US has 20 Cases of Swine Flu

I don't know how many of you are keeping up with the swine flu epidemic, but so far there are 20 known cases in the US. Here is the Center for Disease Control's website covering the cases found in the US. So far (knocking on wood...) there are no cases in Virginia, let alone in the Hampton Roads area. 

Red Mill Civic League Hosts Annual Eggstravaganza

Red Mill Farm Civic Association will host their annual Eggstravaganza this Saturday in Red Mill Farm Park on Red Mill Blvd.
The festivities begin at 10:00 with the Easter Egg Hunt commencing at 12:00. All Red Mill Farm residents are invited, and you are highly encouraged to be a member of the civic league, too. It's just one of the many great things that the all-volunteer civic association puts on for the benefit of the neighborhood.
So bring your kids, but don't send your kids; know what I mean? I knew that you would.

later, gator.

When is Frankie's Place not Frankie's Place????

When it's not Frankie's Place for Ribs. That's right. According to Michael Gelardi, president of Seafood Industries Inc, operator of Frankie’s Place for Ribs restaurants in Virginia Beach since 1982, and owner of the registered trade name and service mark “Frankie’s Place for Ribs” says it is someone trying to horn in on their good name to make a buck.

I will post more as this story unfolds. And it is unfolding faster than I can type; bet on it.

chow for now.

Frankie's Place Has Soft Opening

Frankie's Place, located in the little strip next to Red Robin, on Nimmo Pkwy., had a soft opening with a 6 entree menu. Talking to the owner/manager he said that originally this was intended to be Friends and Family only, but someone mistakenly put out the Grand Opening sign. 

Anyway, me and my son went to try them out.

For an appetizer, I had the seafood bisque and he had the onion loaf. The onion loaf was fried onions, lightly battered and stuffed into the fryer basket and deep-fried. It wasn't that tasty, unless of course you like your onions fried. The batter was a little too light and could use some seasoning, otherwise it tasted like oily onions. The Seafood Bisque was better. It was thick, had bits of crab and shrimp or was it lobster? I'm thinking lobster due to the little pieces of shell that were in it. It came out lukewarm, but that's not a complaint. Remember this was a soft-opening; they are working out the kinks. 

For the entree we had the Haddock and Ribs. I had the beef ribs and my son had the pork ribs. The haddock was a miss either way; mine was over-fried, his was under-fried. But the ribs were delicious. The bones had plenty of meat and the sauce was not overbearing nor messy. The meat practically fell off the bones. 

All in all, the service was very slow - it took us an hour and a half to get our meals - but our server, Stacy, was very apologetic and attentive. 

I am looking forward to opening day, which I am told should be around the 15th of this month, and seeing what the full menu has to offer. 

If anyone else has input on this event, do post. I'd like to read about it. But of course if you're going to complain about the service, the point is moot. I am trusting that they will have all the kinks worked out come opening day.

chow for now, brown cow....