Vermilion, Old Town Alexandria - Chef Thomas Cardarelli Replaces William Morris

[Free Wilma]

Vermilion is moving????

[monavano]

Or is the NRG opening another resto? But what will the elderly gentleman who hawks outside do now?

[christopherc]

Or is the NRG opening another resto? But what will the elderly gentleman who hawks outside do now?

I am sure it is the group but was told Vermilion.

[daveha]

I can assure you that Vermilion has no plans for moving in the foreseeable future.

I can likewise assure you that an Old Town institution like The Fish Market would surely draw interest from several individuals & groups...like...say...Neighborhood Restaurant Group...

If anything does happen with The Fish Market, I will post here directly and make sure that Rockwelians are among the first to know.

Dave Hammond

Generally Managing Vermilion

I am sure it is the group but was told Vermilion.

[Gary Tanigawa]

I've enjoyed my visits to Vermilion under Tony Chittum. The last three times, I decided on having the four-course tasting menu ($50 for food/plus $20 for the optional four-wine pairings) because it had multiple items from the ala carte menu that I wanted to try (and I rolled in with a huge appetite). Not small portions like some tastings, but I do not think most people coming in with a normal appetite would feel stuffed. My one try with the wine pairings produced solid (if not surprising) choices. Vermilion also has seasonal cocktails that I have not tried. There is also a reserve wine list that I did not ask to see.

Last night, the appetizer course was grilled octopus with a bean salad, the pasta course was a trout on fettucini, the meat course was two lamb chops with a cucumber salad, and the dessert course was cheesecake with figs. Courses were well paced for this solitary diner (some kitchens do not appear to appreciate that I eat quickly when alone ;-). I thought the cooking of the fish was perfect. Lots of flavor on the octopus without being tough or chewy; trout was cooked through without being dry. Server did not ask me how I wanted the lamb cooked (and I failed to tell her), but it was nicely medium rare to medium. The cheesecake was wonderfully light, not sure if it was the goat cheese or technique. Plating was attactive: straightforward without any "architectural" diversions.

A link to the current (!) tasting menu.

[rubysoho]

Delicious dinner on Saturday night, getting praise from San Franciscans food lovers visiting for the weekend. The bibb salad was excellent, the dressing perfect. And the trout very good. Service and ambiance enjoyable as always.

[monavano]

Mr. MV and I walked into Vermillion last Friday at 6:30 sans reservation and were lucky to score a window seat right away. Unlike the experiences in another thread here, this popular restaurant's hostess couldn't have been more pleasant in accomodating us.

We ordered the charcuterie plate which had excellent tasty meats, cherry mustard and pickled veggies. The cauliflower soup with seafood sausage was sublime.

Our mains were the spring chicken (juicy, perfectly done) and pork (stuffed with figs and pistachios). Both were amazing yet simple plates. This is high caliber cooking that is made approachable by Chef Chittum.

The service was pleasant and attentive. They are obviously invested in the mission of the restaurant which centers around local and seasonal dishes.

[Walrus]

We'll be eating here tomorrow night with my (veggie) brother and sister-in-law. Has anyone eaten at Vermillion lately? What's not to miss?

[goldenticket]

We wound up at Vermilion on Saturday evening (after deciding against the one hour wait at Jackson 20) and walked out with our usual reaction - "Why don't we come here more often!?"

After a short wait (time to order a drink at the bar and enjoy it for a few minutes), we were shown to our table. The roasted olives starter is a simple but satisfying dish of warm olives and olive oil. I like the variety - I believe they included cerignola, picholine, and a few others, along with several triangles of warm whole wheat pita.

For our first course, I chose the roasted winter veggies - a room-temp salad of seasonal root vegetables topped with a poached egg. There were a few pleasant surprises in the mix, including fennel and golden beets. My +1 ordered the lamb carpaccio which include dried cherry tomatoes and a cold salad of tagliarini. The lamb was good, but lacked a bit of flavor - maybe a touch more salt or other seasoning would have done the trick.

One of the things I like best about Vermilion is that several of their entrees can be ordered as half portions. This is always more than enough food and we both chose this smaller size option. For me, it was the panko-crusted scallops (with celeriac mousseline, pineapple & hazelnut brown butter) and for him, the vande rose striploin (which included lentils and pickled tongue). My dish included 3 large scallops (maybe a little dark on the caramelization) that were cooked just right. The hazelnuts added a bit of crunch and the pineapple was a sweet complement to the sweet scallops. The striploin was tasty as always (even though I had my first, unplanned taste of tongue in the bite I was offered - doh!). We finished the meal with a shared dessert of pineapple carpaccio, olive oil cake, toasted coconut sorbet, and mint pearls. The carpaccio that lined the plate was a sweet, light counterpoint to the dense cake. The sorbet was worth fighting over the last bite . The mint pearls, while a pretty accent of color, didn't add a whole lot of flavor.

Vermilion is still a great choice in the neighborhood, their wine is very reasonably priced, and the service is always friendly and professional. We really do need to go there more often!

[monavano]

Goldenticket, I echo your sentiments completely. Mr. MV and I took our time getting back there after Chef Chittum took over the kitchen and did the "V-8" head-smack! It's a gem.

Yeah....I gotta go again soon. I'm way overdue.

[DonRocks]

Yeah....I gotta go again soon. I'm way overdue.

Definitely ask to sit in the C Section.

[deangold]

Definitely ask to sit in the C Section.

You're such a cut-up!

[monavano]

Mr. MV and I took my in-laws to Vermillion to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary. I made a reservation via OpenTable and noted that we'd be celebrating an anniversary.

We were seated upstairs next to a window-great view overlooking King St. Our server noted that we were celebrating, which surprised and pleased my in-laws. After giving us our menus, she came back with a glass of champagne for everyone. I was really thrilled-it started our dinner off in a special way.

We started with the charcuterie platter and in-laws were loving it-very impressed that all of it is made in-house. The pickled fiddleheads were crunchy and delicious!

My FIL and I got the sunchoke soup with meatballs and parmesan shavings. He was surprised to learn that the Jerusalem Artichoke was not, in fact, an artichoke and was loving every bit of the creamy soup. I was too. Tiny and perfectly seasoned meatballs sat in the soup under shaves of parmesan, which proceeded to melt and coat the meatballs over time. Clever, and I'm going to copy it!

The lamb wrapped in merguez was perfectly cooked and extremely generous-my MIL and I combined our leftovers to make a doggy bag.

On the menu was a dessert which Mr. MV and I enjoyed at the Farm to Fork dinner. Goat panna cotta in rhubarb soup was still delicious. We also ordered a brownie plate.

Everthing was so good-I couldn't have asked for more.

Oh, the amuse was a tiny glass mug filled with carrot soup, chive oil and chive flower. The soup was sweet (and maybe a little giner?) and the chive flower had a nice garlic/onion bite.

[Escoffier]

This is our go to place for any special occasion (like me getting home from South America (again) or leaving for Japan or whatever). Tony can always be counted on to provide something special and tasty. Andrew his sous-chef is a budding award winner as well. The quality and craftsmanship never varies no matter who's in the kitchen. Dave the manager has an amazing knack of finding special wines for every course. I have yet to be disappointed in anything that comes from Vermilion's kitchen.

[rosetd]

Thanks to the helpful folks at DonRockwell, I am (hopefully)about to add my words of praise for Vermilion in the correct spot in this site. Very recently, a friend and I had our first Vermilion dinner. It's hard to believe that we've lived in the area for many years and not discovered this gem! We tried the tasting menu with suggested wines and really appreciated how the "right" wine enhances the food. If you're going to get the tasting menu I strongly encourage also doing the wine pairing. Sitting in the window, peeking down on King Street is so much fun! We enjoyed flawless and knowledgeable service and delicious food...what's not to love? We'll be back.

[DonRocks]

Raised four spots in the Dining Guide.

[StarStraf]

One of the things I am truly enjoying about living in the DC area is the number of friends that I get to see. My friend B and his wife K were in town because B had a speaking engagement and they had Friday night free for dinner - so we jumped at the chance. B had eaten at Vermillion (http://www.vermilionrestaurant.com/) on a prior visit so wanted to share that with the rest of us.

We beat them there by 10 min so started with some of the January specialty drinks that focused on pineapple. I had a "promises, promises" which is tequila, basil-infused pineapple juice & citrus - I tasted no basil but I loved the drink, sugar rimmed it was like a sweet pineapple version of a lemon drop. Pooch had "the resolution" made of maker's mark, kahlua, ginger beer, lime & pineapple - I didn't care for it but he liked it.

Most of the seating is upstairs so if that is a problem for you let them know that when you make your reservations. We had a lovely corner table that gave us some privacy, half bench half seats, everyone was comfortable, though the bench side of the table had poor lighting and B had to hold the candle up to read the menu.

We ordered our starters (making sure to all order something different so we could do a pass around and try the others - I love enjoying meals with friends that do that). B ordered us a 2007 riesling-kabinett - willi haag (mosel-saar-ruwer, germany) that was wonderful. (Pooch is starting to become a person that can pick a bottle for the table so was nice to have someone else do so, and talk thru the why with Pooch)

Starters ordered were
roasted scallops yukon gold potato gratin, path valley leeks & black truffle sauce - I was very glad this was my choice cause I think it was amazing - the scallops were so flakey and tender and the gratin was a perfect match. The sauce was a gentle flavor addition.
slow cooked pork belly alsatian purple cabbage, red wine sauce & petite herb salad - oh the crispy skin was amazing!
Special starter of smoked artic char. - good flavor served with capers and onions
butter lettuce charred mediterranean octopus, fried bread & everything Caesar - good but the octopus was a but tough at the ends.

Pooch and B had glasses of 2006 domaine philippe plantevin (côes du rhí´ne, france) with the meal while K and I finished up the wine.
I tried to have the rare yellowfin but they were out (waiter lost a point when he didn't mention that when I asked questions about the sides with that dish). I had the forest mushroom cannelloni path valley swiss chard, garlic breadcrumbs & parmesan froth - yummy with a rich earthy taste. Other dishes ordered were
maryland rockfish kent island little neck clams, celery 3 ways & chowder froth, very tender and not overpowered by sauces like last time we had rockfish.
duroc pork loin slow cooked brussels sprouts, york apples & little sweet potato biscuits good but nothing to remark about, probably suggest something else.
pennsylvania duck breast duck sausage, pecan dirty rice, cranberries & turnips 2 ways - Very good almost a sweetness to the rice.

We looked over the dessert menu but nothing grabbed us so we skipped it. Our waiter was attentive but not in the way, and was good about refilling water

Dinner for 4 with wine and cocktails was $280 with tip..

Overall very good food, nice noise level - we were able to easily talk and laugh without feeling like others were so close we were disturbing them. There is a small of gas in the entryway because of the gas lighting on the outside and first floor and the bar area gets pretty crowded so getting back to the restrooms can be a case of "excuse me" a bunch of times.

As a bonus I now know that a cab home for the two of us from Old Town is about $10 with tip - nice to know for taking a walk / metro down there and being able to enjoy drinks and wine. And they get bonus points for finding my electronic brain that I had dropped on the floor and having it at the desk when I came by the next day.

[allmanblue]

So we, (my girlfriend, and me) have been looking for a night to try Vermillion for a while. Both of us have been in the industry and we have heard mixed reviews, but mostly good regarding Tony Chittum's place on King St. Overall our experience was pleasant but there was a few hiccups.

We started with the the fried Dragon Creek Oysters over sliced fennel, and the Smoked Arctic Char with Latkes and Horseradish cream. Both dishes were excellent and the oysters were fried and seasoned perfectly, although we had expected them to be raw. I thought the horseradish cream could have used another small dollop of horseradish. We both ordered the Nebbiolo by the glass and it was excellent. It was very reminiscent of a southern California Pinot, medium bodied, fruit forward, soft and very drinkable. For our entrees, I ordered the Striploin medium rare, with parsnip puree, sliced cabbage and fingerling potatoes. It was a fantastic dish. However, my girlfriend's raviolo dish was slightly a disaster. The raviolo itself was very good, it was stuffed with a healthy amount of lobster and scallop mousseline, then surrounded with a "seafood" foam. However when the dish is presented, the server also poured and entire teapot of lobster bisque into the dish. This presentation might have some flourish, but it really looks dull in the plate, and it drowns out the delicious pasta, and dilutes the foam. In fact, it reduces the dish into the "what were they thinking?" category. The second hiccup was our service, our server was very pleasant, but overly-obsequious in execution. Sentences like "would it be acceptable if you allowed me to bring you some ice-water while you looked over the menu" seemed so forced it made us cringe. Relax, we're here to have a good time...Also, from the moment we were finished with our meal, until we had paid and left was almost thirty minutes. Our server left and didn't come back for quite some time twice after she had dropped off the dessert menu and check,respectively. We will come back as there was so many wonderful thing about the restaurant. Great decor, quiet upstairs dining, and good food and wine will all play a part in bringing us back.

[daveha]

So we, (my girlfriend, and me) have been looking for a night to try Vermillion for a while. Both of us have been in the industry and we have heard mixed reviews, but mostly good regarding Tony Chittum's place on King St. Overall our experience was pleasant but there was a few hiccups.

We started with the the fried Dragon Creek Oysters over sliced fennel, and the Smoked Arctic Char with Latkes and Horseradish cream. Both dishes were excellent and the oysters were fried and seasoned perfectly, although we had expected them to be raw. I thought the horseradish cream could have used another small dollop of horseradish. We both ordered the Nebbiolo by the glass and it was excellent. It was very reminiscent of a southern California Pinot, medium bodied, fruit forward, soft and very drinkable. For our entrees, I ordered the Striploin medium rare, with parsnip puree, sliced cabbage and fingerling potatoes. It was a fantastic dish. However, my girlfriend's raviolo dish was slightly a disaster. The raviolo itself was very good, it was stuffed with a healthy amount of lobster and scallop mousseline, then surrounded with a "seafood" foam. However when the dish is presented, the server also poured and entire teapot of lobster bisque into the dish. This presentation might have some flourish, but it really looks dull in the plate, and it drowns out the delicious pasta, and dilutes the foam. In fact, it reduces the dish into the "what were they thinking?" category. The second hiccup was our service, our server was very pleasant, but overly-obsequious in execution. Sentences like "would it be acceptable if you allowed me to bring you some ice-water while you looked over the menu" seemed so forced it made us cringe. Relax, we're here to have a good time...Also, from the moment we were finished with our meal, until we had paid and left was almost thirty minutes. Our server left and didn't come back for quite some time twice after she had dropped off the dessert menu and check,respectively. We will come back as there was so many wonderful thing about the restaurant. Great decor, quiet upstairs dining, and good food and wine will all play a part in bringing us back.

That’s really odd, I eat there several times a week and I always find the service to be fantastic…it might be because I am the General Manager. Or it could be my imaginary good looks. Yeah, its probably the GM thing.

Thank you very much for the feedback, I was very happy to hear about half of it. The other half sucks and couldn’t possibly have happened in our restaurant. Alright fine, it may have Joking aside, I am sorry to hear that the Raviolo didn’t live up to your expectations. I do wish we could have rectified it while you were still in the restaurant. Both the server and the manager mentioned that they checked in and that nothing but positives were mentioned. I understand completely not wanting to complain, I am exactly the same way. Having said that, we know we are not perfect and would always appreciate the opportunity to rectify any missteps before reviews are written.

The oysters are listed as “Crispy Dragon Creek Oysters” on the menu. We just prefer the sound of “Crispy” to “Fried.” I am sorry if this caused confusion.

I wasn’t sure who the server in question was so I fired half the staff. Just to make sure, I went next door to Bistro Lafayette and fired half their staff. That didn’t go over as smoothly Again joking aside, your server Stenise has been with us for almost four years and while she is one of our best, she is not above making mistakes. I can see her coming across as formal but her personality typically shines through. Brightly. And if the random hugs she gets from guests are any indication, she usually makes a connection. Just to make sure though, I fired her twice.

We do try to make every effort to ensure that guests return. In doing so, we are willing to take every reasonable step to that end. If a guest is not happy with an item, it is removed from their bill without hesitation. Even if is just not what they expected. My point here is that we really do try to take the extra steps to make sure that when you leave, you can’t wait to return.

You mentioned several things that would play a part in bringing you back and I hope that they do. I am confident that when you return you will have the greatest dining experience known to mankind. That’s what I get every time I come in…because of my imaginary good looks.

Cheers -Dave

Note: No servers were fired during the writing of this post.

[kirite]

That’s really odd, I eat there several times a week and I always find the service to be fantastic…it might be because I am the General Manager. Or it could be my imaginary good looks. Yeah, its probably the GM thing.

...

Cheers -Dave

Note: No servers were fired during the writing of this post.

I love this post! Dave surely has a second career awaiting him in droll comedy. He's "fired" more people than the Donald.

[Seanchai]

I love this post! Dave surely has a second career awaiting him in droll comedy. He's "fired" more people than the Donald.

Hate to be one of those "me too" posters, but dude, that was awesome.

[monavano]

Hate to be one of those "me too" posters, but dude, that was awesome.

+1

[astrid]

+1 and I had an excellent first visit to Vermillion. We ordered one tasting menu and some a la carte dishes to accompany. Everything we tried was at least very good and there were some outstanding dishes - bison carpaccio with truffle oil and burrata, a well executed bacon wrapped rabbit loin, and an incredibly decadent mushroom gnocci.

The service was excellent too. Prompt and attentive, without being the least bit intrusive.

[Pizzaandbrew]

+1 and I had an excellent first visit to Vermillion. We ordered one tasting menu and some a la carte dishes to accompany. Everything we tried was at least very good and there were some outstanding dishes - bison carpaccio with truffle oil and burrata, a well executed bacon wrapped rabbit loin, and an incredibly decadent mushroom gnocci.

The service was excellent too. Prompt and attentive, without being the least bit intrusive.

How Vermilion stays under the radar is a mystery to me.

[Dave Pressley]

How Vermilion stays under the radar is a mystery to me.

Does it? It's consistently named to every "Top" list and from what I know, it's busy every night. Solely based on Dave Hammond's good looks.

[Escoffier]

Does it? It's consistently named to every "Top" list and from what I know, it's busy every night. Solely based on Dave Hammond's good looks.

I thought it was because of Matt...(and Juliana). Hmmm, guess I'll have to look at Dave H. closer the next time I'm there.

[DrXmus]

Planning on lunch there tomorrow. Is there anything that shouldn't be missed?

[yfunk3]

Planning on lunch there tomorrow. Is there anything that shouldn't be missed?

I do believe they have prix-fixe lunch offerings still (there's different offerings for different appetites and price points). I got the soup + sandwich lunch for $19 last time I went, and ordered their burger with pimiento cheese (comes with fries). The soup was their Italian wedding soup, which was great. Wonderful balance, not heavy at all, not too heavy on any one flavor, a perfect start for the heavier burger and fries. Burger was juicy,. pimiento cheese gave it a great oomph, and they also put a fried egg on it (!). You can put a fried egg on anything and I'll eat it.

The waitress comped me a dessert for that lunch due to a kitchen mix-up, and I got the chocolate bombe, which was made with in-season strawberries (I was there around mid-June). One of the best restaurant desserts I've had in a while, and I found room for it after the soup and burger because it was just. that. good.

[kirite]

Planning on lunch there tomorrow. Is there anything that shouldn't be missed?

I've only been there for Sunday brunch, but you should try and snag a front window seat on the upper level.

[durwoodx]

Planning on lunch there tomorrow. Is there anything that shouldn't be missed?

We had lunch there today. The corn chowder was quite good with a nice spice from the peppers, but not near as good as a similar seasonal offering we've had at Equinox. The amish chicken - again, quite good but just shy of similar dishes at Brabo or Palena. My wife's bitter green salad with burrata was fine (has burrata officially supplanted pork belly as the most grotesquely ubiquitous Beltway menu offering yet?) The shining star of the meal was her Grilled Summer Squash Sandwich with pesto, pine nuts, and goat cheese. Nom.

[weezy]

Had dinner tonight here with friends. A lovely meal. I had the 4-course menu with pairings: lobster tortelloni, rockfish, steak, and figgy toffee with sour cream ice cream. the meal started with a shotglass of a curried radish-kohlrabi soup that was hot, tasty, and a wonderful way to begin on such a cold night. The lobster tortelloni came with a creamy herby sauce and a foam, big chunks of lobster wrapped in a tender but still slighty chewy pasta served with a grassy white wine that complemented the herby flavors and cut the richness of the sauce. The rockfish was a smallish square of crispy-skinned fish resting on a wonderful melange of chopped olives, chorizo, gnocchi and some other things. I don't remember much about the wine except that it was a very good foil for the plate. Third course of the steak was perfectly cooked but just not very interesting. It was served with an arugula salad with an assertive vinagrette and a big spanish blended red wine that was too bold for the relatively lean meat -- that wine needed a lot more fat to work against. This was the only dish that I seasoned at the table to try to kick up the flavor of the meat a bit. It just didn't have that big, beefy flavor that I was hoping for. Dessert was the figgy toffee pudding and served with a nice, nutty sherry. The dish was garnished with toasted walnuts and paired against the sherry it was a perfect finish for the meal. Service was pleasant and efficient and it's a very lovely room that is comfortable and it is easy to carry on a conversation. One of my friends got a dessert that was a plateful of small riffs on childhood favorites and it was one of the cutest plates I've ever seen -- a tiny Hostess cupcake, an oatmeal creme pie, a square of "Snickers" bar, a fudge-pop, etc. Just adorable and apparently quite tasty, too.

All in all, a very, very good meal and an excellent evening.

[monavano]

Place me squarely in the "I need to get out of my kitchen and come her more often" column. Mr. MV stopped by recently, on a cold, rainy night. We sat at the lounge table and noshed on the artichoke dip (with pita), buffalo chicken "titans" (egg roll-wrapped) and the special that evening of buffalo sloppy Joes.

Everything was delightful, including and especially our server.

[Genevieve]

Y'all sold me. I was looking for a nice place to go next week for our Valentine's Day Observed (we rarely go on the day itself due to crowds and restricted menus) and your reviews sent me to make a quick reservation at Vermilion. Looking forward to it! Will have to try the lobster tortelloni (though roasted forest mushroom ravioli also sound lovely).

[goldenticket]

Another Alexandria restaurant given the nod by the First Couple. Chef Chittum is cooking Valentine's Day dinner for POTUS and FLOTUS as I type...

[monavano]

(glad I made a reservation for Thurs )

[goldenticket]

We enjoyed a delicious, impromptu dinner at the bar last night. While the menu was limited, the creativity and flavors of our dishes were anything but.

The house cut fries are too good to resist, so we started with an order of the porcini version. As always, perfectly cooked and with the right amount of crispiness. I could eat these fries every day.

f.o.a. lamb tasting - white bean raviolini, baby root vegetables & fried rosemary bread

Fields of Athenry lamb: tenderloin (beautiful medium-rare), house made merguez (great seasoning, if a touch salty for my palate), and belly cut and cooked as lardons. It's always a treat to enjoy lamb that tastes like lamb should.The bite-sized pieces of baby veggies (carrots, fingerlings, onions among them) brought hints of color to the plate; the rosemary bread reminded me a bit of a mini pakora.

mustard crusted carolina mackerel - shaved fennel, winter citrus, caper berry & black olive vinaigrette

We knew we wouldn't go wrong* with either of the fish dishes (rockfish was the other option), but opted for the mackerel since it's not a common choice. While not having the strong, oily taste I typically associate with mackerel, the fish stood up to the other assertive components on the plate. The citrus (grapefruit and/or blood orange if I'm not mistaken) and fennel offered some sweetness against the briney/salty caper berry and black olive. A lovely plate to look at and to eat.

chocolate truffle tart - cocoa nib ice cream, cocoa nib tuile & mocha caramel sauce

The perfect size to share, an upscale chocolate pudding tart that filled a chocolate craving without being too sweet. From the tart pastry to the ice cream to the amazing caramel sauce, it all worked well.

A very enjoyable meal, made all the more memorable by the very special diners upstairs.

* To this day, the +1 still says some of the best fish he's ever had was a black cod preparation from Chef Chittum during his Notti Bianche days.

[darkstar965]

<lots of="" snipping="" for="" a="" very="" brief="" sidebar...="">

* To this day, the +1 still says some of the best fish he's ever had was a black cod preparation from Chef Chittum during his Notti Bianche days.

I remember posting a year or more ago about the black cod at Rasika (which I'd really enjoyed). That led to some PMing with Mark at Proof. Which, in turn, led me to go back to Proof and try theirs again (I had previously and also loved it). Suffice to say, and with no disrespect to Chef Chittum's or anyone's technique, this is a fish rarely sourced fresh (not pre-frozen). I bet your +1 would love the Proof version.

[adjen]

Had a great dinner in the lounge at Vermilion last Sat night. Favorite was the catfish sticks (I'm sure that wasn't what it was called) which had just the right proportion of crunchy, non-greasy, actual cornmeal crust and a zippy remoulade Liked the theory of the wings dish: pulled chicken, celery, hot sauce all mixed together in an egg roll wrapper with blue cheese dip, but thought the wrap was too thick and distracted from the filling. Loved, loved the dessert of cookies, etc., which was really six different desserts, all of which I manged to eat: chocolate donut hole with chocolate sauce, snickers (ish) bar with a strong caramel flavor, hostess cupcake, whcih tasted just like one (to my husband's chagrin and my delight), buttery, salty popcorn ice cream, a pudding pop with a hard chocolate shell, and (my favorite) an oatmeal creme sandwich with a punchy sour cream filling and salty/sweet cookies with crunchy edges and soft middles

[lovehockey]

I stopped by for a late brunch today and sat at the bar. Service was friendly from the tag-team of bartenders. I had a glass of the pleasant White Hall Viognier from VA. To start I got the cornmeal hushpuppies, which come with three dipping sauces and a small side of pickles. The hushpuppies were very nice, with just the right mix of sweet and salty.

My entree was the Baked Eggs - two eggs atop a spicy tomato and sausage stew, beans, basmati rice, and sliced avocado. While on paper it appeared to be a bit heavy considering the heat and humidity outside, it was actually rather light and a good combination of flavors.

No dessert, alas, because I was full.

[Sthitch]

To start I got the cornmeal hushpuppies

Why?

Not why did you order them (a simple well made hushpuppies are one of my favorite things on the planet), I want to know why the menu writer at Vermillion needed to preface hushpuppie with cornmeal - is there another kind of hushpuppie that I have been missing out on for all of these years?

[KMango]

Why?

Not why did you order them (a simple well made hushpuppies are one of my favorite things on the planet), I want to know why the menu writer at Vermillion needed to preface hushpuppie with cornmeal - is there another kind of hushpuppie that I have been missing out on for all of these years?

Not sure if it's the case at Vermillion, but more restaurants seem to be listing grains as a service to people avoiding wheat and other food sensitivities. My hush puppy-studded past includes restaurants that combined wheat flour with cornmeal for a lighter result. If Vermillion's is 100% cornmeal, that would appeal to those who might otherwise forgo it.

[lovehockey]

Why?

Not why did you order them (a simple well made hushpuppies are one of my favorite things on the planet), I want to know why the menu writer at Vermillion needed to preface hushpuppie with cornmeal - is there another kind of hushpuppie that I have been missing out on for all of these years?

That was the name on the menu: Cornmeal Hushpuppies.

I'll admit that my Canadian upbringing left me extremely limited in my exposure to cornmeal. As well, I can count on one hand the number of times I've had hushpuppies while living in the States. That's why I didn't see anything amiss with the name when I wrote it in my original post. What KMango writes above makes a lot of sense, though.

[ALargeFarva]

I went with three friends last summer after hearing many great things about the place.  The service was fine but the food was subpar.  I had trouble reconciling my experience with the experience of friends and reviews out there.  I subsequently discovered that Tony Chittum left several months before I dined there (now more than a year ago).

I tried about 8 things on the menu and the only one that met my expectations was the grilled octopus.  There were a couple things that were ok and a few that were genuinely bad.  Perhaps I caught them on an off night, but I certainly won't be returning until I hear favorable reviews under the new chef from reliable sources.

[ktmoomau]

I went this week for the first time with a friend for RW.  Service was a tad slow, but it was a holiday so we didn't really mind.  We were sitting next to some people who were complaining about everything.  I find it hard to sit by people like that.  My friend had the hushpuppies, and salmon.  I had the carrot salad and risotto.  Both my dishes were fine, but were lacking a small pop to make them better.  The salad needed more acid and needed to be better seasoned.  The risotto was also just a bit bland. The parmesan and and mushrooms on top were quite good, and I realize they were making it with vegetable stock so it was vegetarian, but still.  We had one of each dessert and those were quite good.  I had a hushpuppy and thought it was a pretty good take on a hushpuppy, but I guess I am just not sure how that fits with their restaurant concept.  She seemed to like her salmon, I didn't try it.  I would go back, especially for happy hour as the space really is cute and the food wasn't bad, it just needed a tiny bit more attention.    

[ol_ironstomach]

How I miss Tony Chittum's work; our return to Vermilion this weekend was disappointing.  Hushpuppies were heavy and sodden with oil.  Brunch mains were astonishingly scanty on the featured proteins, none more so than the "crispy chicken and grits" ($14), which gets you maybe a half dozen popcorn sized (!) nuggets that appeared to have been beer battered, along with the grits and two eggs.  Mine was the lowest-cost entree chosen and I'm not expecting a place to fill you up in this neighborhood at these prices, but only one person in our party ended up with a plate that seemed commensurate with its description.

[Genevieve]

That's a real shame. Vermilion was so good under Chittum.

Thanks for posting about it.

[ktmoomau]

So back with the same friend for RW dinner.  And the menu hadn't changed much from before, looking back at what we had, but I learned!  Two out of three of the main courses used cream, and I wasn't getting the risotto again, so I went for the salmon with white beans and chorizo.  I was worried this would be a heavy dish, but it really wasn't and the salmon itself was very well cooked, I liked the broth, honestly it could have lost the chorizo and had a little more broth and some greens and it would be lovely.  For a starter I had a salad, which was very normal.  I wanted to get the mussels, but curry mussels and then chorizo salmon didn't sound great together.  I will say I thought overall the menu felt disjointed, I didn't feel like the dishes really connected with one another, which fine it's RW, but still.  For the end I broke out the dairy pill and had custard banana key lime, which sounds terrible,  but I ended up liking it.  I thought it had some creativity to it.  Overall the meal was good, and the company was excellent.  I just think they could have thought about the progression a bit more, or had a few more options.

[Finatic]

Vermillion is back!  Had lunch there the other day. I ordered the pasta with the lamb bolognese. It is offered in two sizes and I ordered the smaller one. It was absolutely delicious, and the portion size was perfect for me! $12 if I recall correctly.

[StarStraf]

Vermillion has become our nightcap before we head home for nights in Old Town since our prior spot (The Palms -upstairs from Magnolias) has dropped in quality with the change of bar staff. 

[DonRocks]

I don't know when Thomas Cardarelli replaced William Morris, but my most recent meal at Vermilion (several six months ago) was mediocre at best - it's possible I caught them in transition, but as of early 2019 late 2018, Brabo was your better alternative by a large margin.