"I have been wanting to dine here for YEARS. Celebrating an anniversary felt like the right time to finally go. I had high hopes for this place and they exceeded them! The parking lot is tiny (and full), but the host was helpful in finding a place I could park. Our waitress is an aspiring chef herself. Her passion for food was so evident and made the whole experience that much better. The wait staff seemed to be attentive and friendly at other tables as well. We sat at a booth/tabletop. They have a beautiful bar. The atmosphere was elegant, but not pretentious or over the top. It 's a place that doesn 't demand a suit or dressing to the 9 's , but it was nice to dress up a little. It is fine dining after all. They had a current promotion where you could order an appetizer, entree, and dessert at a discount. We ordered a 1/2 dozen raw oysters, beets labneh, shortrib rigatoni, valrhona chocolate pudding, and tiramisu. They also serve you fresh bread with a little terrapin butter. The promotion made our dining experience very affordable. There regular prices aren 't outrageous though. The tasting menu is definitely the way to go if they don 't have the promotion going (4 courses: starter, pasta, entree, and dessert and you 'll probably have some food leftover). Plus, it 's quality food that will be just as good the next day. If wine is your thing, they had a nice selection as well, not to mention a short list of mocktails that sounded good. The waitress told us about how the oysters all come from a single oyster farmer. They come from the Chesapeake Bay near the eastern shore. My girlfriend described them as the best oysters she has ever had. They seemed much thicker than I 've seen. The beets and labneh tasted very fresh and flavorful. Even the toasted bread was seasoned. It seemed like a simple plate, but it was done right. The pasta here is made in house and it cooked perfectly Al dente. The shortrib rigatoni is slow cooked for a long time. It was tender. The sauce had a lot of flavor. The linguine and clams was clearly made with high quality ingredients. The wine sauce was complex and made with love. The red pepper was perfect on it. I 'm always hesitant to order tiramisu because I don 't thoroughly enjoy the taste of coffee. Let me tell you, this tiramisu was so good! I would come back just to have it again. The texture was perfect, the flavors were perfectly layered, and I can 't say enough about it. The chocolate pudding was much better than it has any business being. It was rich, but not overtly so. The flakes of salt in it make it what it is. If you can 't resist chocolate, you 'll definitely want to try it. It 's a shame I took so long to check this place out, but I 'm so glad I finally did. Treat yourself and enjoy one of the best restaurants in all of Hampton Roads!"
