Pinchy's Lobster + Rawbar

Where to begin. I have been hyped for Pinchy's for several months now. So much so that I got a top fan badge on Facebook for them. My wife and I had been contemplating on where to do our New Years dinner, and Pinchy's was kind of chosen for us. I was messaged on the 30th about winning 2 free tickets to the Def Leppard tribute band event at the restaurant the night of the 31st, and decided to jump on the offer.

Upon arrival at 8 pm, we were immediately greeted at the door by a very friendly member of the floor staff. He got us seated at a table promptly, and informed us our server would be there soon. I ended up wandering up to the bar to peruse the beer menu, and was randomly given a beer by another patron at the bar, who didn't like the stout he had ordered.

upon wandering back to the table, I was greeted by our very friendly waitress. She was extremely prompt and polite, attempting to answer any questions we had, and if she didn't know, immediately went to find out. I cannot remember her name for the life of me, But she deserves a massive shout out. we were the table that had the Lobster Roll confusion. I believe whole-heartedly she is one of the best waitstaff I have ever encountered.

My wife and I ended up ordering a few things before the main event, starting with Lobster Bisque, going to sushi choices of a Rainbow Roll and a Riptide Roll, and then an order of clam chowder queso and chips. Unfortunately, whether due to selling out earlier in the day, or poor planning for the evening, most of the menu was sold out in some form or fashion. It was kind of disappointing, as I was looking forward to a couple things that were already sold out.

My wife enjoyed the Lobster Bisque very much. I found it to be a bit on the room temp side, but the flavor was definitely impressive. The sushi rolls were absolutely fantastic, and extremely well crafted for the restaurant. You can tell whoever makes the sushi loves their job, and the presentation was absolutely pitch perfect. I would recommend however, that the name of the Lobster sushi roll be changed to maybe "Super Lobster Roll", so there is no confusion between that and the actual lobsters rolls on the menu.

The clam chowder queso and chips however, were a different story. The "queso" was cold, and more like an extremely thick potato soup, with the consistency of hummus. The chips (tortilla chips) were definitely stale, as they had that open for a few days texture to them. I still ate it all, but it was a bit disappointing as I was expecting a bit of a warmer dish, and more cheese to it.

At 9 pm, the Def Leppard tribute band Dave Fleppard started to play, and they definitely played hard. It was loud enough that I was extremely glad I brought ear plugs, as I couldn't hear anything else over the cacophony of instrumentals and vocals. I feel as though the space is too small to accommodate louder bands.

During the bands' performance, it was announced that the unlimited oysters and clam chowder were being served up. I was particularly excited for this, as I have never been a fan of oysters. However, they had Rappahannock oysters, which come from near the area of where I grew up in Virginia, and I was determined to give them a try.

I ended up eating 9 of them. The oysters were all shucked on the spot, basically seconds before they were taken to be eaten, and were some of the freshest I've seen in the mountains. The flavor of those oysters took me back to childhood, reminiscent of the scene from Ratatouille with the food critic going back to his childhood days. It was a flavor and texture combo that rang true of the Chesapeake Bay area, and had me entranced.

The clam chowder was a bit less forthcoming, and no where near what I was expecting. It tasted watered down according to my wife, and I tend to agree.

All in all, I would say it was a decent experience, though I would definitely recommend going earlier in the day, just in case they run out of items later in the evening. Thanks again to Pinchy's though for a fun night.