Thursday, March 11, 2010 | Richmond, VA’s Webmagazine for GLBTQ

Very good desserts at Verry Berry

verry berryWhen the boy and I are craving something sweet, we head down to VCU and hit up our favorite frozen yogurt spot, Verry Berry.

Located at 1311 W Broad St. across from the Siegel Center in the former Capital Garage building, Verry Berry offers numerous flavors of yogurt, including mango, dark chocolate, peanut butter, French vanilla and strawberry cheesecake to name a few. Healthier low-fat and sugar-free blends are also an option.

The toppings bar allows you to make your selection however you want. I usually go the traditional route with M&Ms, chocolate chips, marshmallows, coconut, chocolate sauce, caramel, butterscotch, gummy bears, walnuts, almonds and a cherry on top. The boy usually is a bit more simple with granola or Fruity Pebbles.

tastetherainbow-whiteAnd the price is right: 39 cents per ounce. Obviously, the more you add, the more expensive it is. And yes, adding a brownie to it will definitely make it a bit more expensive.

The style of the place is designed after Pinkberry, found in New York and L.A. The look is very modern and bright. It lights up the entire block. You can’t miss it.

However, the leather couches on the second level seating area don’t match the rest of the decor – something the boy wishes would change.  Still comfy though.

The boy and I go there as often as we can. It’s always a perfect place for dessert on date night.

Drink Coffee for World AIDS Day

Starbucks cupToday is World AIDS Day and you can help support AIDS awareness and research by buing a cup of coffee.

In support of World AIDS Day, Starbucks is contributing 5 cents from every beverage sold to the Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa.

tastetherainbow-whiteWhile I don’t support a mega-corporate titan like Starbucks (the boy and I prefer going to Captain Buzzy’s in Church Hill), they are contributing to a good cause – although 100% of sales (instead of 5 cents) would be more ideal.

At least the money they raise is doing some good.

In just one year in partnership with (RED)™, Starbucks has generated enough money to buy more than 7 million days of medicine to help those living with HIV in Africa. Overall, (RED) partners and events have generated $140 million and these funds have supported AIDS programs in Africa that have reached more than 4 million people.

Being Out for Thanksgiving

turkeyTaste The Rainbow wishes you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving Day complete with good times with family and friends and more importantly, stuffing your face with as much good food as possible.

tastetherainbow-whiteI’m taking a break from restaurant-ing to sit down and enjoy a huge home-cooked meal. The boy makes a very good turkey.

For those of you who don’t like to cook (like me), you can easily put together a decent feast. RVANews has a good piece on gathering a bunch of stuff to make a good feast.
Read it here:  http://rvanews.com/features/rva-deals-25/23277

If you prefer to eat out (like me), there are a bunch of places still open on Turkey day. Richmond.com’s Karri Peifer put together a nice list of places to eat out. Read it here: http://www2.richmond.com/content/2009/nov/12/eat-beat-thanksgiving-dinner-out

Having Garnett’s Cafe to Ourselves

Garnett'sIt’s date night and the boy and I decided to go to the newly-opened Garnett’s Café.

Located at 2001 Park Ave. in the space formerly occupied by Table 9, Garnett’s offered a small, cozy environment and excellent sandwiches.

We enter and, to my surprise, we are the only ones there. Apparently, the biggest business happens at lunch time. I for one am glad that we were able to have the restaurant to ourselves and not wait or fight for a place.

We started with the Cheese Plate appetizer with three different cheeses, chutney, spicy walnuts and homemade Boston Brown Bread. Delicious doesn’t even begin to describe it.

tastetherainbow-whiteI ordered Croque Monsieur (Black Forest ham and gruyere cheese on grilled Italian bread topped with Mornay sauce). The boy ordered the Croque Madame, the same sandwich but with an added fried egg on top. I don’t think I could have eaten that meal any faster. One bite and I was in heaven. The boy’s meal came with a side of a French red potato salad. That was honestly the best side I have ever eaten. I’ll make sure to get that instead of my choice of chips next time.

Our waitress was extremely friendly and took care of us very well. Even though we were the only ones in the restaurant, she didn’t overbear us with constant supervision. She served at just the right times.

I left Garnett’s with a full stomach and yet not satisfied with one visit.

Taste The Rainbow hits Acacia for Restaurant Week

AcaciaRestaurant Week has been in full swing throughout the city and being a food blogger and all, I should probably check out what was going on.

The boy and I decided to go Acacia Mid-town, located at 2601 W. Cary Street. The inside of the restaurant looks like a fancy DC club, which walls of lights and a young culutre vibe. I almost forgot I was in Richmond for a bit.

The menu is normally a bit pricy, but luckily, Restaurant Week allowed us to each have a decent meal for just over $25.

To start off the meal, we both got the salad, which included apples, raisins, bleu cheese, roasted cashews and celery seed vinaigrette. I was not a fan. The salad greens were very bitter and the bleu cheese was too pungent. I stopped after a few bites.

tastetherainbow-whiteI had the baked crab cake with cheddar cheese grits, creamed leeks, greens and herb garlic sauce. The boy had the duck stuffed with roasted pears, wrapped in bacon, caraway gnocchi, red wine braised cabbage and lingonberry sauce. I took a bite of his meal and wanted to switch plates while he wasn’t looking. The crab was good, but didn’t blow me away.

For dessert, I tried the chocolate torte and passion fruit panna cotta while he got the parsnip spice cake with ice cream. The torte was extremely rich, but just the right serving size.

While the food was only decent, we still had a good night of drinks and nice conversation.

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