sustenance

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six twenty three, fredericksburg, virginia

last night, i went out with a group of  friends. we went to a cozy little tapas bar, six twenty three (www.sixtwentythree.com), in downtown fredericksburg and had a great time. i had a preconceived notion that six twenty three was a stiff and pretentious place, but it wasn't at all, quite the opposite.  the restaurant had warm decor and wooden floors and a relaxed, unhurried atmosphere condusive to long chats over potent drinks.  the seasonal menu (it changes quarterly) consisted of what is essentially appetizers with a spanish influence. the food was awesome!

i ordered goat cheese fritters with capanata. the 2 generous disks of goat cheese were lightly breaded (in panko, perhaps) and briefly fried until the coating was crisp and the cheese warmed. each fritter was placed on a bed of capanata, a warm combination of eggplant, tomatoes, olives, bell peppers, capers, garlic, and onions. the contrast between the smooth, creamy goat cheese and bold, chunky capanata was paradise for my senses.  the goat cheese fritters were some of the most wonderful things i have ever eaten! i enjoyed apple martinis and then sangria with my tapas.  the appletinis were excellent, but the sangria was over-the-top sweet and did not contain chunks of fruit.

my friend ordered a dish called banderillas, tidbits of  fish, cheese, vegetables, and olives served with little toothpicks for skewering.  six twenty three allows one to customize their banderillas by picking 3 food items from a list of several choices.  my friend got salmon, zucchini, and olives. everything was tasty. another friend ordered the fried calamari and it was delicious...very tender, flavorful, and not too greasy. it was served with aioli, a garlic-y mayonaise.  another friend ordered grilled shrimp and she said they were great. the shrimp were served with lemon chips, thinly sliced lemon that had been dried and then lightly fried. unfortunately, i didn't get to try those, but i want to.  and i will most certainly will when i return to six twenty three.

posted by: artichoke72 at 11:15 | link | comments |

tokyo, spotsylvania, virginia

we went to the little japanese take-out place called tokyo on friday! i have had a craving for their food all week, their shrimp tempura rolls in particular. it was worth the wait because everything was delicious! we got vegetable tempura (broccoli, sweet potato, taro root, onion, and zucchini fried in a light batter), hibachi steak and vegetables (zucchini, broccoli, onions, and mushrooms) with rice, the shrimp tempura rolls, and some vegetable (cucumber, avocado, and pickled radish) rolls. the tempura was wonderful and not too greasy.  the hibachi steak was tender and flavorful and the hibachi vegetables were perfectly crisp, not over cooked.  tokyo serves a creamy sauce with the hibachi items that is sooo yummy. i'm not sure what it is, but it is addictive (and fattening, i'm sure). i'm not a big sushi fan, but tokyo has some really good rolls and raw fish at reasonable prices. there are also many vegetarian options.  i'm already looking forward to going back to that little restaurant soon.

posted by: artichoke72 at 14:09 | link | comments |