MY HUSBAND AND I WENT TO VERBENA THIS PAST FRIDAY NIGHT FOR DINNER. WE HAD REALLY LOOKED FORWARD TO IT SINCE SO MANY PEOPLE AND REVIEWS HAD RAVED ABOUT THE FOOD, ETC. PERHAPS BECAUSE IT WAS THE NIGHT OF THE FERRARI CLUB MEETING ALL FOCUS WAS ON THEM. THE FOOD TO US WAS WAY OVERRATED. A LITTLE TOO CREATIVE FOR OUR TASTES WHICH PRETTY MUCH MASKED THE TRUE TASTE OF ANYTHING. WE FELT OUR WAITRESS WAS VERY UNPROFESSIONAL AS WELL. WE FELT SHE WAS RUSHING US OUT BECAUSE WE WERE ONLY A PARTY OF TWO. WE WERE NEVER EVEN ASKED WHETHER WE WANTED DESSERT BUT WAS ASKED "WILL THAT DO YOU THEN". ALL IN ALL IT WAS A TRUE DISAPPOINTMENT ESPECIALLY SINCE IT COST $100.00 FOR OUR AWFUL MEAL. SPEND IT ELSEWHERE-THERE ARE PLENTY OF GREAT PLACES TO EAT IN RICHMOND.

Verbena is fantastic. I have been there almost 20 times now and maybe they are occasionally out of items but that at least tells me their items are fresh and not overstocked.

They're still pretty new, so as far as them needing to get their act together, maybe that is just the usual new restaurant adjustments.

Being at a restaurant that runs out of things is pretty commonplace if you're often times going to a really popular place that has really popular awesome dishes.

If you're used to restaurants that use all frozen ingredients or make things in mass quantities that are always available, then maybe Verbena isnt the place for you. Sorry!

My partner and I visited Verbena last Friday for dinner. WE were very impressed. Being from out of town, we asked the front desk clerk at our hotel(Omni) for a reccomendation. He enthusiastically told us that Verbena had been recieving praises by both the local magazines and hotel patrons.
We took his advice, and wow. Simply divine.
We started off with a crayfish and asparagus salad, and lobster chowder.
The pan-seared trout was amazing. A beautiful, visually stimulating dish. The veal was also especially good. The server, a charming man who definately understood the food and menu, guided us through or selection of food and wine.
The experience was first-class. We will definately return on our next visit to Richond. This is the only place in Richmond that rivals our favorite eateries in San Francisco.

I had a similar experience - my mom and I were celebrating our dual birthdays (they didnt provide any birthday perks or even mention it). I had to wait 20 minutes for my champagne cocktail while during the interim, my mom ordered and was served her wine. With dinner, my father's pork tenderloin arrived overcooked, which he sent back - but instead of the kitchen expediting a new dinner for him, he had to sit while we finished our meals. His didnt arrive until we were ready for the check! The waitress was also very uninformed - we asked about the Mexican rabbit, which she had nothing good to say about - then I saw it featured in Richmond magazine a couple days later?! Not impressed.

I had the exact same experience last week. The place has a great vibe and a good menu, we were given menus and ordered drinks. Five minutes later, when we were ready to order, the waitress listed three menu items that were not available that night. Not a big deal but frustrating. The menu is not that extensive and from what I can tell it has not changed. More importantly, if this is happening on a regular basis, it feels more like a restaurant that either is low on cash or does not have their act together. The food was mixed -- the tastes were great, but two of the entrees were very undercooked. Maybe its just growing pains -- lots of potential, but it kind of feels like they are already living off their repuation (kind of odd for a brand new restaurant).

Their menu I find curious. It really doesn't detail all aspects of one's meal. My Salmon in Phyllo came w/goat cheese & mushrooms tucked inside. Which I loved, mind you, but what if I had had a fungal allergy? My hubs potatos were hit w/truffle oil, no where was this detailed on the menu.(but delicious!)

I think maybe they need a mkting person to come in and help them w/their menu?

You're absolutely right, anon. While Doris Day did have a big hit with her cover of the theme song,she didn't star in the movie. My bad...

Well, it's "Never on Sunday" for you, Ginger. But it wasn't for Doris Day either. Try the brilliant Melina Mecuri directed by Jules Dassin in that great film. Better luck next time at VERBENA...say on a weekday evening.

I've gotten there well after 5 p.m. and had both the duck and rabbit...recently too. According to this article, the servers are inexperienced, so how are we to trust what the server says?

"Our server said customers need to arrive at 5 p.m. to order the duck or rabbit, so apparently running out of food is a fairly regular occurrence."
If running out of food is such a regular occurence for popular items it suggests bad planning on the part of the restraunteur. Who wants to go out to dinner at 5pm?

Wait, were they out of stuff? I think I missed that part. Perhaps you should add a footnote, mentioning that they tend to run out of things.

Good lord, it's a popular restaurant. If you've paid attention to the media or even asked any "foodie" friend, you should know it's the new "it" spot. When a place is popular, you have to deal with things like 86'ed specials and a restaurant not able to answer the phone during the height of brunch...who knows, maybe they were too busy making biscuits.