Caffespresso – Old World on Gaskins Road

So, I was at my chiropractor’s office one day early in the year, and he said, “Do you drink coffee?  Because there is a really great coffee shop right next door.”  I don’t, as it turns out, drink coffee.  Never really have.  I’m pretty hyper as it is.  But I went over there anyway, because there was a delicious, decidedly not-coffee smell coming from the place and I was hungry with a capital ungry.

It turns out the delicious smell was a fresh croissant coming right out of the oven.  So, I ate one.  Yum!  The next time back, freshly-baked Tascas had just come out of the oven.  What’s a Tasca?  I tried to google it, so maybe I’m spelling it wrong, but I will describe it to you perfectly.  It’s a little foldover pie filled with cheese, ham, and egg, with a little bit of spices.  It’s DEElicious.  I get it every time now, and I weight a thousand pounds.  Just kidding.  It’s really, really, good.  And they even came up with a coffee drink I don’t mind – of course it tastes nothing like coffee, but it’s good.  It has white chocolate, caramel, and vanilla in it.  Like a said, a thousand pounds.  It’s called the Dante Paradiso, if you want to wallow in the sugar with me.

Caffespresso opened in Gaskins Place in 2009.  Richmond Times Dispatch wrote it up, focusing on the owner, Claudio Ragazzi.  Claudio is the lovely fellow with the delectable Northern Italian accent who greets you when you walk in.  He is not only the owner of Caffespresso, he also teaches Italian and Spanish, and recently took a group of his students and patrons on a trip to Italy.  From what I hear, it was the most fun.

Caffespresso started out as a cart that made its way around VCU campus.  Ragazzi, a former instructor at VCU, wanted to get out and be a part of the vital Richmond community – and he wanted to teach that community about good coffee – because the stuff we drink normally doesn’t hold a candle to the stuff Claudio serves.  And this is from a non-coffee drinker.  Those coffee fiends that I know – they all go to Claudio now.

The cart still makes it to special events.  As for Claudio, he stays at the shop on Gaskins, cultivating a fiercely dedicated following and talking a lot about soccer – his other passion.  He teaches, coaches, plays, and acts as spectator.  In fact, once the World Up is on, you might be missing out on his company for a while.  Luckily, all his employees are charming and wonderful, so you’ll still have a wonderful experience.

**Try, if you will, a panini as well.  I’ve had several different kinds, and my favorites are the Vitello Tonne, the Caprese, and the Cotto.  They are all crafted on fresh focaccia bread and they are delicious.

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The Hill Cafe – A Cool Place in A Cool Neighborhood

I’ve been spending Tuesday evenings in Church Hill.  That’s it.  I’ve confessed.  The neighborhood is my favorite – I rue the day I bought a house in the West End – and in the short time I lived in Church Hill (2001-ish?) I grew to love, love, love The Hill Cafe.  So, with my Tuesday night class getting relocated to Libby Terrace, I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to reconnect with the seared ahi tuna appetizer.  And I was right.

In the name of “research” I have returned to The Hill Cafe every week in order to offer you, Gentle Readers, a very good idea of what they have to offer in terms of food, ambiance, and libation.  I’ll get to the food in a moment.  As for ambiance, it’s a neighborhood restaurant/bar in a great historic neighborhood.  People are walking their dogs outside.  The houses are cool.  The people who work there are calm, and aloof, but still friendly.  At least the people who work on Tuesdays are.  I’ve been sitting at the bar, and the Tuesday bartender (hi Bobby!) is courteous and prompt.  That’s a big deal when you’re trying to have some “me time” and then rush to class.

The Hill Cafe is part of the Richmond Restaurant Group.  Other members of the group are Water Grill, Delux, Europa, and The Hard Shell.  I’ve been to Europa and The Hard Shell and have no complaints whatsoever on the food or the service.  Of course, it might take another visit to be able to really establish an opinion….

Anywhoo.  The Hill Cafe.  I had heard that the fried chicken was the best in town (even better than Lee’s) so of course I got that one night.  I’m sad to report that I wasn’t able to photograph it, because I was far too hungry and it was far too delicious.  I don’t know how they get white meat, skinless chicken to stay that juicy, but…whoa.  It’s juicy and seasoned just right and I could probably eat about four servings of it at one sitting, though you might find me crying in shame later.

One night I got the filet mignon.  It came with some yummy taters, a green vegetable, and these crispy onion rings.  Again, I dug in before I remembered to take a photo.  I guess that’s why we have a proper Richmond food site – I am too eager of an eater.  I’m sure David Mattera (blog and foodmaster extraordinaire) remembers to photograph food before he starts eating it.

Other favorites (according to the people hanging out inside and people I randomly quizzed on my way to and from the ladies room) are the shoestring french fries (crispy and delicious), the BBQ sandwich, the meatloaf (fried with seasoning), and pretty much anything on the Sunday brunch menu.  Get thee to The Hill Cafe, and make sure you go hungry.

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The Cafe at Maidens – A Powhatan Treasure

A few days back the sun was shining, the open road called out to me, and so did my appetite, so I talked my Dad into going out a little ways to Powhatan to have lunch at The Cafe At Maidens.  I’ll tell you one thing – it was totally worth the drive.

This little place, situated right on Maidens Road in Powhatan, used to be a gas station, but you won’t get that now.  You’ll get great service, fantastic sandwiches, and wonderful conversation, but that conversation won’t be about gas prices.  Owners Jason and Rosalyn are focused on creating sandwich masterpieces – and are not going to worry whether you’re self-service or full-service at the gas pump.

Like I said, though, it’s a full-service treat inside.  Jason, a former PE teacher, and Rosalyn, a current newspaper editor, opened the restaurant about 9 months ago (on the day I visited it was 9 months and 6 days, to be exact) and have enjoyed some good word-of-mouth exposure (which I guess they’re getting more of here) but are gearing up for a good and busy spring.

The drive there is beautiful.  Just head west on Patterson until you hit Maidens Rd, take a left, and keep on until you spot the Cafe on your right.  Once you get there, you’ll get a friendly greeting from Jason, Rosalyn, or Aunt Frannie, who allegedly lives in the back.  The interior of the building is adorable and full of some major quirk.

The Cafe at Maidens uses exclusively Thumann’s deli products- the same stuff that Chiocca’s uses.  This is because their meats and cheeses are yummy, sure, but also because Roland is their rep, and he rocks.  He even provided the pickle barrel, which houses some of the biggest dill pickles you ever saw.

Seriously, these things are good.  And big.  I’ll tell you about them in a sec, but first you need to know what kind of sandwiches you can get to accompany that ginormous pickle.  Here is a snapshot of the menu:

Just in case you missed it, I snapped a photo of my FAVORITE SANDWICH DESCRIPTION EVER:

Despite the temptation of a big pile of bologna (and I do love bologna), I decided to go with The Powhatanian, which is a club sandwich on multi-grain bread.  Dad went with The Rachel, which is a big pile of pastrami topped with cheese, cole slaw, and thousand island.  We split half and half (I had half of each sandwich, so did Dad) and I can’t tell you which one I liked better.  They were both beyond excellent.  Which one looks better to you?

and

Hard to decide, isn’t it? Not only was the food great, but we loved talking to Jason and Rosalyn, who are the cutest couple ever.  They met at VCU.  She was a lifeguard, and he had the keys to the pool.  He wouldn’t let her in to her job until she agreed to go out with him.  Obviously, Jason’s sense was right, because they’re fantastic.  Jason was a teacher (I think I mentioned that) but had this hankering to try something new.  I’m awfully glad he did, because this is a great little place with great, wonderful, tasty sandwiches.

Oh yeah.  Also, if you don’t feel like driving all the way to Powhatan, they will DELIVER.  That’s right.  You can get this yummy goodness delivered to the West End, downtown, Southside, wherever.  Just make sure you give them plenty of notice.  A big order really far away will likely need to be placed the day before.  Lucky for you they have a handy-dandy website that makes it really easy for you.

They comped me a pickle, which I considered having bronzed before I divided up and shared it with a family of twenty.  Seriously.  That thing was huge:

I would recommend this place to anyone who wants a great sandwich made by great people.  You could get the sandwiches delivered, but you’d miss out on the beautiful trip, and a chance to listen to some tunes, roll down the window, or spend some time having a chat with someone you love.  It’s the little things, Folks.  Seriously.

Check them out, and tell them I sent you.  I’m not saying that will get you anywhere, but it makes me look good. 

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