The Pelon's Baja Grill Surf & Turf Burrito is amazing, not much more to say than that lol
The Stockpot Virginia Beach Bruch spread
Brunch at Stockpot VB - Aug 6, 2022
Jasper and I met up with my “Sista from Anotha Mista” Gemma for brunch at The Stockpot in Virginia Beach. Been a minute since I’ve had bruch there, but I am normally there on a Monday night for Ramen (as you all know.)
Old Beach Breakfast - 2 Eggs, Bacon, and Hash
Zucchini Salad with Seared Salmon
Ube Waffle
Heather holding Jasper puppy (aka Baby J!)
Koco's Soy Garlic Korean Fried Chicken (presented by the lovely Shelby)
National Chicken Wing Day 2022!
Today was National Chicken Wing Day and there was no other option to get other than Koco’s! KOCO Korean Fried Chicken & Croffles open earlier this year and has been gaining popularity quickly. The owners used to run a pizza operation at the location but as with a lot of businesses the pandemic made a mess of things. Luckily, from the ashes, they rebranded and opened up my new favorite wing spot <3
Koco’s Korean style wings are crispy, flavorful, and kinda sounds weird saying it but, very fresh. The garlic soy flavor is our favorite but there is a spicy version too. Make sure you try the Croffles too! I don’t usually eat sweets and pastries but I’ll eat the hell outta the croffles. They’re basically waffled croissants coated in caramelized sugar, reminds me of something like a Liege waffle with the crispy outside and moist, chewy inside.
Check them out, tell them I sent you ;)
Virginia Beach Restaurant Month 2021!
Virginia Beach Restaurant Month 2021!
If you didn’t know, March is Virginia Beach Restaurant Month! Follow this link can take advantage daily and weekly prizes being given out for no cost at all!
Aloha (Snacks) To All The Pretty Horses...and Lucas Beaufort Too!
Vang's Bowls & Rolls at Bottlecraft Virginia Beach
Caught Vang’s Bowls & Rolls pop-up at Bottlecraft Virginia Beach tonight. Did a take-out order, bringing home the SayNoelMore (Noel is the owner) and the Momma Shiela (his baby momma) rolls. So good!
Esoteric - Beats Beer Brunch Mar 2019
Another volume of Beats Beer Brunch at Esoteric.
Commune's Oyster Sandwich
Tried the Oyster Sandwich at Commune, pretty good! Been a while since I’ve had one of these. I saw my buddy Vinny too, he’s just one of those guys you feel good being around.
Prosperity Pizza - 14 Feb 2019
Commune Breakfast Sandwich Deal
Monday through Friday at Commune you can get a breakfast sandwich and coffee for $5! Don’t skip this!
Image courtesy of katieabbottrd.com
Katie Abbott's Vegetarian/Vegan Guide
I get asked a lot about vegetarian and vegan options in the area. I usually have to tell them I’m not really sure because “I eat everything!” It’s true too, but the question nags at me and so I’ve talked to people here and there and found a few places I could suggest. Then one day it hit me - my buddy Katie would know!
Katie Abbott, MS, RDN, INHC (yeah, I know that’s some alphabet soup behind her name but she earned it!) is a registered dietitian and counselor who is super passionate about food and treating your body well. I should probably take notes…
Anyway, I approached her about giving me a list of places that good vegetarian/vegan options. She said could put together a list of restaurants that I could share on my page. Click the image below to go to her page and and sing up for her mailing list to get a copy. It’s 6 pages of spots to make it easier for you to find exactly the dish you’re looking for!
Image courtesy of katieabbottrd.com
Rainy Day at New Earth Farm
Memorial Day was a rainy one this year. Shelby and I were kinda lounging around the house when she suggested we head over to New Earth Farm in Pungo (a rural section of Virginia Beach, VA.)
We don't travel out there much but we've been following the farm for years now. They just opened up a nice, big shop carrying the stuff they grow and produce in addition to the other area farms products such as butchered meats, honey, baked goods, produce, etc... The market is a renovated old farmhouse that was on the property forever and it's water tight - great place to hang out in the rain.
Marion and Paul Schultz were working that day and put the word out they'd be open for the afternoon. When we walked in they were inside the shop behind the counter. They told us about this weird leafy vegetable they grew called Celtuce that looks kinda like a stalky lettuce but has bitter leaves. The stalk is what you want to eat and Paul described it as "buttery popcorn." They asked if we wanted to try it and of course we said yes. We'll try just about anything. They peeled some and chopped it up in bite-sized bits. I kinda got the butter thing they were talking about and a few other flavors that were hard to place. They said they'd give a couple to play around with. I'll post that later when it happens!
We chatted for a while, just chillin' out. Paul asked if I wanted to check out the greenhouse where they were trying a new growing system for some tomatoes. They were tying string from the roof of the enclosure that they would slowly lower as they thew grew taller. In the end you'll have a spiral effect on the stem that helps the plant. It's something I'd like to learn more about for sure.
We hung out on the back porch of the shop and watched the rain and I saw a lone hen hopping around on one leg. Paul said a few of their chickens were attacked by a raccoon while they slep in their coop. Apparently the raccoons will grab whatever they can through the cages and just eat it. This includes live chicken legs! Poor things. They had to put some down but one of the farmhands nursed this one back to health and now it's living it's best life and a one legged chicken. She's a farm pet now and her name is "Lt. Dan", also known as "Danny."
Danny hiding under farm equipment.
Once back inside the market Marion told Shelby to take home some of the flowers since the shop was going to be closed the next day and they wouldn't do well untended. We also got a dozen eggs from the farm. I can't wait to try them out. We also bought some Brentwood Farm lamb kebab meat from Suffolk, we'll grill it while Marleigh visits this week. You'll see it posts I'm sure.
All in all we had a great day and I'm glad Shelby mentioned heading over. It was nice to talk to Marion and Paul and get to know them better. We see them around a lot but it's usually quick conversations in passing. Please go out to the farm and check it out yourself, when you see everyone there say "Hi!"
Ramen Night!
Forbidden Palace
I crashed one of Shelby's work lunches. Honestly though...I am an honorary workmate when it comes to lunches ;)
New Years Eve!
New Year's Eve we usually hang out with family that are visiting from out of town - we'll make a nice dinner, we'll have some drinks, and end up watching some some network-ball-dropping-show. This year was different though, we ended up being free for the night. The kids are all older now, everyone is doing their thing, our out-of-town visitors left a day early, we had the opportunity to get out.
We had figured out what we were going to do NYE, we came up with a quick plan: hit Bottlecraft for a uKeg fill and a pour, check out Chartruese to see Ross and maybe get lucky and grab a seat for sushi, then go by The Birch and O'Connor Brewing's NYE parties.
Lara and Shelby
After getting ready we hit Bottlecraft first. We didn't know if they had anything planned but when we arrived there was a band playing for a good crowd of people. Some of them were dressed up for the night and it looked liked people were having fun. Chase and Lara were there and so were his parents with their friends. I said Hi to everyone and grabbed a couple of drinks for Shelby and myself. I had the uKeg filled with a good one from Benchtop Brewing while we mingled.
I love my uKeg by the way, I got it for Christmas, pretty to look at and great for pouring.
We didn't stay too long because we wanted to bounce around and visit a few places. Finishing our drinks and saying our byes we headed to Norfolk to see our buddy Ross. Chartruese Bistro was doing a special sushi pop-up for NYE featuring Ross Riddle of Hashi Chow fame. He was in the kitchen with owner/chef Christopher Corrie for an RSVP event. It's a cozy spot and not a lot room to stand around in but we figured we'd swing by and say Hi to Ross since we were out and maybe if we got lucky get a seat.
We didn't get lucky but Shelby got a drink on the house which was very nice. Ross was very busy putting together orders so we didn't bug him much. Christie, showed up a little later and we got to hang out with her a bit. It wasn't looking like we were going to get lucky with a seat so we made out way over to The Birch. Malia hosts an annual, catered NYE party were everyone dresses up fancy and drinks lots of good beer. She graciously let us slip in to hang out a bit and offered something to eat.
Shout out to Ten Top catering! One the best sandwich shop in Norfolk.
Malia and Shelby looking smashing!
We hung out there for a bit and realized that it was about quarter after 10:00. We wanted to pop a cork at home when the clock rang midnight so we had to sadly skip the stop to O'Connor Brewing. Wish we had though, the party looked crazy! On the way home we called in take-out from Jade Villa, a place we were turned on to by Ross. He says since it's always open into the wee hours of the morning the industry people would hit it up after their shifts for some authentic Chinese food. We got a few things: Pork Belly Hot Pot with Mustard Greens, Shrimp and Pork steamed dumplings, Chinese Broccoli, and Garlic Pork Spare Ribs. Wish I had a photo because it was all delicious! I was in a rush because I spilled some of my beer on the floor somehow (hey, I only had two drinks the whole night! I just need to get used to the uKeg spout) and get the sparkling wine ready.
We got settled in right in time to pop the cork, or plastic thingie on the bottle we had, and rand in the New Year with a toast. All in all a very fun night!
Happy New Year everyone! I hope it's a good one for ya!
Hashi Chow in the Wild!
Oh lucky me!
You all know I go to the Old Beach Farmer's Market on the weekends (off season now, so only once a month until Spring rolls around. One of the things I most looked forward to the most was hitting Hashi food truck. I've been posting Hashi food shots for years, I even remember the first time I had a bite from there, before the truck made it's way to its way to the market. Marleigh, Jasper and I tried a few things from the menu and ate sitting on the bumper of the truck.
Sadly, but for good reason, the Hashi truck is no longer but owner Ross Riddle has big plans for the future. It's been a little bit since the truck was sold and I've had a chance to eat some of Ross' food since then but it's something you yearn for...always! That's why it was good news to hear Hashi was going to pop-up at Bottlecraft Virginia Beach one night with a couple of menu classics - Hashi Hash and Congee.
As soon as Shelby and I were ready that evening we ran down to Bottlecraft and weren't surprised to see a packed house. The turnout was great and it was populated by a lot of people in the industry that know what you get when Ross is cooking. He's pretty intense when it comes to planning, prepping, and putting together his creations. When we entered the shop I went past the line to the back to say Hi to Ross. I heard someone behind me yell, "No cutting!" Haha, they were joking...I think...
I wasn't cutting though I had to pay respects to the man of the hour and didn't stay back there too long. He was getting a pile of tickets but was knocking them out like the pro he is. We got in line and made our way to the front. Christie was taking orders and we ordered one of each (well, three if you look at the pics, we met up with our friend Kelly too.) Lara was the runner, it's funny because the first time we met Lara she was helping Hashi out at a beer festival. True story. I got the Hashi Hash that was "George'd up", meaning add pork belly and an egg, Scott Holl who used to work the truck with Ross came up with that.
I will add pork belly to anything, try me.
Ross' pork belly is legendary. He has it down pat. Here's a lil video:
Shelby got the Congree with mushrooms and pork belly and Kelly got hers with as it came. It was so good! It's been awhile like I said so this was an experience, one I would have been sad to miss. Hopefully it won't be too long before we get to have it again seeing how Ross has been looking for a brick-and-mortar spot in Virginia Beach. Property owners - give Ross a great deal on a spot down at the beach, you won't regret it!
The Landing's Fall Chef Table Dinner at Cromwell Farms
Shelby and I were lucky enough to buy tickets to one of The Landing's chef's dinners recently. This one was held on the Cromwell's Produce farm within the market building. This was after a day of crazy running around that I usually do on a Satruday - and I'll say it was very welcome. The weather became grey on the way out to the Pungo where the farm is located.
Fun fact: Shelby and I were married out in Pungo!
By the time we got there there was a steady drizzle and we were happy to see that the dinner was still on and would be located inside the market building on the property. We got there right on time as the rain started to come down a little bit harder. We saw some familiar faces, including the two walking into below; I mention them for a reason I'll point out later.
After making our way around the space, it was time for a drink! Pleasure House Brewing was on site offering a couple of their brews with and Country Vintner provided wine. Here's what Chef Brent Cowan and crew put together on the menu:
- Braised Lamb Shank with Robuchon potatoes, carmerlized Malibu carrots, Zinfandel pan jus.
- Crispy Eastern Shore Oysters - pickled succotash, Old Bay Bearnaise, baby arugula.
- Maple Leaf Farms Duck Breast - baby kale, candied pecans, dried cranberries, Concord grapes, mountain apples, plum gastrique.
- Cartwright Farms Pork Belly - spicy peach glaze, cherrywood smoked potato salad.
- Fall Squash Bisque - Alaskan snow crab, shaved nutmeg, micro fennel.
All of our favorite things!
It wasn't long before the place was full (it sold out) and a lot of bottles were opened up loosening up the crowd. The food began to file out - dinner was being served by small plates with the option to eat as many as you desired. Always a bad idea when I'm around, just a fair warning to ya'll out there!
Oh! Remember the couple I told you remember a couple paragraphs ago? They're names are Keith Hunt and Bridget Goeke, I did a little write-up on their pop-up Pro Tem. They Keith popped the question to her that night and she said "Yes", that was pretty exciting!
Brent came out several times to introduce a new course and to check on how everyone was doing. Great - everyone was doing great! Brent asked if I'd like to take a look at the operation in the back which was pretty cool. I always love seeing where the magic happens. Shelby and I got to say meet everyone "back of the house" and Brent even shared a couple of swigs from his Four Roses bottle stashed in the walk-in.
After the tour we went back out to hang out with our new friends Heather and Victor Arcelay that we met through Insta. Great couple and we have a lot in common too. Love meeting people in person through online connections.
As the night winded down and after I attempted to eat everything in sight the crew came out and thanked everyone for coming. They received a standing ovation for the excellent meal and being good people in general - everything was relaxed, delicious, felt homey. Catch the next one if you get the opportunity.
I posted all the photos from the event below, enjoy!
Watermelon Mojito Smoothie
Watermelon Mojito Smoothie
I wrote a little story about Tropical Smoothie Cafe's "secret menu" a couple of years ago and it's still one of my most hit post on the blog. Kinda funny.
Guess what? Here's another write-up on them! They sent me a message asking if I'd like to try their special Summertime smoothie, which as you all know, I accepted the offer. I was sent some gift cards to have lunch on them and try out the Watermelon Mojito Smoothie.
(Make sure you read till the end for a chance to win a $25 gift card.)
Shelby and I took a lunch break and headed to the closest Tropical Smoothie get business done. They had a big sign out front advertising the Watermelon Mojito and an Avocolada. We decided we needed both!
The shop is pretty popular as we ran into the lunchtime crowd. We ordered the Watermelon Mojito and Avocolada and two bowls: the Baja Bowl and Caribbean Jerk. The smoothies were done first so grabbed them and sat outside to enjoy the nice, warm weather.
First thing we tried was the Watermelon Mojito and it was very good! It's made of Watermelon (duh...), mint, and strawberries. I loved the light flavor of the watermelon backed up by the strawberry - very refreshing! The Avocolada was earthy and smooth, I liked that one too.
Caribbean Jerk Bowl
Baja Chicken Bowl
What you need to know is that the Watermelon Mojito is only on the menu till August 20th! So make sure you get in there and grab one for yourself. It was $5 and could pass for a lunch to be honest. I'm always full when I drink a whole smoothie.
Tell you what, they gave me a $25 gift card to give away to my readers! If you would like a chance to win it just leave a comment on this post and I'll pick someone tomorrow morning. Good luck!
757 Poke
Twisted Sisters Sugar Shack Ice Cream Sandwich
Every week I check one of our local cupcake shops for their Monday $1 special. Basically everything in the shop is a buck! It doesn't happen every week, only if they have leftover inventory before they start the fresh baking cycle.
Luckily I saw on Instagram that they were open today, when lunch time came around I decided to swing by on the way to picking up Shelby. At the shop I picked out way too many cupcakes and cookies to take home. I was about to check out when I saw Tracy, one of the owners of the sugar shack, who offered me a little treat.
The shop was starting to offer ice cream sandwiches and she asked if I wouldn't mind trying one. I don't eat a lot of sweets but ice cream sandwiches are high on the list. Of course I would eat one, twist my arm already. There were a few varieties: chocolate chip, brownie, sugar cookie, and the one I got, a brownie/cookie mix! I rushed out of the store will my loot to pick up Shelby, I didn't the sandwich to melt.
When we got home the first I had to do was photograph my food (you all know this, I've been doing this 6 1/2 years now!) Fortunately, Shelby is a great sport when it comes to this stuff and even has great suggestions on how to shoot stuff. We did a quick round in the backyard shade then started in on the sandwich.
It was really good! I like the cookie and brownie mix, getting a bite of both with the ice cream was great. Mr. Man, aka Jasper, gets his favorite dog treats from Twisted Sisters too. They bake dog cookies he absolutely loves. Shelby was nice and gave him some of our ice cream sandwich. We kinda had to, he was staring us down big time.