Sharifa S.
Google
Let me start by saying I’m a hermit. I work at home. I adore my husband and children and being cozy in our house. It takes a movement of God for me to dress up and go out because my everyday is lovely.
That said, my husband declared that he’d made reservations at Neighborhood Services to celebrate our anniversary. “Okaaaayyy,” I smiled, intrigued, and a bit nervous.
Good food attracts us to a place; thoughtful and welcoming staff make us loyal. And this hermit is willing to crawl out of my happy little cottage again and again for Neighborhood Services.
Rhea, the General Manager, greeted us at the door and welcomed us with a lovely “Happy Anniversary!” and led us to a cozy booth. I am pretty shy upon entering new places, but her presence was like a deep exhale. During the evening, Rhea offered spot-on wine pairings--like, they were ridiculously good and perfect complements--that truly elevated our meal.
Next, our server Mimo managed to embody this hard-to-balance combination of attentive and subtle. We hardly needed a menu because of his cool expertise. He anticipated our needs and gave stellar recommendations with warmth and attentiveness to what we liked, and yet he gave us plenty of room to just be alone on our date. Excellent service.
We had an extra treat of being served some courses by Chef Davidson. I adored chatting with him as he shared the story behind a given dish, like the secret ingredient in the irresistible garlic bread (besides childhood nostalgia) or the decadent cheese included in the sumptuous Mac and cheese. Chef’s explainers made each bite that much more delectable.
Some food highlights for us:
The oysters we devoured were fresh and slightly briny. If you enjoy raw oysters, you will love these.
My husband (who does not choose veggies on a menu, ever) and I both enjoyed the crispy asparagus with dill sauce.
I CANNOT get that buttery, salty good garlic bread off my mind. I cannot believe how obsessed I am about the bread.
We enjoyed the Italian offerings of arancini and Caprese salad, too. And that garlic bread….
Hubby had the filet, which I stole a bite of. He smiled the whole way through it, and I can see why: it was tender, flavorful, toothsome.
I had the haddock, which was gently flaky except around its brown-butter crisped edges. I wish there were more; it was delish.
The mac and cheese was tangy and unctuous, and the Brussels sprouts (which my husband also enjoyed), smoky and meaty.
At the end of our night, Jordan, the valet, was just as kind and celebratory (and quick) when we went to retrieve our car as everyone else we encountered.
Our time at Neighborhood Services was well worth leaving the house for this happy hermit. We are so very thankful to everyone who made our anniversary date so special.