Review and Tidbit: RM Seafood, Las Vegas and more on sustainable seafood

I just happened on this article in the New York Times about sustainable seafood. I love reading this kind of stuff...this guy is doing a fish co-op!

And for locals here in Morgantown, there's a great new article on Richwood Grill, which has some info on seafood. I think this is the best article on Richwood Grill that I've read.

I've been wanting to do very short reviews of our list of favorite restaurants, so here's some info on RM Seafood in Las Vegas. I was on a work trip, and since it was right before the holidays, I was thinking it would be good to eat light and clean. Sushi would be perfect!

I thought that I found out about RM Seafood on sustainablesushi.net, but now I can't find it when I search. It must have been when I saw that Nobu is NOT a place that serves sustainable seafood that I looked for another place to go. I had also seen this in a magazine on a United flight on the way home from New Orleans in October. Hadn't had sushi for years, but the article about sustainable sushi caught my eye.

Anyway, here is the chef's mission statement (which totally sucked me in)...

"At RM Seafood, we are committed to use organically grown, sustainable produce and sustainably caught seafood. We have made a public commitment to solely purchase sustainable wines by June 2008 and 95 percent of the menu proteins come from sustainably raised or caught seafood. It is our goal at RM Seafood to help our guest connect their individual buying decisions to the health of the oceans and the soil."

So, I was obviously anxious to try RM Seafood, and it was on the entirely opposite side of the strip from where I was staying (i.e., the side closest to Treasure Island, Caesar's Palace, etc), tucked in a corner in Mandalay Bay. A 20-30 minute walk, but definitely worth it. The walk seemed safe enough...I wasn't nervous at all.

My luggage got lost (argh) so I was dressed very casually, in jeans and a cashmere cardi and sneakers, but I felt very comfortable there. I did not have a reservation, which was no problem, I sat at a high table in the bar. Ambiance was clean and modern, there was a tv in the bar with sports on.

I don't know if I'd say this place is kid-friendly, although it was loud enough that kids probably wouldn't be disruptive if they were well-behaved.

The servers were very friendly, with lots of good advice. Not snobby at all, and very interested in the fact that the restaurant serves sustainable seafood.

So on t0 the chow. There was bread with the meal, little biscuits and corn muffins. I wanted to not eat them, but they were irresistable. (Oh well, the 30 minute walk, right???) On my first visit (yes, I went twice), I had the garlic tuna sashimi and the dayboat scallop nigiri for my meal. On the second trip, I had some Taylor Bay scallops and the oyster sampler. Seven oysters on the half shell, all from different places. The small menu described the origin of each, with characteristic flavors. It was so interesting! One said that it would taste like cucumbers, another would have the taste of pumpkin seeds. They were all right on!

So in a nutshell, easily some of the best sushi/seafood I have ever had...and guilt-free to boot!

The oysters were a lot of fun, I thought very approachable for someone who hasn't tried oysters before. They were small in size and very manageable. (I don't know about you, but I'm not a big fan of having an oyster in my mouth for TOO long.

The price wasn't cheap, around $50. a trip. But, I did have a glass of wine each time, which was probably around $10. Well worth it, though. And I would imagine comparable with any other upscale sushi joint in Vegas.

Will definitely go back whenever I'm in Las Vegas. In fact, if I would have had the time, I would have gone back a third time on the same trip. Definitely a good departure from the indulgence, noise, etc. that abounds in that city. LOVE!

Take a look at the website...there's good info on sustainable seafood there.

Review: Richwood Grill, Morgantown, WV

So my nephew had surgery Friday, and Haley and I were on our own in Morgantown, without Mindy and Jeff. We headed, as we often do, to Richwood Grill.

We know about Richwood because a.) Morgantown is a small town, and b.) we know the owners. There are several other places to go for a nice evening out in Morgantown, but not if you really want local, organic, sustainable type food. For example, one night Haley and I went to Cafe Bacchus. The special was lamb, and I LOVE lamb. So I said to the server, "hey, where does the lamb come from?" His response, "you know, from sheep." True story. Back to Richwood...the chef told us last night that he's only doing Atlantic seafood, to get stuff that's as close as possible. And, you can always catch him at the farmer's market (when it's happening) gathering up stuff for the restaurant. So good deal.

We usually wear jeans to Richwood, which is totally fine. Some folks dress up more, and that's fine too. Everybody fits in fine. It's not at all stuffy.

Ambiance is always nice. Dark, but not too dark. Interesting local art to view. The chiminea on the deck was lit, and looked real cozy. The restaurant was plenty warm last night, and it was SO cold outside. I don't know about you, but there's nothing I dislike more than freezing my arse off in a restaurant.

We didn't have a reservation, and a reservation isn't required at Richwood. There wasn't a wait last night, and there usually isn't. However, the restaurant can get pretty full.

I don't know if I'd say Richwood is kid-friendly. I'd say yes, because it's pretty laid back, but I'd say no because there is no kids' menu.

Service is always good, very friendly staff. No snobbery here (I really can't handle snobbery). No long waits for food, or anything unreasonable. If there's ever a wait for food, it's usually a pleasant one because they play great music, and it's a nice place to just relax and sip a drink.

On to the chow. Last night was a special menu, the Rum and Chocolate Dinner. However, the regular menu at Richwood Grill changes with the season, and really has something for everyone...excellent grass-fed beef, vegetarian dishes (Spring Creek tofu), sustainable seafood, etc.

The wine at Richwood is never a disappointment. They offered a flight of three rums with the Rum and Chocolate dinner, so I didn't have wine last night. The rums were very good with the meal, they were all easy to sip. Now I don't know much about rum, or any other booze for that matter, but I always trust Richwood to have great pairings. So far, I have never been disappointed. (And if you're wondering, I did not end up with a buzz after drinking three shots of rum with dinner, so that's nothing to worry about. Although I should also mention that I wasn't driving last night.) If you do know a lot about booze, (scotch, tequilla, whatever), Richwood Grill has an extensive menu and I'm sure that the chef would be more than happy to gab about it with you.

There was bread with the meal last night, and it was brushcetta (more like crostini) with a not-too-sweet chocolate on top. We both got a plate with three pieces. It was tasty.

The salad was mixed greens with grape tomatoes and goat cheese from Firefly Farms, topped with a balsamic dressing with a touch of cocoa. I liked it as well (although I'm not a huge fan of the spring mix), thought it was very fresh. I especially liked the taste of the dressing and the tomatoes together.

The entree was really good...free range pork (a loin chop) with a cocoa rub and sauce that was super tasty. The rice on the side had some herbs that made it match up really well with the pork. There was also some nice looking broccoli on the plate, but that went into my go box. (I almost always end up with a go box...the portions are pretty generous.)

I think that the dessert was my favorite course...a poached pear on top of a white chocolate chestnut mole. It was sweet, but not too sweet, the pear was still a little crispy, and the mole had a nice texture and an amazing taste. The rum seemed to be a little lighter and less sweet than the first two, which was a good thing.


The folks at Richwood really do a good job with local, organic, sustainable. But I know that because I gab with chef. People who don't might not get a great feel for what Richwood Grill is doing. Plus, Richwood Grill doesn't advertise a ton.

I thought the price for the four course meal was completely reasonable. It was $35 without the rum flight, and $50 with the rum flight. (I also wanted to mention something else here...Haley and I both usually only eat out once a week, which makes meals in this price range more doable.)

Will definitely go back. Looking forward to the Valentine's Day Dinner! If you're in Morgantown and haven't tried Richwood Grill, check it out. Same if you're just passing through.

Going to DC to pick up a painting (I'm the one with no kids and hence no college funds to save for) from some friends of mine. So, stay tuned for a review of Restaurant Nora. We're also going to Coppi's Organic, a pizzeria in DC and we'll talk about that.