The Blue Goat - 5710 Grove Ave. Richmond, VA, 23226

Like Enoteca Sogno, The Blue Goat is one of my new Richmond favs. We met friends for dinner there this past Saturday; what a treat!

We arrived right on time (working on that whole punctuality thing) and the hostess informed me that a party was still at the table assigned to our reservation. After only a minute of looking around, she apologized - completely unnecessarily - and sat us at a different booth. Our waiter didn't follow too far behind and did a good job of talking over the Saturday night buzz.

Since The Blue Goat is a tapas-style restaurant, we decided to divide and conquer the menu. All-in-all, we tried the:

• House made whipped honey sage butter with artisan bread- butter was DElicious
• Pommes frites with pork dust, sea salt and garlic aioli- lovely salty pre-dinner snack
• Forest mushroom ragout with mascarpone polenta- a little overpowering, not exactly the crowd favorite
• House made Ricotta with a warm white truffle honey and sea salt- great savory/sweet balance
• Braised pork cheeks over spaetzle- awesome! highly recommend, especially around oktoberfest
• Seared Diver scallops with a smoked vanilla bean sabayon- nicely cooked and seasoned
• Pork and venison bolognese over housemade potato gnocchi- wonderful, fluffy gnocchi
• Veal demi braised oxtail over butter whipped potatoes- table favorite by far... huge depth of flavor and perfect for a fall evening

I paired my dinner with a light, fresh strawberry/basil/vodka cocktail and crisp, clean 3 Brooms Sauvignon Blanc- both great choices.

To round out the evening we tried the Caramel & Lava Salt In House Gelato, the Chocolate Godiva Pate, and the Bourbon Barrel Stout Ice Cream Float (yes, a beer ice cream float). All were delicious in their own ways. The gelato had a great, deep caramel flavor that was really enhanced by the lava salt. The "pate" was like a lovely ball of fudge, but not overwhelmingly rich. And the beer float was like a spiked childhood favorite.

During the course of the night, plates came out quickly, but not on top of each other, and the staff was very attentive. We left pleasantly full after a great evening with great company. I can't wait to return to The Blue Goat for a fun night out or just a bite and a drink during the week!