Good food, good friends, good times....dinner at Lemaire

Ever since the date of Lemaire's reopening was made public, I have been anxious for that date to arrive. The former Lemaire was a place Bob and I went to a few times a year for a celebration such as our wedding anniversary or the like and it was with excitement but some trepidation we decided to try it out Friday night.

What I love about the new Lemaire is they have expanded their appeal without sacrificing quality. It verifies change can be good...something Richmonders often do not believe (the fallout from the potential sale of Ukrops verifies that theory). In this case, I believe the changes will be good for Lemaire, The Jefferson Hotel and for Richmond diners.

We arrived on Friday night to meet our friends Don and Chena. There was a nice gathering of people from the after work crowd, a couple of moms-daughters, some friends and a few who were having a date night. The atmosphere, staff and menu all state "welcome" in their own way.

Bob had his usual Beefeater and tonic ($8) while I had a glass of Poully Fuisse ($10). We reviewed the bar menu and agreed it's perfect for those nights when you want to have a number of small plates with friends while enjoying cocktails or simply dinner at the bar. Their signature cocktail list ($10/each) do not consist of your usual suspects, but each item offers new twist on standard favorites.

Don and Chena arrived and we are seated. Bob ordered a bottle of Albarino ($3o) to share while we reviewed the menu. It was a case of wanting to try many things and pleased that since Lemaire is now as much of a Tuesday night place as anniversary treat, chances are we'll be back more often than in the past.

For appetizers, Don requested two orders of the raw oysters for all of us to share ($14). Each order consisted of two Rappahannock oysters, two Mobjack Bay and two Chincoteagues Olde Salts. Fresh and briny, these were excellent. Chena ordered the summer fruit with Camembert, local greens and surryano ham ($10). The saltiness of the ham balanced out the sweetness of the fruit and the cheese was a very good accompaniment. I ordered the fried green tomatoes with gulf shrimp, smoked sausage, sunflower shoots and blue cheese vinaigrette ($9). These were some of the best fried green tomatoes I've ever had. Very crusty, but not heavy with each item bringing something to the dish which pulled it all together. Bob ordered the brandy-peppercorn dusted beef tartare with shaved Parmesan, arugula and horseradish sauce($9). This was very flavorful and a nice contrast to my tomato dish.

For entrees Don ordered the Virginia bison rib eye with summer ratatouille, roasted corn polenta, Maytag blue cheese and garden thyme jus ($30). He seemed very pleased with his selection. Chena ordered the crab cakes with cucumber, grilled onion and tomato relish, baby spinach and garden dill cream ($29). These looked fabulous with lots of lump crab and little filler as Lemaire has been famous for in years past. Bob ordered the roasted chicken with buttermilk-chive potatoes, English peas and horseradish cream ($23). Bob loves a good roasted chicken and adore peas and he was not disappointed. The chicken was cut French style on the bone and prepared perfectly. I stepped out of my usual box and ordered the pork chop with mac and cheese, collards and coca-cola BBQ ($24). This was the single best pork chop I've ever had. Brined for flavor and tenderness, cooked to a perfect medium, it was moist and juicy and everything a pork chop should be. The mac and cheese was very good (and surprisingly light) and the collards represented the South very well. Don ordered a bottle of Babera Enotoria Mendocino '05 ($38) to have with the meal that worked with with our varied items.

And yes, there was room for dessert. Bob and Don shared the cheese platter ($10) consisting of various Virginia cheeses. Chena chose the peach cobbler ($7) with bourbon caramel and candied pecans. I adore panna cotta and chose their buttermilk panna cotta ($7) with Ashland blackberry compote and orange zest. This was the perfect end to a wonderful meal. We left very satisfied and looking forward to our next visit.

I cannot say enough how much I enjoyed this evening. Jeff and Jason, our servers, did a terrific job. Chef Walter Bundy is still doing his part to introduce people to great Virginia and Southern fare and the atmosphere is as lovely as it was in years past. We have a new go-to spot and a new place to recommend regardless of the occasion. http://lemairerestaurant.com/

Saturday night in Crozier....dinner at The North Pole

We are fortunate to live relatively close to The North Pole on Route 6 in Crozier as it is the perfect place when you want a great steak but don't feel like (a) making your own or (b) going to a fancier place, like Flemings or Ruth's Chris.

Dick Rossi is the master of steak. The North Pole is the one place I know my steak will be perfectly trimmed, seasoned and prepared. The North Pole offers a variety of steak options, as well as very good, fresh seafood such as jumbo shrimp stuffed with crab, fried shrimp and crab legs. The North Pole has a number of "red sauce" Italian dishes such as manicotti and baked spaghetti, and while these are good representations, it's the meat and seafood that are worth the trip.

Saturday night Bob and I were in the mood for a great steak, and were not disappointed. Bob ordered the rib-eye ($29.95) with a baked potato and I ordered the filet Mignon ($34.95) with fries. All of the entrees include salad and while the salad itself is fresh but unremarkable, the homemade salad dressings are such that it's worth the indulgence to have the blue cheese...creamy with nice chunks of blue cheese throughout. We also shared an order of the homemade onion rings ($4.95). Bob washed his meal down with a Bass Ale; I chose Guinness.

Our server, Donna, kept everything on track and contributed to the pleasantness of the evening.

If you want a very good meal and it's a lovely evening for a drive into Goochland, I definitely recommend The North Pole.

A nice date night with Bob...dinner at Six Burner

Since mid-June, we've had one thing after another happen on the home front and most of it not very joyful and I needed a true date night with my husband. While we eat out very often, date nights are still something that have to be consciously worked into the schedule.

Last Wednesday we decided date night would be at Six Burner. I am glad we did. Six Burner takes reservations and when we arrived at our appointed time, we were seated promptly. While reviewing the menu, I had a glass of Pinot Gris, 07, Eola Hills, Willamette Valley, OR ($8) and Bob had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, 07, Unique, Loire Valley, FR ($9).

Since it was date night, we decided to splurge on the Chef's Tasting Menu....five courses selected by the Chef for $45/person. I love tasting menus and the kitchen happily considered Bob's dislike of fin fish, asparagus, Brussels sprouts and beets when determining our dishes.

The first course was a salad of Hanover tomatoes with mixed greens and balsamic dressing. While very simple, this was delicious and a light first course. Second course was braised pork belly served over cheddar cheese grits. This was my favorite dish of the evening and the pork was very tender but not mushy and grits complimented the pork perfectly. Our third course was gnocchi with a parmesan sauce. The sauce was cheesy but not heavy and the gnocchi had a very nice potato flavor and were nice and light. Our fourth course was a large seared scallop over lobster mashed potatoes. Scallop is my least favorite shellfish, but this one was cooked perfectly and very sweet. I love lobster mashed potatoes and these did not disappoint. Our fifth course was seared duck breast over polenta. I am generally not a big fan of duck, but this course converted me. It flavorful but not gamey (as I often find duck to be) and the polenta gave a nice contrast in texture. Our sixth course (hey, look we got an extra course...thanks Chef!) was a trio of sorbets consisting of raspberry, passion fruit and espresso. These were the perfect end to a great meal.

For our wine with dinner we chose a 2007 Patricia Green Pinot Noir ($50) and it went well with nearly every course. Our total after tax but before tip was $175.

Our compliments to the kitchen and also to our server, Thomas, who did a great job. Six Burner is a good place to visit with friends or have a romantic night with that special someone. Six Burner is located at 1627 West Main St., in Richmond's Fan District. Six Burner

A great sandwich in Carytown....lunch at Coppola's Deli

Regular readers of my blog know I love finding great lunch places. In some ways, lunch is my favorite meal of the day. Finding great sandwiches definitely contributes to my lunch favoritism.

I was in Carytown for lunch yesterday and Coppola's caught my eye. Unassuming on the outside with great Italian deli sandwiches on the inside, Coppola's is a Carytown treasure.

I reviewed the menu and several sandwiches caught my eye, but the Cheese Colombo was the one that made the cut. This unique sandwich consists of Swiss, provolone, NY cheddar, laid over onions and hot & sweet peppers on the grill, after cheese browns & forms crust it is placed on a freshly baked roll with lettuce,tomatoes, and oil and vinegar. It did not disappoint on any level. From the crusty warm bread to the cheese crust to in-season tomatoes, this sandwich hit the spot and is a good deal at $6.50. I selected a Diet Dr. Brown Cream Soda to wash it down.

I definitely will make the lunchtime journey more often to Carytown for lunch at Coppola's. The menu includes deli favorites, but also a number of sandwiches that are truly their own. The high quality of the ingredients used along with the expert staff make Coppola's the go-to sandwich place in Carytown. They are located in Carytown at 2900 West Cary Street. They are open Mon - Wednesday 11am - 8pm, Thursday - Saturday 11am - 9pm, and Sunday 10am - 4 pm.

They also sell a nice selection of Italian foods, as well as meats and cheeses sliced on premise.
http://www.coppolasdeli.com/index.php