"I would like to have visited the restaurant before writing this review, but the e mails I sent inquiring about their menu and wine list were rebuffed with very strange one word responses. The Passion the Restaurant website claimed the restaurant was fine dining and recently purchased, so I wanted to check out a few simple things first (as I have learned to do these days). Fine dining is a restaurant experience that is typically more sophisticated, unique, and expensive than one would find in the average restaurant like Outback, Olive Garden, etc.; think Ruth 's Chris, Morton 's or especially Bob 's Steak and Chop House. Many restaurants serving beef attempt to misguide customers about the quality of their beef in various ways. Fortunately, the USDA has stringent marketing regulations against this, but restaurants will continue to shamelessly try anyway. I asked three things directly about their menu in the e mail, the first was if their Ribeye was actually graded USDA Prime (because they list it on their menu as Prime cut which isn 't USDA Prime, but I just wanted to see if the owner would be completely honest about it). Below is the e mail string in it 's entirety by Passion the Restaurant (with their one word responses): Original message From: Chris A @yahoo.com Date: 9/8/21 4:57 PM (GMT 05:00) To: [hidden email] Subject: Question About Your Menu Passion The Restaurant 1036 Volvo Pkwy #3, Chesapeake, VA 23320, Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions about your restaurant. Your menu includes two beef steaks; a Ribeye Steak 10 oz. Prime Cut Certified Angus Beef and an 8 oz. Black Angus aged Filet . 1. Is the Ribeye graded USDA Prime or is it a Certified Angus Beef brand Prime product. 2. What is the USDA grade of the beef tenderloin, if it isn 't a CAB beef product? 3. Your website menu has a repetitive 2 page wine list by the bottle ; do you have any wines by the glass? Thank you again for your time. Cordially, My name My e mail My phone number On Wednesday, September 8, 2021, 06:00:40 PM EDT, hrvaeating [hidden email] wrote: W Yes. Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone Original message From: Chris A @yahoo.com Date: 9/8/21 8:07 PM (GMT 05:00) To: hrvaeating [hidden email] Subject: Re: Question About Your Menu Passion The Restaurant 1036 Volvo Pkwy #3, Chesapeake, VA 23320, Not sure what the Yes was for. Was hoping for a little more detail, please. Can you provide that? It would certainly be appreciated, thank you... Cordially, My name My e mail My phone number On Wednesday, September 8, 2021, 08:53:46 PM EDT, hrvaeating [hidden email] wrote: Yes Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone Original message From: Chris A @yahoo.com Date: 9/8/21 9:24 PM (GMT 05:00) To: hrvaeating [hidden email] Subject: Re: Question About Your Menu Passion The Restaurant 1036 Volvo Pkwy #3, Chesapeake, VA 23320, I 'm just checking your menu before arriving, guess we won 't be trying your restaurant. So much for fine dining in Chesapeake. In fact, I will be forwarding this chain to everyone I know in the area... Cordially, My name My e mail My phone number hrvaeating [hidden email] To: Chris A Wed, Sep 8 at 9:49 PM OK Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone That was the end of the e mail string... Every restaurant that uses the word Prime on their menu or exterior signage (especially when it precedes the beef item), should be ready to back it up with a grade USDA Prime shield. That 's not just for steaks either, but also for that so called advertised Prime Rib , because if that rib roast isn 't actually graded USDA Prime, it 's just another generic quality standing rib roast. But a more truthful USDA Graded Choice shield, would look pretty odd sitting next to an advertised Prime Rib roast (so they don 't, they just fool you into thinking it 's graded USDA Prime). Obviously, Passion the Restaurant is attempting to create the illusion their beef is of a higher quality than it is in reality. They intentionally hide the fact their beef isn 't USDA Prime, nor is it dry aged in any specific way that would reflect fine dining quality (just wet aged in the cryovac bag it was purchased in, does nothing to tenderloin since it has no heavy connective tissues to break down). Oh, I didn 't even bother about their generic wine. They claim to be fine dining , but won 't admit their food quality or wine availability by the glass..."
