Came here for International Supper Club. I'm glad we did, because I never would have found this place otherwise! L'Opossum is located in a very secluded spot mixed in with houses in Oregon Hill. It is also a pretty small restaurant upon entering, which is something to keep in mind if you have a large group (might be best to make a reservation). Street parking outside is not too difficult to find.
However, the interior is perhaps the most unique restaurant I have been to in all of Richmond. There are a bunch of candles and cool paper lanterns everywhere, as well as quite an assortment of paintings and random odds and ends throughout. The mirrored glass walls and charming music also help create a truly one-of-a-kind atmosphere. One of the unisex restrooms also had several distinctive clown paintings on the wall. The soap in the restroom was unsatisfying to me; it was of the foam variety but felt very watered down and not sudsy enough. The lighting of the restaurant's interior overall is also a little dark for my tastes, but to each his own.
As for service, our waitress was excellent and was very patient. She was willing to split our check six ways even after she had printed one bill. She seemed to be stretched kind of thin though since I think there were only two servers for the entire restaurant. While she checked on us frequently, and there were many other runners as well to help with water refills, utensil changes, and food serving, the service was still rather slow. Our entire meal ended up taking about three hours.
The menu is not too big, and the names are rather playful and creative. Some examples: "Polyamorous Hippie Three-Way," "Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes: All Crab, All the Time," and "Sweet & Innocent North Atlantic Salmon Beguiled into Comrade Dave's Enigmatic Embrace of a Crispy Horseradish Latke, Beet Velvet and a Tangle of Nefarious, Pinko Conspiracies."
As for the food, it was truly quite excellent. From the start of our meal with mint-infused water in tall glasses, to warm bread served to us individually with light, delicious, homemade butter, to appetizers, entrees, and dessert, everything was executed with utmost precision. A lot of careful attention was paid to detail, and the presentation of every dish was stunning.
So why the four stars? My escargot starter was excellent, but the generous snail meat was a little soft for my tastes (I prefer slightly chewier meat). My filet mignon was cooked to a perfect medium and flavor was phenomenal, but the seasoning/sauce was too salty and I was not able to fully enjoy the natural flavors of some components. Nevertheless, the red peppercorns were fun. And finally, my creme brulee dessert had a nice crunchy crust, but was rather thin so the custard to surface ratio was smaller than I had hoped.
Prices are high, but so is the quality, and portions are decent with some dishes on the larger side.
L'Opossum is still fairly new and it is an excellent dining establishment. Despite some minor disappointments with the food if I am being extremely picky and pretty substantial wait time, I had a very memorable and pleasant dinner. read more