Thanks to Russian hackers and other unsavory characters, this site gets inundated by false posters. Ergo, easy access to post has been disabled.

But I'd love to have some interaction, so if you'd like to register and post comments about the restaurant and book reviews, drop me a line at tmentzer@dcdishes.com.

Store review: Belmont Butchery
15 N. Belmont Ave.
Richmond, Va.
804-422-8519

It's been over a year since my previous blog entry (blame a new job and other evolutions), but if anything could stir me from the sweet embrace of slothfulness, it's a tiny little artisinal butcher with house-cured meats: the Richmond's Belmont Butchery.

After about 90 minutes in the car (and a quick pit stop for coffee) we strolled into the shop around 11 a.m. on a Saturday. It's an unassuming storefront, no slabs of meat swinging from the rafters or other possibly intimidating paraphenalia -- aside from the cleavers, bone cutters and hacksaws, of course. Just two butcher cases, a couple coolers and a some shelves for dry goods.

Cookbook review: The Relaxed Kitchen

By Tom Mentzer
Scripps Howard News Service
November 12, 2007

Anyone who has played host knows that entertaining can be traumatic. Whether a buffet for 20 or an intimate dinner party for six, cooking for a crowd is nerve-wracking.

Take French chef Francois Vatel. While preparing a banquet for 2,000 in honor of Louis XIV, Vatel's fish didn't arrive. The agony was so great, he stepped out of the kitchen and stabbed himself to death.

Restaurant review: Burrito Brothers
205 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, D.C.
202-543-6835

Capitol Hill is known for prigs in suits, stumbling tourists, classic architecture and little else. It’s sure not known for its food.

Of late, a few advances have been made in the area, but in general, it’s a culinary wasteland. And don’t even try for a reasonably priced, tasty lunch.

One of the few edible establishment is Burrito Brothers, but only just.

Cookbook review: Adventures of an Italian Food Lover: With Recipes from 254 of My Very Best Friends

By Tom Mentzer
Scripps Howard News Service
October 15, 2007

Food and travel are funny creatures. One of the best ways to get to know a culture is through its food, restaurants, cafes and bars. Photos may yellow, but flavors and smells can linger for a lifetime.

So it's no surprise that many ethnic cookbooks spend a lot of time talking about the countries where the food comes from. But few cookbooks delve as deeply into a country as Adventures of an Italian Food Lover: With Recipes from 254 of My Very Best Friends ($32.50, Clarkson Potter).

Cookbook review: Chocolate & Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen

By Tom Mentzer
Scripps Howard News Service
September 11, 2007

Now that "freedom fries" are just a bad memory, France can once again be hip. And just in time for a delightful new cookbook, Chocolate & Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen (Broadway, $18.95).

The book is by Clotilde Dusoulier, also the mastermind behind the popular food blog chocolateandzucchini.com.

Cookbook review: The New York Times Country Weekend Cookbook

By Tom Mentzer
Scripps Howard News Service
August 21, 2007

If "The New York Times Country Weekend Cookbook" (St. Martin's Press, $32) were a movie, it would be a Rat Pack classic, circa early 1960s. This book pulls recipes from dozens of today's most celebrated chefs into one volume.

Cookbook review: The Greyston Bakery Cookbook

By Tom Mentzer
Scripps Howard News Service
August 6, 2007

There's nothing better than a warm, gooey chocolate brownie. Unless it comes with a healthy dose of social consciousness, that is.

The Greyston Bakery Cookbook (Rodale Books, $26) offers just that, dishing up more than 80 recipes developed during its 25-year history of brownie-infused social action.

Cookbook review: Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking From the Heart of Mexico

By Tom Mentzer
Scripps Howard News Service
July 16, 2007

Americans may be divided on the politics of immigration with its Southern neighbor, but there seems no arguing that Mexicans make some pretty tasty food. Restaurants are popping up all over that show off authentic south-of-the-border cuisine at its best.

Cookbook review: Vegetables

By Tom Mentzer
Scripps Howard News Service
June 9, 2007

It may take an apple a day to keep that doctor at bay, but a whole bunch of veggies sure won't hurt.

Luckily the masters at the Culinary Institute of America are offering us a new guide toward vegetable nirvana, aptly named Vegetables (Lebhar-Friedman Books, $40).