Didn't I Tell You Already?

My devotion to Jackson Ward is legendary, both in this blog and among anyone who will listen to me go on and on about my neighborhood of the past five years.

Still,, it's nice to have my opinion validated in a place as lofty as the New York Times. The article about J-Ward in Sunday's paper, here, tells the rest of the world what I have been trying to convince anyone who lives in other RVA neighborhoods for a while now.

Ghostprint Gallery? I'm in there every single month for their opening preview to see what compelling show they've hung. It's one of two galleries I tell people never to miss on First Fridays.

Nate's Taco Truck Stop, while a more recent addition to the Ward, already feels like it's been there forever. I used to have to walk over to the Compass to score Nate's Frito Pie and now I don't even have to leave the 'hood to indulge in my favorite bag o' lunch.

Steady Sounds is a regular destination for me and I don't even own a turntable. I know people who do, though, and this is where I buy vinyl for them. And I've seen some excellent live music here (Alessi's Ark, White Laces, The Great Unknown, Bake Sale, Jonathan Vassar) leaning on bins in their intimate setting.

And Ettamae's Cafe? Shoot, I've been singing these guys' praises since the first week they opened, here, back last summer. That post even ended up on the press page of Ettamae's website and I've been back loads of times since. I find it hard to resist a place with terrific food and where the Chef not only kisses you but his co-owner yells, "Now the party can start!" when you walk in.

I've been a regular at Mama J's since March 2010, here, when a friend and I discovered Croaker's Spot had left the Ward (fools! but they're coming back) one cold evening. Since then, it's my go-to place for fried chicken and homemade cake, two staples of my diet P.A. (Post Apocalypse or after layoff, pneumonia, breakup or roughly February 2009 through the present).  I have a friend I can call up and all I say is, "You wanna?" and he knows I mean we're doing lunch at Mama's.

So for a change, I am happy with the out-of-town press' take on my fair city. I've complained before that outsiders tend to mention the same old places (Mama Zu, Kuba Kuba, Millie's) ad nauseum. This time the NYT got it right, not even acknowledging the (IMHO) over-hyped restaurant that shall not be named in J-Ward.

On the other hand, if they do a sequel to that story, they should contact me and I'll bring them even more up to date.

J-Ward Girl knows of what she speaks.

Stop Talking and Eat

It's always a treat to eat out with a restaurant owner in a place they've never been.
Today's lunch plans came about when I was eating dinner at another local place and the owner, knowing I live in Jackson Ward, asked if I'd been to Ettamae's Cafe. Been there? Uh, yea, just breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner.

Turns out he'd been wanting to check it out but wanted a qualified J-Ward girl to accompany him. Who better than me?

Honestly, Second Street gets a little better looking every time I'm over there. The line at Nate's Tacos was almost out the door and Laura at Ettamae's told us that a new Thai place is going in on that block any day now. Eventually, the whole street will be knit together (her term and one I love) with cool places to chow down.

But today it was all about Ettamae's and while it wasn't quite warm enough for me for balcony dining (cute pink-flowered skirt prohibiting such), we were happy to take a two-top in the cozy dining room.

I'd already bragged on Matt's corned beef, so we decided to split a corned beef on rye with a side of fruit and both ordered the salad special, a generous plate of fresh mesclun with dried cranberries, feta and toasted pecans.

We each finished our salads before even touching that big, beautiful corned beef sandwich. The restaurateur told me that he doesn't even bother ordering corned beef because it always disappoints. He left not a scrap of Matt's oven-braised beef.

From my own personal experience, I've noticed that restaurateurs are experts at cleaning their plates. Maybe it has something to do with them not having to cook or worry about customers.

Or perhaps I'm just so busy talking that they've got nothing better to do than eat and listen. I could test that by shutting up, but I always figure no one invites me out unless they want conversation.

And who am I to talk? I always clean my plate at Ettamae's. That's what grandmothers expect you to do and although Ettamae wasn't mine, she'd probably tell my grandmother Bessie that I left food.

And even though she's long-dead, I still think I'd be in deep trouble.

Nate's Taco Truck Meets Sally Belle's

I was way overdue to try Nate's Taco Truck and with a day as beautiful as today, it was the perfect opportunity to join the line at Linden/Park/Grove and change that.

I debated as I made my way to the front of the line: tacos? quesadilla?

Or give in and have what I'd been told was Nate's piece de resistance, Frito Pie?

We're talking a bag of Fritos topped with pinto beans, shredded beef, cheese, lettuce, salsa and sour cream.

Lunch in a bag!

I had no choice because the Fritos were calling to me, so I ordered this $4.00 bag o' goodness, did my best to stir its contents and was rewarded with a melange of flavors with just enough salty, crispy goodness under perfectly cooked beef and beans to satisfy the most discerning palate (that would not be me, btw).

I find it absolutely necessary to follow salty with sweet, so I took my stuffed self a few blocks north to Sally Belle's Kitchen for a traditional Richmond upside-down cupcake (chocolate on chocolate, as it happened).

Sally Belle's is as old school as Nate's is new wave and standing inside that Grace Street institution, you lose all sense of the real world outside (a metaphor for rva in general, perhaps?).

I swear, those women who work the counter there have been there since Sally Belle's opened...not that that's a bad thing.

Might I suggest that the next time you have a hankering to enjoy lunch outside in the VCU area you consider Nate's (the Sally Belle stop is up to you)?

This is a guy who really enjoys his cooking (just ask him) and it comes through in every delicious bite.

For you health-conscious types, Fritos are optional.