Stella's

If you like Greek food and you're looking for a current hot spot in Richmond, I highly recommend checking out Stella's.  Stella's reopened a few months back and since then I've heard nothing but rave reviews from my friends.  I was there on Tuesday night and the restaurant was filled people and it appear that everyone was thoroughly enjoying themselves.  If you're not willing to take your chances and possibly sit at the bar, they do take reservations online.  The atmosphere was warm and very inviting and appeared to be the perfect place to not only grab dinner or brunch but you could easily meet up with some friends for a drink.  The menu mainly consisted of traditional greek goodies but there were a few items that vary away from what I call traditional.  I always go for the basics when trying a new restaurant and I wasn't disappointed...the food was delish!  We ate at the bar and the server was very attentive towards our needs and she did a great job of making suggestions of both food and wine.  We started the meal by splitting the baby endives and the Avgolemono (Traditional, Greek egg lemon soup with chicken & rice).  I loved the addition of citrus to the endives and the feta rounded the flavor perfectly.  My only disappointment with the meal was the  soup...simply put, it was lacking in the amount of flavor that I desire. For the main meal, we decided to split the Pikelia plate with my friend, which consisted of  Pork souvlaki, tiropita, spanakopita, kreatopita, dolmades, served with tzatziki.  My 2 favorite dishes of the night were without a doubt the souvlaki and the tiropita.  The souvlaki actually melted in your mouth.  The tiropita was hands down the best that I have ever tasted.  It was the perfect ratio of cheese and phyllo.  There are several items including but not limited to the moussaka and the braised lamb shank that I am anxious to try and I look forward to going there again soon.     

Looks can be deceiving...

When starting this blog, I vowed to myself that I would post both the good and the bad experiences that occur in my world of food/drink.  I have been baking my whole life and while I am thankful that most of my recipes turn out...it isn't always the case.  This post will show that looks can be deceiving.  I attempted to make from scratch cheesecake last week.  I've used this recipe numerous times with no issue but this time, I missed a very important detail....bring the cream cheese to room temperature.  The taste was perfect but the consistency was a bit chunky, which was very disappointing but it shows the importance of thoroughly following baking instructions.  There is a difference between cooking and baking and the difference is how accurate you have to pay attention to the recipe.  Baking is an exact science, not to be altered.  I will make this recipe again, very soon and I am hopeful that it will be successful this time.  If successful on my next attempt, I will post the recipe.