MessyCuisine

Sensi

Last night I had my second dinner at Sensei, located on East Cary Street in Richmond, VA.

Sensei has changed a bit from my initial visit. The music is softer, and thus made me feel it was less of a “New York style”, hip restaurant. This change in music was the first thing I noted. Service was better, but still had some rough edges (appetizer dishes sitting dirty on the table for far too long). On a Friday night, I expected to see more customers. The menu was new too, some of the same items, but also some new.

We ordered two appetizers: the calamari fritti and the portabello mushroom crostini. The calamari was done right, a nice coating and not rubbery. One diner complained it needed more salt. It was served with both a creamy and a tomato sauce. The portabello appetizer was less successful in execution. The “bread” portion was more like some avant-garde sculpture which dominated the vertical space above the plate. It was not palatable. The mushrooms and the prosciutto-wrapped mozzarella portion were good, the mushrooms, grilled, with balsamic vinegar on the plate, the highlight. It was great flavor, but I would have preferred a “better” bread crouton.

Entrées ordered included swordfish (excellent, lots of flavor), seafood risotto (not bad, but bettered by their seafood pasta), and the porcini/truffle gnocci (sublime). I ordered the gnocci, and indeed, it was an excellent dish I admired. Throughout the dinner, that smell of truffle perfumed by dining space, the porcini mushrooms fresh (not dried) and oh so good. Each one was like a royal treat. The gnocci were unusual, and large: they wrapped a mushroom stuffing. The dish was the right size (not too much), and the addition of vegetables (from asparagus to broccolini) was excellent. I asked for salt, which was missing on the vegetables.

The order of profiteroles (cream puffs) made an appropriate dessert when shared… just a few bites of delicious mocha flavor. I was annoyed that the waiter drowned each one in chocolate sauce, which made sharing messy and inconvenient. I could have well doused each one on my own plate with the sauce, thank you very much.

Sensei offers (still) a dynamic, different dining environment in Richmond, and offers some tasty twists on Italian fare. I continue to be impressed and would recommend it!

Filed by MessyChef at April 21st, 2007 under Italian, Restaurant Review