Patina Grill
So for Valentine's Day we where off to Patina Grill as we did last year. It is by far one of our favorite places to eat in Richmond. Just to warn you, it is super fancy. And when I say super fancy, I mean super expensive! You are going to drop $30 for an entree. But in my opinion well worth it!The food at this place is ridiculous! That is the best way I can say it. If you are a fan of Top Chef on Bravo or any high end cooking show where food is presented all spread out and artfully and you thought, "Where do you get food like that?" This is the place!
I had duck (pictured below) and it was like an explosion of flavor. It was almost too much flavor! Julie got lamb. It was good. It really let the lamb shine, but I think the Duck was a bit more flavorful. But both were the best meal we have had in a long time. Oh I also forgot. We got empandas for an appetizer. Also very rocking! Fried to perfection. And the filling was really good. It was spicy and sweet at the same time because it has plantains in it. And desert... I don't care what you get, but you can't leave this place without getting some ice cream. There ice cream is seriously the best ice cream I have ever had. We asked the waitress one time what makes it so good and she said they make it on site and put cream cheese in it at some point. Holy Crap! Just get it and if you don't like it don't tell me because I don't know if I can be your friend any more. So enough about the food. The food is awesome end of story.
The service on the hand was really bad. We went on a Sunday (a day which they are not usually open) and it was very busy. I am going to blame it on under staffing. But I will say that it really bummed us out. The food is so good and when the staff are not attentive it really makes it hard to enjoy the evening. I understand that things were probably crazy, but our waiter would come to the next table and totally ignore us. Then come to us and totally ignore the other table. I am a pretty patient person, but I guess I just want to be acknowledged. Here is an example, from the time we finished our last bite of desert to when the bill arrived was 30 minutes. That is 30 minutes of no contact from the waiter! Trust us. Not an exaggeration, we timed it.
Overall, the service brought the evening down, but the food was great as always. If you are looking for a romantic special dinner - this is the place. Just don't go on Valentine's Day!
4 out of 5
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