Close Encounters of the Food Kind and Farewell to RD's

Last night began a little strangely for us. On the way home from work we saved an injured red-tailed hawk from the side of the highway and rushed him to a rehabber (Raven Ridge ...go forth, donate. They are a super worthy cause!). 

Himself and I were then very late to get the little one to the meet-up point so she could spend the weekend with her Dad, and then she decided she didn't want to go. So whatever. 

We found ourselves and both the children needing fed for dinner and it was later then usual, so himself decreed, "Everyone in the car. We're going for dinner." He gave us two options, and after a mildly (never to be discussed again...lol) unfortunate birthday incident at the other establishment, it was decided we should head to RD's.

We were excited! We'd never eaten there on a Friday evening, but had frequently seen the wonders they post on their very active Facebook account. So we arrived around 5:30pm and were seated in the back dining room. It's less "diner" than the front room. Beautifully painted in warm tones, with great decor. We were near the kitchen, which is actually something I like. I enjoy the hustle and bustle.

We were seated and Tracie, our lovely waitress, went off to get our drinks. Loe and behold, a handsome gentleman comes out of the kitchen and said, "Dragons Gotta Eat Too, right?" Himself and I had a moment of confusion, and then a little stunned disbelief, and muttered a weak, "Yeah, that's us" (insert our awkward chuckle here). The owner/chef had recognized us, and we were a bit unsure how to proceed. Good thing he wasn't unsure, and is such a nice guy. He shook Himself's hand and told us about how he reads all the blogs since we reviewed them, and he likes our style. We briefly talked about how we appreciate that. Himself mentioned we are sad to hear he is selling the restaurant, as RD's has become one of our local Go-To's. RD explained he has some other work he has been doing and running a restaurant really takes a lot of time. He also said he would really miss the regulars. He then went back to his kitchen duties.

Yes friends, RD is selling the restaurant.  He and the great dining experience he has built will be sorely missed.  Let's face it... owning a small restaurant and being the head chef (and everything else right down to busboy) is not simply a job.  It begins to take over one's life.  I suspect RD is a man with priorities, and family tops his list.

"Are they going to treat us weird now?" I whispered to Himself.
"I hope not," he replied.

We carried on, not sure at first how to act. Our waitress was on her game, and Himself teased her, "We aren't reviewing tonight. Just treat us like normal people." She laughed, and said, "I am."

I believed her. I watched as this waitress hugged customer's children that came in, held an elderly ladies coat, and you could see in her the love of her job and this place. We spoke to her briefly at the end of the meal, and asked, "How much longer until RD's closes?" With tears in her eyes she said March 5th. She told us, she is hoping the potential new owners keep the staff, because they knows the regulars, and because this place really is like family.

I have seen this before when we popped in for a weeknight meal, or even breakfast. The waitstaff is on the ball, and obviously love what they do. They have people's drinks waiting for them at the table as soon as they see them pull into the parking lot, and they know their preferred salad dressing, or how they like the steak. Having been a server at one point myself, I can tell you, this is a skill.

Moving on to the food because that is what you came to read about... yes Himself lied to the waitress, we are always reviewing. 😉

Three of us had meals from the Friday special menu, and the teen had chicken fingers and fries. The littlest one had plank cooked salmon with sides of mushrooms and mac and cheese. Himself had the Tenderloin Tips and Crab Cake Dinner with Mac and Cheese and some of RD's baked beans (Those freaking beans are so damn good!) I had the Mushroom Ravioli with Chicken in Marsala Wine Sauce. I'll speak about my own dinner and let Himself wax poetic about his. (lol...I will)

Every Friday evening, RD has a special dinner menu.  For the most part, it's fine dining and looks like a Chef stretching himself to make the best.  On the other hand, it has things like Wings and Mac-n-Cheese on it.... because Dammit, they taste good!

To our shame, we never made it down there for the Friday specials, given our family schedule.  The sudden change this past Friday gave us the opportunity, and I made a bee-line for the place.  I mean.... I mean...... here's a blurb on their Friday menu from Facebook:
Venison loin medallions with cranberry and candied onion pan sauce...
Stuffed Cornish game hen with braised apple gravy...
Hickory plank roasted Atlantic salmon....
Yellow fin tuna di aman with sesame cucumber salad, Wasabi and ginger soy drizzle...
18 Oz marinated ribeye...
Stuffed mushrooms and more! Seeya tonight
Who could not get excited at that?  And More!

All of our meals except Da Boy's came with salad bar, and we each enjoyed a bowl of super fresh mixed greens with fixings of our choice.  I'm not a huge salad eater..... okay..... I'm a fat boy and I do eat salad occasionally, but you know what I mean.  That said, I get excited by a salad bar that exhibits FRESH produce and RD always hits that mark.

I chose a surf and turf offering from the 'And More!' section of the Friday specials.  Steak tips and Crab cake, with Mac-n-Cheese and BBQ baked beans as sides.

Now, people who revel in the perfectly matched meal will sniff at my choices.  On the other hand, folks who like flavor and good food will be saying "Hell yeah!".

Since my dinner was more like four unconnected dishes on one plate, that's how I'm going to write about it. 'Surf and Turf' is already a compromise on plating a meal, so why not just blow it out of the water altogether?

 The steak tips; Star of the show. To get right to the point, these little blobs of beef were as good as any New York Strip I've ever pulled off my own grill. Fork tender, just this side of moo'ing, and full of flavor.

The co-star; The crab cake, was mostly crab meat, sweet, slightly spiced, and an excellent offering of a surprisingly hard menu item to get right. The home made tarter sauce complimented the flavor instead of overpowering it, and that's a darn nice match.

In a supporting role, the BBQ beans.  I've tried to match RD's beans at home, and I've come close.  Only close, but not yet as good.  They make a bloody fine meal on their own, exploding with flavor and appearance (to a bean liker like me).

The other supporting cast member, Mac-N-Cheese.  It was creamy, smooth, and nicely flavored. For myself, I like to load my Mac-N-Cheese with flavor..... garlic, sauteed onions, spices, multiple cheeses, etc.  RD's version isn't like that, but a much milder and quite satisfying comfort-food Mac-N-Cheese.

I'm an admitted pasta snob, and I've have never made a secret of that. I find often restaurants either over cook pasta into mush (the worst!) or don't quite make it al dente, an Italian phrase meaning "to the tooth".  It represents pasta that is still firm, but not crunchy or raw. 

Ravioli is a hard one to get just right. The pasta in a ravioli has varying thickness and you have to be able to warm the filling without killing the pasta. Mine was perfect! The ravioli maintained their texture and was warmed through. The chicken was delicious, moist and flavorful. The sauce... I grew up on my Dad's Marsala sauce so restaurants have a high standard to meet. RD's darned well met it. Their Marsala was creamy and I could taste the wine. I could also taste the fresh garlic and herbs in it. I added a little more salt and pepper table side, but that is a preference thing. 

That is something I have definitely noticed RD's does right... Sauces. With any of their fish dishes, homemade tartar is always offered. House made Blue cheese dressing graces the salad bar, and the variety of wing sauces, all nailed! If they have them and you can get there (Before March 5th, sigh), try the Mustard BBQ wings. Sooo good!

After last night we agreed to head to RD's every Friday night from now until they close and one last breakfast on the 5th. For 4 years RD's has been a treat to the palate on the Southern End, and it's VERY, VERY sad to see them go. I personally will never forget our first visit, on our way out of town on a romantic trip to Virginia. They became our favorite breakfast local place in two bites.

"How lucky am I that I have known someone that it is hard to say good-bye to." -AA Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

 We are going to sorely miss RD and his fine, FINE food.  The man has the soul of a great chef, and we hope to cross paths with his masterful work again.

Whoever buys that place will have both a turn-key restaurant with a solid clientele in place, and some seriously large boots to fill.  I hope they are up to it.