Article and photography by Chris Fellini
It’s Easter Sunday, and we’re in Richmond looking for a place for dinner. Most of the places I’d been meaning to try are closed today, but one place that has been getting a lot of buzz definitely isn’t. In the historic Jackson Ward neighborhood of Richmond, which is undergoing a revival right now, sits Saison. Small and unassuming, we almost pass right by. We walk in and the host asks if we’ve got a reservation. We don’t, but since there’s only two of us he quickly steers us towards a table in the back of the room with a good view of all the action.
The place has a small bar with maybe a dozen seats and somehow manages to squeeze seven or eight tables into the space, not much larger than a Chesapeake McMansion’s living room. The interior reminds me of my grandparents home in New England. The wood floor is original to the building and the walls are adorned with the kind of outdated kitsch that instantly makes one feel nostalgic, from the yellowed map of South America to the dusty mirrors all around. Our server brings us water in an old apothecary jar and menus, which have been glued inside of old hardcover library books. The menu is short and concise, and we have luckily stumbled in shortly after they’ve switched over to the spring menu.
smoked cheddar pimento biscuits
The focus here is on modern takes of classic Southern cuisine. The menu opens with an impressive range of starters and snacks, from sopas to smoked beef tongue. We start with the fried chicken skins and the smoked cheddar pimento biscuits. The chicken skins are a no-brainer because, let’s be honest, it’s the best part of fried chicken anyways. They come with house made pickled cucumbers, jalapenos, and onions. There’s also a gochujang sauce smeared on the plate which is almost better than Texas Pete, dare I utter those words aloud. The chicken skins are tricky to maneuver with a fork and knife and we quickly resort to eating with our fingers like the savages we are. The flesh is crackly and crisp, though certain parts have a bit too much cartilage. After devouring the chicken skins, we move to the biscuits. They come with a marmalade to add some moisture. While the smoked flavor doesn’t come through as strong as one would expect, the overall experience is thoroughly enjoyable. The pimento cheese gives these biscuits the perfect creaminess. These biscuits may give your mama’s recipe a run for it’s money. As we’re finishing with the small plates, our dinners arrive.
Nashville hot chicken with a side of macaroni and cheese
The server tried to sell us on the Sunday chicken dinner special, but the rest of the menu is too enticing. Many of the options are gluten free or can be made so, and they don’t leave vegans out of the mix either. In fact, the menu very succinctly tackles land, air, sea, and garden in an seasonal way. To be honest, you probably couldn’t go wrong with most of the menu. After inquiring what the fish of the day is (branzino, also known as European sea bass), I stick with my first thoughts: Nashville hot chicken with a side of macaroni and cheese and more of those delicious pickles. My girlfriend pouts because she was thinking the same thing, but settles instead on the Rundown. The Rundown is a seafood soup with baby octopus, shrimp, crab, mussels, and sweet potatoes in a coconut habanero broth served with toast.
The Rundown
My dinner comes out with the obligatory breast and leg, standard for Nashville hot chicken. Although there was a touch of heat, the chicken could definitely have used more cayenne. The mac and cheese almost steals the show. Rich and velvety, this tastes like Sunday buffet mac and cheese. I’d almost wager that this mac and cheese is better than any Baptist potluck recipe. Taking a bite of the mac and cheese adorned with a pickle really creates a full flavor experience, blending a sweet and salty crunch with a creamy and tender finish. The Rundown, with the use of coconut and habanero, is like a modern take on a Lowcountry crab boil. Each piece of seafood stands out on it’s own, yet all add their unique brine to the broth. The sweet potatoes are a nod to our region, and the habaneros amp up the kick from mere cayenne. The toast is a necessity for sopping up the remnants of the broth. As our bellies begin to cry out for mercy, our server brings out the updated dessert menus for the evening.
honey yogurt panna cotta with strawberry and rhubarb
I’ve always been a sucker for strawberry and rhubarb. I owe my love affair of the sweet and sour fruit combination to my stepfather’s parents in Minnesota, where every year they harvest an abundant crop of rhubarb that they ship to my folks. It’s a flavor that always makes me feel like spring has arrived, so I am ecstatic to see a honey yogurt panna cotta with strawberry and rhubarb. The dish comes out and the presentation is stunning, to say the least. The dessert features dried strawberries and a rhubarb gel, with a kind of crumbly granola blend strewn throughout the mix. The panna cotta serves as the perfect rich background noise to the loud spring flavors bursting in my mouth. It’s tricky to figure out where to start, so I just begin to blend different components of the dessert in each bite. After sharing two rich appetizers and a heavy dinner each, the greatest part about the whole thing is the sublime lightness of this dish. I mean, it’s got all of the flavor one could ask for, but stops just shy of making me contemplate undoing a buckle on my belt.
The one downfall to the end of our meal was the coffee. Saison offers several different coffee options, from cortados and cappuccinos to nitro cold brew and straight espresso, I go with a double shot of espresso, which comes out completely burnt. The drink is sour and metallic to the point of being undrinkable. I decide to get a cortado, thinking the milk will improve the flavor. While the milk is properly steamed, again, the espresso just cuts right through and leaves an awful aftertaste. The espresso doesn’t ruin the meal, however. It is disappointing, though, as one would expect a place featuring nitro cold brew (a relatively new process that involves injecting coffee with nitrogen to give it a rich, creamy taste without adding milk) to be able to pull a proper espresso shot.
As we’re heading back to Norfolk, with Richmond in the rearview mirror, I sit back feeling content. A fun day visiting Belle Isle and touring the city has come to a close with a phenomenal meal that reminds me yet again why the South has the best American food culture. I don’t care that Southern cuisine has become a trend reaching as far north as New York City, here below the Mason-Dixon line we’re doing it right. Talented chefs are getting back in touch with their local farmers and finding innovative and modern ways to recreate the classics of our great grandparents. It’s a beautiful thing to taste.
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