Virginia Road Trip Part IV: New York Deli

I went back to Carytown for some lunch and a little bit of shopping. And again I was going on Kurt's recommendations. His one big suggestion for lunch would not have been an obvious one to me in the former Capital of the Confederacy. But in the end, I went to the New York Deli and had a lovely lunch.

The place has character - lots of art deco and bar-style decorations with a counter directly facing a large mirror and well-stocked bar. There were also tables, but after some confusion I just sat at the counter. The woman behind it immediately came to my aid with a menu (talk about service). For a drink I settled on unsweetened iced tea (about $1.50) - this way I could sweeten it with as much sugar-free stuff as possible (sugary drinks do not like my system, sadly). The refills were free (an uncommon thing these days). I had two of these while I waited for my main course, for about, oh, twenty minutes.

For that main course, I ordered one of their oft-requested Reubens (about $8.00) with some fries (again, the waitress' recommendation). I could see why it took so long to make - OMG, it was huge! I doubted that I could finish it! This Reuben had sauerkraut, Swiss cheese on top, cheddar cheese sandwiched in between two kinds of meat, corned beef and pastrami, all on rye bread with crispy, crusty fries and a large pickle wedge. And except for a stray strand of dried-out pastrami, it was delicious. If you find yourself in Richmond for whatever reason, get thee to Carytown and head straight for the New York Deli.

Afterwards I headed back to Baltimore, getting stuck in hhhoooorrrrrrible rush hour traffic about half an hour south of Alexandria. Once in Maryland, though, it was pretty smooth sailing. At least I had these purchases to reflect upon:

• A lemon zester from the Compleat Gourmet for $3. It was certainly a steal because: 1) this place jacks up most of its other prices; and 2) Bed, Bath and Beyond AND Williams-Sonoma have the EXACT SAME THING for $8 and $20 respectively. I also got a vanilla bean for $1.50 and another item that is a Christmas present for my sister, who is probably reading this right now so I can't tell her what it is;
• exploding "bath bombs" from Soak (3 small ones for $12);
• Two old CDs of Crowded House and the Mavericks for $3 each, as well as a DVD of one of my favorite MST3K'd movies, Parts: the CLONUS Horror, ($10, but it's the original movie so no bitchy commentary), at Plan 9 Music;
• And some ice cream to finish my trip at Bev's Ice Cream - Bev's Brownie sundae, with two large scoops of any particular ice cream, whipped cream and two other toppings (one of your choice) all on top of a brownie, goes for $5.50 before tax, just over $6 after (it's the cheapest thing you can buy in order to use a debit or credit card).

And that's it! This whole Jamestown-Richmond trip was a very long time in coming, but it's finally happened, and it was quite nifty. Pictures of Jamestown will follow, but I'll throw in some of Carytown, night and day, here:

This is the delicious and HOT lamb vindaloo from my dinner at Farouk's House of India the night before. The hottest stuff, according to the menu, "will bring you tears". Is it that bad?

Perhaps the most appropriately-named business on the street.

The interior of the New York Deli. That clock advertises A&P.

So... ya got a public restroom?

And there's this last one, with these cute doggies just lounging around, waiting for their owner (No, I refuse to call them "pet parents" - I loves me kitty, and I'd put him on the rescue boat before I got in. But I am his owner! Get over it!)

Virginia Roadtrip Part II: Farouk's House of India

NB: I wrote this post this morning in my hotel room. Photos to follow.

Just one note for your travel planning: if internet access is a big thing for you in booking a motel, avoid the Comfort Inn Executive Center. Despite what they advertise, it doesn't work.

Tourists to Richmond usually head to the Shockoe Slip area. I don't know why, because I've never seen it. All recommendations, however, were for the Carytown section of town. This is where the locals prefer to go. It's got lots of fun shops and restaurants, kind of like Richmond's version of Federal Hill or Hampden's Avenue (perhaps a better analogy is Georgetown). It's also not too far from the Virginia Commonwealth University, making it a hip place for college students to go. I went there for dinner; it's no surprise that I intend to go back today.

There was a large handful of dining options available to me last night, and me, Mr. I-Can't-Make-a-Decision-to-Save-My-Life, had to walk up and down Cary Street to find where I wanted to eat. My friend suggested a place, but I'm holding off on it until lunch (more on that in the next post). Some of the stores I did see (also more on those in the next post) just dazzled me - a lot of window shopping opportunities. But the restaurants ranged from McDonald's (bleeaaahhh) to the super-fancy Acacia, a locally popular restaurant that offers regional cuisine. I hardly opened the door before I stopped, saw how everyone was dressed, and realized that it would probably cost me just to sniff the wine cork. I went elsewhere.

Passing various Thai places, French restaurants, sushi bars, ice cream parlors, delis and BBQ joints, I finally made a decision and went for Indian. And I made a good choice this time. Farouk's House of India has been around for over 30 years, and I'm not surprised that they're still around. It was small and sparsely settled, but many places are like that on a Thursday night. The waitress gave me some water as I perused the menu. Since I was unfamiliar with the place, I decided to just order some standbys. This time, that meant vindaloo. I got the lamb version for $14 (they have three heat levels; I got the second one, their "sweat" level). To go with that I ordered some garlic naan ($3) and veggie samosas ($4).

The samosas came out first. These were delicious - some of the better ones I have had. The crust was buttery and the filling was not all filler; the potatoes were also buttery, though the peas were an afterthought. Even better was the coriander chutney that went with it; I also used the onion salsa that came with the papadums the brought out first - these were on the house.

Then came the vindaloo. Not the hottest I've tasted, but it did make me sweat, that's for damn sure. It was hot and tangy, with okay-sized pieces of lamb. I had to order some lassi ($3) to cut the heat. The vindaloo came with a heaping plate of tender basmati rice. Just at many Indian restaurants, the rice was separate from the vindaloo, each of which I had to scoop together onto my plate. What else can I say? The vindaloo was quite tasty, though the tanginess and sourness of the tomatoes took over at the end. And the garlic naan was perhaps the best I have had in a very long time. It sounds absurd to say "Oh, the garlic naan was so garlicky!" But relative to most that I have had, it was. Intense garlic and butter flavor, and not in the least bit dried out.

All of this northwest Indian goodness was for all of $25 - for the same amount, I could've gotten an entrée and nothing else at that faincy Acacia Restaurant I passed on earlier. After tip that came to $29 - more than I wanted to pay, but less than I could have paid, and about as much as I have paid for a nice dinner out. It is, however, motivating me to not head down to Der local Waffle Housen for breakfast but to save my money and hit the complimentary buffet they have here (which is in a separate building - don't stay at this hotel if that's a problem, people; just don't).