Lauren B.
Yelp
OMG. Had reservations here for my early birthday dinner on a Wednesday at 6:45pm. The restaurant was fairly busy but not quite full with plenty of available seating at the bar. Upon arrival, my fiance and I were asked who's birthday it was and I excitedly claimed it as mine! It was a nice touch that because his mother made the reservation and told them that we were celebrating a birthday, they went the extra mile to wish me a happy birthday at the door, personally. We were seated promptly and my fiance's parents arrived just a couple minutes after us.
I ordered the Shagbark Smash with blood orange, Aperol, vodka, and lemon. It was delicious! I actually ended up having two.
For starters, we ordered the Mussels, the Fried Oysters, Pork Belly, and were also brought some of their house bread with honey butter and sea salt. All the appetizers were delicious, not only the main component but all components -- even the collard greens with the oysters and the grits with the pork belly. My soon-to-be father-in-law said that the grits were some of the best he had ever had!
For dinner, I had the Short Ribs with pappardelle pasta. The dish was amazing! So delicious, and the short ribs were cooked perfectly. It was obviously rich, so I ended up boxing half, which is going to make a perfect leftover dinner!
For dessert, we had the Sticky Toffee Pudding and OMG -- it was SO good. All of the food here is perfectly balanced, and the toffee added a nice crunch. They even brought it out with a candle for my birthday!
All in all, 10/10 -- food, drinks, and service. It's safe to say that Shagbark might be one of my new favorite restaurants in the Richmond area!