Tony A.
Yelp
My desire for culinary excellence in Chesterfield County is strong and I take issue with the fact that a majority of 5-star restaurants are located in the city of Richmond. The suburbs appreciate great food as much those living in the city. There is a lot of money to be made in Chesterfield. If you build it, we will come.
I want Midlothian Chef's Kitchen to succeed but if their food and service continue their current trend, I worry they will go out of business. I'm saddened to say I don't think we'll be dining here anymore. Before I explain my recent visit, I feel the need to establish a baseline with my experience and expectation with this restaurant.
I dedicated my 300th Yelp review to Midlothian Chef Kitchen with a dazzling 5-star review on July 19, 2021. My very good friend celebrated his 50th birthday on October 9, 2022 with a fourteen-person party that was easily in the thousands of dollars, again a wonderful experience had by all. I've been here for food pairings, casual dining, etc. We've easily dined here half a dozen times. I've put my money where my mouth is.
On February 14, 2023, my wife and I celebrated our seventh Valentine's Day. We wanted to stay local so we chose Midlothian Chef's Kitchen. Our reservation was at 8:15. Look, I get it, couples may not be leaving their tables quick enough and that cannot be helped. So, we decided to sit at the bar and order a drink, which took an absurd 15 minutes for a gin and pineapple and a signature cocktail. Sometime later we were called for our reservation and were seated at a lovely table where we proceeded wait, and wait, and wait some more. Where is the hustle? Where is the expediency? Was there an absence of appropriate staff for the evening? Where is the consideration and communication representing your business for your customers?
Finally, a friendly server came to take our orders. The food runners put on this cute demonstration serving the soup but it was cold. Usually, soup is served so hot you need to wait for it to cool before you can eat it. However, this was Creamy Lobster Soup and though I am aware that cream soups should be served at slightly lower temperatures; (190°F-200°F), mine tasted room temperature AT BEST and my wife's soup was cold. Was this by design or did the soup sit in the window for 15 minutes? I can't say.
The second course was the filet mignon. Again, what we were served was painfully ordinary. There was no heat, sizzle, sear, herbs or butter. The texture of the steak was off-putting, I suppose this is in part due to the sous vide cooking method. The sauce was the best part of this dish. If we are mailing it in, can we do something like a classic peppercorn crusted steak au-poivre? What's wrong with classic French cooking?
For the final course, we come to the desert. We had the Salted Caramel Pot de Crème, which was pleasant. I know this review may come off as sour grapes, but it was Valentine's Day. It's supposed to be a romantic evening with great food at a great restaurant and everything fell so egregiously flat. This experience missed the mark on every level of hospitality imaginable. Spending $242 I had hoped for more.