I haven't stopped eating...

So, it's been a week since I posted. I don't like that.

On Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I was sick w/ a horrible head cold...I couldn't breathe, my head felt like it would explode, and it absolutely exhausted me... allergies? I don't know. But, honestly, I was sick like 3 times in 10 years in North Carolina, but have been ill 3 times since moving here in September. Everyone keeps telling me Short Pump is full of mold? What does that mean? I worked Monday night, Tuesday night, and a double on Wednesday... outside of working, I had energy only for the couch. This meant I ate a lot of cereal and pre-made soups from Whole Foods deli. Not a very exciting culinary week I had going...

I'm better now. And I considered cooking on Thursday. After getting lost in Richmond coming back from my eye appointment, I needed a drink. I popped into Kona right beside my apartment for a happy hour cosmo. Chris has a heavy hand and halfway through, I calmed. Scott surprised me by joining me on his way back into town from Tidewater. We had some Ahi Won Ton Crisps and a couple drinks and caught up since we'd barely seen each other since Sunday.

Some texting occurred and within a few moments we had plans for dinner. I would not be cooking, and instead, Scott and I would be joining my friends Jessica and Roger for dinner at Little Venice.
I'd not been to Little Venice before and wow, we were in for a treat. We started with a glass of wine at the bar. I am just getting acquainted with Italian Reds and it's been enjoyable. After our wine, we all moved to a table for dinner. My house salad was accompanied by a terrific homemade red wine vinaigrette. And the kalamatas on the salad might have been the best I've ever had, I don't know what made them so special, but they were, and I could have eaten an entire jar. Scott's ceaser salad was topped with anchovies and also quite tasty.
I contemplated the Eggplant Parmesan special, but the Salmon ala Marco Polo was also catching my eye. The owner, Alberto, steered me in the direction of the salmon. Roger had chosen a great wine for dinner, and Alberto felt the salmon would make for a better companion. I wouldn't doubt Alberto. This guy clearly knew what he was talking about.
My salmon was served in a white wine lemon caper sauce. There were little roasted potatoes and zucchini along the side and it was just a fantastic meal. Half would have been a reasonable place to stop, but I did not. I finished pretty much all of it, other than a potato or two. Scott had a chicken dish and I cannot remember what it was called. I know there was ham and mozzarella involved and a small bite proved he had also hit the jackpot.
We all had a taste of chocolate wine (served in rocks glasses over ice- it's delicious), and a shot of lemoncello cream to end the meal. I am all about the the lemoncello cream. I have only had the regular before, and I always found it a little harsh. The creamed version is yummy and was dessert on its own.
If I wasn't already convinced we'd be back again, the tiramisu sealed the deal. You all know it's my favorite dessert and I can be quite picky about it. Little Venice did it very well. My cappuccino only made it that much better.
Great dinner, great wine, great company. I did not miss cooking that evening.

I worked a double on Friday, so, no time to cook outside of a quick breakfast sandwich. I had a salad at Hondos before I left for my break (which was long enough only to pick up my new glasses) and half a crab cake, a few fries, and one Pierogie at Capital when out with co-workers after my shift. Not a very exciting food day.

Yesterday was much more eventful, even though I cooked not a thing. Scott and I met Jessica at Nacho Mama's in Carytown. After a 30 minute wait (we passed the time with a margarita), we had great meals. Scott had nachos carnitas and I opted for the grilled fish tacos. They were super and topped with cabbage, pico de gallo, and a creamy lime sauce. The beans and rice were awesome... the beans definitely have a mole in them and I ate every last bite. Even Jess ate more than just the cheese off of hers, and this says a lot.
After filling our bellies, we shopped at Penzey's. I could stay in that place all day, it's so fun smelling all of the spices and I always make 3 or 4 trips around at least. I ended up with their chili 3000 chili powder, Mexican Oregano, India Extra Bold Black Peppercorns, Ground Ancho Chili Pepper, Smoked Spanish Paprika, Vietnamese Cinnamon, India Ground Fennel Seed, Shallot Salt, and a pound of Kosher flaked salt. Super exciting!

We hit up Pizza Fusion for dinner. We can walk there and it's good food. It is a franchise, and seems to be growing, so hopefully there will be one near you quite soon. It's an organic vegan/vegetarian friendly pizza/sandwich joint. They also have great salads and we started by sharing a large one. Ours was arugula, feta, roasted beets, red onion, and walnuts. With the sesame goddess dressing, it's become my favorite thing to eat there. We went for the roasted eggplant, buffalo mozzarella, and onion pizza. It was really good, but I kept eying the plain cheese pizza of the little girl beside me. I guess I know what I am getting next time.

Today, I worked brunch, and we got out pretty late. I thought about making chili tonight, but when it was time to leave Hondos, I realized it would be quite late before we would end up eating. Instead, I bought some shrimp, some mixed nuts, a whole wheat baguette, some lettuce and veg... I made shrimp salads, a nice vinaigrette, and some homemade croutons and we enjoyed them while we watched Duke make it to The Final Four!