The Boathouse, Short Pump, Virginia

When you’re from out of town and searching for a place to have a nice dinner in the western end of the Richmond area, The Boathouse keeps popping up and elbowing alternatives out of the way. It’s situated at 11800 Broad Street in Short Pump Town Center, the core of a sprawling new commercial/residential development that includes, well, just about everything from Trader Joe’s to LL Bean. The Boathouse was only about a mile from our hotel and right next door to the Hyatt House at which David, famous as my younger brother, and Debby, famous as the mother of quadruplets plus one, were staying. The Boathouse was an easy choice and, as it turned out, a good one.

The restaurant is large, sleek, and roomy.

We arrived in advance of the Friday night crowd, but I could see that the tables and booths were placed so as to allow servers to operate smoothly among them, and to give customers some elbow room.

Our server arrived promptly with water and menus. With a party in the offing and a tight schedule, we forewent drinks and zeroed in on the menu. Nancy and Debby both ordered the Nice Little Tossed Salad ($6) to start,

while David ordered the Blueberry Arugula Salad ($12), which featured toasted almonds and goat cheese in addition to the named items. 

Both salads were well received for their freshness and flavor.

Debby and Nancy both ordered the Grilled Salmon ($27) with asparagus and mashed potatoes.  

Nancy volunteered that the salmon was very good and offered the same encomia to the asparagus and the mashed potatoes. Nancy doesn’t comment on mashed potatoes that often, even less does she volunteer to praise them.

David ordered the Broiled Seafood Combination platter ($45), which included a crab cake, shrimp, scallops, mashed potatoes, and asparagus.   

Don’t the scallops and shrimp look nice? David was well pleased, and gave the whole plate a big thumbs up.

Having. enjoyed a healthy lunch at ZZQ and anticipating more food at the party, I chose a light dinner of two starters, the New England Clam Chowder($7.50) and the Oven Roasted Virginia Clams ($14).

I’ll zoom in on a few of the clams.

They were delicious, tasting of the sea, the richness of the butter, and a piquant blend of garlic, roasted red peppers, and herbs all finished with lemon juice. I could eat these all day long.

Let’s look at the chowder.

The chowder was a creamy mixture of clams and potatoes graced with bacon and chives. Chives do so much for potatoes, and bacon makes everything better, but the flavor of the clams dominated, as it should. This was a notable clam chowder.

We easily made it to the party at Dover Hall, a magnificent building farther out, and an even more magnificent party within. It was a grand evening, and a perfect prelude to the following day. I’m glad we chose The Boathouse. Beyond its convenience, it’s a nice place, a good setting for a meal, and some very good food. You should try it.

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