Rocketts Market Cafe - Richmond

Excellent ambiance. Going in, I knew this would be a fixed price for the meals. However, for $80 each, I was expecting more in the way of portion size. Only 4 shrimp for the shrimp cocktail and the creme brule was very small (Maybe 1/2 the size of a cell phone). So overall, not great value. Despite that, the food was very tasty and service was quick and efficient.

Took my wife here for her birthday (which is also valentines day). The view was amazing and the desserts were decent. Also the band played great music and was not too loud. These were all done very well. However, I did not like the lack of choices on the menu. There was a limited menu because it was a holiday (valentine 's day). Additionally there were only shellfish options available (not allergic, I just do not eat shellfish because they are scavengers). I would 've really liked options that included fish and excluded shellfish. So for dinner, I went with the 8oz filet and wedge salad due to lack of non shellfish seafood options while my wife ordered the crab cakes and added a lobster tail. The food was served lukewarm and was not even close to being worth what was charged. The food alone for 3 courses was $80 (which I would 've gladly paid had it been served at a fresh temperature) I was informed of the limited menu within a week of the reservation when it was too late to get reservations elsewhere. I totally understand the limited menu on nights when large crowds are projected but this was definitely done in an assembly line fashion and it showed. Maybe I 'll return if it 's not a holiday but I doubt it. I did not complain last night because I didnt want to ruin it for my wife (who seemed to be happy with everything). It was much different than what I remembered when I ate there years back.

Went to the Boathouse for Valentine's day. We were easily able to schedule a reservation a month in advance. Within the confirmation there was no mention of a selected menu. I was then called a week before the reservation to confirm yet again, with no mention of a selected menu. The day before the reservation, a third confirmation email came in, mentioning that there will be a selected menu, but i unfortunately did not see this until after. Upon arriving, we were sat in the event space, not the main room. Our food and service were great with a fantastic live band. While the menu had all the options we would have likely gotten, it would have been nice to know it was a selected menu with a special price when scheduling the reservation, not the day before. I hope to see myself returning to the Boathouse as the food and the atmosphere were fantastic. Just the valentine's day “event” could have been communicated better.

We decided to visit for an evening dinner and had preselected outside seating. Although it was a chilly night and had rained earlier, we expected that there would be some type of heater at least. Well there wasn't...at least that night. We happened to mention how chilly it was about a quarter into our dinner when the our server finally mentions that they do have heaters but they ran out of gas. Their only consolation was to offer a long shared cocktail table inside the restaurant bar area. Since we were there for a more romantic experience, we declined but were very baffled that no one ever thought it was important to mention until after we complained about the temperatures. Outside of this, the service was great. Our drinks were perfect and the food was amazing. It started to rain and our server helped us get inside quickly but it was clear they didn't really have a plan for dealing with rain. I'd definitely go back for the food but if you want to dine outside, make sure you check the weather because it seems like they don't.

First time my grandson had been there and he was in awe of the views and the food. For the 1st time he had oysters on the half shell, a bowl of clam chowder, a very tasty filet mignon and crème brûlée. Great meal and service!