Impressions of Broad Appétit
After the 2nd annual Broad Appetit food festival, Richmond’s food bloggers were asked what surprised them most during the day of dining on small plates in the outdoor setting of downtown West Broad Street. Here are a few off the cuff comments (see links at the bottom for even more).
Haley Watkins, Appoggliatura
I have to say, what really surprised me at Broad Appetit was how many people were just showing up for BBQ and beer. Talk about things you can eat at any outdoor gathering! Perhaps it was because we were new to the area, but my husband and I were trying to eat as many different foods from as many different restaurants as possible. At one point, we struggled to get by a huge jam of people. “Must be one of the best restaurants in town!” I figured. No, it was the clog for barbeque and Duke’s mayo. Go figure. But then, we were also surprised by the size of the crowd, and it was wonderful how many people turned out for the event. Also delightful were the macarons at Petites Bouchees. I’ve been searching for those little delights, and it was great to stumble upon them.
Belinda Carroll, Bella Lately
My fav of the day was the fresh limeade, made right before your very eyes (farm sponsored stand, Micah something? Can’t remember and lost my map). Makes me want to pack & bring mini-bottles of Stoli w/me next year 
I remember walking by and being stopped in my tracks by the smell of fresh squeezed limes.
As someone w/a shellfish allergy I felt really limited on choices b/c shellfish offerings were seemingly at every other booth. Which, for someone who can eat it, it must’ve seemed like a bonanza! I had tried Bistro 27 once when it first opened and ended up with lukewarm, “there’s lots of other places I’d rather spend money at” vibe. Their chicken cannelloni at Broad Appetit put them back on my radar.
I happened to be hanging out w/a friend who is VERY picky about her BBQ. So, I stood up and took special notice when she started going on and on about Q’s beef brisket bbq. They made up the cutest little plate. It was a complete meal in six bites: baked beans, potato salad, bbq and roll/bun. I tried a bite of everything and have to concur w/my friend that I will be visiting Q soon as well!
Megan Marconyak, Adventures in Food and Fashion
My biggest Broad Appétit surprise was the deliciousness of the beignets from Louisiana Flair. I must admit that this year’s event made it harder than usual to enjoy many of the dishes. I mean, who wants a cup of crab bisque in 90-degree heat? After my plentiful sampling I was making my way to my car when I passed Louisiana Flair’s booth. I wasn’t much feeling gumbo, but the beignets caught my eye. I was concerned that they’d taste like they’d been sitting for a while, but I figured if this was the case it would only be $3 down the drain. Boy was I impressed. These beignets were freshly fried, light, doughy and sweet. They were accompanied by a delicious blueberry sauce. The dish was simple well-executed down-home goodness. I think it ended up being my favorite taste of the day.
RVA Foodie, Caramelized Opinions
This one is a cinch. The moment that made the biggest impression on me was my first bahn mi sandwich and watermelon radish, served up by Cafe Guttenberg. It was my first small plate. I hadn’t eaten in hours. And I was not yet overheated or saddled with baby Jasper. I’d shown up on my bike, tried to meet up with other food bloggers (that was a bust) and wandered while waiting on my wife and her best friend from high school. What could I try without depriving Karen? Down at the West end of the street fair were a few young guys sawing away at a six foot long sub. Once I saw that they had both pork and tofu versions, I was sold. This booth deserved my support.
Having been curious about these Vietnamese “bahn mi” sandwiches for years now, I asked how it was seasoned. The youngest of them passed my question to an elder and then responded, “the tofu is marinated and grilled.” Maybe they just didn’t want to give away the secret ingredients. Or maybe they were simply the same Cafe Guttenberg that I swore off with curse words to boot after paying over $6 for two cups of black coffee togo (this was before they changed owners/mgmt). I prepared myself for stale bread and bit in… Crunch, went the crust. The tofu was chewy, not mushy, and popping with salt and sweet. Various vegetables brought fresh flavors. This was really well done. I tore it up and planned for a day when I would visit 17th Street to see if the bahn mi was a regular menu item at Cafe Guttenberg. (but wait! there’s more! the two-tone watermelon radish slice totally lit my mouth ablaze. fun, if you like your food flavors to really stay with you)
Check out the Broad Appétit posts by Richmond food bloggers:
The Twitter feed for the event was #broadapp and “Broad Appétit.”
One Response “Impressions of Broad Appétit”
I loved this event and would like to see it get bigger. I have been to the Charleston Food & Wine Festival and this definitely has the potential to become that (or close to it) with time. It’d be great to pay a flat rate to enter the event and be able to sample everything rather than the hassle of paying at each individual restaurant. I tried the berry dessert at Sensi and the mediterranean stack at Cafe Rustica…will return to both restaurants for a meall or two because of it.