3 March 2021
I really didn’t think I would come back to this blog, considering the damage COVID has caused — especially to the hospitality industry. So many of our cherished restaurants closed for no fault of their own, so many of the dedicated, hard-working individuals lost their jobs, livelihoods, and dreams. So devastating it hurts, having gone through with the pain of this loss in the past myself.
For me, often as a lone diner, the entire joy of dining out has withered away in a world of social distancing. The days of hanging out at the bar eating and chatting are gone, and I feel guilty about taking up a 2-top for restaurants desperate to maximize indoor dining revenue despite reduced capacity. So much we all took for granted is now gone…
I recently took a small roadtrip loop around Virginia, having not been on the road for nearly a year exactly. I’m still not flying, and this is the longest I’ve not been on an airplane since Ronald Reagan’s first term… I was forced to book a hotel stay because Hotels.com was about to nix my bonus stays — a really pissy practice in an age of COVID. Not surprised, as COVID-era corporate irresponsibility is the topic so few people talk about (ie my landlord raising my rent in middle of the lockdown).
Nevertheless I was determined to make the best of this unplanned trip. Heading out at dawn and making stops in Harrisonburg and Staunton, I turned back east and headed to an expected location — Gordonsville. Not a surprise as I have often said Barbeque Exchange in Gordonsville is the best BBQ in Virginia by far. Grabbed my take-away and made good time for Richmond, where my hotel was.
Nice to see the hotel, one of the many carbon copy cheap builds out near the airport, properly sanitized (though they over-sanitized the TV remote and it was no longer working…). But I didn’t care about the TV (aside from it being white noise in poorly-built hotels), just about my BBQ… Delicious stuff, some of this would be snacks for either later or breakfast. So good, and as always, highly recommended.
But the main point of this trip was to have a good night out. I decided to return to my favourite place in Virginia’s capital, The Roosevelt. I’ve been there a few times, but only wrote one review — of an excellent evening of food and drink. I ensured a late seating in mid-week to hopefully feel less guilty about taking up a 2-top. Virginia had just lifted its more severe restrictions (10pm closures) a week prior, so my 8.30pm booking hopefully won’t be too rushed.
I arrived and was happily given a table at the window with the view of the traffic circle, all other tables distanced appropriately and busy with diners — which nearly brought a tear to my eye. So good to see people supporting their local restaurants. After I ordered (having seen the menu online), I took my mask off and breathed deeply…
Aside from that pale blue thing on my table, things almost…almost…felt normal again, for a brief moment. A cocktail soon arrived, and it felt like ambrosia, a magic elixir that cured all the ills of pandemic life. Just sitting there looking at drivers hilariously trying to navigate the poorly-designed traffic circle, sipping my drink, and listening to Batman (or Mr Mom, depending on your preference) at the next table humming along to the PA music. I suppose Betelgeuse misses nights out like this as much as I do…
Then soon my starter arrives, and I’m smiling even more…
Some beautiful fried local oysters on a bed of lightly-pickled vegetables. Lovely stuff, the oyster fried perfectly — which is not always easy, as often they are overcooked or too aggressively breaded. Really nice start to the evening’s feasting.
Then at that point the proprietor came out to say hello (we had communicated by email earlier) and brought out an extra dish for me — radicchio and goat cheese salad.
Oh this was nice of them! Delicious, with ample goat cheese, which I absolutely love (and miss). This photo really does not do this dish justice, as the unique bitterness of the radicchio gives that rich goat cheese a perfect finish. A wonderful, if slightly too large, dish — thank you!
I relaxed a little and kept sipping at the lovely Barboursville rosé (I usually always drive by the winery to buy a case but timing didn’t work this trip…and I’m trying hard to not keep booze at home) when my main course arrived — rockfish.
Mmmmm, so good. The Roosevelt is known for a lot of things, but I have never had a fish here that was anything but fantastic. Cooked perfectly, crispy on the outside and juicy soft inside, and absolutely full of flavour. What a wonderful way to close the food portion of the evening, as that comped middle plate exhausted me for any possible dessert…
…but that doesn’t mean it won’t let me have a liquid dessert, so I indeed partook of some nice brown spirits and a heaping cup of coffee in lieu of the rather tempting items on the dessert menu. I was surprised that there were still incoming diners, including walk-ins, which again brought a smile to my face. By this time I assume the Bat Signal was spotted and my famous neighbour has departed after a joyous evening, and it was also time for me to go.
I headed out, thanking the crew for this wonderful evening. Again, if we weren’t all masked (and yes, even at my table, whenever staff came over I quickly put the mask on. It’s just the responsible thing to do), it would all seem so…normal. Perhaps that’s what made it even more special than usual. Thank you, Roosevelt, for reminding me of what was so wonderful to experience, and what is still here for us to enjoy and to continue to look forward to — hopefully in the near, vaccinated future.
Highly recommended, the best restaurant in Virginia. Probably the best restaurant between Wilmington, Delaware and Wilmington, North Carolina.
The Roosevelt
623 North 25th Street
Richmond, Virginia
PS: This evening also made me realize how much lockdown weight I have gained, as my clothes were no longer fitting correctly! I’ve actually lost over 10kg (~25lb) in the past 2 weeks going back to my pre-pandemic gym regimen…
melhuang1972 