The Roosevelt — Restaurant in Richmond

My first exposure to The Roosevelt was a quick phone call to make sure they had bar seating. My call was answered by a charming lady who not only assured me they do, but that I could get a full dinner menu. She even confirmed my arrival time to make sure I could be seated when I arrived. The drive from my hotel was somewhat I retesting because the neighborhoods I had to drive through were somewhat sketchy, but where the place is located is actually a very nice neighborhood going through a rebirth, with lots of young professionals, although the only parking available is on-street, but not metered. When I went into the beautifully restored building I was met by the woman with whom I spoke, and she greeted me by name. I grabbed a seat at the bar after she introduced me to the bartender, Jesse. The bar was extremely well-stocked with top shelf and local liquors and wines, but only three craft beers and one cider. Their mixing ingredients are all fresh, locally-prepared and extensive. Herbs for muddling are in a planter on the bar along with an entire collection of various shrubs and fruits which Jesse regularly utilized in the creation of a number of high-end signature cocktails. And even as busy as he was, he still made time to chat with me about music, drinks, and whatever. The menu was diverse and matched the online version, so I was able to order based on what I had seen online. The harder part was selecting a wine from the extensive menu. I ordered the seared scallops, which were excellent, although for the price, I would've hoped for a larger portion. Since I was still hungry, I went back for dessert, an excellent little dish of absolutely decadent chocolate mousse. Overall, an excellent meal in great surroundings hosted by...

So glad I was able to experience this place. The staff was super friendly and helpful for their menu and recommendations for other places to enjoy while in town. I sat at the bar and the bartender was quick and attentive as were other staff. I started with the tartare. I appreciate when a restaurant makes an effort to present you with more than just beef. The flavors they use are great and the bread they serve it with is excellent. By far the most recommended plate by the staff was the catfish and I had to see what all the hype was about. It was a bad choice because I will probably never be able find another catfish plate like this. It was absolutely delicious and I feel for people who think they know good catfish when in reality, if they haven't eaten this one, they have no clue. To drink I had the Danville Rattlesnake. I chose it because I thought the citrus in it would pair well with the fish and it surely did. The smokiness was subtle enough to where it complimented and did not overpower any part of the meal. The bartender was nice enough to share a small sample of a Pinot Noir he likes to drink with the catfish and I must say it's a combo I wouldn't have thought of but definitely pairs well. Also, I asked for a tiny sample of their crab soup and it was hands down the best I've had in the States. The dessert was awesome as well. I can't remember the name but it was a creme brulee and the kicker was the pepper. It's a perfect sized dessert with a deep flavor. The pepper came through every few bites for me which balanced it so well. A local couple who sat next to me were awesome to talk to and super friendly. Definitely wish I had at least one more night to experience the place again. Absolutely a must...

I don’t want to give The Roosevelt any stars but that was the only way I could get into the page to rate it. There were ten of us from our garden club with reservations for 7:30 PM on September 25. We arrived about five minutes early so our table was not ready. That was okay but we had to wait outside. Finally someone in our party went into the restaurant to check on our table at 7:50 and it was ready. No one bothered to come out and tell us that our table was ready. That was the beginning of a VERY LONG EVENING. This was not due to our party being slow choosing from the designated menu but the restaurant completely ignoring us. We finally had the waitress take drink orders and we had to choose from a limited menu because the size of our party. The price of the dinner was pre decided by the Roosevelt ($35 plus 20% tip). The 20% was fine which we all are use to for parties of 6 or more. Our orders were finally taken and we waited for our meals for at least an hour and a half. All evening we watched tables being served, eating and leaving and we sat there waiting. No one ever came to the table to explain the delay. Finally a member of our party asked TWICE if there was a problem and the answer was that they were busy. We finally finished our meal and carried our desert with us because it was now after 10 PM.

Food was just okay but you can bet this group of ten will...