Yoonie L.
Yelp
I've heard so much about this place and it's been on my Norfolk hit list for a while. I was happy to have had the chance to check it out for a later dinner.
- The Vibe -
It was once an old church that they have since turned into a restaurant in 1989. The hostess gave us the whole spiel about the history and although it was interesting, I was distracted by the interior and also by my friends. I'll have to listen better next time and take notes LOL. The restaurant has two floors and it's just amazing to walk in and look at all the details of the stained glass windows and other elements. Beware though, I heard it was haunted in the wee hours.
- Service-
We got the corner table on the top floor and it was just the perfect place for us to sit. I enjoyed sitting there since I got a birds eye view of the bottom floor and
got the feel of the high ceilings. Our server was fantastic, super patient and good humored. She was an absolute doll!
- Noms -
They have a simple 2 page menu with a holiday themed menu currently.
They serve complimentary warmed rolls and butter. These were great!
Our table ordered to the following:
She crab soup - choice of cup or bowl, went with the latter and it's filled tot the brim, topped with a thin, hard, sesame type cracker. This is their award- winning soup and although it was good, there seemed to be too much sherry flavor for my personal preference and there really wasn't that much lump crab in there.
French onion soup - French onion soup, however, for me was the clear winner of the two soups! Maybe I am biased because I love French onion soup (but I do love a good she crab soup too), but I really loved this one more than the crab soup! The broth was light and very flavorful, but not salty! The cheesy-ness and the bread. I got order envy since my friend ordered this one.
Crab dip - this had a great flavor, nice and creamy, but I just wish there was a better melted cheese topping on this. They provided a decent amount of the toasted baguette slices so the ratio of dip to bread ratio was perfect!
Shrimp pesto pasta - This was a good dish. Had some spinach, slices of mushrooms, and other veggies. Lot of cheese.
Prime rib au jus - We made the mistake of ordering this medium, so by the time we ate it, it was just a bit overcooked. Nice thick piece though and nicely paired with creamy mashed potatoes and lightly sauteed vegetables.
Vegetable curry bowl - can't comment on this as I didn't taste it, but it looked like a generous portion of curried vegetables served on a bed of rice.
Chocolate mousse cake - LOVE chocolate and love mousse so this was a winner for me. It was probably a bit overkill to have dessert after the massive amount of food we ordered, but I still managed to finish it LOL!
Overall, it's definitely an experience to dine at Freemason. The history and architecture alone, pulled me in. I appreciate the simple 2 page menu. They seem to do the dishes that they do offer, well.
Stay safe, Friends!