For a Valentine's dinner out, we chose Michele's and did their three course menu for $90 per person. To keep with the Valentine's theme (and knowing it would pair with seafood), I picked a pretty pale pink 2020 Peyrassol Cuvee des Commandeurs Rosé from Cotes de Provence, Provence, South of France. It had light notes of strawberry and lemon and was quite lovely.
For our first course, we each chose the same Oysters and Shrimp. Rappahannock oysters were served ice cold with a seaweed scotch mignonette and cucumber snow. Two shrimp were served with a light Green Goddess sauce and sweet cocktail sauce. We liked this dish and could have easily eaten another half dozen of each.
For my main course, I ordered the Grilled Lobster Tail that came with a winter corn pudding and lobster etouffee. The lobster was covered in herbed butter but the real star was the etouffee. A hunk of claw meat laid on top of the flavorful pudding.
Keith ordered the Roasted Duck Breast with duck confit, dirty rice, and charred onion. He also loved the New Orleans flavor that dominated the plate and found the duck meat to be cooked just right.
The main dishes came with two side dishes to share - Crispy White Sweet Potatoes in a maple glaze and a bright Celery and Date Salad. These were both tasty.
Lastly, for dessert Keith ate the Chocolate Torte with raspberry coulis, chocolate streusel, and a dollop of tart raspberry champagne sorbet.
I ate the Passion Fruit Tart filled with passion fruit curd topped with toasted meringue, and served with a light coconut sorbet. This dish was tropical and bursted with sweet tartness on the palate.
While the menu was a bit limited to feature Valentine's Day options, we enjoyed our food and I wouldn't mind returning to try some other regular options. Service was attentive and we noticed the bar area was most popular with both solo diners and couples.
Total Rating: 4.08
Food: 4.5, Price: 3, Service: 4, Ambience: 3.5, Accessibility: 5
