Read Drink & Be Merry

Against my doctors orders I accepted an assignment from Richmond Magazine.  Twenty breakfasts later, an increase to my Lipitor dosage, and my work was done.  Managed to visit quite a few interesting places.

Best Overall?  Black Sheep – good food at a good price.

Most Creative? Stronghill – sorry, I’m a sucker for foie gras at brunch.

New Find?  Perly’s – loved the space, the whole experience was like stepping back in time.

The Worst?  Zeus Gallery – overpriced mediocre food and awful, awful service.  After a string of bad experiences there a few years ago I decided to try it again.  In the interim food portions shrunk, prices increased and plating became an afterthought with the food slopped carelessly onto the plate.  The waitress probably could have handled the half-full restaurant except she spent her time chatting with friends and telling customers how busy she was instead of actually doing anything.  When our food did arrive the kids got their pancakes first (half the size of the portions 4 years ago), M got her dish 5 minutes later and mine took nearly another 10.  The waitress’ friends always had full water and coffees.  Everyone else in the dining room had to ask as they were not a real priority.  It’s sad, Zeus used to be our favourite brunch place and we would also go frequently for dinner.  Looks like it may be another 4 or 5 years before we try again.

Anyway, all this and more, except for Zeus, can be found in the July Breakfast issue of Richmond Magazine.  Rush out and buy a copy today!

My mother was in town for the weekend, so, like any other good Richmonder, we took her to Millie’s. Year after year, list after list, you see this place at or near the top – mentioned as much for the food as the lines to get in. It had been nearly ten years since I had been and, at least back then, if it was Sunday brunch I was either hung over or still buzzed. Not the best way to judge food. Perfect time for a fresh look.

We arrived in the area just as they were opening at 9 and started looking for a parking spot. All these high rent lofts built in the old tobacco warehouses didn’t feel the need to provide adequate parking and as they have filled up so to have the streets around them. Fifteen minutes later we found a spot several blocks away. The window for immediate seating had closed at Millie’s and we had to wait for a table. The bright side to this is they have waiting down to a science at Millie’s and we quickly had drinks in hand.

I took this time to peruse the surroundings. A couple of interesting signs caught my attention. On the brunch menu on the wall it stated – No Substitutions. I am a constant offender of making changes to dishes but am also cognizant of the busyness of the restaurant. If it’s too busy I refrain. A small change may sound simple to you but while many chefs strive to be artiste’s, when they are one ’sauce on the side’ away from disaster they are more like machines. Small changes can completely destroy their concentration and flow. Don’t do it. If your allergic, don’t order it – it’s just as likely to be put on and then brushed off the plate by the equally hurried server.

Another sign of note was to inform that incomplete parties will not be seated. More places need to do this as well as enforcing it. You may see the restaurant as half empty and can’t understand why they want you to wait at the bar. The staff sees the restaurant as half full and know how many tables are coming in. A large party that trickles in will order one or two drinks at a time. What could have taken the server one order and one trip to the bar has now just consumed an exponentially huge amount of time. Will you remember this when it comes time to tip or will you only remember that you had to wait a long time for your drinks because the waiter had to take care of his other tables before they felt forgotten? Even an incomplete smaller party can disrupt the flow. When everyone finally arrives you may be ready to start but the server has just been seated a new table and, while he may have been standing around for the last ten minutes, now has to decide who gets priority on his time – the table that’s been sitting for half and hour waiting for a late arrival or the people who were on time? At this point don’t forget to listen for the chef to start screaming why the waiters are all ordering at once rather than spacing things out… Off my soapbox, time to be seated.

Into a booth with drinks in hand. Coffee refilled and the drinking water is cold (I know this because Finn dumped his in my lap). In a flash orders are taken and a short time later the food is on the table – Millie’s would never be able to cope with their volume if they weren’t fast and efficient. What can I say about the food? A little more creative than your usual brunch spot, but not by much. Eggs Benedict on a bagel with grav lox instead of the ubiquitous Smithfield Ham, eggs scrambled with lobster and mushrooms, and finally the Devil’s Mess (eggs with spicy sausage, veg and curry topped with cheese and avocado). All good combinations expertly done. My only concerns would be that it was all a tad over spiced and that the puff pastry on my lobster and eggs was cold – also the tug of war between the staff on the volume of the stereo was really annoying.

Does it deserve the hype? Everyone goes, there’s always a wait, it must be good, right? Both Karsen’s and Bacchus are equally, if not more, creative. Can-Can is nearly as busy yet manages (usually) a higher service level. Even off-spring LuLu’s looks a bit more creative and may be a more relaxing choice (haven’t been yet for brunch so am really just guessing). I think it’s the inertia of the crowd that puts Millie’s at the top year after year. Sure the spice levels will cut through that fuzz left over on your tongue from last nights drinks but it can also cover up any errors on ingredients or preparation. Let’s see how much of that $4 gas we can waste looking for parking. The servers are friendly and efficient but overworked and coffees and drinks don’t get refilled. Are you waiting for brunch or waiting to be seen?

Bottom line is I think Millie’s is good but not worth the wait or the aggravation of getting a table. I think going once a decade with out of town guests is about the right frequency.

NOTE~
We had actually planned on going to Cirrus originally. Strangely they don’t open till 11, is it just me or is that a little late to start? I checked their brunch menu that morning and nearly fell asleep reading it. Their dinner menu is very intriguing but the brunch menu could have been copied from Brunches-R-Us…..

This last Sunday morning was gray and rainy. It had been a busy weekend and while we were up early to run a time specific errand we were exhausted and were considering a very quiet day at home. The problem was that we couldn’t even be bothered to make a decent breakfast and knew Finn would soon start agitating for something to munch on. I was wrapped up in a comforter multi-tasking – watching TV and randomly surfing the web – when my laptop informed me I had a new piece of mail. Seems the Foodies had gotten a late start to the day and were lamenting that it was probably too late to get together for brunch. Not so, I replied, we’re moving in slow motion as well. Foodies suggested Bacchus after they went to a craft show. We replied, cool. This conversation actually took place over short emails and took nearly 2 hours, the rain had turned us all to slugs.

So, pushing the edge of Bacchus’ closing time we arrive around 2. At first I felt bad for the staff but they seated two tables after us so we weren’t going to be the lone table holding up the staff. We arrived a bit before the Foodies and ordered some coffee. Coffee and water arrived. M sent hers back as, once again, the lipstick on the rim did not match hers. This has been happening a lot lately. Someone really needs to invent a lipstick that sticks to the lady and not everything else and servers really need to look before they bring you a glass.

The Foodies arrived with little Jasper in tow. We greeted and settled in for some food.

Foodie and I tried to be on our best behavior under the watchful eyes of our wives but it was not to be. We must be reading each others blogs as Foodie noted the lack of butter arriving with the bread and commented on the service being slow, normally areas where I am most vocal. I took up his mantra of affordable noting a clam entree for $10 but add pasta and it goes up to $16. A while later our food arrived….

M had a Mushroom Fritatta. It was large and a bit heavy. Light on mushrooms and eggs but heavy with potatoes. Personally, I didn’t think the description matched the dish. M said it was good but would have liked more mushrooms. I tasted it, not too bad, but more fungus would have made it much better. If you wander into Bacchus hungover this may be the dish for you.

Mrs Foodie had the Shrimp Scampi. She was happy with the garlic levels and Mr Foodie said he never complained when she had garlic breath. Sounded like a winner to me.

I threw Foodie for a loop and ordered the Seared Scallops with Spinach & Bacon. He was thinking I would go for the Saffron Eggs, a dish that had caused some discussion a while back. My dish ended up being a mixed bag. The scallops, 6 or 7 medium sea scallops, were seared and seasoned perfectly, a very nice treat. The spinach could not have been sauteed any better. Just a hint a vinegar to flavour but not enough to pollute the scallops sitting on the spinach. The bacon made no sense. I assumed it would have been minced and in the spinach. Instead it was two slices laid over the dish. It looked and tasted a bit like the bacon you get at Denny’s. Added nothing to the dish.

Since I went for the seafood Foodie went for the Saffron Eggs. I tasted them and they weren’t bad. I am guessing the saffron wasn’t blended with the eggs correctly as Mr Foodie gave Mrs Foodie a taste and asked if she could detect the saffron. The eggs were good, and Foodie liked the price ($5), but they fall under my category of ‘items that you can make at home and shouldn’t order out’. For those of you wanting to make this at home here’s how as this would be a great dish if you have guests for brunch:

Eggs (get local fresh organic at Belmont Butchery)
Saffron
Kosher Salt
White Pepper
Half & Half
A few drops white wine vinegar

Beat it all together and let ’steep’ in the fridge while you entertain you guests. This will allow the saffron to infuse a little better through the eggs. Cook until think they are congealed but not quite, remove from the heat and put in a warm serving bowl. The residual heat of the eggs will finish the cooking. If you scramble until fully cooked they will keep cooking after you remove them (that pesky residual heat) and they will release all the captured moisture into your serving bowl or on your plate leaving you with dry eggs and wet toast. I haven’t listed actual portions as that is dependent on how many people you are feeding. Try it on yourself at home first and figure it out.

Both Foodies dish and mine contained potatoes. They were OK but Foodie needed to add hot sauce and I needed to add pepper but the mill on the table wasn’t functional. Not very well seasoned. A couple of bites in and, well, if you were polite you would call the potato ‘firm’. I called it undercooked. I asked Foodie if he had the same problem. He replied no and then a couple of bites later changed his answer. The consensus at the table was that, in future, order the polenta as a side instead.

Restaurants typically break even or even lose money on brunches or lunch. The dining window is too short and people don’t order many of the high profit items like cocktails and wine. It is, however, a way to showcase their strengths by getting people to come in at lower price points and lure them back for the real show, dinner. Bacchus did well enough for me to consider them for another try at brunch but I’m not quite ready to make that dinner investment.

Jasper was a perfect gentleman through the meal. OK, he was asleep. As we wrapped up he made it known that he was ready for his brunch. Finn had hit his expiration as well and was dancing through the restaurant. As a note to that I can say that I have been happy with Richmond restauranteurs treatment of us with Finn with only a couple of exceptions. He is typically well-behaved, less so when we go out with friends, but they have made him feel welcome and indulged him. That’s a good way to get parents back.

Today was our fourth, and quite possibly our last, trip to Northside Grille. We’ve never been for dinner, only for lunch/brunch. Previous visits have found the food to be decent, basic grub. Nothing fancy or adventurous. The kind of place where, if your home fried potatoes are little cold, you let it slide. Service was always a weak point but you adjust your expectations based on the restaurant and the Grille’s service wasn’t bad enough to complain about, until now.

We were wrapping up running errands and decided that a little lunch was in order. Our first choice was to swing by Kitchen 64 but the parking lot was full and you could see the line coming out the door so, as we’ve done on more than one occasion, we headed to our back-up, Northside Grille.

The restaurant was maybe half-full and we were seated immediately. The waitress, however, took a little longer. She was having a good time playing with a toddler and chatting with some friends at another table. When she did finally return to her job you got the distinct impression that she was annoyed at you for taking her away from her friends. I’m all for spending time your friends but if that’s what your doing then clock out and give the table to someone else.

OK, moving on. First we ordered drinks. Lemonade for Finn and I. She returns with M’s drink. Lemonade’s not working. Not sure what the waitress meant by that but it sounds like it’s not homemade. Fine, cranberry juice. Then we ordered.

To start I gave into my weakness, bisque, in this case, crab. It arrived with soup slopped over the sides and several croutons on top. Whoops, not croutons but vaguely seasoned stale bread cubes. I’m not sure if that was the intent but they weren’t really necessary. The soup was a little spicy but not all that bad. Thickened with perhaps a bit too much roux leaving a trace of uncooked flour flavours it had a generous amount of crab that you could taste. The spice level was high enough that I finished my cranberry juice, as the waitress couldn’t be bothered to bring water or ask if we needed refills so I started drinking Finn’s.

Sandwiches arrived, and they were wrong, or at least M’s was. She had asked for onion rings, fries came instead. Don’t know if the kitchen made the error but I suspect it was the waitress in her rush back to her friends when ringing in the order. The plate went back and then returned with just the sandwich and a promise of rings to come. He apologized (not sure where the waitress was, not waiting tables obviously) and left. The waitress finally came by to check and asked if we needed anything. I commented on the rings, no apology from her but she asked if we needed anything else, I replied on the need for more liquids and she took off. When she returned she slammed the three glasses on the table, splashing the table, and asked if we needed any thing else. I wanted mayo for my fries. Moments later, walking by without a word nor slowing down, she slammed it onto the table.

I had now reached my breaking point.

She walked by, trying to avoid eye contact but glanced at me when I requested a manager. And…. nothing. Time passed and no one came by. I was losing my appetite. My French Dip was mediocre. The meat was good, no gristle or fatty parts, but the mushrooms tasted canned and the bread was truly substandard, reminded me of elementary cafeteria. When I picked up the second half of the sandwich I found that the jus had been sloshed onto the plate and the bottom of the sandwich was falling apart. Stick a fork in me, I was done.

I caught the eye of another employee and made another request for a manager. The waitress finally returned to tell there wasn’t one. No apologies, no attempts to try to fix the situation, nothing. I asked for the phone number of the owner. She returned with a folded piece of paper, smacked it onto the table and, without a word, walked away.

More time passed, Finn was getting restless, no check, no clearing of the plates. We were no longer guests, we were treated as an annoyance that would only be dealt with if it was necessary. I asked someone else for the check and entertained Finn over in an little play area with crayons and picture books. The waitress took it to M who paid and left her 15% (very low for us but more than I would have left). The waitress did not apologize probably happy that we were leaving and she could stop feigning looking busy and get back to socializing.

As soon as I got home I called SC, the owner, she was very apologetic. She was a bit put off that I had been told there was no manager. The kitchen manager is in charge when there is no floor manager. I guess the staff didn’t care to bother him/her. She took some more information and promised to get back to me. A while later DS, billing himself as a manager there, called. He listened but kept trying to move the conversation to a close and some sort of gift certificate to get us back. I persisted on telling the whole story, filling in gaps that P, the waitress, had either left out or glossed over. By the end of the conversation I think he finally grasped how rotten we had been treated. Sadly, he let slip that this waitress works more shifts than anybody and how hard it is to find people this time of year. Take that how you will.

They are sending us a certificate for a free lunch. I have no idea whether we will actually use it or re-gift it.

During my sister’s visit last weekend we decided to take her someplace new, for her anyway, Can-Can. Typically we hit Can-Can a couple of times a month but, for some unknown reason, had never tried brunch. We were actually pretty excited as we have always enjoyed their baked goods and a morning of tasty treats sounded good.

M made reservations well in advance, a good thing as they were packed when we arrived around 11. Once seated and coffees and mimosas ordered we started narrowing down our selections and finding things to share for the table. A quick recap…

Madeleines – Rather larger these tasty bites were a treat. Rich with almond flour they were great with or without butter.

Beignets – Again large but these were fairly heavy. Dusted unevenly with powdered sugar they were actually a bit bitter and a bit of a disappointment.

Raw Clams – The raw clams dipped in mignonette (red wine vinegar and shallots) were so refreshing and just what my slightly damaged (from the dinner the night before with the Foodies and Cy-n-Ide) body craved.

The Entrees – M’s quiche (bacon, ham & caramelized onion) was a hit and the fresh fruit was great. K’s crepe du jour (nutella) was a required order for the nutella fanatic. Finn’s cocoa waffles were too dry and he barely ate them, instead licking the chocolate sauce off them. My poached eggs with crab on toast was nice but the eggs were overdone, a bit cool, and really didn’t need the Bobby Flay inspired touch of corn.

Service was scattered. Many restaurants don’t always staff their ‘A’ team for brunch and many servers can be a bit worse for wear on Sundays, but Can-Can waiters should know better then sending out entrees 5 to 10 minutes apart, forgetting to order items, ordering wrong (yes, there is a child’s listng for the cocoa waffles on the menu…) and on and on. Disappointing. It’s hard for a restaurant the size of Can-Can to avoid staff turnover and you can have wildly different experiences based on the randomness of waiter assignment but the basics of service should not be this far off.

We also found another case of on-line menu not matching actual offerings. C’mon, online may be one of your best ways to attract diners but if someone makes a choice based on something that catches their eye on your online menu and then it’s not on your current menu…. Sure fire way to annoy people.

We love dinner, lunch, and even the light menu they offer in the middle of the afternoon when your only other choices are the microwave chains, but brunch doesn’t seem to be their strong suit.