The Boathouse at Rocketts Landing

Intrigued by recent reviews of The Boathouse at Rocketts Landing, we decided to try it ourselves this past weekend. Based on what we had heard, we expected to be awed by the interior and the view, but perhaps slightly underwhelmed by the menu offerings.

Interior/Atmosphere: While the walls of windows highlighting the view of the James and the downtown skyline are impressive, the choice of woods, vividly-upholstered booths and blue/green color scheme just misses the mark. Given that the restaurant occupies the old Power Plant building, a minimalistic or industrial look with an understated palette would have placed more emphasis on both the building's heritage and the fantastic view.

Additionally, the acoustics in the restaurant are horrific. The cacophony of patrons yelling over one another in order to be heard was a little too reminiscent of a high school cafeteria.

Food: At our server’s suggestion, we started off with the Seafood Tower - the Boathouse’s take on a pupu platter– which offered something for everyone – sushi, oysters, mussels, smoked salmon, jumbo shrimp, etc. All in all, it was good.

Among the entrees ordered by our table: grilled mahi with pineapple mango salsa, tuna tartare, scallops over risotto and sesame tuna. Both the entrees and “table shares” of creamed spinach, Tillamook cheddar mashed potatoes and wild mushroom and asparagus risotto were all well-received.

Overall, The Boathouse impressed us with its unique riverfront location and stunning views; but, we found the food, while enjoyable, to be slightly less memorable. For us, it may be better suited as a destination restaurant - the place you take your out-of-town friends during their inaugural visit to Richmond and the place you meet up for drinks on a warm summer evening.