This post is part of fellow book blogger, Beth Fish Reads‘, weekly meme called Weekend Cooking.
This is the first time I’ve ever written about a restaurant for Weekend Cooking. But, I was visiting family in Richmond, VA (my hometown) last week and had a delicious dinner with some high school friends at The Magpie. When I was growing up, Richmond was definitely not known for its restaurants, but it has recently gained some notoriety as an up and coming foodie haven. Every time I visit, I try to hit a new restaurant.
The Magpie is a tiny, quirky restaurant with an unique menu that changes frequently. Apparently, you need a 3 week lead time to get a weekend reservation. But, Richmonders, just go on a weekday!
We ordered a couple appetizers to share, each got an entrée, then shared dessert. My favorite of the appetizers was the asparagus (but, not just any asparagus!), which was a special, but is being added to the regular menu (good call).
Have you ever seen a more gorgeous plate of food?! And, it was as delicious as it looked. The “Baconnaise” was basically a bacon flavored twist on Hollandaise sauce (brilliant!) and made you forget you were actually eating “just a vegetable”.
For dinner, I had the Rockfish (Striped Bass, for you Northerners) with Squid Ink Risotto (this part of the dish stole the show!), Orange Curry, and Charred Pickled Cauliflower.
And, finally, we all split the Chocolate Beet Brûlée for dessert. I didn’t take a picture because, well, it was the end of the night, we’d had some wine, and I sort of forgot. But, I love trying weird combinations and the chocolate and beets were calling my name. The beets weren’t that obvious in the actual dish. You could taste just a hint of them at the end of each bite and I think they made the brûlée lighter than a traditional Creme Brûlée. Yet, again, it was delicious!
I’m a sucker for menus with some dish or flavor combination that I’ve never seen before and The Magpie hit the mark on this three times (the “Baconnaise”, the charred pickled cauliflower, and the chocolate/beet combo). I will definitely be paying this spot another visit to see what the chef comes up with next!
Oh, this is one of the few restaurants here I HAVEN’T been to! But I’ve heard so many great things and it definitely looks amazing. Glad you had a great meal!
It’s awesome and different – definitely give it a try!
I’m a sucker for creme brulee and so would have definitely given that unusual one a try. I just looked at the menu and saw a few things that looked wonderful. Now I kinda wish I had a reason to go Richmond. LOL.
It was far better than regular Creme Brûlée in my book! And the menu changes a lot apparently.
Oh what fun! I love trying different restaurants and menu items too. And while I probably would’ve skipped the fish that chocolate beet creme brulee sounds amazing! Sounds like a fun meal and I love the look of inside the restaurant!
What gorgeous food presentations! Just lovely. OK, those are some interesting ingredients. I’m not sure about the squid ink, but I love almost all fish, so OK. That asparagus dish looks wonderful. And I don’t mind beets (although my husband would not be happy), but never thought about mixing with chocolate. Fun experience!
Hmmm, chocolate beet brûlée! Interesting! I love quirky eateries like this that locally source their ingredients. Will keep this in mind next time we head down to Richmond. 🙂
What a wonderful meal! The display and playing makes for lovely photos. Asparagus looks great.
What beautiful plating of those unusual dishes. We don’t have the opportunity to experience such offerings in my area. And then I am always looking at the dollar signs. What fun it must have been to share with friends.
Food looks good – not sure about the decor…. Cheers
That asparagus!!! Everything about it looks incredibly delicious. I love going to restaurants and trying out new dishes that I would never thing to pair together. Though I’m a bit dubious about the beets. 😉 I love classic creme brulee!
We have a number of cutesy little restaurants in our local downtown (much smaller than Richmond, I’m sure), but we are lame and just frequent the same ones over and over…
Hey Sarah! That food looks absolutely stunning and I’m sure it was good! 🙂 Looks like someone had a great weekend! 😀