Tag Archives: The Roosevelt

Richmond Restaurant Dining

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Slowly getting back into blogging again. Soon, I will have more time to write about food (and eating) – more about that later.
Anyway, my brother and sister-in-law came for a 10-day visit and I was excited to show them how the Richmond dining scene has evolved since 2008.

Hubby and I did our best not to eat out in the weeks preceding their visit because I know if it’s anything like my vacations to the Philippines, it’s going to be non-stop “see food” diet.

First place we whisked our guests to:

BurgerWorks

Our favorite burger joint in town, besides what says “Welcome to the USA” than a great American burger. Ordering can be confusing with so many options but I always go for the bison, bacon and mushrooms. Hubby loves the S.O.B. 

burgerworks
The S.O.B at Burgerworks

CineBistro

One place we couldn’t wait to take my brother M and his wife M – I’ll just call them 2Ms – was Cinebistro. My family are movie buffs and we were sure they’d get a kick out of watching a movie in style. The food at this theatre is actually good considering that orders needed to be placed and served within a 30-minute window. They are also dinner-sized portions. Hubby and I always had leftovers before, so now we share an appetizer and an entree. My favorite is the popcorn trio which is popcorn shrimp, chicken and calamari with some popcorn at the bottom to soak up the grease. :)

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Theatre entrance
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The bar area to order drinks while you wait
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comfortable seating

Lehja

Mall shopping is a pre-requisite of my out-of-town guests and I’m glad that we have a great Indian restaurant right smacked in there. 2Ms loved Lehja and we went there twice, once for brunch and the second time when a cousin and his family drove through from Chicago and was able to join us for lunch.

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  Lehja

Stella’s
We were so thankful Stella’s was open on a Monday. All our dishes were fantastic. They have truly the best moussaka. Brother was ecstatic over the braised lamb shank although he kept on hinting that he wanted the hubby’s grilled lamb chops. The standout that night was the pan-seared branzino which tasted so fresh.

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lamb shank
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Branzino – european sea bass

Pho Saigon

I am always hesitant to take my family to Asian restaurants because everything appears sweetened up for the American palate. Brother made a comment about the pho broth being too sweet and having too much cinnamon – well there you go.
However, this special of pork belly in clay pot blew our mind away. So good!

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Clay-pot pork belly

Williamsburg Cheese Shop (Merchant’s Square)

After spending most of the morning shopping at the outlets we were all ready and hungry for lunch. My brother and I gobbled up our prosciutto and provolone sandwich from The Cheese Shop – the roasted peppers and house dressing were a great complement. This sandwich, as simple as it sounds, remains to be one of my brother’s most memorable meal of his visit. We actually bought a half-pint of the house dressing to bring home so we could replicate the sandwich.

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The Cheese Shop

My brother, a professional photographer, loved Williamsburg and wanted to shoot some photographs while I took my sis-in-law to the little shops.

The weather was stifling hot and by the time our photographer was done, his shirt was soaked. I told 2Ms they should try come visit during cooler weather.

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One of my favorite photos from the trip, it’s like he waited for the shadows and light to be perfect

Portico

12506 River Road Richmond, VA 23238
(804) 784-4800
This gem on River road is a showplace to take out-of-town guests. Tucked away in an affluent neighborhood, we felt out of place with the perfectly-coiffed crowd, after all we were grungy from a day of shopping. But hey, we’re here for the food.

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Gorgeous patio
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seared tuna appetizer
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Lamb and risotto

Umi
So I tentatively asked if the 2Ms were ready for Japanese food. Their face actually lit up. My family is not big on sushi. Nope, we prefer straight-up sashimi. Why bother with all that blob of rice?

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Sashimi platter – the escarol, salmon and yellow fin were outstanding

On a side note: We watched the documentary “Jiro dreams of Sushi”. The preparation of the rice is an integral part of sushi-making. A lot of establishments get this wrong. The rice needs to be served at room temperature and not cold.

Though I prefer sashimi, Umi’s maki is a dish not to pass up and the first thing I noticed is how their rice is at the right temperature for serving. We loved the Richmond roll.

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Umi’s richmond roll

Okay, we’re at the home stretch. We’re actually almost reaching eating-out saturation. In fact, 2Ms were just begging to eat at home and we did on several occasions but that would be a separate post.

The Roosevelt
For a taste of inventive Southern cuisine.

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perfectly-seared scallops

Amour Wine Bistro
Rounding up our dining-out experience we headed to Carytown for a cozy evening at Amour Wine Bistro. By this time the 2Ms and I were having trouble feeling hungry (after days of eating – who could blame us?), luckily the hubby was starving.
It was also “educate with taste” week, so three of us ordered the $25.12 three-course menu and my sis-in-law had the tarte flambée. 

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refreshing watermelon and tuna tartare
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Chocolate sea salt caramel creme brûlée – always a winner at Amour

I ordered the pear tarte tatin for my dessert which was absolutely delicious. It’s a perfect example of a well executed simple dessert. 

My one regret was not taking the 2Ms to Peter Chang’s. Brother was stuck in the HK airport for a few days (luckily sis-in-law was already in the U.S. visiting a relative) – maybe if they stayed a few days longer they would have started missing Chinese food. ;)

Most pictures taken by my brother on his Leica D-Lux except the clay-pot pork belly which was an iPhone pic. The leaf picture was taken with a Nikon camera.

The Roosevelt gets it

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porkbelly
The Roosevelt’s roasted pork belly with jalapeno cheese grits

So many new restaurants are opening up in Richmond, it’s hard not to get excited. There’s one that boasts of nose to tail dining and another that boasts of being the first noodle bar in town and then there’s the Roosevelt.

I must admit that I was not too keen about The Roosevelt’s location. Too far from a gal living among the boxed atrocities of suburbia plus it’s not in the usual neighborhood like the Fan or Carytown where I’m more familiar with parking.

Thankfully, there’s the “Hungry” Hubby who could park mostly anywhere and have a better understanding of street signs than I do.{uhm, no parking from where to where?} ;)

I rarely write about restaurants nowadays because I’ve realized that the physiology and psychology of taste is different for everyone. There’s a pre-conditioning from childhood which I’ve written to some extent here. Then there’s that which physically defines our taste buds – the taste receptors on our palate. For example, some people like me don’t like beer because it tastes awfully bitter while HH doesn’t like vanilla because it taste like cough syrup. Our taste buds taste things differently and it’s not always psychological. So how can anyone write objectively? You can’t, everything is subjective and depends on the critic’s physiological orientation and psychological conditioning. When I trust a professional critics’ reviews, I try to remember other reviews they have done and try to determine if their tastebuds match up with mine. :)

The influx of new restaurants has reanimated my desire to write about my dining experiences and my dinner at the Roosevelt was so sublime and perfect in almost every way, it’s only fitting to start here.
 

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The dining room 

HH and I arrived before 5:30 pm for an early dinner on a Friday night. I was immediately taken with the charming facade and truly felt the vibe of an even more charming interior. Ambience usually does not affect what I think of the food but there’s something about that perfect shade of blue on the walls stenciled with damask that offsets the masculine undertones of the dark wall panels, tables and bar that evokes a pleasing, relaxing atmosphere

We got to sit by a cozy corner by the window (yes, better for pictures too). I was all set to order the pork belly until I heard the special that night: sweet tea brined buttermilk fried chicken.

I was wishing I had brought a second stomach. Fried chicken has always been my kryptonite from childhood, but so has pork belly. In retrospect, I should have ordered both and packed up the leftovers. That way I would not have cast longing glances over to our neighboring table coveting someone else’s fried chicken.

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Roasted Mussels, vermouth & garlic

The pungency of garlic immediately assailed our senses when our mussels appetizer arrived. There is truth in that you eat with your eyes and nose first. HH and I usually de-shell all the mussels and let it soak in the broth – but that would mean patience – and I must say I snuck one into my mouth before we managed to free all these bivalve mollusks from their covering.There are a few places that prepare this seafood correctly, and I’m adding the Roosevelt to my very short list. The mussels were the right side of juicy and tender. More so, the broth was tasty with the heady mix of vermouth and garlic, I had to stop myself from dunking and eating all the grilled bread.

Pork belly has increasingly gained respect on more restaurant menus. Sadly this doesn’t translate to great dishes this porcine fare so rightly deserves. More often than not, I’m presented with a thick slab of white fat that could have used more rendering and a measly portion of meat.

I have no problem eating a thick layer of fat. I think it just needs to be handled with more finesse. I believe if you are going to keep an inch-layer of fat, render it so it’s softer and you might as well throw it into a deep-fryer to get a crunchy outer layer – like the pork belly confit, and the Filipino dish, bagnet.

My pork belly dish at the Roosevelt was exactly how I wanted it if it were braised or roasted. The fat layer was thin and had some tasty caramelizations on top. Slicing was easy and not too tender as to fall apart giving a pleasant savory chew. The jalapeno cheese grits and red gravy were a welcome complement to the rest of dish.

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Hanger steak, homemade A1 sauce, handcut fries

The HH’s hanger steak wouldn’t win best dish from the looks of it. But a bite into one of the most flavorful cuts of beef can certainly get the appetite juices flowing. Butchers have long kept this convoluted piece of flesh to themselves because of its rich flavor. The hanger steak can be quite tricky to cook because of its unruly grain, but HH’s steak was tender enough considering that it’s a hardworking abdominal muscle plus it had the requisite sizzling buttery flavor. I loved the homemade A1 sauce that came with it – it’s a nostalgic blast back into my younger days when I loved that stuff. HH though, thought the A1 sauce was unnecessary.

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gnocchi mac and cheese

The gnocchi mac and cheese was the only plate I was not too crazy about. Probably because it tasted too heavy to go with my pork belly.

Remember how I mentioned in a previous post how the last course seals the deal. Well, this did, in…every…possible…way.

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Caramel ice cream, roasted peaches – look at all that melty goodness

First let’s start with HH’s caramel ice cream and roasted peaches. Simple, right? I’ve always wanted some sort of caramel ice cream since I missed the ultimate from San Francisco’s Bi-rite creamery. When I saw it on this menu, I kinda hoped the hubby would order it. It delivered the expected complexities of caramel in a lusty refreshing mantle of cold melty goodness on top of warm roasted peaches. I have a weakness for hot and cold desserts in one, don’t we all?

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Buttermilk Panna Cotta

This buttermilk panna cotta and I have a history. I first had it at Six-Burner where I declared it one of my favorite desserts in town. Back then it was served in an oval creme brulee dish. It was tangy, sexy and sweet with a hint of vanilla. When Lee Gregory left Six Burner, I started to panic. I even contemplated buying the pricey “On Cooking: a textbook of culinary fundamentals” book because he had contributed his panna cotta recipe to the tome.
So was my reunion with this delicate set dessert as I imagined?

Sure was! It was as I remembered: the texture was sublimely sensual, the tanginess of buttermilk, rich, and the infusion of vanilla beans subtly hinted as dark specks within the creamy dessert. It was served in an adorable glass jar with a generous portion of blueberries to complement the mellow tartness of the sweet course.

Judging from the packed house by 6:00 pm, I think I’m not the only one who thinks the Roosevelt gets it. It sure gets me.

The Roosevelt
623 N. 25th Street
Richmond, VA
(804)658-1935

*all pictures taken with Iphone 4 under natural light
 

Do you “fake” it?

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 You know what I mean. You just had a disappointing dinner and here comes the server asking you how it was. Do you tell him the truth or do you just smile and say, “It’s good!” and make a mental note never to come back again.

The thing is, it’s really hard to tell with the waitstaff. Do they really give a cr*p how your meal went or do they just go through the motions of a script? Will what you tell them get back to the kitchen where it really matters? (that is, if the kitchen cares. but any chef worth his salt cares, believe me.)

Anyway, that’s not the point of this post. The point is you. Are you the type to speak up when you eat a sub-standard meal at an eatery or do you determine that that’s the pinnacle of what this restaurant has to offer so you mark it off your list or better yet write an interesting personal experience about it on your blog. (Note I did not say review, there was a debate on twitter about posting a negative restaurant review vs. a personal dining experience on a blog…as my hubby argues it’s a personal blog why can’t you write whatever you want.)

When a restaurant is new and when I have a vested interest in its success (meaning I like the cuisine it’s trying to promote), I try to give as much constructive criticism as I could. But if it’s an established restaurant whose menu is probably duplicated by numerous places around – crabcakes anyone? – I tend to keep my mouth shut and move on.

I think the reason I don’t complain much is because I do not want the restaurant to comp the dish in question. Working in our restaurant before I knew there were three types of complainer – the first genuinely cares for the restaurant to improve its food, the second nitpicks to get a free meal and there’s a third type who fusses to feel important. The latter ones tend to be repeat offenders who simply can’t be happy with anything you serve them. Which make you wonder why they keep returning.

It’s easier to give an opinion when the restaurant is new because they are still working through the kinks and, I imagine, welcome suggestions from their customers. Recently I had no qualms of informing my server that the mascarpone polenta was way too salty, but not without letting her know that I’m aware that they’ve just opened and it’s no big deal.

It was a disconcerting experience though when it came to dessert. This restaurant was much hyped but the sweet offerings leave much to be desired.

HH and I decided to share a chocolate tart. What arrived was a pale-as-vampire tart shell with a hardened layer of chocolate ganache. If I’m not mistaken those tart shells were the disgusting pre-fab ones you get from food service companies … yes the ones with scallop edges.

I normally would fake it and try to shovel three-fourths of the dessert into my mouth because I didn’t want our server to think I didn’t like the dessert (which was really the truth).
But I’ve recently been having weight problems and I want all my calories to count and there’s no forcing HH to help me with it either because the man doesn’t share my sentiment of “faking” it, so I’ve decided no more “faking” it.

So two bites of the chocolate tart, one from me and one from HH and we called for the check. As expected the server asked if we didn’t like our dessert and I said….”Uh…no…” and that was it. And as I feared, the restaurant comped it even when we told them not to. It’s really order at your own risk…”that’s my motto…”

The reason this post came about? A repeat of the above experience, this time with a lemon chess pie. We were all ready to rave about the new menu of the restaurant until dessert happened.

I realize some don’t care about dessert. But it has become aggravating how an otherwise above-average meal suddenly gets derailed with a disappointing last course. What I remember most about a dining experience is how it ends, just saying.

I can only speak of a handful of bright spots regarding this course on the Richmond dining scene.

The Empress – love their dessert selection specially their crepes.

Secco Wine Bar – dessert may be a hit or miss but I love how Tim Bereika gives much thought to his sweet creations. My most memorable – the chesnut bread pudding last winter – and I don’t even like bread pudding.

Sensi – their dessert trio always pleases.

Ejay Rin – I must say I am very impressed with Bill Foster’s dessert creations. The cereal milk panna cotta with avocado and chocolate hazelnut wafer – though clearly a nod to David Chang’s famous creation – is a worthy rendition in my opinion. There was another dessert he was experimenting on that blew me away…not sure if it’s on the menu yet but I’ll be on the lookout for it.

The Roosevelt – when Lee Gregory left Six Burner, I was distressed that I will never have what could be one of the best first desserts I’ve had in Richmond – his buttermilk panna cotta. I haven’t been to the Roosevelt yet, but I’m looking forward to when I’ll be reunited with that buttermilk creamy goodness.