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.

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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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