The other day I got a text message from a friend saying that she and another friend were going out to dinner, and who else wanted to go. This began a series of (no lie) 62 text messages back and forth which culminated in 10 of us going to Southbound. Southbound is at 3036 Stony Point Rd. in the Huguenot Stony Point shopping center, not to be confused with the Chippenham Stony Point. Why would we name two centers Stony Point? Only in Richmond.
We arrived for our 8:15 reservation at 7:45, so we would have time to "sit at the bar" before our dinner. Southbound is very popular, so there were no seats at the bar. We opted to sit outside on the patio with our cocktails , even though it had been a chilly rainy day, and chat while we waited. I will say here that the wine/liquor prices are high, but I had a lovely Pinot Noir. Chris had a local Hardywood Pilsner. Both were nice on a cold evening. After we were seated by a very nice, cheerful hostess, the debate over the menu and who was to get which dish began. Always fun in a group of foodies. It should not surprise anyone that I started my meal with a beet salad. I love a beet salads, and I try them whenever they are offered. Traditionally they have goat cheese and walnuts, maybe some arugula and they are usually very good. This one, however, was a slam dunk! Small bite sized pieces of red beet and slivers of shaved golden beet, mixed with pickled strawberries, burrata cheese and pistachios!! Yes, TWO exclamation points!! The beets were earthy, the strawberries tangy and sweet, the cheese was creamy, and the pistachios added a beautiful nutty crunch. The rim of the plate was schmeared (it's a word- say it) with puree'd beet, which was a perfect way to sop up everything in the dish. I would have been satisfied with just my wine and salad, but there was more to come. While I was basking in the heavenly glow of beets, Chris had a pear salad. Sweet delicate pears served with ham, blue cheese, and peanuts. We agreed that the ham was sliced a bit thick and overshadowed the light flavor of the pears, but it was still a delicious salad. Also at the table were a duck and pork belly cassoulet- warm, rich comfort food - braised pork nachos - nachos, but really good nachos, raw oysters with red onion- I am a recent raw oyster fan, and the addition of the sweet red onion was brilliant, and a bread plate- 3 kinds of warm homemade bread including a black squid ink bread- mostly for effect but really good, a taco bread- lots of Mexican spices but not a big hit, and a really nice sour dough. So dinner came and was also a hit. I ordered scallops. I love scallops and these were perfectly cooked, but the star of the plate was a combo of roasted cauliflower and a puree of celery root with pieces of orange. I love the roasted vegetable flavor but you add the puree and that little pop of citrus and it becomes a flavor sensation! Chris had crab cakes with a brussels sprouts slaw and farro. Farro is a really nice thicker grain which Chris said was fine, but nothing special. I liked it. The slaw had a rosemary vinaigrette which was nice, but it bled into the crab, which did not please Mr. Hall. The crab cakes were mostly crab which is great, but the lack of filler caused them to lose their shape and appear as mostly loose crab. Also tasty, but not a "cake". Also at the table were two really nice pasta dishes, and a designer cheese burger. I did not taste the burger, but both pastas, although they looked very thick, were quite good. I especially liked a shrimp pasta with butternut squash and apple. I'm keeping that in the memory banks! All in all an extremely wonderful evening. Dinner for 2 with salads and 4 drinks: $119.
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I have recently reconnected with a dear friend from high school days. What fun! After a brief chat over a glass of wine at my house, she invited me to meet her for dinner at Cooper's Hawk Winery at 11791 W Broad St in Short Pump. It's a nice inviting place as you enter. There is a tasting bar right up front with tables selling various wine accoutrements. We found our spot and the tasting commenced. It was a fairly busy time so our server did not have/take the time to describe many of the wines, but we had a nice time anyway. I don't know that any of the traditional wines really stood out to me, but I did order a glass of the Barbera with dinner and the Meritage was lovely. Stand outs however were fun and interesting. They have a Sparkling Almond which was so intriguing we had to try it. I'm not much for fizz, but this had a nutty VERY almond flavor which is admittedly strange, but quite nice. We also tried, in honor of Chris, who is allergic to grapes, a Rhubarb Wine. Tart and sweet and really yummy. I bought a bottle for him. For those who like fruit wines, they also bottle cranberry, raspberry, and blueberry. We did not try those.
After our tasting, we were seated for dinner. Our server was prompt and fun. He brought us a basket of pretzel bread with butter. I've never had pretzel bread although I know it's a "thing". It was crusty on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. It really does taste like a warm fluffy soft pretzel. After wine and chatter we ordered. My friend had eaten her before, as she is a member of the wine club, so she knew the portions were large. We opted to get a vegetable flat bread and salad combination to share. The chef split the entree for us in the kitchen so we didn't have the awkward table reaching butter knife cutting debacle. Thanks Chef! Plus my friend was right. It was the perfect size. The flat bread was covered in beautifully roasted vegetables sitting on a bed of goat cheese, with a balsamic glaze. Warm and delicious. The salad was a typical house salad with a lovely vinaigrette. Had I been ordering on my own I would have been more adventurous, but the meal and the company were divine. I won't quote a price because she covered the wine with her club card and I covered the food. Still worth the trip. They have a beet salad. I have to at least go back for THAT!!!! |