Richmond Restaurant Week Highlights

We managed to hit up three places during the last week in April. Two spots have been participating in RRW for a while and we had yet to experience the places. The third place we frequent regularly, but this was their inaugural stint with RRW.

Since so many RRW patrons have blogged, tweeted, and FB'd about the event, I'll stick to some brief highlights.

First up was The Hill Cafe. No, we had never been. Yes, they were busy, even on a Monday. We liked the short two-seater booths (very cute) and we liked the neighborhood feel. If we lived in the area, we would probably be regulars. I need to go back to try some of the Blue Plate Specials.

I enjoyed the Crab and Artichoke Dip with the chips. Yummy, rich, and a very generous portion.

Crab Meat and Artichoke Hearts with Fried Flour Tortilla Chips

Hubby went for the fried oysters and you know he liked them.

Crispy Fried Oysters with Red Skin Mashed Potatoes, Sauteed Spinach, and Lemon Dill Creme Fraiche

The Apple Crisp Pie was a bit disappointing. Nothing crisp about it and the pie should have been heated.

On Wednesday, we tried Helen's (since 1935!). Can you believe this was our very first Helen's experience?? We did not have reservations and they were not as busy as we were expecting. We had our choice of a table in the back or eating at the copper bar. We chose the bar. I had no idea the chefs cooked  at the lower end of the bar. Way cool.

The Mussels were The Bomb. The broth was so flavorful, they offered to box it up so I could have it later in the week with some crusty bread (yes, that was good, too).

Steamed Mussels with Pernod Broth, Herbs de Provence, Matchstick Potatoes, and Lemon Aioli

The Grilled NY Strip was also tasty. The Pave Potatoes with cheese were so rich, I had to take them home (used them in a frittata later in the week).

Grilled New York Strip with Potato Pave, Rainbow Swiss Chard, Wild Mushroom and Green Peppercorn Sauce

Our last place was Tastebuds American Bistro. I was pleased to see them on the list (as well as some other newcomers).

Hubby enjoyed the Flounder. Tastebuds always offer either salmon or flounder. While I'm not a fan of either, hubby is and he's happy about the consistent quality of the fish.

Paneed Flounder with Asparagus and Fennel Saute, Lemon Cous Cous, and Roasted Fennel Nage

I devoured the Sirloin. The arugula added a nice touch of Spring to the dish.

Pan Seared Sirloin with Grilled Polenta, Mushroom Ragout, Arugula and Caramelized Leek Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

After dinner we splurged on Irish Coffee. Tastebuds does it up right.

A Perfect Ending to Richmond Restaurant Week

After a few disappointing years of attending RRW, this round made up for it. We explored places new and old and were well pleased.

Restaurant Week Experience

We ended up going to two "official" restaurant week places. The first was Charles City Tavern with friends.

An old farmhouse tucked away along Route 5. Complete with porch and friendly kitty (had to pay a belly rub toll to enter).

The butternut squash soup was fantastic and suited the region's return to Autumn.

The crabcakes (sitting atop corn and ham saute) were almost pure lumpmeat crab. Very nice. The corn was yellow and out of a can.

The wine list was short and short on bottles under $50. In fact, one of the under $50 bottles was sold out. While we had nice-tasting bottles, it was tough to pay the equivalent of two meals for a bottle of wine. Because of the wine expense, we will probably not make a point of returning to Charles City Tavern on a frequent basis.

On the final night of restaurant week we popped into Water Grill for a drink at the bar and ended up staying for dinner.

Wine choices were more varied and more reasonable. We had a very nice Hendry Cabernet.

For apps, we had fried oysters and the lobster and shrimp pot stickers. Hubby loved the oysters. The pot stickers were extremely disappointing. Gummy and not a lot of flavor. The soy sauce that accompanied them killed whatever flavor was present. Another sauce that complimented the dish needed to be presented. I would not order these again.

For entrees we had a tenderloin with whipped potatoes (for me) and crabcakes  with whipped potatoes (for hubby). He really liked the crabcakes (I liked Charles City Tavern's better). My beef was most excellent. Tender and tasty. The potatoes were dry and tasteless, unfortunately.

Good for the restaurants for supporting the Central Virginia Food Bank. I was disappointed in all of the controversy over who was "allowed" to participate (as if no other restaurant could donate to a worthy cause). Once again, I prefer to make my own donation and eat where I want.

One last question - why was restaurant week held at this particular time? Wouldn't it be better to hold it in the dead of winter when restaurants are traditionally slow? We didn't even bother to eat at Acacia's because we knew it would be zoo-like.

And a final shout-out to RVA News for keeping everyone up to date on the restaurant line-ups and their menus. You guys rock!

Acacia Mid-Town Part 2

We went to Acacia to participate in Richmond Restaurant Week and make a small contribution to the Central Virginia Foodbank. Last year we had a miserable experience at another establishment during restaurant week. Acacia restored our faith in restaurant week this year.

After we had exquisite drinks at the bar, we were seated in a modern grayed space with wisps of green for accent. We ordered wine - 2006 Domaine Berthet-Rayne Chateauneuf du Pape. Mmmm.


And then on to the difficult part - choosing what to eat. Acacia offered a great variety for the special menu. For an appetizer, my husband had Pan Seared Scallops/Cauliflower Puree/Brioche/Gremolata. He raved about the scallops! and wished it had been an entree selection. I ordered Curried Parsnip Pear Soup/Fresh Shrimp/Creme Fraiche. I raved about my soup! Continuing my exploration and budding romance with root veggies other than potatoes, I took a chance on the soup and was not disappointed. A great balance of flavors.

For the entree I went straight for the Duck Stuffed with Roasted Pears, Wrapped in Bacon, Carraway Gnocchi, Red Wine Braised Cabbage, Lingonberry Sauce. The duck carried a smokey flavor throughout and was oh-so-yummy. A delicious updated take on German-influenced cuisine. I could not have asked for anything better. And hubby stuck with seafood and selected Baked Crabcake, Cheddar Cheese Grits, Creamed Leeks, Greens, Herb Garlic Sauce. He also was well pleased with the flavors and tastes. And both entrees did not skimp on the food. While it was not an over-abundance, we were quite satisfied.

And then came dessert. A Parsnip Spice Cake/Fromage Blance Ice Cream/Pear Sauce for hubby. He was always a sucker for ice cream. This one was like a whipped cream ice cream and paired very well with the spice cake. I had the Vanilla Mascarpone Panna Cotta/Rich Chocolate Torte. I ordered it because of the chocolate (dense, intense dark chocolate), but the dessert was memorable because of the panna cotta. While not a usual panna cotta fan, this one rocked. It featured a grapefruity, puckery sauce that was out of this world.

We had a great dinner. We contributed to a worthy cause. Acacia gained two additional fans.

Mea Culpa and A Nod to IWICC

We went to Six Burner for Restaurant Week. We had good food, but the menu that Six Burner posted and that Richmond.com published was apparently a "sample menu." No duck confit to be found. In fact, no meat to be seen in any of the first course dishes. My advice - DO NOT PUBLISH A SAMPLE MENU! Fairly simple. And Six Burner had no idea that Richmond.com had posted it.

I apologize for spreading the false expectation that Six Burner would be offering duck confit on the menu.

And I want to give praises to I Wish I Could Cook. The post on Richmond Restaurant Week was indeed insightful. The large group of women attended that night.

I made a pact with my husband - we either donate directly to the Central Virginia Foodbank or we choose a restaurant that we have never been to and we never, ever look at the supposed menus ahead of time.