Pinky's — Restaurant in Richmond

Summary Review: Pinky's was an amazing first experience, they have a great thing going on in a growing area of Richmond. 3 tapas, 2 drinks and a coffee, $102 before tip. Menu is functionally 100% gluten free, slight upcharge ($2) for some items to swap ingredients/breads. Date night with the wife; we left with full bellies, holding hands and chatting about the experience before we left the door. Would visit again without hesitation.

Detailed Review: My wife and I worked opening restaurants for a number of years from Anaheim to Boston. Mostly bar/management focused, but corporate eyes for a all other elements that go into a thriving restaurant that grows with repeat business. We walk in the door, (2) hostesses great us immediately and compliment our dress-up for the date night. We joke about having a night away from the kids while they check their Sunday night seating chart. I also notice a 'chef' silently greeting us with a smile behind the counter from the open kitchen.

Atmosphere feels quiet but alive. We were seated quickly, 40° outside but it's toasty inside Pinky's. December sun has since been under the horizon even by 5pm, but the windows all through the building promise a warm light during daytime. Open concept, no echo. Tables around us are: nuclear family with kids in their teens/20s, mom/dad/grandparents with a toddler playing with coloring page (not sure if Pinky's provided but I wouldn't be surprised if it was), 3 ladies on gals night, and a 15-20 banquet style table of I assume VCU students.

McKeane B. was our server, we tell him we've got 50ish minutes to dine-dash and make our show that evening. He advises us the select entrée items that would be tight on that timetable because of the detail in their prep. We order 2 drinks and 3 Tapas: All items are 8s-10s out of 10. Would order each again if we weren't tempted to try through the whole menu. (copied details from their online menu, skip to paragraph break for experience details). Caffe Trieste - Signature espresso martini: Belle Isle Cold Brew Coffee Moonshine, Kahlua, Tito’s, Amaro Averna, almond, cinnamon, vanilla infused Angostura bitters, Afterglow coffee rinse. Holiday Road - Seasonal Beefeater Gin, grapefruit, lime, cinnamon syrup, mint, aperol. P.E.I. Mussels (spicy)- Steamed in housemade spiced coconut broth, lime, fresh cilantro, pickled fresno chile, grilled crostini. Lamb Papas - Braised lamb, crispy roasted potatoes with asiago, manchego, harissa aioli, lamb gravy, pickled radish, citrus honey drizzle, aleppo pepper. Pinky’s Classic Meatballs - beef, chicken, and lamb with shaved garlic, San Marzano tomato sauce, Parmigiano-Reggiano, fresh basil, arugula.

Silent chef from our arrival table touches within few minutes of final items arriving. He is the owner Stevie, forgive me if I spelled the name wrong. Thanks us for coming in and shares that it is his mom's meatball recipe. If we didn't have a show immediately after dinner we would have asked for boxes for the leftovers. I could have dipped saltine-crackers into any of those dishes' sauces and enjoyed it for a late night snack. We tabbed out with time to spare if we moved quick. In our haste to leave, my wife forgot her purse. We'd made it to the corner and down Summit Ave. 40 yards before one of the staff came running out to deliver it. Shout out to Cary for saving us having to fret over that. Shame on me for not asking names, or I would also spotlight the two hostesses and the young lady polishing glassware who helped my wife charge her portable...

Came here for the first time as an early dinner date, had made reservations but arrived a bit early and were seated w/ no problems.

Server was attentive, prompt, and gave honest assessment of dishes / drinks when asked for input...easily the best thing about the visit was the speed & attentiveness of the server.

Atmosphere was more or less standard Scott's Addition / "hip Richmond" fare, but the restaurant was bright, open, airy, and reasonably well decorated without seeming overdone...it appeared as though the restaurant would be hosting a large event later that evening though, so the tables felt a LITTLE too close together in such a large space. Sure enough, once it got towards the end of the meal a large party came in and sort of stood awkwardly milling around roughly ten feet from where we were eating, which was both offputting and made conversation a bit more difficult due to the noise.

Food was...a mixed bag. We chose the restaurant based on the variety and uniqueness of the menu, but the food we ordered seemed (overall) to fall flat. Apps: Crispy Pork Belly Didn't get to taste this, but was told it was the best thing either one of us had...I believe it, as it looked good and disappeared off the plate pretty fast :D

Grilled Watermelon & Feta This was a "try something new" order, and the flavors just DID NOT play well together...watermelon (even grilled) is A) wet, and B) sweet...the feta was quite thick and dry, and while I got the theory behind a sort of saltier cheese pairing with the watermelon, in practice it just didn't work out...also, the sauce and greens were incredibly bitter, and basically destroyed whatever flavor combo the melon and cheese had going. Entrees: Bone-In Porkchop The porkchop itself was cooked more or less perfectly, with a good sauce to complement it; however the combo of peppers on the plate as a side and the other flavors present made it feel like it was just a little spicier than it was "supposed" to be. The sauteed sugar snap peas were delicious, and the potato that came with the porkchop had some nice crispiness and was quite tasty; it would have been fantastic with the ribeye as well (more on that later).

Bone-In Ribeye The ribeye itself was cooked more or less perfectly, and was quite tasty, but the presentation (as well as the incredibly dull knife I was given to work with) made the act of eating it feel like a chore. The greens were fresh and plentiful, but tasted bitter, and the potatoes were just...weird. When we tasted them, we both agreed there was so much lemon flavoring that it was like eating a piece of lemon pound cake, which is normally quite delicious but does not go well with ribeye. All in all, it felt like the above-listed foods and one "pretty good" cocktail each did not justify the $150+ ticket (before tip), and afterwards we agreed that the food just felt as though it was made in a way which was technically proficient, but that the things on each plate simply did not belong together. I've noticed some other people commenting that they didn't believe the cooks were diligent about tasting the food they are serving; I'd be willing to believe it based on what we had.

Overall, if I was invited back for a drink and/or tapas with friends I'd consider it, but neither of us felt like it was a location we'd add to our regular rotation of places to eat...

Writing this review is absolutely heartbreaking for me. I gave Pinky's the one honor to impress a guest who's never been to RVA - and unfortunately they left a salty taste in our mouths (literally). I woke up this morning with my mouth still feeling salty from the night before.

I've been to Pinky's numerous times over the last couple of years - and last year, I hosted my birthday party here (it was fantastic!). This review is as biased towards Pinky's as can be.

FOOD: We ordered all the classic hits they're known for - the pork belly, calamari, octopus, chicken piccata, and their rotating risotto.

The Pork Belly was the best thing we had all night - great taste, and the only thing not oversalted. Calamari is always good. That's where it went downhill.

The Octopus was the worst thing I've had in a very long time - and this is not a joke. The Octopus itself was actually decently cooked and not rubbery, but the sauce absolutely ruined it. The amount of salt was absolutely absurd and there was no taste to the sauce other than that. Black Garlic is already overly strong, but there was no acid or sweetness that could cut through that sauce to make the dish edible. There's a random potato with an artsy cheese display - absolutely unnecessary little addition that is just for a photo.

Chicken Piccata gave me high expectations, as I've had it a few times before with good memories. The portions are great - but it tasted like it was deep fried and then salted again. The saltiness made the whole thing inedible (again, heavy handed with the salt).

Someone did not taste before sending the food out - or the kitchen just went insane with the heavy hand on the salting the sauces, batters, and the finishing. All of the people with me were overwhelmed by the salt, so it wasn't just me either.

SERVICE: Service here is always great - this was no different.

OVERALL: Someone dropped the ball - and hard. Maybe Pinky's has changed since I was here last year, but this was not the salty impression I wanted to leave on someone. Kidneys gotta recover.

I’ll leave the door open to update this review if things turn around. But for now, I’m planning my next birthday elsewhere. My kidneys need the...