Cooperative Living February 2014 - 20

DINING WITH DAN
Story and photos
by Daniel M.Walker,
Contributing Columnist
115 Main Street * Warsaw, Virginia * 804-761-6727
O
ne recipe for a great, lowcountry
feast is good friends,
a quaint Northern Neck
town, and a talented chef who was
once a licensed riverboat captain.
" My passion is food, cooking, and
Southern cuisine, " says Carol Mead
Smith, the creative talent behind
Relish. This unique restaurant was
originally located in Tappahannock,
but relocated Feb. 1 to Main Street in
Warsaw, Va.
" All my experiences in life have
led me to create Southern dishes in
the Northern Neck, even piloting an
old-time riverboat down the
Rappahannock. Being a native of the
Northern Neck, I have an up-closeand-personal
relationship with the
bounty of fresh crops and water life.
The local farmers and watermen are
the soul of my cooking, " Carol continues.
" It is that fresh taste that I
want my diners to enjoy. "
The evening I dined at Relish, I
was joined by my long-term dinner
companion and by friends, Greg and
Carolyn White of Warsaw. Greg is
president & CEO of Northern Neck
Electric Cooperative.
My three dinner companions were
warned in advance that when I am
working on a restaurant review, it is
standard procedure for me to also
sample their entrées. So ... we began
our dining experience with the
special cauliflower soup, crispy fried
oysters, and a seasonal salad of
arugula, mixed lettuce, candied
pecans, local apples, and smoked
bacon with blue cheese dressing.
I enjoyed the oysters so much that I
pondered ordering them as an entrée.
For the main event, everyone tried
something different. The first entrée
was local rockfish with an oyster
white-truffle cream sauce and lime
basil rice. It can be described as yum!
Next was a lump, local crab cake
with homemade corn relish and lime
aioli. You can really tell when crabs
and oysters are fresh - their flavors
are at their zenith. With the rockfish
and crab cake, we now had two solid
winners.
For a little change of pace, my
long-term dinner companion ordered
the filet mignon with blue-cheese
butter, caramelized onions with port
reduction. This selection was tender,
juicy, and a delight to the palate!
When I dine Southern cuisine, I often
look for a shrimp-and-grits dish; so,
for my entrée, I ordered grilled garlic
shrimp and local Cerdito sausage.
The grits were cheesy and creamy
with a hint of roasted garlic.
You might think that with four different
entrées, one would turn out to
be a so-so dish. But no, not at Relish.
Each selection was a gourmet treat.
To complete an excellent meal,
dessert is a requirement. Again, we
sampled a variety of selections. We
had crème brûlée, warm apple cake
with vanilla ice cream, and butterscotch
pie. The flavorful apple cake
and the silky, smooth butterscotch pie
brought back fond memories of my
grandmother's cooking in her castiron
black stove. Taste's sweet memory
can compress decades in a heartbeat,
recalling happy thoughts of
home and hearth. Dessert is not to be
excluded when dining at Relish.
Some of the best cooks in Virginia
live on the Northern Neck, and you
will not be disappointed with your
visit to Relish. Chef Carol certainly
carries this long tradition to a new
level. Well done! 
Let me know your favorite restaurant
at dwalker123@comcast.net.
Hours: Thursday - Saturday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dinner Only
18
Cooperative Living/February 2014
Cooperative Living February 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living February 2014
