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• Richmond Magazine Dinning Review (01/04/2005) •
By Karen Miller
You could easily miss Andre’s Grille — but don’t. Sandwiched between a bakery-supply store and a gym in a tiny strip mall off Courthouse Road, the restaurant is owned by Joe Lee and his wife, Fanny, a natural hostess with a generous smile. And after a brief closing to reorganize their staff, they have reopened with a new team in the kitchen.
The first time I visited, my husband, Alex, leaned across the table. “I think this is going to be good,” he whispered. How could he tell? Perhaps it was the warm, understated décor. Burgundy walls are simply adorned with ironwork sconces that flicker with candlelight. Maybe it was the welcoming service. Ultimately, the menu — a real East-meets-West hybrid that features some outstanding dishes — solidified our opinion.
Alex ordered the curried shrimp and scallops ($15.95). Five large shrimp and an equal amount of juicy scallops were bathed in a sophisticated and mildly spicy sauce composed of coconut milk, chicken broth and at least 20 other ingredients that go into the base curry “paste.” Served over basmati rice, it was exceptional.
My choice, a daily special, was not only satisfying but a bargain at $17.95 for three courses. I shared my cup of soup — cream of butternut squash — and both of us thoroughly enjoyed the rich autumnal flavor of this caramel-colored bisque.
My tautog, a white, flaky fish, was served with poached oysters in a leek-and-shiitake-mushroom sauce. Each component was tasty and well-executed, but we found the oysters to be too earthy and robust for the mild fish. However, the accompanying side of sautéed watercress was unusual, refreshing and pleasantly peppery in taste. For dessert, my dinner came with a seasonal pot de crème of pumpkin custard.
When I returned with my girlfriend Natalie, the staff’s eagerness to please helped diminish our slight disappointment in our first course of fried chicken wontons ($4.95). The amount of chicken and water-chestnut filling was skimpy, though the wontons were crispy and not at all greasy. We loved the zippy soy-ginger vinaigrette dipping sauce.
All entrées come with a salad. Unfortunately, we were only about halfway through this course when our dinners arrived. The mistake was quickly corrected though, and our second courses stayed warm in the kitchen until we were ready.
My veal saltimbocca ($16.95) featured a fan of delicious pan-seared scaloppine topped with prosciutto ham and fresh sage and served with a simple lemon, white wine and butter sauce. A sautéed medley of diced zucchini, basil and tomatoes added nice color and crunch, but the addition of small scoops of spaghetti squash and a cranberry-orange relish distracted from the otherwise-classic interpretation of the dish.
These sides reappeared for Natalie’s Provençal-style grilled lamb chops ($19.95), and we thought they complemented her entrée much better. Two medium-rare chops were coated with a black-olive spread chock-full of aromatic garlic, rosemary and thyme and balanced atop a portion of yummy scalloped potatoes.
It’s nice to be able to order an upscale entrée or a hamburger, depending upon your mood, and know that they will both be well prepared and pleasantly served. With new staff in place, Andre’s Grille is creating some fabulous food in a little spot on the South Side that’s worth a try.
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• Style Weekly (10/19/2005) •
By Davis Morton
Breaking the Chain
Nuanced flavors at André’s Grille give life to a franchise-stuffed highway.
Travel and food writing is filled with food lovers’ fantasies: hungry and tired tourists discovering out-of-the-way places that provide unexpected and delicious meals. Such was my dinner at André’s Grille. Driving east on Hull Street Road after a late afternoon movie on a Saturday, we were eager to find an interesting place to eat. As anybody knows who has driven that stretch, “food chain” takes on a different meaning, with franchises having a huge stake in restaurant real estate. We were looking for real food, good or bad, rather than the predictable test-kitchen variety. Turning north on Courthouse Road, we spotted André’s too late to make a right turn, but U-turns are for the undecided or the unprepared. It’s not easy to get there going south either, but with a bit of cleverness you can.
The strip shopping center that houses André’s is anchored by Wolfgang’s Gym, and parking is abundant. The restaurant looked dark, but we spotted a couple going in. Closer, we saw the interior aglow with candlelight and an almost-full house of cheerful diners. Clearly, we were not the first to discover André’s. We settled into a booth in the cozy room and came away an hour and a half later, happy and well-fed.
A few nights later, we went back for a reality check. After greeting some friends (“You must try the Caesar salad with fried oysters!”), we settled in. A smiling server quickly brought a basket of crisp flour-tortilla wedges and a ramekin of sun-dried tomato and cheese.
From a list of about a dozen appetizers, soups and salads, we tried two: the coconut-encrusted fried shrimp with a mild Thai chili sauce and crisp, lightly battered oysters with traditional dips. Homemade soups also hit the mark: A summery gazpacho was chunky; the hot tomato-basil, subtle and smooth.
More than a dozen entrées offered something for every diner, from vegetarian to carnivore. Three meaty double-rib lamb chops were nicely rosy and sauced with a garlic demi-glace. Scallops and shrimp were bathed in a subtle Asian curry sauce. Orange roughy with shrimp needed something zestier than basil cream to perk up the bland flavors, but a crab sauce over flounder and crayfish was delicate and delicious, and it perfectly melded the flavors. A salad preceded the entrées, which were accompanied by potatoes or rice and garnished with a changing variety of vegetables — perhaps spaghetti squash and a ratatouille, Asian-style.
Desserts, like most things here, are made in-house, and the ones we sampled were too good to share. A weekly special, probably now gone with the season, was a frozen peach cream pie, but my favorite was a rich caramel-pecan torte.
An attractive feature of the restaurant is the weekly fixed-price dinner of three courses at very reasonable prices ($16.95 to $19.95). These include salad or soup, a special entrée and dessert. A traditional lunch menu is filled with delicious variations of sandwiches, soups and salads.
The restaurant is owned by Fanny and Joseph Lee, veteran restaurateurs originally from Hong Kong, who took over André’s about 15 months ago from Fanny’s brother. Fanny is as attentive as a good hostess in her own home. Joseph, who has classical culinary training and good experience, oversees the kitchen.
Many young American chefs are eager to innovate, neglecting kitchen fundamentals in their determination to create something new. Chef Lee’s menu is full of interesting nuances and international touches, but his pairings are classic and subtle. Seldom is the palate alarmed by strange tastes or textures. It’s comfort food made interesting.
André’s is a welcome addition to this part of our increasing suburban chain-linked sprawl. Fanny will greet you graciously the first time; by the third time you’re almost family. The food is carefully prepared and an excellent value. It’s the kind of place you’ll want to return to often.
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• Chesterfield Living (Jan/Feb 2008) •
By Amanda Southall
Back on the south side, the menu at Andre’s Grille, 3511 Courthouse Rd, is full of mouth-watering options. The filet mignon, apricot pork medallions and pasta puttanesca, all looked tempting, but Jennifer and I had our eyes and appetites on the pan seared crab cakes.
Before my first bite I could tell Andre’s crab cake would be my favorite. The hunks of crabmeat were so big I could see them from the outside, and the flavor didn’t disappoint. Since I love crab, I loved these crab cakes. The dish was served with a light lemon- butter sauce that adds a smooth tangy flavor. The flavor intrigued Jennifer as well.
“These had the most original taste,” she says. “I like the sauce as well.”
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• Chesterfield Living (Sept/Oct 2008) •
By Flavor Issue
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Andres Grille made the top 5 list for best Sunday Brunches in the area, along side with Spinnaker's Restaurant, O'Charley's, Brickhouse Diner, and The Boat House at Sunday Park.
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