So I was in this part of town checking out the new Barnes and Noble (supposedly, the BIGGEST in Richmond)…Meh…(btw, the best B&N in the country is the Baltimore Power Plant…harbor views…fish tanks…three floors but I digress)
OK, since I was in the heart of Midlothian, I decided to scout out some new restaurants. Next stop was Cafe Caturra which I’ve been meaning to try (as you may know, I sort of have a coffee shop fetish…I’m always looking for the perfect coffee shop).
Well, on the way, a new place caught my eye, The Piano Cafe (13211 Midlothian Tpke (804) 897-8288). Well, of course, the curious glutton had to check it out (I don’t think it’s been written up yet in the local big pubs). Nice cozy place serving coffee, pastries, and even gelato. The centerpiece of the location is one of those self-playing grand pianos (according to the sign, live performances every Friday). Yeah, the sound is so much nicer on those things (compared to a cd)…real piano hammers hitting real strings gave the place a nice aural environment.  After further research (as I needed to update my coffee shop list), I learned that the cafe is owned by the piano store in the back, hence its passionate focus on music….I’ll try Cafe Caturra next time (looked crowded as I drove by)…Â
Last stop on my Midlothian staycation: AN.Y. Slice (get it?)…I’ve eaten there before (real Italian ownership….Serie A on the TVs)…I also remember when it was Al Dente (sister restaurant of Pescados).
Some recent feedback that I got from a reader was championing it hard, so I decided to give it another try. Again, like before, I thought it was nothing spectacular but a solid, solid NY style slice. Candela’s btw is another place in this area that does a good job with ‘za.Â
I hit ANY slice last week for dinner after we couldn’t get into Capital Ale’s dollar burger night. Pretty weak stuff. Pizza was stiff as a board and the toppings were basicaly just piled on (and fell off immediately when I picked up the slice.)
I like a good slice, but ANY’s crap doesn’t compare to a real New York slice. At least not on this day.
Comment by Jackgoesforth — July 27, 2008 @ 12:19 pm
For me, a slice lithmus test is just cheese…from that perspective, I thought ANY was decent (notice I didn’t update my favorite pizza list however)…If you’re a toppings kind of person, then I highly recommend Christian’s in Charlottesville…you’ll be happy…
As for New York versus Richmond comparisons…bwahahaha…damn straight, no comparisons, and I don’t really care if Grimaldi’s or John’s or Totonno’s are destroying the environment with their ovens!
Comment by the804.com — July 27, 2008 @ 1:45 pm
I don’t guys, I think you’re crazy. ANY is as close as I think Richmond comes to real NY style pizza. As in, the stuff I got from the joint up the street when I lived in Astoria.
For instance, Tarantino’s pizza is good, but it’s way too thick to be authentic NY Style. My opinion, of course.
Admittedly, I haven’t tried everything in your top 5 - Frank’s will surely be next on my list. Not sure how I missed that one.
Comment by Bryan — July 29, 2008 @ 8:19 am