restaurant review: November 2007 Archives
We ate there this weekend for our 6th wedding anniversary. It was a mixed review, many high points, and a few low ones. Overall, it was an enjoyable visit. That's my wife, isn't she pretty -->I ordered the sweet potato croquettes as my starter. This went very well with my mild and gentle manhattan. These croquettes didn't have the typical breaded exterior, instead, the crust was the sweet potato. The maple chipotle butter was quite nice and shallots were spicy and sweet. the croquettes were a good size, two to three small bites each. The flavors were spot on, but the presentation was a little lacking. I think the whipped sweet potatoes were dropped in a deep fryer, then put on the sauced plate. The plating could have been spectacular with a little more effort.
This was interesting, considering she also owns Europa, which has great plating
My salad was a mixed bag. I got the Peach Melba, a bit of a tribute to the classic London dessert. It had spicy candied walnuts, goat cheese, bacon, spinach, a raspberry vinaigrette, and what I think were canned peaches. Fresh peaches, or grilled peaches would have made this salad a winner. They could have heated the walnuts -- a few of them were starting to get chewy. Overall, the salad was good, but it could have been better.
My wife got the standard house salad, and the waitress said the ranch was Hidden Valley. Sure -- many restaurants might use powdered salad dressing, but not many are SO UPFRONT about it. The waitress started to correct herself, but proceeded to tell us it was not like the stuff you get at the super market. "They use a giant bag of powder and mix it on sight. it's real good."
I ordered the crab cakes as my entree. They were cooked wonderfully, the rice was good, but a little on the heavy side. The rice was called Carolina Plantation rice. It had ham and chives in it. The "spicy remoulade" could have been a little spicier, but the consistency was good. The size of the crab cakes explained the price (second most expensive item on the menu).
The dessert list was uninspiring, so we passed on that. With four drinks, we managed to get out of there for $100 before tip.
The Sweet Potato Croquettes were the best thing I ordered. Salty, spicy, savory, sweet - everything was there, it wasn't heavy or overpowering, the butter sauce was thin and flavorful. The wait staff was attentive, the bartender sent up a straight martini instead of a dirty one, but I was into my salad by then, so I let it pass. As far as New Southern cuisine goes in richmond, Michelle's is a great option. Not as good as Julep's, but for me, they set the bar for New Southern cuisine.
My wife and I both concluded that they have a bread god chained up in the basement. The bread was amazing. It was herby, the bottom crust was amazing. Crunchy like fresh focaccia, you could still taste a little of the olive oil, and a hint of salt. The texture was great, you could see flecks of basil and rosemary, and taste a hint of pepper. The butter could have been room temperature, but they had a timing issue with it, so it was cold... but the bread stood up to it. I asked the waitress if the bread was made on site, she said yes. Apparently they make a different bread each week.
I ordered the crab cakes as my entree. They were cooked wonderfully, the rice was good, but a little on the heavy side. The rice was called Carolina Plantation rice. It had ham and chives in it. The "spicy remoulade" could have been a little spicier, but the consistency was good. The size of the crab cakes explained the price (second most expensive item on the menu).
The dessert list was uninspiring, so we passed on that. With four drinks, we managed to get out of there for $100 before tip.
The Sweet Potato Croquettes were the best thing I ordered. Salty, spicy, savory, sweet - everything was there, it wasn't heavy or overpowering, the butter sauce was thin and flavorful. The wait staff was attentive, the bartender sent up a straight martini instead of a dirty one, but I was into my salad by then, so I let it pass. As far as New Southern cuisine goes in richmond, Michelle's is a great option. Not as good as Julep's, but for me, they set the bar for New Southern cuisine.
My wife and I both concluded that they have a bread god chained up in the basement. The bread was amazing. It was herby, the bottom crust was amazing. Crunchy like fresh focaccia, you could still taste a little of the olive oil, and a hint of salt. The texture was great, you could see flecks of basil and rosemary, and taste a hint of pepper. The butter could have been room temperature, but they had a timing issue with it, so it was cold... but the bread stood up to it. I asked the waitress if the bread was made on site, she said yes. Apparently they make a different bread each week.
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