup, Baker’s Club, great, thin fries, Mediterranean Chicken, Panini Grilled Meatloaf, Chicken and Avocado.

i<3food

WINESday at Whole Foods - 10 April 2013

WINESday at Whole Foods, 10 April 2013. Spring Whites.

Shady Grove Marketplace - Part 2

This past weekend Shady Grove Marketplace celebrated their 2 year anniversary! They had samples from Sabrosa Foods and Artisan’s Bakery & Cafe on hand for visitors. New Belgium Virginia and The Ten Top were there too with delicious sandwiches and beer, compliments of the house. Make it a point to visit the market if you’re in the area.

Set 2 of 2

i<3food

Shady Grove Marketplace - Part 1

This past weekend Shady Grove Marketplace celebrated their 2 year anniversary! They had samples from Sabrosa Foods and Artisan’s Bakery & Cafe on hand for visitors. New Belgium Virginia and The Ten Top were there too with delicious sandwiches and beer, compliments of the house. Make it a point to visit the market if you’re in the area.

Set 1 of 2

i<3food

WINESday at Whole Foods - 3 Apr 2013

Last night was another WINESday tasting at Whole Foods Virginia Beach. On Wednesdays they pour wines from selected regions and pair them with food made in-house. We had French varietals last night; one of my favorite pairings was the French Onion Soup Casserole towards the end. The vegan Mushroom Bourguignon very good too. The wines were all new.

Visit i<3food on Facebook for more photos from the event.

Leila’s Mediterranean Groceries and Deli

Having lunch at Leila’s Mediterranean Groceries and Deli, Virginia Beach, VA. From top to bottom: Baba Ghanoush, Lamb Gyros, Lamb Shawarma, assorted olives, and more.

A hidden gem in the city. The store is on the corner of a tiny shopping strip in a part of town that could use a little attention. We found it a few years ago by accident; we were driving down the boulevard and it caught my eye.

Inside there are spices, oils, cheeses, and other odds and ends from the Mediterranean. One of my favorite things to get in the store is the Kalamata olives they have in self-service bins. There is a good assortment and they’re priced well. My wife and I also tell people this is the place to go if you need hard to find spices from the region. I remember I had a hard time finding sumac but I found it at Leila’s. They buy in bulk so they allowed me to take as much as I needed and charged me by weight. That was great, otherwise I would have had to buy a pound of the stuff and I’m not sumac that much.

There are hookahs, dairy, and grains available. We buy cous cous from here if we’re near and I know we need it. Very good price and it’s nice to purchase at a small shop. If you’re in the area stop by and check it out. Here’s a link to it on the map.

i<3food

Lamb Kefta

Lamb Kefta on the grill.

i<3food

Easter Dinner 2013

Easter Dinner. It turned out great and I had it done on time too.

i<3food