Capital Ale House
4 Locations in Virginia
623 East Main Street (6th and Main St.)
Richmond, VA 23219
In my post last week on Long’s Noodle House, I mentioned my trip to Richmond… Virginia… ^_^;;; Unlike my previous business trips, where I would be for almost the whole week, this was a short one and, since the customer wanted me to be on a Monday, I chose to fly during the weekend. When I arrived, I found out something disappointing of Richmond, VA: If it wasn’t because of offices, library or some US government buildings, it was pretty much a dead area. Of course, it was possible I was, again, in a “dead” part of the city… Anyway, I shouldn’t be complaining about things like this but, rather, just focus on the food. So, for today’s post, one of the two restaurants I visited during this trip (the other place I had my meals was the hotel restaurant, something I would rather not blog…). So, what was particular about this restaurant? It just happened it was suggested by a colleague who was there just before me…
The restaurant was broken down into three sections: the bar, the dining room and an area where there would be live music. I was tired from my trip and was not in mood for loud music – which I could hear even when I was half a block away. Likewise, I wanted to be away from the gaze of the waiter/waitresses, so I asked for a table.
A beer bottle for a vase? I can live with that! ^_^
After checking the menu, I made my order. And, with my order, I also got a salad:
I will admit, the salad was quite decent, specially if I compare it to other “freebie” sides I have received with my meals in my trips. (Freebie, as in part of the meal, not something “on the house”). The dressing was raspberry vinaigrette which was a bit too sweet and not tangy enough. Not that it matter that much, as I am among the odd people who can eat salad without any dressing or vinaigrette. But, what made the salad was those small pieces of grilled/baked peppers. Wish more places would include grilled peppers in their salads…
For my main, I ordered a “Brat & Knack Plate”, which, according to their menu is “a Usinger’s knackwurst and bratwurst served with kraut, sweet & sour red cabbage and warm German potato salad”. Before anybody says anything, I think I messed up here. Since I was still tired from the flight, I don’t think I was thinking straight. Heck, I didn’t even check the specials of the day (as I was walking out, past their sandwich board on the street, I found out it was pork tenderloin). So, why the hell would I order this? Sometimes I have to live with my mistakes…
Anyway, I will have to say both sausages were average, as I did not find anything special about them. Is it possible I have been spoiled by the ones found in Vancouver? And I am not talking about the “fancy” ones found in places like Oyama Sausage; heck, I am talking about the pork wurst found in supermarkets! Probably it is because of the cooking method they used, since it looks like they just boiled them. In my case, my preferred cooking method (if I don’t have access to a grill) is a mix of boiling and pan searing, i.e., boil them in just a bit of water until the water boils away and then let it there to sear slightly…
As for the sides, actually, all of them were good. The one I like the most was the potato salad. Sorry the picture of the salad did not turn out that well. Finally, the sauce used, whole grain mustard, at least helped the wurst.
Overall, if I have to base my opinion on this single meal, I will say it was disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, ambiance-wise, it might be more suited for locals. So, it is possible I did not give them a fighting chance; but, as a traveller, that is all I can give them…
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How can you go to a place called ‘Capital Ale House’ and not even mention beer?? I know you were tired, but gosh the beer HAD to be a highlight, wasn’t it? What were you thinking? I think you really missed the boat on this place. I hope the rest of your trip was good.
M. Lee, welcome! Actually, there is a reason why I did not order beer: Since this is a business trip, I would, eventually, charge things back to the customer. Sometimes, it is NOT a good idea to have these included in your expense report… ^_^;;;
Definitely look boiled, which is too bad because part of fun with sausages is consuming all those nice, black, crusty carcinogens from the BBQ!
Life is short. If the black/crusty carcinogens did not kill our ancestors…
Hi – Richmond is definitely a locals town and you were in a “dead zone.” Lots of businesses, but you have to know where to eat. If you are ever in the area again, feel free to check out my blog with local restaurant links or check out http://www.eatingrichmond.com. It is a local foodie aggregator.
pjpink, welcome! Thanks for letting me know. Next time I am in the area, will check you site for options.
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