Last night we had what may well be the surprise meal of the trip at the Blue Apron Restaurant and Red Rooster Bar in Salem, Virginia. Joan and I use the Zagat ratings often to evaluate restaurants we do not know but would like to try – so we have a good feel for the relationship of the ratings with value ( on a scale of 0 to 30) offered. I would rate the Blue Apron with a 27 for food, 25 for decor and 25 for service.
The Blue Apron is the first restaurant for husband and wife team Chef Scott Switzer and architect Ashley Tayloe Switzer. We will get to the food in a minute, but first much praise for the work of Ashley on converting a downtown warehouse type space into an elegant yet homey and comfortable dining room. The high ceilings with classic ceiling fans, exposed brick all round and indirect lighting gave the space a feeling of home, while still being a special occasion place ( the were several couples on dates at tables for two). Right on Main Street, The Blue Apron, along with some other restaurants and bars, gives small town Salem a nightlife corridor housed in authentic nineteenth century buildings.
We arrived at 8:15pm and the room was mostly full with pairs of well dressed women of a certain age dining in twos and fours, one older family of six and the aforementioned dating couples. After being seated against the brick wall we were greeted by our server, Arzu (means gift in Turkish), a young women with short black hair in her 20’s wearing a Red Rooster tee and a Blue Apron logoed apron. We asked her if we could photograph the beautifully done chalkboard high on the wall with the day’s specials and she excitedly told us that she creates this daily, with attention to finding interesting fonts to write with. Imagine, artists for waitresses – sounds like NYC.
For starters Joan ordered the Maryland Eastern Shore (local, well sort of)crab cake special With artichoke and avocado aioli. Crab cakes being Joan’s go to favorite, she reports that this was maybe the best she ever had. I ordered the seared Hudson Valley foie gras with black currant and fig compote on a toasted brioche and sitting in a persimmon custard that was simply outstanding. After a long day on the road and a lot of fruit out of the cooler, the fat and flavor of the foie gras was delicious. Joan drank a glass of white Bordeaux while I started with a draft Local (Legend) brown ale that was well chilled and had the taste of a Stout, before switching to an Albarino when they brought out my appetizer.
I had an herb basted black grouper for my entree with asparagus, fennel, citrus diced and cottage fries. The fish itself was a thick cut and well prepared though lacking much taste on its own. The flavor of the dish really came from the hazelnut red pepper romesco emulsion that was hot and tangy and tasty. Joan opted for an appetizer size portion of the pan roasted Spring Lamb with tomato eggplant ratatouille, that was delicious and just the right size.
During this course Chef Switzer came out to chat with us, having heard that his restaurant was “being scrutinized”. He was very friendly and told us that they had been open for around 18 months and hoped to offer travelers like us, as well as locals, an alternative to the chain type food in the area. I can say his accomplishment went way beyond such a modest goal and I am pretty sure his sights are set on James Beard level recognition. Reading up later on Chef Switzer, we found out that he is a Culinary Institute of America graduate, learned his craft both here and in Europe and worked at the Relais & Chateau restaurant, the Ryland Inn, which is not far from the iSi North America office in New Jersey.
Dessert was a shared peach cheesecake with kiwi and strawberry that almost broke our hearts, it was so good. Our late night herbal tea was a local product with chamomile and spearmint called Monk’s Prayer and made by Salem based Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea.
Before we left, we stopped in the adjacent Red Rooster Bar to photograph the Brooklyn Lager spigot on tap for our son-law Tom Price to see, as he is a brewer at this top, New York City based brewery .
We hated to leave and hope we can go back soon for another wonderful meal at the Blue Apron Restaurant & Red Rooster Bar.
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Do I detect the start of new careers??
If you are taking your pics with an iPhone, try turning on your HDR setting – you may find that you get better lighting results, especially with challenging shots like this restaurant exterior.
Really enjoying your postings – I almost feel like I’m there with you you.
Enjoy and happy trails!
Looks awesome! Tom and I should stop there on our way from DC to the orchard next weekend — it’s on the way, only an hour and half from the orchard!
i didn’t realize driving to the florida keys, and so awesome red snapper, so many years ago that i was hangin’ with a future gastronome. the restaurant sounds terrific and the photos capture its product vividly. my favorite pic – the teacup is front of the cleaned dessert plate. looking forward, hungrily, to the rest of the reviews.