Burger Bach

Rating: 2.5 stars

I'm sorry but no cheeseburger and french fries is worth $12.

So Burger Bach (pronounced "batch", apparently it's a New Zealand thing), is the new restaurant that is occupying the former Ellwood Thompson Cafe. I have never been to the Cafe so I can't compare the two, but let's just say I wasn't that impressed.

Burger Bach states it is a European Gastropub (ala Blue Goat), except that they specialize in what I guess are supposed to be "gourmet" burgers (if there is such a thing). Sorry, but I feel like if you are going to have all farm raised/natural foods you could come up with a little better specialization than burgers, which we all know taste best when they are made from the cheapest meat.

So I ate there tonight for the first time. The interior is fine, small, but accommodating, with a fairly large bar. There are 4 large screen TVs, but do not mistake this place for a sports bar because it is not. We were trying to watch the VCU tournament game (GO RAMS!) but no sound, and there is only one wall of TVs, so if you are facing the opposite way you have to turn away from your party to see them. It's a rather small place to have so many TVs at the bar anyway, the could totally get away with one.

But the colors are nice and it is pretty peaceful if you are there just to eat, a very modern feel going on. Though I really do not get this trend of having one really long table that you seat multiple parties at (Stella's has the same thing). It is just not functional and causes alot of issues. Personally I do not want to have to sit right next to a person that I don't know (maybe I am just anti-social). They would be better off having several two seater tables that they could push together if needed.

Anyway, on to the food. So yeah, it's $10 for a burger (which is their MO), which comes with, guess what...an all leaf salad! That goes perfect with a burger right??? It's an extra $2 for a small side of fries, which are cooked Five Guys style, fried in peanut oil. I don't know about you but if I am going to order a burger (and fries) I want my fries to be as greasy and as bad for you as possible, because that is the way they taste best. I am not hoping that my fries are healthy for me. If you want healthy you should not be ordering a burger and fries in the first place! Which is why the salad thing does not work at all!!!

I had the bacon cheddar cheese burger (as all good burgers should include bacon and cheese). It was good, but the bun was way too soft and the thing kept falling apart on me. Also it comes with thousand island dressing (ala the Big Mac's special sauce) and I prefer the good old fashioned mayo. But guess what...no substitutions allowed! Really??? On a burger??? Are they that spectacular that the "chef" absolutely cannot take off lettuce or add mustard??? I don't know about that. If I am paying $10 for a burger I better "have it my way."

Speaking of prices, they have a fairly limited beer list for Richmond (although the wine list looked quite extensive... so if you like wine with your burger you are good ;) ), and the only domestic beer they have is Miller Lite in the bottle, which costs $4!!! That is the same price as all of their craft beers on tap. And FYI this is NOT listed on their menu. I had to ask if they even had any domestic beers, and I thought I would be getting a deal with the Miller Lite (which I am not a fan of), but nope, when the check came I realized I could have been getting a craft beer for the same price. Let's just say I was not happy and recommended that that really needed to be changed ASAP, and if not, then it at least needed to be listed on the menu. Also, this place could benefit from some happy hour specials. Oh, and no free refills on tea or soda because they serve those by the "chilled" bottle, because it's the "real" sugar kind.

On a side note, my friends liked the Reggae music they were playing, but kept complaining of some kind of smell, which I just chalked up to fries, burgers, and onions (didn't really notice it myself).

I guess I am just not a fan of paying way too much for what should be cheap beer and essentially a cheap meal, no matter what kind of cow it came from. In my opinion you can get the same tasting burger at Hometeam Grill, Red Robin, Capital Ale, etc, for ALOT cheaper, and they already come with fries!!!

Let's just say that the taste nor the atmosphere was enough to make me want to go back. Their menu specifically asks that you let them know how they are doing and if they have "gotten it right". Sadly, I'd have to say no.

Be Real.
~Samantha

BlowToad

Rating = 2.5 stars

Let's talk about BlowToad.

This was one of the most anticipated restaurant openings I have heard about in Richmond for a while. My guess is because: 1. It is located in Carytown right across from The Byrd Theater, and 2. because of it's name.

One comment on the name. While this probably gets alot of people curious about what your restaurant is all about, it is also very weird and kind of nasty sounding...so not sure which way you want to go.

The name actually comes from a type of fish, pictured below, alive, and cooked.

Photo credited to Kendra Morris - http://fatbackandfoiegras.blogspot.com/

BlowToad serves this gorgeous fish as an appetizer, which we of course had to try, since obviously it is delicious enough to name a restaurant after. Unfortunately after tasting it, it wasn't that obvious to me... It was pretty bland, the batter was kind of greasy, and you have to eat it like a drumstick. I don't know, I guess I just expected more.

Now, to be fair to this place, we went here on the second night they were officially open, on a Saturday, with a group of 7. Note: Do not ever do this...anywhere. A friend suggested we go and if I had known they had just opened, I would have argued against it, so I feel this review has been somewhat colored by those circumstances.

So we walk in a little before 8 to, of course, a packed house. And in reality this place is not very big, especially the way they have chosen to set it up. The bar is right up front, so anyone waiting is going to be standing in this area, which makes it a little overwhelming at first, and you have to walk through the bar to get to the hostess stand. Adjacent to the bar are two tall, yet very skinny bar tables, luckily we were able to eventually grab one of these to sit at while we waited out our 45 minutes to get a table. The bar tables are good looking but it would be very difficult for a group to actually eat at them, as there is definitely not enough room for every one's food, so sadly, I feel like there is some wasted space there. Also, there are two large screen TVs playing ESPN at the bar, definitely causing you to feel you are not in a really upscale or posh atmosphere. The main dining room is thankfully separated from the bar by a wall, so though we did not get to sit over there, I assume it is much quieter, calmer, and more spread out than the bar area.

About the 45 minutes, that is totally expected of a new place on a Saturday with a group of 7. Unfortunately it turned into more like an hour and a half, while we watched one large table be cleared and have no one seated at it for 20 minutes, and then watched our actual table sit empty and uncleared for another 20 minutes before anyone noticed and came to clean it up for us... Let's be nice though and chalk that up to it being just opened and working out the kinks. We got some wine from the bar and were able to chat for a while, so it was nice...right?

When we did finally get seated, I asked the table next to us what they thought of the pizza they had ordered, because, unlike what you would assume due to the name, this place is really a wood fired pizza grill (surprised?). They said the pizza was good, but was too salty. I said ok thank you and turned back to my table, but apparently it was really really too salty because they brought it up to me twice more before they departed, so, yeah.

Ok, time for dinner, finally. We ordered another bottle of wine, and then tried the blow toads (see above). Then it came time to order the meal. Apparently this place is trying very hard to be tech savvy. The waiters actually use iPads instead of paper pads to take your order. Cool right? And I assume this shoots your order right back to the kitchen, which saves on time right? Not so much. Our waiter had to wait several seconds for his iPad to unfreeze to take the order, and then of course it takes longer to punch buttons and such than write things down in short hand. And then, just as our final person ordered he got a message on his iPad that they only had 6 chicken wings left in the kitchen. Well we had two people ordering 6 wings. In the time it took to decide who would take them, another table ordered them with their waiter's handy dandy iPad, so booyah, no chicken wings! I don't know, I just see this causing alot more trouble in the future. Oh, they also let you know your table is ready by calling your cell phone, so make sure you bring one of those with you.

The menu is not very extensive I must say, which I was surprised by since it is not really upper scale food. And two of our friends were very disappointed that there was copy in the menu about a cheeseburger which come to find out that is only available at lunch. I would highly recommend that the burger be added to the dinner menu as well. After finally getting everything ordered we started to enjoy ourselves now that we were more comfortably seated. We were also close enough to the next table (very close) to be able to enjoy a conversation with them as well, so that is good, if you like that sort of thing.

Eventually the dinners came out, luckily the time waiting for food was not bad at all. I must say, my pepperoni pizza was very good,  I did not find it too salty, and it was a generous size, though I am not sure $13-15 is that great of a price. (In my opinion Bellytimber's is better and cheaper) It appeared that everyone else also enjoyed their dishes. I did not hear many complaints. We chose not opt for desert since it was now almost 10:30 and instead opted for the check. But unfortunately we got someone else's, and once that was fixed we were informed they couldn't run but so many credit cards per table (5 or 6 was the limit I believe) so that added another 15 minutes to our evening at BlowToad. Can someone explain to me why you can call my cell phone to tell me my table is ready, and can use an iPad to take my order, but can't run 7 credit cards? So on that pleasant note we made our departure.

Honestly, I am not really sure what to tell you about BlowToad. I guess it was so hyped up I was rather disappointed, just by what it ended up being and the overall experience. I am sure they will work out the service kinks in time, but I am not sure the limited menu and confusing atmosphere will get any better. When we were there my friend made the comment "I am not really sure what this place is trying to be, is it a sports bar or a posh restaurant?" I am right there with him. Let me know if you figure it out.

Be real.

~Samantha

The Blue Goat

Rating = 4 stars

In our most recent Restaurant Club outing we ventured over to The Blue Goat, a fairly new restaurant spot in the Shops at Libbie and Grove area. Interestingly enough this was actually my first time visiting this neighborhood, despite having lived in Richmond all my life. Very cute, and I will have to go shopping there once it gets warm.

The Restaurant itself declares it is an "urban gastropub" = a place in the city that serves high quality food. They use mostly fresh local ingredients and even list the farms where they have gotten the food they are using in their dishes for the week.

Also, they use a "nose to tail" concept, meaning they serve alot of pieces of animals that you would not normally see in most restaurants. Let's just say this really scared me about trying this place. I like trying new things but am pretty against anything too weird.

I was wrong to be worried, and luckily I had some more adventuresome people with me. The food is served in a family style concept so the waiters encourage you to order things together and plan to share dishes, as the food is brought out as soon as it is ready. ***Note: do not think family style means large portions, as that is definitely not the case here.*** But it does allow you to taste many different dishes, which is a blessing since everything was very good!

The menu is split into what you would think is plate size, but it really isn't so don't be fooled by that either. It's more about the substance on the plates, so something more hearty will be in the "Feed" section even if it actually amounts to less food than something in the "Nibble" section, which unfortunately was somewhat disappointing.

Our group opted for one dish from each section and two from the large plates. We had a good mix, a salad, some french fries, goat stuffed ravioli, a meat pasta dish, and braised pork cheeks (the actual cheek area of a pig). So nothing too crazy, and the crazy stuff was the best part!

The salad and fries were fine, but I would recommend skipping those and going for something more interesting, since you can get them anywhere. And the pasta dish was nothing special, probably our least favorite part of the meal (we wished we had ordered something more daring in its place). But the goat stuffed ravioli was wonderful, just too few pieces of it as mentioned before (only four I think, so sad), and the pork cheeks were delicious, tasting much like a pot roast, but so tender and juicy. Again there were only four small pieces to share between five people, but that is the only thing I can complain about.

In addition to the food the atmosphere was lovely, bright wooden tables, brick walls, an industrial ceiling, full wine racks, and a cozy looking bar with a couple of big screens. We were there on a weeknight around 6:15 and there were several people at the bar enjoying happy hour specials (mostly older people who probably live in the area), but it picked up quickly on the restaurant side.

There is an expansive yet expensive wine list, and the waiters are knowledgeable and helpful in making decisions. The walls host several fanciful paintings. Oh and the deserts, they were very good as well, though again lacking in size. We tried three different options and none of them disappointed.

Cost wise, for five people we split a bottle of wine, five "plates", and three deserts for around $30 a person, which is really not bad considering how much food we were able to try. Some of my friends still felt they could eat more but I was pretty satisfied.

All in all I would highly recommend trying out The Blue Goat as an adventure, and I think you will find you will want to add it to your normal dining out list, especially if looking to go somewhere a little fancy (and a little crazy) but still relaxed and unpretentious.

http://www.bluegoatva.com/

Be Real.
~Samantha

A Fresh Start

Welcome to 2012!


Well, almost exactly a year after our last group post I am taking on the task of starting this blog over again, from just one person's view this time. I will be expanding the restaurant options, so they won't all be fancy I am sure, but hopefully the reading will be interesting.

And I am on twitter now, so my 9 followers can read my blog, hehe.

Be Real.
~Samantha

Millie's Diner (Brunch)

Rating: 3.5 stars

So I guess we were not very affected by this restaurant since it is has taken almost a week for any of us to write our review on it!

Our Restaurant Club choice for the month was brunch at Millie's Diner in Church Hill (the first brunch experience for our little group), which is reported to be one of the best if not THE best brunch in Richmond. The evidence for that was clear considering we got there at 10am and still had to wait a full hour before getting seated. So make sure you are not starving when you get there or you will be in trouble. I considered running across the street to the gas station for a snack several times! The place is rather small, so it seems more packed than it is, but the bar area was slammed and you had to struggle to get through to the bathroom or your seat.

The best thing about having to wait an hour is that you can go ahead and get your drink right away as soon as you put your name down, and somehow they keep track of all that! Mimosas, Bloody Marys, and Evil Keevils (? apparently rum punches) are the specials. Almost everyone waiting had a drink in their hand, which I am sure makes the time pass a little easier. I myself only ended up getting orange juice with the food (being slightly hungover from the night before), and it tasted fresh squeezed, though I can't be sure, but for $3.50 I hope it was!

The restaurant is very cute despite its size, with an interesting and scattered decor. Meghan described the staff as "hipster," and the kitchen is a tiny little area right in the front window (which makes it very hard when you are hungry and have to watch them make everything right in front of you while you are waiting outside!). But I must say the service was impeccable. Despite the crowd everyone was very on top of their game, the food came quickly and everyone was extremely friendly. While checking out the chalk board menu at the bar for a considerable amount of time (yes another chalk board!) both the bartender and one of the cooks commented that they had the same green t-shirt for their dodge ball team that I was wearing ;)

Now to the food. Definitely a Mexican themed breakfast menu, lots of beans, tortillas, and spicy stuff. It is not your typical IHOP breakfast! Before I review the food, I must confess I am not a huge breakfast person, so my view is probably a little skewed. It was very hard for me to choose what to get, but having heard from a friend that I had to get a "Mess" I opted for the Cajun Mess, which was pretty much eggs scrambled with a bunch of stuff in them. Sadly the waitress informed me they were out of the crawfish meat that usually goes in it, but I went for it anyway. I would have thought that a meal titled Cajun would have been a little more spicy but it was not too bad, so don't be scared of trying it. The cheese melted on top was very good and it was an adequate breakfast, but for me nothing to write home about.

The best part of the meal was the HOME FRIES! I could have ate an entire plate of just those. They were delicious! If I go back again I am getting an extra order of them, let's just get that out of the way now. Apparently the meals also come with whole grain toast, but all of us were too chicken to ask if it was free or not, so we passed. Looking a the menu online now it seems that it is free, hehe, oh well.
And the prices were not bad, $14 being the most expensive for steak and eggs, though the drinks are where they get you, $6.50 for each alcoholic one.

All in all it was a fun experience, and if I were over in that area during the brunch hour one weekend I would strongly consider dropping by and trying out another dish, but having to wait an hour for breakfast might possibly deter me away unfortunately. Perhaps I will make it a point to eat a little beforehand so I can mingle happily in the bar area for a little while.

But I think unless you love this place, or are very dedicated to trying it out, my guess is you wouldn't be frequenting it very often...but considering the number of people waiting around outside for an hour on a slightly rainy Sunday, I guess alot of people love it!

Be Real.
~Samantha

Tripps

Rating: 4.5 stars

Although Tripps is a chain restaurant, in my opinion it is the best non-overpriced steak in town.

If you like good food at a decent price (a little more expensive than your normal family restaurant), this is the place to go. There are locations on Midlothian and West Broad St. so it is accessible to everyone.

My family has visited Tripps many many times (my father being an avid steak eater, and also not the adventurous type) but this past weekend we went here for my aunt's birthday, so that has prompted me to write this review.

The restaurant is very warm and cozy, with an upper class elegant feel, but not intimidating.  They offer a large wine selection with cheaper and more expensive choices, and do take reservations, a great advantage that many restaurants no longer offer. The service is excellent, and the diner menu allows for alot of options, from steak (!), to seafood and pasta, as well as burgers, along with a few daily specials.

The bread they serve with their olive oil dipping concoction is heaven (I always eat about two pieces too many) and most meals come with a large salad that is excellent.

99% of the time I order the Ribeye (14oz for $20) and am never disappointed. The steak is cooked perfectly to your order. It's marinated all day in a delectable seasoning, and is pan seared, giving it that crispy goodness on the outside and tender deliciousness on the inside. No steak sauce needed here!

They have baked and mashed potatoes. I only wish the mashed potatoes were of the garlic variety, then the meal would not be able to be topped.

They also have a wonderful prime rib, and my mom usually gets the filet mignon with crab meat added on top. I often want to try new dishes but just cannot make myself pass on the ribeye. And the cheesecake is amazing!

The meals are just good, nothing too fancy, just well cooked food and ample amounts of it. I always walk away stuffed and never feel that I overpaid for the food or experience. So if you haven't made it out to this chain restaurant yet, pick a special occassion (or not), and go!

Be Real.
~Samantha

Sushi Box

Rating: 3.5 stars
Saturday night some friends and I wanted to grab a late dinner, and one of us suggested going to Sushi Box, a new sushi restaurant in Chesterfield, located at Huguenot and Robious. What a lovely suggestion it was. I had seen the coming soon sign but due to the name thought this would be more of a quick in and out lunch place, but it really is quite charming inside. Not as fancy as Sushi-O across from Chesterfield Town Center but less daunting and more welcoming. Like Moe's everyone greats you coming in the door and when you leave, very cute! Also a little cheaper.

The sushi rolls were very good, though I wish they had a cheaper simpler shrimp tempura roll, but since they didn't I had to opt for an $8.95 more creative option that was not as crunchy as I would have liked but at least came with salad and miso soup. But the eel roll was lovely (despite the cucumber), and I was a happy camper. I also had a glass of wine (the alcohol menu is lacking, only a few wines and only Japanese beer available), so my total with tip came to $23, which was a little more than I had planned to spend. If you can stick to just the plain rolls though you can definitely eat well for around $12.

My friend got a combo box and was able to enjoy a large variety of dishes, which is great if you can't decide what you want or are unsure about Japanese food. And the menu is very helpful, showing pictures of all of the specialty rolls, and also little explanations of what is on the inside and outside of each!

All in all I am glad we checked this place out, and I am glad to have a sushi place I would feel comfortable going to in the Midlothian Turnpike area now, as Sushi-O and Chopstix were not cutting it.

Be Real.
~Samantha