Merroir Tasting Room — Restaurant in Virginia

This was one of my favorite places. Absolutely loved the view, the food, the oysters, the service and the wine. I preface this with a very clear understanding the changes we have all had to make during covid and I work in the industry. The previous statement in full consideration, Merroir has blown it operationally as to how they have chose to operate during covid and worse, they are missing opportunities for improved income.

Yesterday was Mother's Day. Like a large number of others, we arrived early (11:30, 30 minutes before opening). There was already a line. that was expected by me and I also called the day before and spoke to a young lady at Merroir and she indicated that it was expected by them as well. Here is where the failures begin:

People that showed up well after us and even longer after the people in front of us in line started putting personal items on tables (Inside the chained area thereby reserving seats and preventing people that showed up early and patiently waited in line from likely being able to secure a table to enjoy their meal. This was soon followed by people then grabbing tables and chairs from that area and moving them towards the water where the picnic tables are located. Once again, these people where not the people that had arrived early and waited in line for 12:00. there was no management or employee engagement or correction of these actions in any way. It actually became a bit of a free for all. At this point, people in front of us began to leave, realizing that the place the chose for Mother's Day was not going to work. Management could have addressed this and quite frankly should have been prepared for this. Mother's Day is historically one of the biggest days for the restaurant industry ever.

Choice of Covid service. this is another epic failure. The choice not to use servers. The idea that you are to wait in line, order everything you want at once, including every round of drinks and appetizers and entrees or small plates, then go search for one of the aforementioned stolen tables while you wait for them to call your name and they give you everything at once. Being in the industry, I have eaten out in restaurants often to support the industry and experienced various methods handling COVID-19 service issues. This is the worst. Merroir is not a McDonalds. That is not the experience that people drive there or boat there for. It is not the experience they pay those prices for. It does not work. It makes the dining experience awkward and unpleasant. The long lines are prohibitive to multiple trips to waiting to go order more oysters or another beer, or an entree after your oysters or shrimp. Casa Del Barco in Richmond uses an app on your phone to order from the table and you pay each time you order something, ( a bit of a pain ), but it meets the goal of minimalist contact for service during COVID and still allows your food to be brought to your table by a mask and glove wearing runner. Still not perfect, but a better fix than the current Merroir experience.

Another miss on Merroir's part was the boat bar. If I owned the establishment, I would have that open. Especially on Mother's Day and nice weekends. It can take the load of the food order window (if Merroir is determined to chase customers away with current service plan) and allow for guests to atleasts get beer, wine and maybe raw oysters if equipped.

Being a huge fan of all thing Rappahannock Oyster Company, this was difficult to write. i will be staying away and encouraging others to do so also until they make some very...

Update: Merroir has seemingly bulked up their Seafood Roll and I’m increasing this review to five stars. Thank you!

A Delicious Disappointment: Merroir's Miniature Seafood Roll

If you're headed to Merroir in Topping, VA with a hearty appetite and high hopes for their much-touted seafood roll, brace yourself for a letdown of diminutive proportions. While the flavors were on point, the portion size left me feeling like I had just shelled out $24 for an amuse-bouche rather than a satisfying meal.

Let's start with the positives - the seafood itself was undeniably fresh and expertly prepared. The tender morsels of crab, shrimp and lobster harmonized beautifully with the tangy dressing and buttery, toasted roll. Each bite was a delightful dance of briny sweetness.

Moreover, you can’t beat the view and wonderful dock for boaters like myself.

However, those delightful bites were far too fleeting. The filling was so scant, it's as if the kitchen was rationing ingredients for an impending apocalypse. I found myself playing a game of "spot the seafood" as I hunted for the precious bits of crab and shrimp amidst a sea of dressing and bread.

At $24, one would expect a roll substantial enough to satisfy an average appetite. Instead, Merroir's seafood roll seems tailored exclusively for the most dainty of diners or perhaps a discerning mouse with a penchant for gourmet fare. Even after savoring each minuscule morsel as slowly as possible, I was left with a rumbling stomach and a sense of culinary injustice.

In conclusion, while Merroir's seafood roll earns high marks for flavor, its portion size is a egregious affront to hungry patrons. Unless you plan on supplementing your meal with a magnifying glass and tweezers, it's hard to justify the exorbitant price tag for such a meager offering. Next time, I'll be taking my crustacean cravings for seafood rolls and dining dollars to a restaurant that values leaving their...

My wife and I ate here last Friday to celebrate Father’s Day weekend and her birthday. This was our first stop when we arrived to the Northern Neck.

First of all, this location is as picturesque as it gets. They’ve done everything perfectly as well to take advantage of the beauty of the mouth of the river. Whoever is responsible for the grounds is very talented!

For the food, we had Oysters of course which rivaled the best I’ve had in coastal Maine. Very fresh and delicious. Ceviche was incredible as well, A for execution. I don’t usually order this many things but saw that they had Watermelon-Mint Jalapeño Gazpacho and had to try it. Holy crap that was amazing. I need that recipe! lol.

Unfortunately the entrees were not as impressive. My wife had the scallops and they were delicious but you got 4 small to medium scallops with a little bit of grilled corn and sauce. That’s more of an app it seems but oh well. The only major disappointment was the Rockfish special. My fourth or fifth time getting it at restaurants and this was by far the worst. The fish itself was edible but oversalted. Every bite just tasted like table salt. I could be wrong but it also didn’t seem incredibly fresh. It wasn’t flaky and had a dense slightly oily texture which I don’t recall from other times ordering it. Equally as disappointing was the sad yellowish green overcooked asparagus and handful of white beans underneath it as the accompaniment.

Our waitress was very friendly and worked very hard. She was stretched thin so I can’t blame her for our check taking a long time to arrive at the end.

I definitely will be back. My only feedback is the Rockfish. Everything else was stellar and memorable for my wife and I. Definitely visit this place. Rating a 4 due to entrees being off the mark but the rest of the experience...