Voilà Restaurant- Be a Good Neighbor…Now!

If you've driven down Brambleton recently, you can’t help but notice that the bordering York Street is a complete, chaotic mess. I worry about how it is affecting the business of one of my favorite lunch spots, Machismo. York Street no longer has any available parking. Street parking on the neighboring side street, Botetourt, is also non existent as all the businesses and tenants of York struggle to find a place nearby. Lucky for me, I prefer walking there on my lunch hour, so it hasn’t affected me personally, but I know they have got to be feeling the pinch as other diners drive to a more accessible establishment.

Last Friday I walked there with a group of work buddies. Taped on the side door (the best one to use now due to construction) was a note letting patrons know that if they chance parking in the neighboring Voilà Restaurant parking lot they will be towed. GASP! Say it ain’t so!! Is this the proper way for merchants and neighbors to work together and help each other during Norfolk’s implementation of Light Rail?

Let me preface this by saying that I am a firm believer in capitalism. Further, I have a pretty good understanding of competition and what it takes to operate a successful business. But here’s by problem with Voilà Restaurant. Have you ever eaten at Voilà? Do you know anyone who has? Have you ever walked by or driven past the building at lunchtime and seen a light on? Or seen anyone inside, much less anyone inside seated and actually eating? Hmm… me either. What I see is perfectly good parking spaces, sitting empty day after day, hour after hour. I can only assume that they have at least one person working. He’s the guy that calls the tow company when someone with a burrito craving dares to occupy one of their empty spaces for 10-20 minutes.

So I say, “Shame on you, Voilà!” Go next door and work something out to with your neighbors. Even if you only give them one or two designated spaces, it could be the helping hand that they need right now. Show the world (or at least the city of Norfolk) that even a capitalist can be a good guy!

_Laine

Felix: The Last Meal

Ah, Felix. I love Felix, as does Nikki. We stumbled on this lovely French bistro a few years ago when we were walking through SOHO...in reality, I was dragging Nikki in every fun shop I could find, since there are a lot! We stopped in for a drink and a break but already had plans to eat in Little Italy (at a place that highly disappointed Nikki and I have yet to live that one down). We vowed to eat at Felix the next time we were in SOHO. And here we were, our last day in New York and in need a a last good meal. Felix was the destination. We hopped on the E train and headed back to SOHO. Felix is so much fun - all of the tall windows open to a almost an outdoor cafe, very airy and bright in the daytime and then dim (the right kind of dim) in the evenings. The service is wonderful, the other diners are interesting and the food is excellent. Nikki ordered the cheeseburger and pommes frites and I ordered the cheeseburger topped with an egg and pommes frites. Both came with a small green salad, drizzled with a light vinegerette, which is always a nice addition. I love a little salad with my burger. Excellent, excellent, excellent. For a 'last meal', this was perfect. Felix had some business lunchers and a group that looked like travelers. Funny, we started our trip at a French bistro, cheeseburgers and pommes frites and ended that way too. While some might say 'why would you order a burger'...well, because these burgers are not of the usual mediocre quality you find most places. And because we wanted to - and that is all that matters (with anything, of course!). Going for the 'last meal' excuse again, I had to order dessert...and Nikki had already seen the Profiteroles come out and she knew that is what I should order. Wow, were they good. These were filled with vanilla ice cream (often, it is filled with custard). We were very full, as Felix does not scrimp on the portions. Our waiter reminded me of a French Adam 'MCA' Yauch of the Beastie Boys and I definitely love the BB crew. The burgers were both around $17, which is well worth it in my book. Felix is a great spot for a drink, lunch or dinner. Their website is currently under construction but check back soon or just get over there for a drink and a meal.

Felix is located at 340 West Broadway, New York NY 10013.

~Alex

http://www.felixnyc.com/

La Rivista Ristorante and Wine Bar: 20 Years and Counting

Our last dinner for this NYC trip - sad, but at least we had a really good Italian meal. After foraging the American Museum of Natural History for four and a half hours (and still not seeing everything) and then having a trying experience at Bloomingdale's (the shoe department customer service has gone caput - and I told them Nordstrom would have found those shoes and mailed them to me!), we were beyond tired and very hungry. We wanted something not far from the hotel, so we could stagger back after dinner. Though we had dined on Italian the previous night, Nikki and I had no problem choosing this cuisine again, and had made it back to Restaurant Row. It is one of our favorites. We were greeted by the owner's son and I overheard him tell another diner the restaurant had been there about twenty years. Sounded like a promising meal. La Rivista had relaxing lighting and a very appetizing menu. Nikki and I started with Crostini Di Polenta Con Funghi (roasted polenta with mushrooms ragu) and it was phenomenal. It was a larger portion, so ample to share. I ordered the Ravioli Alla Salvia (goat cheese ravioli with cream and sage). I wanted something with cream and this dish hit the spot. The ravioli was homemade and the sage was not too heavy. A little of that spice goes a long way. Nikki ordered Fettuccine Fresche Al Ragu Bolognese (fresh fettuccine with bolognese meat sauce) and was equally pleased. I sampled hers and agreed. A lot of meat in the sauce and more fresh, homemade pasta. To top it off, we ordered the chocolate mousse cake and it was the perfect ending to a great meal. Very rich, but that's exactly how I like most things. The portions were generous and the prices reasonable.

If you are in Midtown, I definitely recommend La Rivista Ristorante, located at 313 W 46th Street, between 8th & 9th, for lunch or dinner Monday through Saturday.

~Alex

Click Here to view the Menu