The Roosevelt opens on 25th Street

Yay! Can’t wait to be a regular!

God must love Union/Church Hill…to have blessed us with The Roosevelt. Keep up the good work…everything tasted terrific! (Seriously, Y-U-M-M-Y!)

The Johnny Cake with Garden Vegetables and Virginia Peanut Romesco was fantastic!

I’m with Daniel – very excited about trying it out.

Congratulations, Kendra and Lee (and John)! Had a great meal last night (pork belly and grits!) and look forward to going back again soon.

HURRAY! I can’t wait to go!

Don’t forget to patronize OMG Cafe too. They are putting out a great product at very fair prices.

every thing is great – love the place.
again i say – re think the va. only wines!!!! BIG MISTAKE.
What will be the corkage fee for byob.

UPDATED: I’ve posted the menu above with the photos.

Seems like there’s a lot of good eating to be found on North 25th Street these days, with OMG Cafe and now the Roosevelt. Good time to live on the Hill!

I ate at the Roosevelt last night (Friday) for the first time. I’ve been looking forward to their opening for awhile and last night was the first opportunity for me to go. I got there around 6:30 and there were tables available, but by 7:30 when I left they had a full house with a good mixture of diners from the casually dressed to people who were a little more dressed up.

The iced blueberry mint splash drink was perfect for the hot weather we’ve been having. Chilled yellow tomato soup with crusty bread for an appetizer, also a great summer dish; light and refreshing. The special was a mahi-mahi steak with a grilled vegetable sauce/topping. Also really good. I’m very happy that there is another high quality restaurant close to home. The staff are very nice and the decor is simple yet sophisticated. I love that light blue-on-blue floral wallpaper.

I’d like to see a few more vegetarian options. The two-top table by the window might could use a little sheer curtain up high or an awning as the sun was coming in pretty strong there. The front door also needs a little tuning, as I saw a few people struggle a bit with it to get it open and closed completely. But those observations are minor.

The Roosevelt is a delicious and welcome addition to Church Hill. Hopefully an addition that is here to stay for a very long time. I can’t wait to try the rest of the menu!

“Tay-tay, I don’t think we’re in Church Hill anymore.”

Saturday night we had the best restaurant meal we’ve had in Richmond in months. Really. And the price was reasonable, too (I won’t name names, but think half the price without any of the attitude of the “lost dog” on Main street.)

We had the Mahi special and Johnny cakes entrees both served with perfectly cooked seasonal vegetables. Side order to die for: gnocchi mac-n-cheese style (my new favorite comfort food.) Blueberry-buttermilk-panna cotta for dessert. Every bite was fantastic.

All the plates coming out of the kitchen looked great…we found ourselves asking the servers/diners, “what are your having?” If we’d known em better, we’d a asked for a taste. Go with a group if that’s your thing.

The chef has really created something unique here in Richmond. And imagine, it’s in our own neighborhood?!

Kendra and John should get an award for the visual transformation of the interior: the new floors, the repainted bar and the gorgeous stenciling on the walls. The room is cool, classy and elegant, without being stuffy. Also nicely compliments the historic character of our neighborhood.

The opening of the Roosevelt is one of the best things that’s ever happened in Church Hill. It sets the bar high, not only for our neighborhood, but for the rest of the Richmond restaurant scene. Wow, and it’s only a few blocks away…

any word on the ABC license?

That was the last hurdle holding us back from going.

Michael Lee’s Food Reviews – The Roosevelt (7/31)
http://michaelleesfoodreviews.blogspot.com/2011/07/roosevelt.html

The full food and drink menu are now posted on the website.

Ate there for the first time last night. Was pleasantly surprised to see a full restaurant with no seating available at the bar and a healthy wait on a Tuesday night – it speaks to the severe need for good dining in Church Hill and likely to the quality of this establishment. There were many things on the menu that I wanted to try, and for that I will have to return, but the oysters, hanger steak, and peaches and cream were all excellent. The portion sizes were such a treat – reasonable, not over-sized portions at reasonable prices. The American norm is to provide huge portions at slightly higher prices, which so many consider a good “value” but is nothing more than an unnecessary contributor to our obesity epidemic. Well done.

I have one suggestion: When our meals came out, the person serving them (who I believe was the owner; different from our server) asked my fellow diner and me the classic question these days: “Who has the hanger steak…” I don’t know why so many restaurants pay no attention to this little detail, but it’s one of those little details that can really set you apart from other establishments (since so few do it right). You have information about the table to which the two entrees are destined – it would take little change to indicate which seating position receives which.

The best restaurants in this country still do this, and I need only point to a Richmond restaurant that has former employees, including the chef and somelier, in common: Six Burner. They do this right, and so should the Roosevelt.

Ate there last night with my niece from Philly. Hard to express how amazing it was to walk a couple of blocks to have such a wonderful experience. The food was great and the service and atmosphere were top class. If you havent made the trip over, don’t wait any longer.