Snowtime is the time of hearty stew and chili. Richmond Magazine.com has what looks to be a pretty tasty recipe by guest chef J. Frankfrom that he did for the folks at Positive Vibe. Some out there my be off put by the use of bison but fear not.

“There’s lots of chili out there,” Frank acknowledges, noting that what makes his stand out is the bison brisket. Compared to ground beef, he explains, “It’s a fattier, more flavorful cut of meat.” This recipe is a sure fall favorite for Richmonders seeking a hearty, home-cooked stew.

I will admit to not knowing where you are going to get a bison brisket in Richmond. I will also add we stopped at Ukrop’s aka Soon To Be Giant after dropping of the kid at school and it was already a mad house. I have a theory that grocers have a pact with the weathermen in this area. The weathermen predict a storm and then get a cut of the store profits.

We gave it the ol’ college try but we just couldn’t get to all the happenings in our little hood this weekend! Yesterday was the market amongst other things and today was Arts In the Park and then Vibe Fest.

We hit Arts in the Park at 11 am. The early light showers were easy to ignore, the downpour less so. Did we bring an umbrella? No. Ah well. We did buy an awesome stone bench from Joe Dumas of Yellow Dog Enterprises.  It also looked like a handful of exhibitors had left in advance of the wet weather. To whomever left a blue umbrella at the playground, thanks for letting us borrow it and it’s safe should you want it returned! I hope once the rain cleared, that the fest had a good turnout.

See pics of Vibe Fest when you

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GOP gubernatorial nominee Bob McDonnell’s and Greg Scanlon, a 26-year-old Research Director for the Democratic Party of Virginia will soon be sitting down to dinner at Positive Vibe. The reason is not a clandestine sharing of sensitive politico insider information. There will not be envelopes of money exchanged. The reason for this meeting is the result of a bouncing ball.

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I have a large, aggressive monkey on my back and it’s name is caffeine! Personally, I’m a fan of the skinny vanilla latte. Of course there are several st@rbucks nearby but I prefer to keep our local merchants busy. So here’s a list of good coffee available in the hills and heights area. Am I missing any places? Add them in the comments and I’ll update our list here!

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In today’s Style Weekly a reader sends some love out to Positive Vibe.

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Positive Vibe. It had a great selection of hearty, yet healthy staples and splashier fare. (I went with the avocado salsa, crab cakes and Italian wedding cake. Mmm.)

RTD has an article about Positive Vibe Cafe in honor of the restaurant’s 4th year. Please note that the article ran yesterday so the special menu occurred on Sunday.

The nonprofit employs physically and mentally disabled people in its restaurant. It also offers classes that teach the disabled how to work in food service.

The Positive Vibe, which opened during an ice storm on Jan. 15, 2005, is celebrating its fourth anniversary this chilly weekend.

Positive Vibe Cafe at 2825 Hathaway Road will be celebrating 4 years with music on Saturday by Susan Greenbaum, Page Wilson and Gary Gerloff and guest chef Paul Elbling on Sunday.

A taste of the Sunday menu is below. Full Sunday menu and other details at RichmondMagazine.com.

His Sunday dinner will feature a first course of velouté of butternut squash and carrots flavored with ginger; a cassoulet of seafood panache served in a puff pastry with a touch of Armagnac