Chez Delicious
I recently invited my niece and two of her children to meet for lunch at Chez Foushee , and we were pleasantly surprised to find that the restaurant now offers free parking in the Capitol Parking lot on 1st and Grace, since it's often hard to find a street spot with Virginia Commonwealth University a block away.
While Chez Foushee does open for dinner once a month for the First Friday Artwalk events (except August 1st when they'll be closed for vacation!), their main business is lunch, both in the dining room and at their adjoining carryout storefront, so I wanted to try some of their regular menu offerings, as well as some of the seasonal dishes.
The restaurant is one of the stops on GRTC's free Lunchtime Express bus, which runs in a loop around the downtown area from 11:30 to 2:30 each weekday, so that students and office workers can get to a restaurant without driving their own car or losing their hard-won parking space. "This is the kind of restaurant ... that you'll want to add to your regular lunch rotation, and I'll definitely check out the special First Friday Art Walk dinner in September." |
We started with one of the daily specials, a Smoked Gouda and Apple Soup topped with Paprika Oil. Even though it was pushing 90 degrees outside, the creamed soup was light and tasty, and the float of paprika oil added a punch to the finish. A Chilled Melon Soup topped with cucumber crème fraiche was the seasonal option of the day, and both were available by the cup or bowl ($5.00 to $6.50).
Chez Foushee has a nice selection of summer salads like Grilled Chicken and Bacon over Baby Spinach and Blanched Green Beans in a Dijon Dill Dressing over Mixed Greens with Rosemary Honey Lemon Feta Gratin, but I decided to go with the Asian Pot Sticker Salad. It was presented beautifully with an anemone-inspired garnish of noodles and the steamed dumplings filled with shrimp and pork were excellent.
My nephew, Anthony, ate most of my curly white noodles, which were a novelty to him, while my niece Adah demolished the bowl of crackers and breadsticks on the table. Our server was very accommodating with the kids, splitting their Nantucket lemonade for them and offering to customize anything they might want from the menu. Don't be afraid to bring children here. Even though Chez Foushee has a classic, understated elegance with white linen tablecloths, those same tables are topped with kid-friendly paper perfect for both dining and doodling.
Anthony ordered (by himself, I might add) the Grilled London Broil on wheat and a side of pasta salad, while his mother tried the Bacon Chicken Wrap with the fresh fruit salad. I had a taste of each, as well as of the sides. I loved the light dressing on the pasta salad and both sandwiches were very good as well, but the fresh fruit salad was a big winner with five different kinds of summer berries and fruits. Sandwiches and wraps run from $7.50 to $10.00 and if you crave a hot meal, Chicken alla Genovese with Pesto over risotto cakes and a Grilled Salmon Filet with Citrus Tarragon Butter will hit the spot.
A small, but tasteful wine list features mostly French vintages and all are affordable with by the glass pricing at $6.75 and bottles at $24. Foushee also has a full bar, so if it's a Cosmo, Mimosa or Bloody Mary you're after, you're in the right place.
We wanted to try the White Chocolate Cheesecake for dessert, but some other lucky customer beat us to the last slice, so we'll have to visit again a bit earlier in the day. If you don't have time for a sit-down lunch, carry-out is available from 11-2:30, and Chez Foushee also offers boxed lunches and a full catering menu for special events.
This is the kind of restaurant with consistently good food, good service and reasonable prices that you'll want to add to your regular lunch rotation, and I'll definitely check out the special First Friday Art Walk dinner in September.
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