Finger Lickin’ Good
It’s summer, and for me that means fresh seafood. My daughter Hattie and I were beaching it in Cape Hatteras last weekend, chowing down on fresh flounder, crabs and our all-time favorite fresh, local North Carolina shrimp. In actuality, we were in Buxton, but no one knows that Buxton actually exists. It’s a better-kept secret than Area 51.
I love picking blue crabs and ‘peel n eat shrimp’, mainly because both are covered in Old Bay Seasoning, a special, magical spice that could make LeBron’s dirty ol’ sneakers taste like lobster.
I love Old Bay. I love ‘lickin my fingers’ after getting them completely encrusted with Old Bay. Old Bay tastes like summer to me. But I’m usually in beach shorts on a back porch when I’m “lickin my fingers.” However, when you’re at a fancy restaurant, “one does not lick his fingers.”
This means I’ve had to stop ordering my favorite shrimp dishes when I go out and about to in Richmond. We have some GREAT places to dine in RVA and we have some of the best chefs in the nation, but I’ve noticed a disturbing trend among the region’s top restaurants lately. Many chefs keep the tails (and sometimes shells) on shrimp and put them in dishes that they shouldn’t. When you leave the tails on shrimp in dishes like Shrimp Scampi, Shrimp Gumbo or, my personal favorite, Shrimp and Grits, it forces me – the diner – to finish preparing the meal. I have to reach in, get my fingers dirty and then pull the tails off the shrimp before I can eat it. And then of course I have the desire to lick my fingers, but I can’t. I have to ask the server for extra napkins or wet naps. Sometimes I have to get up in the middle of the meal and wash my hands again.
And what do you do with the inedible shrimp tails? Pile them up on the bread plate? Throw them on the floor? Pass them to folks at the table next to you? Put them in your pocket? I dunno. Can anyone explain to me why chefs do this?
Monday, June 10 – Running In All Directions
Our client Hitting Cancer Below The Belt‘s Boxer Brief 5K was a huge success this past weekend. A record-breaking 700+ runners, joggers, and walkers showed up to race and collectively raised more than $50,000 for colorectal cancer research. Check out NBC12’s awesome event recap! #RunToSaveBuns
Monday afternoon Communications Manager Kent Brockwell, Jr. Copywriter Derek Fair, Creative Director Art Webb, and Director of Account Services Kaitlin Thomas travelled across the river to work with our clients at CowanGates on website marketing strategy. A lot of people think we keep them locked up in tiny cubicles at the corner of 1st and Cary, so it was nice to prove it our longtime clients that this Fab Four actually exists.
Tuesday, June 11 – Meet Kate “Katertot” Molchany
On Tuesday we kicked off our longtime tradition of intern nickname presentations. This time, PR intern Kate Molchany had the floor. Like many VCU grads, Kate has a deep and profound love for potatoes and french fries at The Village Cafe. They know her order by heart: Cheese fries — with a huge emphasis on the fries. Unanimously decided, the Madison-Main-iacs now address our creative wordsmith as Katertot but Po-Kate-o was a close second. #YoureSuchAStarch #BoldNicknamesWin
Wednesday, June 12 – Oh Snap!
Did you know that we design SnapChat filters? If you don’t know what a SnapChat filter is, don’t worry. No one over 22 understands what that is. On Wednesday we put the finishing touches on a fresh batch for our awesome client, Virginia Energy Sense. (We promise we put 100% of our energy into these designs…see what I did there?) Check out the SnapChat filters on our Facebook page and be sure to leave us a comment and let us know what you think!
Wednesday afternoon we were pleased to host my Virginia Council of CEO’s Round Table, minus one very important person, JJ White. JJ had his gallbladder removed this week, but never fear he has plenty of Vicodin and has promised me that he will be giving me all 36 of the gallstones they removed from him.
Thursday, June 13 – A Fun Father’s Day Festival
Bright and early Thursday Morning, Kent trekked out to the beautiful Fredericksburg, Virginia. He had the chance to work with WUSA‘s Great Day Washington crew, who was in town to spread the word about A. Smith Bowman‘s 8th Annual Father’s Day Festival. Join me and several of the Madison+Main-iacs Saturday at the distillery. Details here. The best part of the day was getting my hands on two autographed bottles of their delicious new experimental series Apple Brandy.
Friday, June 14 – I Saw The Sign. And It Opened Up My Eyes.
Have you seen our new billboard yet? It’s tough to miss. We’re rolling out a big agency marketing campaign next month and decided to give our neighbors and 9,300 commuters on Cary Street a sneak peek.
Warning: Be on the lookout. This creative campaign contains BOLD ideas. Side effects include: increased brand awareness, raving fans, untapped sales opportunities, happier employees, and a much brighter future.
A Few of Our Favorite Events
8th Annual Father’s Day Festival
A. Smith Bowman Distillery | Fredericksburg, VA
June 15, 2019 | 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Give dad a day he won’t forget and head up to Virginia’s oldest distillery for a day of tours, tastings, great food, and live music. Plus, don’t miss the annual Barrel Regatta at 1 p.m., where dads will be competing against each other for glory and bragging rights as they paddle homemade bourbon barrel boats to the finish line. Learn more on the Distillery’s Facebook page.
Madison+Main Summer Mixer
Madison+Main | Richmond, VA
June 19, 2019 | 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Come spend some time with the Madison+Main-iacs and all of our friends, clients, and partners at the 2019 Summer Mixer. Free hotdogs, hamburgers, beer, and great conversation at the Madison+Main office located at 101 East Cary Street. RSVP today to let us know you’re coming!
Toby Town RVA Grand Opening Pawty
Toby Town RVA | Richmond, VA
June 22, 2019 | 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Grab your family (including the furry ones) and join us for a day of games, giveaways, vendors, dog adoptions, and food trucks! It’s the perfect opportunity to tour Toby Town RVA’s vibrant facility and meet their dog-loving team! The first 150 guests get a free made-to-order Joey’s Hot Dog, and the first 500 guests get a free Kona Ice!
Got an upcoming event you want to share? Can we come? Send us the deets!
“Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sauté it. Dey’s uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burgers, shrimp sandwich. That — that’s about it.”
— Bubba (Forrest Gump)