The Twentieth...

Number Twenty:




Padow's, Lunch,
Turkey Pastrami sandwich








Padow's in an old 7-11 near Mechanicsville to be exact. One that, for some odd reason, has lots and lots of promotional posters for Strawberry Hill Races from previous years; back to even 1992. Anyway, today was a bit crazy. I got to work early, as usual, then eventually looked at the clock at 8:11, only to realize that I had to be ACROSS TOWN for a class at 8:30. Zoinks! (And I totally had a Shaggy response to this in my head.) I made it ten minutes late. Class ended at 12ish where I came back to work, then went out to lunch with C. Parking at that Padow's is almost as insane and messy as my hair is in this picture. Let's dub this one "Mad Dashstache".

The Nineteenth...

Number Nineteen:






Mekong, Lunch, Tofu Curry







It was kind of awkward getting this one done. There were a couple of well dressed older white dudes having a lunch meeting at the table next to us, at the table across from us there some young couple fondling each other and looking around to see if people were watching them fondle each other, and another couple with their back to us; the dude at this table burped real loud at one point, so I guess he had his own deal to worry about. Anyway, tried a different angle with this one. It looks like the Napstache could strike at any moment, like a cobra! Cobrastache!

The Eighteenth...

Number Eighteen:






Home, Snack, Cheese and Crackers







After decorating the aluminum tree, listening to Phil Spector's Christmas Album on vinyl, we noshed on some fancy cheese leftover from Thanksgiving. Funny how I act like I dread that the Holidays are coming too fast, but love when the vintage gleaming tree is up and the color wheel is clicking and shining!

The Seventeenth...

Number Seventeen:


Home, Lunch, Leftovers














Turkey sandwich and Pirate's Booty. You know, the turkey leftover from that meal a couple of days back? Many sandwich styles from many people, I know. Mine might be weird for the one ingredient, but really, who's leftover Thanksgiving sandwich isn't? I usually like whole wheat or multi-grain bread, sliced turkey (duh), cheddar cheese, lettuce, pepper, Dukes's mayonnaise and ketchup.

I like ketchup!

Going around to various adult retirement complexes for my job, I get to notice retirees' opinions of the dining halls and which have the good food and which have the bad. One of our ladies made a great remark saying, "I don't know what people expect here (at the retirement home) for great food, they're feeding a few hundred people at a time for every meal. You can't expect gourmet!" I thought that was pretty insightful and made the joke that if I wind up in one of these places, I was going to always bring a bottle of ketchup with me in case the meal wasn't great. I would improve it. I would be the crazy old man that brings his ketchup bottle in one pocket, and flask of bourbon in the other. At least, I think I am joking....

This Napstache kind of looks like a strip of bacon, doesn't it?

The Sixteenth...

Number Sixteen:



Home, Dinner, Millionaire Chicken


Yum! A favorite L. dish for sure. Chilled chicken, a little spicy and over rice. Note sleigh in the upper left, yes the Holidays have arrived. Used for a prop for our robot Christmas card this year.

The Fifteenth...

Number fifteen:



Erin, Thanksgiving Dinner, you can guess a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner...

L. was SO not wanting me to do the Napstache at the Thanksgiving table, and I was ready not to. Until L.'s Mom more or less mentioned it, which is as good as suggesting it to me. And while it is not the best napstache, it DID create delightful cheer at the table with Aunt S. who immediately did a Napbeard, followed by Napbinnoculars.



H. then did her first Napstache:



I'm so proud!
A Thanksgiving MIRACLE!

The Fourteenth...

Number Fourteen:



Mekong, Dinner, Spicy Crispy Chicken / Ginger Chicken, Beer

Hands down, one of our favorite places in Richmond, but you probably already know that if you know me. Delicious food, THE best beer selection and the staff is awesome. An, Liem, Ka, they all make you feel right at home. So, here it is, the first of perhaps many Mekongstaches!

The Thirteenth..

Number Thirteen:



Avalon, Dinner, Beef Teres Major with a mash of date & sweet potato

We were in the area again, getting cheese at River City Cellars (best in town!). Avalon was our walkable restaurant when we lived on Mulberry. One of the best go-to restaurants in the city for us. Great seasonal menu, nice beer and wine selection, and good wait staff. (We love Steven! Alas, he wasn't there this time.) Unfortunately for me, I feel it is losing it's touch. "It ain't what it used to be." is the old man in me talking. Despite my wanting to be curmudgeonly enough to say that, the beef balanced wonderfully with the date & sweet potato mash.

The waitress completely played it cool when L. was capturing this photo with the neon in the background. Like, "I don't EVEN want to know what your goofy ass is doing." --but in a nice way.

The Twelfth...

Number Twelve:






Home, Breakfast, Cereal







We have a great little breakfast nook in the Fungalow, perfect for eating cereal, drinking coffee, and peaking out at the street of joggers, dog walkers, and people waiting for the bus.

By the way Ralston Oat Wise cereal tastes better than Life Cereal, just saying.....

The Eleventh...

Number Eleven:







Dots Back Inn, Brunch, Corned Beef Hash






I pretty much order this every time we get there on a Sunday at 10:30am or so. Good stuff. L. and I are funny, well okay, mostly ME, about arriving at Dots. I know we have to get there not at 11am but 10:30am, not at 6PM for dinner, but 5:45pm. Ahead of the crowd wave. Sometimes it is hit or miss, but we rocked a booth today.

There were a trio of gals in their 50s who initially sat at the bar (in the wrong spot where the food was placed to be picked up by the waitresses, they were asked nicely to shift down). Then one of them grabbed the wrong menu, so a waitress had to give them the right one. Then they moved to the booth behind us. When the waitress took their order, it was as if they'd never seen a menu before. Instead of asking for, say the "Richmond Plate" or "Corned beef hash", they ordered like: "Oh two eggs, bacon and a bloody mary." Waitress asked specifics; "How would you like your eggs? Would you like grits or apples or potatoes? Would you like toast or a biscuit?" After the waitress went to put the order in, one of the ladies remarked snidely: "That certainly was a LOT of questions just for breakfast!"

HEY LADY, READ THE FRICKIN' MENU!!!

This Napstache is a curled up one by L.'s request. There were a group of hipsters at one of the tables across from us; three gals and a dude. The gals where nicely tattooed and pierced; one with their butt cracks CONSTANTLY showing. The dude sported a real 'stache nearly like this one. One of the gals stared over at me while I did this. I wonder if she thought I was making fun of their dudefriend? I hope she thought no, because explaining this would prove to be difficult without the wifi access to back it up I would guess.

The Tenth...

Number Ten:



Coppola's Deli, Lunch, South Bronx Club

THE best deli in Richmond, or one of. We stopped by our old haunting grounds, getting various items; bagels from Ellwood Thompson's, a James Brown Christmas cd (with insane Brownism) from Plan 9, and great beer from River City Cellars. The funny thing about no longer living near Carytown is the type of people you think that have taken it over in your absence. A few months ago, I was sure that it had been seized by douchebags, today it seemed to have balanced out to dudes and dudettes in sweatshirts, clearly donning their college alma mater...from years ago. RICHMOND, NOTRE DAME, VIRGINIA TECH, DELAWARE; represent!

The Ninth...

Number Nine:



Riverbound Cafe, Lunch, Chickensteak sandwich

Nice Friday long lunch at a decent restaurant in Mechanicsville. They specialize in crabcakes from Reedville and awkward waitstaff. The Bowtiestache.

One Week

The Eighth:



McAlister's Deli, Turkey sandwich, Baked potato

Home of the mother of all ice tea containers. If you feel like amping up on tea and banked insurance of taking the longest whiz in your life, then buy this. And don't think you can eek away from this place with a small or medium sized drink. I tried and they said, "One size." Decent food and obviously in running with Panera. My boss, Carolyn, said I should have the tea cup in the picture, she was right. I mean look at that thing! Yes, they give you free refills....

The Seventh...

Number Seven:



Ruby Tuesday, Salad, Turkey Burger

So imagine trying to explain to your boss, who is much older than you, what exactly you are doing after you take a photo like this. I know. She is young at heart and once I showed her the Blog, she laughed, but I think, like other people, she thought it was a little too weird. You know, that uncomfortable, "Ha Ha Ha"?

Anyway, what I noticed about Ruby Tuesday, a restaurant ONLY good for the salad bar, is that there were a lot of young, cute waitresses with little love handles and pot bellies. It was kind of strange, everything else about them was apparently lean and firm but for their mid-protrusions. I like this song by Deke Dickerson in reference to that. I know I have no room to talk with my beer belly and fat head, but I just thought it was funny.

Oh, I tried a unique fold with this one.

The Sixth...

Number Six:



Home, Dinner, Soup & Tuna fish

Second day of L. being home sick, so more soup, more sandwich. This time at the table with H. who took this photo. I tried wrapping the napkin around the ear for some kind of fancy effect. Fail. But note the pink facial glow with matching flamingo in the china cabinet. Classy... and yes, same shirt as yesterday!

The Fifth...

Number Five:



Home, Dinner, Soup & Grilled Cheese



L. was not feeling well, so I offered to make her/us some soup and grilled cheese in front of the t.v., watching Ren & Stimpy, the GOOD seasons (1&2) mind you, before Nickelodeon fired creator John K.

The Fourth...

Number Four:



Buster's Place, Lunch, crab cakes

After birdwatching (and bushwhacking) in and around an old farmhouse at one of the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge sites with L.'s folks, we crossed the River back at Port Royal. There was this seafood restaurant called Buster's Place that had staked at the roadside real estate signs boasting "Best Crabcakes", "Seafood Here" and "Party Barge Platter: $9.99" ...'nuff said. I call this one the "Royal Napstache".

The Third...

Number Three:



Gallery 5, Beer

Working the WRIR 97.3 booth with Sean at Gallery 5 for their Dia de los Muertos Cultural Festival. We were the early shift and things were muy complicado because of the Richmond Marathon; a traffic thorn in the side of everyone that lives in Richmond that doesn't run. Street closures and the lack of parking hindered the art event early, but surely picked up by the afternoon when acts were performing. Booth vendors got free booze, so I had a Magic Hat and then used this napkin. Note, HUGE spider.

The Second...

Number Two:



Bookmobile, after Panera Bread, lunch, Soup & Salad

Tomato soup & Greek Salad from their pick two thingie. Meant to do it there, but forgot. Luckily my co-worker Gina bought a cookie and there was a napkin at the ready! Incidentally, one may find future Napstaches via Bookmobile because we do lunch a lot on the road.

The beginning of a strange journey...

..thanks for nothing, Noah Scalin, if I actually DO 365 Napkin Moustaches over the course of a year. A napkin upon the face as mock facial hair should provide a year of complete silliness. Odd futility comes to mind. Inspired? Maybe, we'll see. Or it will go onto the heaping pile of unfinished ideas.

Number One:



Dots Back Inn, Lunch, Burger (Famous Amos)

I was looking directly at our waitress across the restaurant. She was behind the bar, scanning the crowd and I knew she would get to me. She did and smiled. Then came to our booth with the check and said I made her day with it. Ha!