Squid Eats: Hatchet

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It is with mixed feelings that we visit Hatchet in Richmond.  It's a perfectly acceptable restaurant but several years ago, it took over the space of what had been our family go-to: Bridge Street Cafe.  Bridge Street closed five years ago and we've only been to the new place twice now.  Mind you, Hatchet is definitely an upgrade in terms of decor, food quality and so forth.  But it's also an upgrade in price, not the easy on the budget choice for after work its predecessor had been.

Then again, it's been five years and the new place is still there and doing well.  My wife and I went on a recent Friday evening.  We got oysters for an appetizer.  Then I had the Section 119 Fried Chicken Sandwich, Korean BBQ style.  As a side note, I love the increasing popularity of Korean food aesthetics.  Koreans have been restaurant owners in the United States for decades but usually serve Japanese food because it's more popular.  I love Korean food and it's good to see it coming into its own in the United States.

I can't tell what the Section 119 business is about.  US Code 119 is a meals and lodging law.  Section 119 is also a clothing store in New York.  I have no idea what it has to do with fried chicken sandwiches.  The sandwich itself was tasty but enormous.  I had to knife-and-fork it.  Why pretend it's a sandwich if you can't actually eat it with your hands?  The fresh potato chips were excellent.  Good beer list, too - pretty much a requirement in Vermont.  No excuse when so much of the local product is so good.  Great service.  They have managed to maintain the family atmosphere of the previous establishment.

We still miss Bridge Street, much as I still miss the long closed Danny's Spaghetti House in Silver Spring, Maryland from my childhood.  Hatchet is too expensive to replace it.  But it's nice every once in a while.

Squid on the Vine

Château Musar, Musar Jeune 2015
My rating: 9.5
Dark chocolate nose
Cranberry
Starts spicy, fades to bitter
Lingering cherry aftertaste
Astringent
My wine ideal is a Château Musar from many years ago, as described here.  My wife had made sfiha for dinner so pairing Lebanese wine with Lebanese food was only logical.  This 2015 was lovely: big, spicy, exciting.  9.5 is the highest rating I've given so far.  What would I need to push higher?  Maybe a little more jamminess.  Chilean Cabernets and Argentine Malbecs have served well in the past.  Perhaps I should get back to those.  In the meantime, yes, I'll take more of the Musar, please and thank you. 

Clos de la Cerisaie, Anjou Rouge Cabernet Franc 2018
My rating: 7.5
A little sour
Light, fruity nose
Astringent
Starts fruity, finishes bitter
A little spice
This was a wine club wine for November.  As my wife pointed out, the wines have mostly been fine but nothing so amazing that we were dying to go out and buy six more bottles.  That's fine, though it is nice to be wowed from time to time.  This Cabernet was actually a bit disappointing.  The sourness was odd.  Maybe too young and needed to open up a little?  I don't know.  My lowest rating so far.