When we walked in, we knew it must have been good: it was packed! They kindly accommodated us at the bar for dinner, where we met Stacy, their bartender. She seemingly made easy work out of filling cocktail orders with a swift hand and an authority. If professionalism was her hallmark, our waitresses were friendly and accommodating in equal measure. Interesting art pieces decorated the walls. Despite the crowd, it’s a place where you can still hold a conversation.

The menu should speak for itself, everything ordered during the evening was well-portioned and tasty. Texture, flavor, and seasoning were all in check. While exotic items may have escaped the menu, along with a cooking style that demands super-precise technique, they do pretty well here with their results. Our new friends in town recommended the salmon. A previous visit proved that the lamb was superb. Seems like there isn’t a good reason not to go!

Several desserts, including a chocolate decadence-style dessert, came recommended, although the bread pudding would have hit my sweet tooth. We opted for a healthier evening by skipping the sweets. Next time, I’m not so sure that will be apropos.

Since Patrick O’Connell has been called the pope of new American cuisine, then I believe John Shields is food’s Saint Peter…

This weekend I had the ultimate pleasure of dining at Town House in Chilhowie, Virginia. This restaurant is owned by the Bishop Family, but all the culinary expertise is from the husband and wife team of John and Karen Urie Shields. Having worked previously for some of the better restaurants in Chicagoland, they now do multi-course menus in this extremely small town off I-81 in southwest Virginia.

I have to preface what I am about to say with a few things, so please indulge me my ability to say them. I know this review will be long to give the meal justice, so please excuse the overall length as well.

I’ve had the great fortune over my lifetime thus far to eat in some incredible restaurants. A good review shouldn’t require a pedigree of the reviewer, but I feel it’s necessary here. I’ve eaten the works of Keller, Boulud, & Robuchon. Cantu & Richard. I stood at the front door of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. One of the best meals I’ve had was at Chef Andrew Weissman’s Le rêve.

If you don’t read what I’ve written below, that’s fine. But you’ll thank me if you follow my advice. Go to Chilhowie and book a table at Town House. It was by far the best meal I’ve ever had in my entire life. It was brilliant. Unbelievable. A true sensation.

This is a brand of molecular gastronomy which makes the meal less about science and wonder and more about the pursuit of the best possible combinations of flavors and textures. They offer à la carte dining in addition to two tasting menus. This is what we had. The numbers in parenthesis refer to the picture numbers below.

Amuses

• Olive Cookie (1)
• Pork Belly Taco (2)
• Crab Chips (3)

Courses

• Chilled Vegetable Minestrone
• Brûlée of Smoked Salmon Roe (4)
• The Orange from Valencia (5)
• Cardamom Scented Squab & Duck (6)
• Scrambled Egg Mousse (7)
• Chorizo Bouillon (9)
• Cured Hamachi & Bev Eggleston’s Pig Tail (10)
• Thorntree Farms Lamb Cooked in Ash (11)

Intermezzo

• Pepper Potato Bread with EVOO (8)

Desserts

• Covered in Snow… Foggy Ridge’s Pippin Apple (12)
• Purple Mountains (Majesty) (13)

Finale

• Chocolate EVOO Truffles

First, Chilhowie is not much of a town: it’s small and it baffles the mind as to why this place is where it is. But don’t let that stop you from paying a visit. The restaurant now runs its own small B&B, and you can find posh accommodations in nearby Abingdon or Marion, both along I-81.

The dining room is small, but features good lighting that other restaurants often eschew in place of making you guess what’s been set down on the table. All the waitstaff were friendly, but their wine guy seemed to be the most knowledgeable and often the one explaining each of our many courses. The atmosphere is somewhat casual and chic, but simple too.

I added a wine pairing option to my menu, and each of the wines were very well paired to each course. My memory doesn’t serve me well enough to go into detail, but the wines came from all over the world: Spain, Virginia, France, etc. They also offer a premium selection of wines at a $15 markup.

While service was great, I’ve actually had more “professional” service elsewhere. But where at some places fine service raises the stuffiness level, here, things were relaxed and the opposite of stuffy. This is not a place where a suit is required for gents, so I found the whole experience here relaxed and enjoyable. They asked us where we were from, and chef John Shields said hello to us before we left, noting our city of origin. Chilhowie is a small place that likely never gets too fussy. In the same positive way, Town House is very similar.

So what made this the best meal I’ve ever eaten?

We started with amuses that did just that: they amused us both with taste and intellect. Those little mini tacos were so cute, and incredibly tasty. I could have eaten a dozen.

The first course was from the book of Charlie Trotter: a cold “minestrone.” Little “pastas” of pure vegetables stood at attention on the plate, while the waiter poured this magic clear vegetable broth into our bowls. What a refreshing dish. It was simple, but elegant and the intense flavor from each vegetable was carrying its essence. The broth had a sweetness to it and was truly an experience. It was exquisite, deserving the label “magic.”

My favorite course of the evening came next, served in a round bowl that came with a clear disc on top, studded with seeds. The unlikely combination of flavors was a brilliant expression that was at once other-worldly and rare. Chefs Shields combine coconut, mustard, avocado, banana, celery and cilantro with salty salmon eggs beneath a sweet “crust” or “brûlée.” Again, if you tripled it I could have eaten it over and over again, it was spectacular.

The next course was a puzzle. Entitled “The Orange from Valencia,” it was an interesting expression of bitter and sweet. Inside were two plump, flavorful mussels. I can’t begin to name everything else inside, but the shell of the orange had been treated with liquid nitrogen and the leaves were edible hyssop.

My gracious companion’s favorite dish was our next course, served beneath a foamy topping. It combined duck and squab with pear, passion fruit seeds, a funky rendition of broccoli, and stilton-poached wine. This was most delicious. At this point I wondered where things would turn foul. Nothing yet failed to impress or delight us.

The next course was an egg course; birch syrup combined with spices and salty chives to make an incredible combination of flavors. “Yummo!” might shout TV personality Rachael Ray. It was superb. The wine pairing was great too, an aged Madeira.

We next got a repose with the service of two outstanding, warm peppery potato-bread rolls. They serve some delicious EVOO in a little mini-pitcher.

The next dish took us to Spain, and was all about “Chorizo” without the said sausage. Mini pillows of manchego cheese filled our soup bowls along with a large globule of cuddlefish ink. This was a thin “bouillon,” but was absolutely filled with rich flavors. We indeed visited Spain.

Probably my third favorite course was our next: Cured Hamachi and Bev Eggleston’s Pig Tail although our waiter more appropriately called it a still life of the ocean floor. In addition to a pickled oyster, it came with a broth pouring, various seaweeds, and a crunchy/chewy piece of pork. This was imaginative and thoroughly delicious and exciting. Wow. The melding of diversity was spot-on delicious, and this one came with a dual pairing of wine: both sake and a Riesling were served and both played roles at accentuating the myriad flavors.

The next course was my least favorite, but that’s not to say it was bad. If this was the worst, then that’s saying a lot about the high level of everything else. This is chef Shields’ famous lamb course, which for us included the lamb’s heart. I confess I didn’t eat the entirety of the heart, as I’m not the world’s biggest enthusiast of offal. Nevertheless, the textures and flavors here were rich and deep, combining burnt leek, cherries, the leather of fruit, and the wine — a Bandol — was a superb and equal match to all of those flavors. This dish exemplified why the Shields not only know how to perform some funky treatments to food, but are masters at combining different flavors to exquisite new heights.

The dessert courses were no less impressive here. The winner, however, and #2 in my lineup of the best of the evening was the “Covered in Snow” dessert that combined salty strong herbs with peanut, chocolate mousse, and an incredible apple cider augmented with brandy. That beverage comes from “Foggy Ridge,” and our waiter told us the source was only about “an hour away.” The next day we paid them a visit and picked up some of their amazing product which is made from over 30 heirloom apple varieties.

The final dessert was neat: concord grape, black sesame, greek yogurt, and anise seed all came together to make “purple mountains.” A nice accent in this dish was the meyer lemon rind.

Over coffee, I saw a placement of two small chocolate truffles come to the table, and at that point, I was full and didn’t want another bite. “Ah… typical, little chocolate truffles…”

It was only after the waiter told us they were EVOO chocolate truffles that I became intrigued. As you pop one in your mouth, they almost immediately melt, and the marriage of deep cocoa notes, sweetness, and sublime flavor of good extra virgin oil impregnates your mouth with a lasting bemusement. What an incredible way to finish a stellar meal.

I realize molecular gastronomy isn’t everyone’s thing. But I think Chefs Shields do it an extreme justice and make the most satisfying food. Of course, I recommend it. The meal was a 10 on the awesome scale. Visit their website online and enjoy. If you’re more interested in the chef’s approach to their dishes, they do their work justice with a picture blog.

The meal started with some Chinese-inspired beans in a spicy sauce with candied pecans. We ate these with chopsticks.

My appetizer of mini pork belly wontons were each delicious. They came with shavings of spring onion and delectable saucing.

The entrée was very saucy: short ribs served over dual purées with Indian spices. It was sweet and only mildly spicy. The texture and flavors were incredible.

My dining companion took to the halibut that came with both white and brown rices. While already a buttery fish, it came with a delectable sauce that was hinted with vanilla.

Chocolate dominated our dessert selections, but drama comes with the ordering of the chocolate soufflée. Chocolate sauce, ice cream, and whipped cream all get added to a perfectly-prepared chocolately, eggy creation. I love this dessert and this one pushed the envelope in the gluttony department.

The Source may just be your place for upscale, tasty dining while in D. C.

To start, we ordered their avocado spring rolls. These fried rolls, stuffed with avocado, came with a green, sweet dipping sauce and the pepper confetti on the plate gave it the same vibe as the similar appetizer available from the Cheesecake Factory. While the flavor profile was fine, it missed the more sophisticated taste the CF’s offering gives. The CF’s appetizer has a very clear flavor profile with more spice and more flavor. It screams: “southwest.” This offering was bland in comparison.

Second, we ordered two fish entrées and two orders of the beef Pan-Asian noodles.

The fish dishes seemed to go over well. The pan asian noodles, not as much. The beef on the dish was dry, stringy, and cooked way too long. The noodles chosen were Udon. These noodles are primarily found in soup-based dishes in Japanese cuisine. I have no problem with new interpretations on things like this, but the texture here of soft, squishy noodles against large chunks of second-class beef you had to cut with a knife wasn’t ideal (I’m not opposed to cutting meat with a knife, but the essence of many Asian dishes is the already bite-sized pieces of protein). The dish was bathing in a sauce which gave it the global flair, but flair took the night off. This dish was one of the sweetest, most carb-loaded dishes I’ve ever eaten. Granted, I didn’t burn the thing off in a calorimeter, but I’m guessing a triple stack of pancakes with blueberry syrup and whipped cream at I-Hop may have had fewer carbs than this dish. It was simply too sickening sweet.

We ate semi-outdoors on the “patio.” It was a nice breezy space, but one that was fraught with loud noises, loud conversation, and smoke from the bar. Service, from drink orders through the entire meal, was disappointing. I ordered a cocktail after the waitress’ third trip to our table, only to watch her spill it all the way from the bar to the table. It left a puddle on the table, and the entire glass, from rim to stem, was covered in the sweet drink. No napkin, no offer to wipe it off, etc.

Food service to the table was very lacking. Food is just plopped on the table. For me, it was put on top of my silverware. The look on faces when they put it down is like they don’t know what to do… no one says, “Enjoy,” or announces what the dish is. One of our diners didn’t get served his dish: they forgot to put the order in. The waitress came by to apologize 20 minutes later, 5 minutes after the dish actually arrived.

The Kona’s menu takes cues from the sushi bar which is a fixture in the main dining room. The decor certainly is interesting and has invitation to it, but I found the menu a little limited.

The prices here are typical for a chain restaurant that’s trying to aim for a more creative dining experience. The noodle dish went was between $13-14, and fish entrées were in the $20-25 range.

Sadly, this is one meal that left me disappointed. I’ve resisted going until they had some experience under their belt, but the experience gained so far is lacking. You can eat far better in Richmond at some of our great local establishments, and I’m certain better service is to be found almost anywhere. I have to say I don’t think this service issue was any one person’s fault, but rather poor training or management across the board.

But, alas, I hear people like the happy hour. Your mileage may vary.

Mimi’s is a chain, and in regards to our Mimi’s, is so new that wrinkles were still in the process of being ironed out on the evening we visited. On the way out, I heard a manager lecturing another employee on how to handle a particular situation. Service for us was devastatingly slow.

One thing I found interesting at Mimi’s was the decor. They seated us in a back room with a curved brick ceiling. Eclectic French country might be one way to describe the decor, with well-padded, dark-patterned carpets, an exciting use of color, and the sense that you were visiting perhaps someone named “Mimi” in her forest cottage.

All this quaintness didn’t exactly translate to the menu. The presentation of 3 or 4 different menus when we sat down was both confusing and nonsensical. They had a special menu, a healthy menu, the regular menu, and there might have been more - yes - a menu with a “3 course menu special.” The prices were reasonable in today’s climate, but then again, you typically get what you pay for.

We both ordered salads that came with muffins. I am not sure eating a muffin (an awful, fat-free blueberry muffin at that) at night, with dinner, is normal. They serve you bread, but most of it was sweet. Then a big, giant muffin. Odd.

The salads were lackluster, but passing. They took forever to come out; while drinks and bread was timed fine. We also tried their fried zucchini appetizer which was served hot, but again, took a lot of time to come from the kitchen, and in my opinion, is a failed menu item. The thick zucchini slices were more like large dill pickles, and despite the crunchy coating falling off, the insides were still mushy - as a watery zucchini “spear” is likely to be. It came with two sauces, a creamy sauce and a tomato-based sauce.

Despite having a server who was trying hard and who was friendly, we decided Mimi’s wasn’t our type of place. They do serve breakfast, and we may return to try that (where muffins are more welcome). My ultimate hunch is that Mimi’s was designed to cater to retired women who like to lunch. It’s certainly a family-oriented place, but not the hidden-French cabin that serves gustatory delights we’d label gourmet.

Urbanspoon kept shuffling around like a slot machine, giving us restaurant recommendations. Nothing in Springfield, VA appeared very good. We began expanding our reach. One iPhone spit-out the name Farrah Olivia, and I said, “What is that?”

Soon enough, on a whim, we’d plugged the address (600 Franklin Street) into the GPS, and off we went, to Alexandria. It’s on the corner of Washington Street (Route 1), adjacent to a Balducci’s gourmet market.

So, they took walk-ins, which was great for a Saturday night. I didn’t know what I was expecting as it wasn’t I who read the description. It was a very nice dining room, small, but chic and there was an air of formality. It wasn’t a loud place; all the guests were keeping their conversations low. Windows looked out on busy Washington Street, which was kind of fun. Inside, quiet and serene, outside, cold and busy.

It turns out, chef Morou wasn’t new to me. No, he’d been a contestant in the “Next Iron Chef” show on TV Food Network. Wow. A visit to the restroom indicated this was one of Washington’s better restaurants. (It has been listed on their top 100 list; consequently, the list was on display in the bathroom, but I digress.) I didn’t need Food Network or Washingtonian Magazine to tell me this place was special.

The amuse was a fried lobster ravioli with fish roe on top. Scrumptious, and hot.

My appetizer of vanilla lobster was outstanding, covered in an aromatic foam. It was luxurious, and served over tapioca! Wow, there was a little caviar served on the side. Reminded me of Keller’s Oysters and Pearls.

My companion’s appetizer, a seafood chowder, was “outstanding,” he reported. Filled with lobster and smokey bacon, it had a “just right” consistency and was served in an innovative bowl.

The entrées were no less spectacular. I opted for the vegetarian morel gnudi, little soft packets of dough, this time served under parmesan/truffle oil foam. Around the gnudi were arugula and green and white asparagus. It was tasty.

My companion ordered Morou’s wild black cod with a lemongrass “perfume.” This was a very light curry sauce, and he continually reported that each bite was fantastic.

Service was great at Farrah Olivia, not too fussy, but professional and attentive. They offer wines by the glass, and at least one of my selections supremely enhanced my entrée.

They offer desserts, and we chose one dessert (the apple pizza) and a cheese (lionza, from Fiscalini). Both were appropriate sized and as with all the dishes, very innovatively plated. Each plate looked like mini works of art.

The owners describe the restaurant as a “boutique” setting, and I think the name fits. If you carry pretense on your shoulders, you’d be fine here, but if you don’t, you’re equally at home. So don’t let the label scare you away.

This place has legs, and we’d encourage you to visit yourself at the next opportunity when you find yourself near Alexandria, VA. We loved this unexpected find, from the hot and tasty amuse bouche to the silky, delicious French press-served coffee.

Warmly recommended.

Well, it turns out, Lemaire is leaving before I will. Today, supposedly on January 1, 2009, Lemaire is no more. So I’m not sure how relevant a review is. But review it, I will.

The Jefferson Hotel has been running a marketing campaign to get folks in the door, to say “goodbye” to Lemaire. So, I bit. I figured that the hotel would be sending diners out on a positive note before they retooled the space and concept with something new.

Instead, Lemaire went out with mere whimpers. Let me explain. You can analyze the dining experience along several different avenues: the dining room, the other guests, the service, the food, etc. So many times it’s the combination of all of these things that make the total experience what it is, good or bad. So many folks only focus on the food.

Lemaire this past week made good food. No doubts there.

But the service this time kind of ruined it. Specifically, one aspect of the service. Speed.

I was hardly seated a minute before they took my order. Whoa, that’s fast. Then before I could sip the water, the first course was down on the table. Whoa, really fast.

The whole (quick) night was like this: before you’d wiped your mouth on the napkin from one course on their tasting menu, the next arrived. I literally had to chug each glass of wine before a new one came out.

i don’t like speed eating at restaurants like Lemaire. In fact, I don’t wine chugging and speed eating at any restaurant.

When I got up to use the restroom before dessert (mind you, I got up right as the plates were taken away), the coffee was already turning cold and the dessert was waiting when I returned. I got the sense by this point, “They want us out, and out now.” Before I had finished the said coffee, the bill was dropped on the table “when you’re ready!”

The first course of a Virginia cheese was the weakest. It was impeccably light (read: small), and while it tasted okay, it didn’t feel substantial enough to make a “course” in a six-course menu. Granted, I’d find they were playing with numbers. One of the six courses was a sorbet. That’s cheating.

While I was scraping my plate on course one, other diners were enjoying an amuse bouche from the kitchen. What’s wrong? I don’t rate?

The creamy oyster soup was divine. It was scented with applewood smoked bacon. This is the only dish where anyone said anything about what was on the plate. All the other courses were simply plopped down on the table. Typically, in tasting menus, the waiters will explain in detail about what you’re about to enjoy. It’s a little theater.

The scallop with a vanilla-laced sauce was also excellent. Scrumptious, you might say. Now, the plates were substantial enough to warrant real courses. But damn, they were coming out at record speeds. Folks, slow down. I almost said something, but as soon as the plates came out, the staff disappeared.

The sorbet was sorbet. Not fresh however, it was so solidly frozen that I imagine it was made long ago.

The entrée which came with an incredible “complimentary sweet corn spoonbread” was nice, yet not incredibly adventurous for a tasting menu item. Oh well, it was tasty: beef with veal sweetbreads. The wine-based sauce was scrumptious and went well with their pairing of a very fruit-forward, aromatic Merlot from Napa Valley, CA.

The decor at Lemaire was ultimately a little disappointing; it was classy, but a little dark, and a little less extravagant than I would have imagined. Fresh flowers would have perked the place up. I know they advertise live music on the weekends, but for their going-out party, why not bring someone in and spruce it up?

Whimpers. Hurried service, even a tad impersonal. Okay, more than a tad. At least the food had integrity. The dessert was nice, and came alongside a most delicious “tawny” port from Australia. I had drunk so much wine so fast… I couldn’t hardly make it out of the place. That was inexcusable.

My hope is that whatever Lemaire becomes in the coming months turns out to have at least equally good food. But even more, I hope they can work on the essence of their service. Having eaten at their sister property in Kiawah Island, I’ll say, service was far more personable and I never felt rushed.

Maybe they just can’t wait to turn the curtains and update the flavors?

Located on Richmond’s north side on Lakeside, Ave., Zed is located in what appears to be two former storefronts in a small strip mall, conveniently located right off I-95.

The space is modern, with original art adorning the walls, an exposed air duct following the ceiling, and spartan tables with butcher paper for covering. It reminded me in certain terms of Oxo in Charlottesville; here, however, the mood is darker, the ambiance less grand.

I started with a wonderful brioche and cheese “sandwich” appetizer with apples and walnuts. This dish was absolutely sublime. It was so good, in fact, I could have eaten a mountain of it. The textures and the flavor of butter, apple, an apple-spirit, and the cheese all came together in an interplay of texture, savory flavor and luxurious sweetness. I at once could forgive my dining partner for choosing the appetizer I wanted first, a marinated mozzarella salad with garlicky dressing. This was better.

My appetizer was good, but not superb. I ordered the crab cakes which were served amid a basil butter. Between the two broken cakes were cheesy grits (they were good).

The crab cakes were dusted in corn meal and fried; they lacked the cake-yness that many folks complain of; instead, it was mostly all crab on the plate. Nothing was wrong with this, of course; the flavor profile however was a bit bland. Some sort of sweet drizzle over the crab would have heightened flavors; more salt in the grits… we could have had a real winning combination. The size was good, not overly large.

Along with bread, I was getting full. But our waitress tempted us with desserts; I could not resist the idea of banana/chocolate bread pudding.

This is something I’d like to try and serve guests to my home; I know it couldn’t have been difficult. The flavors were delicious. It could have been even better with a real vanilla crème anglais sauce on top; maybe even one with some white chocolate folded in. Instead, we got simple whipped cream. Not awful, but a more sophisticated sauce, offering more wetness, and maybe even a more fragrant chocolate (a Guittard or even a Schaffenberger) would have sent this thing over the top.

We both would like to return to Zed. But a few notes:

• my dessert was served on a chipped plate.
• new silver is not brought out for each course; I think it should be.
• food service was quick.
• our waitress was a smoker. I didn’t like finding that out.
• our waitress bumped into another waitress twice. Tight spaces.

This place has gotten a lot of press and friends recommended it. They seem to have priced things for a good value on the amount of food you get; the cocktail list wasn’t cheap.

On a Saturday night, there was a 30 minute wait, arriving at 5:30 PM, an unusual time for me to arrive for dinner. Nonetheless, despite the cold, we could eat in their make-shift dining room extension, a patio enclosed with a temporary “tent,” complete with a centerpiece made from an upside-down feather Christmas tree. That decoration sums-up the idea, I think of the restaurant… something familiar, but different; not trendy, but it has 10% retro flavor, 80% noisy clients, and 10% too little space.

I ultimately ordered their prime rib sandwich, served french dip style. This was not what I wanted, but they were out of the avocado sandwich. Other items ordered included the hummus appetizer, a fish entrée, the prime rib entrée, fish tacos, and a tossed salad.

We left quite full, but no one was crazy about their meal.

My sandwich was okay, but there was nothing especially endearing about it. The fries, however, were the real star: crispy with a coating (I am guessing cornstarch). Good fries.

The prime rib was huge, but I am not sure my friend liked it. It was cooked to the correct temperature, etc., but the other accoutrements on the plate looked plain: lots of squash/zucchini.

The tossed salad: “Horrible.” The fish tacos: drippy. “Not terribly appetizing.”

The fish “dry.”

The most disappointing thing was the cocktail I ordered, their take on the Manhattan. This was my first time trying this drink, and so I accept some fault on my own. But it was the worst drink I’d ever had, and I could only stomach half of it. Despite it sitting on the table, no one else dared try it.

But the entertainment of watching my face curl from each attempted sip was rather entertaining.

Kitchen 64 has potential, but nothing was over the top for us. The black bean hummus platter was likely the best thing ordered, but there was nothing especially interesting about it: you got a big lump of mashed beans in the center, sliced onion, feta, olives, and cherry tomatoes with some pita bread. It works, but that was about it.

Despite our disappointment, there were plenty of folks there, obviously having a good time. I am willing to try them again for breakfast some day. We’ll see.