Food

By Connie MeyerVietnam Garden is such a treasured, hidden-gem of a restaurant in Virginia Beach, I almost hesitated to write and tell the world about it.  A knowledgeable foodie friend of mine, Lisa Richmon, co-owner of Roast Rider Coffee and Tea at Hilltop, clued me in about 15 years ago, and it never disappoints!  It’s the kind of family-owned, cozy restaurant that lives in an unassuming shopping center off Virginia Beach Boulevard just west of TJ Maxx.  You’d likely never find it, or even venture in, if someone didn’t let you know about it.Vietnam Garden teases the most flavor out of the freshest food imaginable. The menu is authentic and traditional but the dish explanations are in English and the friendly staff is always there to help.Here are some of our family’s favo...

Bobo’s Fine Chicken:  Food So Good It’ll Make You “Wanna Smack Your Mama” By Connie Meyer If you are an old-school southern food lover, then you may have heard this saying: “food so good it’ll make you wanna smack your mamma”.  If the southern food you’re eating is over-the-top-exceptional, then the superlative version of this is: “food so good it’ll make you wanna smack your mama’s mama”!   At the peril of all of our “mamas” cheeks, Bobo’s Fine Chicken Restaurant on Shore Drive is just something you have to experience for yourself, it’s just that good.   For chef/owner Bo Midgett, it is all about the two F’s-food and family-Bobo’s Chicken encompasses both.  Most of Bo’s recipes come directly from generations of treasured family members, perfecting the...

By Connie Meyer Vietnam Garden is such a treasured, hidden-gem of a restaurant in Virginia Beach, I almost hesitated to write and tell the world about it. A knowledgeable foodie friend of mine, Lisa Richmon, co-owner of Roast Rider Coffee and Tea at Hilltop, clued me in about 15 years ago, and it never disappoints! It’s the kind of family-owned, cozy restaurant that lives in an unassuming shopping center off Virginia Beach Boulevard just west of TJ Maxx. You’d likely never find it, or even venture in, if someone didn’t let you know about it.  Vietnam Garden teases the most flavor out of the freshest food imaginable. The menu is authentic and traditional but the dish explanations are in English and the friendly staff is always there to help. Here are some of our family’s favo...

The Biological Impact of the Quintessential Christmas Cookie: How Warming Your Oven Will Warm Hearts.   by Dr. Kara Coe   No matter your ethnic lineage – baking holiday cookies is in your blood. Mankind, from Africa to Antarctica, has been celebrating the winter solstice for eons, marking the change of season and possible first frost with preparation, fermented drinks, and sweet eats that often could not be grown during winter. Back then, cookies were made with drops of grain paste baked on hot stones around a fire. Enter the Persian Empire of the 7th Century that stretched across Eurasia, discovering sugar in South East Asia and combining it with dried fruits in an unleavened sweet bread. By the later centuries of the Middle Ages (8th-14th), Christianity swept present-day Europe a...