The Richmond Institute of Burlesque

A recent addition to Richmond’s dance community has me (and a bunch of other people) all atwitter.  The Richmond Institute of Burlesque opened its doors and now we all have the opportunity (if not the talent) to dance all sexy with the best of them.

Dolli Holliday

Deepa De Jour

Skye Sinclaire

Richmond Burlesque Goddesses Dolli Holiday, Deepa De Jour, and Skye Sinclaire are the three main instructors, but you can expect other Richmond-based burlesque beauties to make appearances, as well as nationally-known dancers who are traveling through Richmond.

Some of the class offerings and descriptions are as follows:

Burlesque Basics:

All three founding members teach this class, where you’ll learn some basic moves like glove peels, shimmies, and the like, and they’ll give you a crash course in the history of burlesque, how to develop your own burlesque character, and more.  This class is open to women only, since you’ll be trying out your newly-learned moves with boas, gloves, and pasties.  Yeow!

The Art of Chair Dance and Stocking Peels:

Skye Sinclaire takes you through the steps of different chair dances and stocking peels.  Even if you don’t plan on using these techniques in your own public debut, these skills are sure to spice up your life at home.

Songs to Strip By:

Dolli Holiday teaches this wallet-friendly class, where you’ll learn all about picking the perfect song for your burlesque routine.  More than just an overview of good music, she’ll teach you how to use the building blocks of the songs (beats, breaks, etc.) to make your number special.

These classes are just the tip of the iceberg, Folks.  Check out the full course list to find the class for you, and check the calendar for class times and dates.  I was supposed to go to Sunday’s Make-Up and Wig Tricks class.  I’m really bummed I didn’t get to go because Liv actually teaches you (among many other things) how to select, trim, and apply false eyelashes, which is something I have always wanted to know how to do.

The Richmond Institute of Burlesque is located at 6517 Dickens Place.  You don’t have to be a skinny Minnie or a fabulous dancer to take classes there.  Dolli and the girls want you to know that burlesque is designed to make YOU feel good about YOU, and what’s better than that?

Get your Richmond business or service reviewed on RichmondVAPresents.com. Email us at marketing (at) richmondvapresents dot com
–
Contact Big Oak SEO, a Richmond SEO company, to help your website get found in Google’s search results.

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse And Wine Bar

Here is a post from George, aka The Good Wine Guru, about his experience at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar.

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a media dinner at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar here in Richmond as they wanted to show off some of their new Fall menu items.  Having never been to Fleming’s I was excited to say the least.

Before the meal began, we were offered a cocktail, the Stoli Bombshell.  In support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Fleming’s is offering this cocktail, with 100% of the sales benefiting the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade.  Whether you’re a pink cocktail drinker or not, it’s a good cause I think we can all get behind.  As for the cocktail itself – I don’t typically drink sweet drinks, and I’d be lying if I said I would order this again, but I can understand the appeal of it.

A mixture of Stoli Vanil vodka, lime juice, and sugar free raspberry preserve, the cocktail only has 99 calories, but with almost no taste of alcohol in it, it would be incredibly easy to over-indulge in these and regret it the next morning.  That being said, the sales go to a good cause, so I do encourage anybody visiting Fleming’s to order one.

The first item from the menu we tried were the Lump Crab Louis Wraps, paired with a 2007 Sanford Chardonnay from Santa Barbara County.  The wraps were comprised of butter lettuce with avocado, bacon, egg, tomato, lump crab meat, and some chives with a thousand island vinaigrette, and were, quite frankly, delicious.  These were a great way to start the meal and are definitely an appetizer I would recommend.

The wine was lightly oaked, and was a perfect compliment to the crab meat and the vinaigrette.

Next on the menu was the Salmon Nicoise Salad, paired with the 2008 Conundrum from California.  The Salmon Nicoise consisted of perfectly broiled salmon filet with roasted Yukon potatoes, French green beans, truffled deviled eggs, roasted sweet baby peppers, all with a lemon-balsamic vinaigrette.  The entire plate was delicious, but my favorite part of it was hands down the truffled deviled eggs.  I would eat an entire plate of those if you put them in front of me and while I’m sure I would regret it later, I would love every minute of it while indulging.

The Conundrum was a perfect pairing for this.  While the exact make up of the Conundrum is kept a mystery, I got floral notes that I associate with Viognier and Vidal Blanc.  This was another perfect pairing and a wine that any guest should consider if ordering seafood at Fleming’s.

The third item on our menu was a Roasted Mushroom Ravioli paired with a 2007 Shug Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast.  The ravioli was stuffed with portobello and shiitake mushrooms and topped with a porcini butter sauce.  I’m hit or miss on mushrooms, especially as the key ingredient, but this was definitely a hit.  The earthy flavors of the meal were perfectly complimented by the earthiness of the Shug Pinot.  Between the Roasted Mushroom Ravioli and the Lump Crab Louis Wraps it’d be real easy to make a meal out of appetizers, and one you wouldn’t regret having.

For our fourth course we moved into steak, something I had been looking forward to.  A peppercorn steak paired with a 2006 Faust Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, the steak was cooked to perfection with a nice crust of cracked black and white peppercorns with a side of Fleming’s proprietary “F17″ steak sauce.  I tried the steak both with and without the steak sauce and while I’ve always been a believer in steak standing on its own without sauce, there’s nothing wrong with this sauce.

Adding a bit of zing to the steak, the F17 sauce was unlike any steak sauce I’ve tried before, and one that I’d love to bottle and keep at home.  The Faust Cabernet Sauvignon was nice and full-bodied, holding up great to the bold flavors of the crusted steak.

Next we moved into a showcase of Fleming’s Fall Prix Fixe menu.  For $39.95 a person, you can enjoy a three course meal at Fleming’s this fall, and believe me, it’s definitely a great deal.

We were first offered the Veal Osso Bucco served on creamy risotto with roasted autumn vegetables.  The meat just fell off the bone and melted in the mouth.  I know people have ethical concerns about veal, and I’m not going to get into a pro or con debate on veal here, but I do know that this was some of the best veal I’ve ever had and I certainly didn’t need the knife that was provided.

We also tried Oysters Rockefeller, which had been baked with a sambucca-laced creamed spinach and topped with shaved parmesan cheese and bacon bits.  Much like mushrooms, I’m hit or miss on oysters, but this was another hit.  These are a great appetizer for the prix fixe menu and one I think I could even talk my wife into, who is very much against oysters.

Finally we had dessert.  I typically don’t make it to dessert, but when presented with a trio of creme brulee, well sometimes you just have to soldier on.  Three small creme brulees, a chocolate, a banana, and a vanilla, were presented, and I have to say, all three were spectacular.  I don’t eat a lot of chocolate, but I would have loved to have another serving of the chocolate creme brulee, and the banana one had just the right amount of sweetness to let you know you were eating dessert without being over done.

The entire dinner was nothing short of amazing, and I would be remiss if I didn’t also compliment the wait staff for doing a great job.  We were also fortunate enough to meet the Operating Partner, John Van Peppen, and the Executive Chef Partner, Jay McManus.  Both were incredibly gracious and are clearly passionate about what they do.

I could probably ramble on for several more pages about how much I enjoyed Fleming’s, but what it really comes down to is whether you should go and try their new menu.  The answer is a resounding yes.  If you have a Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in your area, you should absolutely go and try their new fall menu, the Prix Fixe menu, and even give the Stoli Bombshell a try during October to help raise money for a good cause.

I want to thank John Van Peppen, Jay McManus, and the entire Fleming’s Richmond staff for an amazing meal and I do hope you’ll go and visit them very soon.  I know I plan to.

Related articles

• Which is better beer or wine? (frommyexperience.com)
• Top 10 Menu Blunders (toptenz.net)
• Raw Fish with Rice (eatinginrichmond.com)

Get your Richmond business or service reviewed on RichmondVAPresents.com. Email us at marketing (at) richmondvapresents dot com
–
Contact Big Oak SEO, a Richmond SEO company, to help your website get found in Google’s search results.

The Camel

Now that I’m all old and stuff, I don’t get to go out as much as I used to.  Every now and then I dress my old bones in something cute, drag The Hubs out the door, and head out to see a friend’s band play.  A while back, a friend’s band was playing at The Camel, and since there is something very cool going on there in the next couple of days, I thought I’d tell you about the experience.

First off, the outside looks like this:

Only it has lights and sometimes bikes tied to posts outside, and some people loading in and out their musical gear, and a general hubub of different activity.  And, I saw it in the nighttime.  The inside looks like this:

and this:

They have art all over the place.  They also serve great drinks, and just in case you forget what you ordered, some cups even have the name of the drink on them:

No word yet on whether or not The Hubs will get mad at me for putting up that picture.  Only time will tell.

As for The Camel itself, it is “a space for music, art, poetry, video, political forums, and conversation – anything that brings people together in the spirit of a free flow of ideas.”  I took that directly from their website.  I hope they don’t mind.  They are a place that hosts lots of live music, but you can also rent space there for an event.  The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and it’s the kind of place you can go and not feel like you’re supposed to belong to some special young people (or even Extremely Cool Older People) club to go there.

Menu-wise, there are vegan and vegetarian options, as well as all different kinds of paninis, sandwiches, pizzas, and pastas.  We just had an appetizer when we went (the Caprese), but the people next to us got a full meal and they were totally happy with everything they had ordered.  The prices are reasonable, the ingredients seem fresh, and it’s an all-around well-liked place.

You remember when I went and talked to Reggie Pace from NO! BS Brass?  He listed The Camel as one of the band’s favorite places to play, and several other of my musician friends feel the same way.  Incidentally, The Camel is hosting NO! BS Brass’s CD Release on Friday, October 1 and Saturday, October 2, and there will be DJ sets to round out the evening.  Friday will give you DJ COOL PAUL, and Saturday will give you DJ HARRISON.  On Saturday, NO! BS Brass will play two sets – one beginning at 8PM (that’s the one I’ll be attending – see the old reference above), and the other will start around 10.

Learn more about the goings-on at The Camel on The Camel’s website, or, better yet, go check it out for yourself.  You won’t be sorry.

Get your Richmond business or service reviewed on RichmondVAPresents.com. Email us at marketing (at) richmondvapresents dot com
–
Contact Big Oak SEO, a Richmond SEO company, to help your website get found in Google’s search results.

Next Page »