For lunch on our second day we went to Food for Thought. Not only did I find this place via the web research I did prior to the trip, but a few friends also recommended that we stop by.
It’s a great little restaurant with quite a few tables and literary quotations all over the walls. We got there for lunch during the off season so it was relatively empty, but I get the feeling it fills up quite fast during the tourist season!
Our nice little bread basket came with two cheese rolls and two pieces of sweet potato cornbread. The cornbread was simply awesome. Very tender and flavorful. It was a great start to the meal.
Crispy Fish & Chips
Panko bread crumbs produce a crispy coating on our catch of the day. Served with skinny fries & cole slaw.
I’ve ordered fish and chips in quite a few restaurants over the course of my life and, hands down, this was the best. The panko coating took this over the top in terms of crunchiness and I loved it. The fries had a nice spiciness and I was very thrilled with my meal.
Cilantro Lime Chicken Sandwich
Charbroiled, served on a toasted Kaiser with lettuce and tomato. Comes with our skinny fries.
Art got this chicken sandwich but swapped the fries out for sweet potato fries that came with a brown sugar and butter dipping sauce. I tried a fry and it was nice, but I prefer thinner fries when it comes to sweet potatoes. He enjoyed his sandwich but, sadly, I didn’t get to try a bite – I was full with my fish.
Our server, Carlie, was attentive and friendly. Our glasses were always filled. The owner even stopped by to say hello to us! The menu also had an extensive selection of veg*n options which makes it great restaurant for vegans and vegetarians alike. A rare find!
Total price: $28.83
Food for Thought
1647 Richmond Road
Williamsburg, VA
Phone: 757.645.4665
I was pretty surprised by how modern Morimoto was. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I guess I was thinking it would be more traditionally style.
Inside the tables were glass, the walls were color-shifting, and the music was techno. The restaurant is long and narrow with tables for two down each side and tables for four or six down the middle. The bathroom, which was awesome, was downstairs and there was a bar with an observation deck upstairs. 
10 hour pork ‘kakuni’ braised pork belly with hot rice porridge
We started off with this braised pork belly that was awesome. It melted in our mouths and was served over congee so broken down it was a delicious sauce. I actually have the recipe for this in a Morimoto cookbook and hope to attempt to replicate it at home some day. 
sashimi salad mixed greens, tuna tataki, shoyu dressing
I won the salad course with this fantastic sashimi salad. The tuna was amazing and the dressing had fantastic flavor. Both salads were topped with huge bonito flakes.
house green salad shaved bonito, yuzu vinaigrette
Lance’s salad was not quite so awesome although the vinaigrette was lovely and citrusy. He should have ordered the sashimi salad and just given me the tuna. 
chocolate pot de crème chocolate custard, caramelized banana, lightly whipped cream
This was a perfect bowl of thick, rich, delicious chocolate mousse. Well, not mousse. It had the texture somewhere between mousse and pudding. I was too full to eat it all, but I did my best!
black sesame moussecake goma mousse, sea salt mousse, flourless chocolate cake, dark chocolate ganache
Lance had a teeny, tiny chocolate cake. It was good, but a bit odd. He helped me finish off my dessert. 
Our meal started with delicious pretzel rolls and cheddar butter. Sadly, I wasn’t feeling super hungry, since our dinner break was in the middle of a 14 hour shift, so I only ate a bit of one of the rolls. They’re super yummy, though. 
Lance and I both had the Caesar salad for starters. The croutons are made from the aforementioned delicious pretzel bread and the dressing is great. 
Beer Can Chicken
Grill-Roasted Half Chicken, Weber’s Beer Can Chicken Seasoning, Fresh Herbs, Roasted Chicken Jus, Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Teriyaki Skirt Steak
Grill Smoked Onions, Roasted Poblano & Sweet Peppers, and Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Whole Grilled Florida Pompano
Charred Tomato Salsa, Tortillas & Lime
Maine Diver Scallops
Manila Clams, Black Mussels, Tomatoes, Cheddar Grits & Roasted Pork Shank
Pan Roasted Pacific Opah
Shredded Brussels Sprouts, Wild Rice, Indiana Corn, & Lemon Brown Butter
Lance apparently had more of an appetite than the rest of us, or he just can’t pass up a good chocolate cake when he sees one. This was one of those huge slices of chocolate cake and he enjoyed it immensely even though he couldn’t finish it! I ordered chocolate mousse to go, but this was a mistake since I didn’t have time to eat it once I got back to work. Oops. 
The bread here is awesome. Nice, dark pumpernickel, onion loaves, and my personal favorite, the cheesy crispy things. These cheesy crispy things are perfect for dipping in both the cocktail sauce and the navy bean soup. And if you happen to ask for a basket of just cheesy things, they’re happy to comply. Not that I did this. Oh no…
I had a pleasant experience last year. I found out that I liked shrimp after a lifetime of hating it. (I OD’d on shrimp as a small child and then hated it forever. Or until 2011.) My first thought upon this revelation was “I guess I can get the shrimp cocktail at St. Elmos this year!” And I did. So did everyone else at the table. It’s so perfect and horseradishy and I love the way it clears out the sinuses. I did end up giving my last two (of five) shrimp to Brian since I still don’t like shrimp that much, but I’m glad I ordered it. (The restaurant claims to be the largest restaurant purchaser of shrimp in the US. All due to their only appetizer.)
After my sad salad experience at 
Lance ordered the BLT salad with Thousand Island. Big chunks of bacon, tomatoes, and iceberg. It seemed a bit light on the tomatoes, but Lance was happy and that’s the important thing. Their Thousand Island is lovely. 
Each steak comes with the option of tomato juice or navy bean soup. A few of us had the soup and a few of us opted out altogether. I forget who did what but I think I had the soup which was nice. I think I saved all of my appetite from the weekend for this meal. 
Um. We all got the bone-in filet mignon. Yes, it really is that good. Lance got fries with his. 
Brian got mashed potatoes with his. He also wanted to show off his glass of wine with his picture – no idea what type it is, but he seemed happy with it. 
Brian and I shared asparagus with hollandaise. I love asparagus. I loved this asparagus. 
Some shifting of chairs was done since Nicholas and I decided to share a slice of cheesecake. Thank goodness I didn’t try to eat a piece on my own since that would have been a recipe for disaster. It was creamy, rich, awesome. 
And, of course, Lance had chocolate cake. Which I didn’t get a picture of last year so here you go if you’ve been waiting. It’s huge. 
Our meal started off with a nice selection of breads and some fruity butter. I think it was strawberry? Pretzel bread and grainy bread and yummy bread. 
Lance had a house salad which could have been a bit more crisp, but was still tasty. 
I, of course, had the Caprese salad with balsamic vinaigrette. Now we all know how I feel about tomatoes and I’m pretty picky about them. I’ve had suboptimal tomatoes at restaurants before but, since it was in the middle of tomato season, I felt pretty safe. I asked the waiter if the tomatoes were awesome and he assured me they were. 
I can’t remember if this was a special or a standard menu item, but Lance and I both had the Kobe filet with a side of hollandaise. The steaks were great, nicely red in the middle, grilled on the outside, very tasty. The sauce was quite nice as well!
We had initially decided to get the roasted potatoes with bacon, onion, and mushrooms, but our waiter informed us that they weren’t very good at all. So we went with the double baked potato instead. It was huge and we ate maybe half of it between the two of us. It was a potato fit for a crowd! We both enjoyed it. 
And then we had a surprise! Our waiter brought us a complimentary cookie with ice cream for dessert. It was a shallow bowl with a half-baked chocolate chip cookie in it and ice cream on top. Delicious. The cookie was warm and gooey, like a chocolate lava cookie. It also came with a alcoholic chocolate sauce, but I can’t vouch for it since I avoid chocolate sauces which tend to have HFCS in them. 
Our meal started with great, grainy slices of bread. 
Art and I both ordered one of the specials for an appetizer. In the middle of tomato season, if a place has Caprese on the menu, it’s a safe bet that I’ll order it. These tomatoes and the mozzarella were perfect and delicious. 
Lance revisited the salad he’d gotten the previous visit. A mixed green salad with blood oranges, pine nuts and goat cheese. Obviously he enjoyed it enough to order it twice!
free range chicken
potato mousseline, grilled asparagus, mushrooms, sage-cream sauce
grilled new york strip
potato mousseline, sautéed seasonal vegetables, sauce bordelaise
new zealand lamb chops
confit of sweet potato, butternut squash, andouille sausage, onions; baby arugula salad
brownie sundae
Art and I both splurged and went with the brownie sundae for dessert. It was awesome. I got mine with cinnamon ice cream. 
And Art went with mint chocolate chip ice cream. 
chocolate lava cake
with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce
We started out with bread. Well, everyone else started out with bread. I skipped it because I didn’t want to fill up before the food came. Everyone else loved the bread, though, and the grainy slices on the right were particularly enjoyed.
Art, Lance, and my mom all got this mixed green salad. It had blood oranges and pine nuts and goat cheese and all sorts of yumminess. The portion size was great and it was enjoyed by all three of them. 
Brian and I both got the gazpacho with grilled shrimp. I believe this is the first time, as an adult, that I’ve ordered something with shrimp of my own free will. (I OD’d on shrimp as a child and have loathed them ever since.) I ate them, and the gazpacho, and then had to prevent myself from licking the bowl clean. The flavors in the gazpacho were lovely. This is a great dish to order during tomato season. 
My dad went with the Caesar salad which certainly smelled and looked delicious. Since he finished it all, I’m assuming that it was delicious! 
My mom ordered the crab cakes for her entrée. They were served with a butter sauce involving capers and a small pile of veggies. I knew one of my parents would order crab cakes – where better to get them than in the Maryland area? She greatly enjoyed them. 
Continuing in the realm of seafood, Brian ordered the scallops. They were served over risotto with a lemony butter sauce and, from my side of the table, they looked very large. Brian thought they were fantastic without a trace of sandiness that scallops can sometimes have if not prepared and cleaned properly.
I knew that Art was going to order this as soon as I saw it on the menu. Homemade tagliatelle with Italian sausage and a creamy tomato sauce. He tried to give me a taste but I was all the way on the other side of the table at the other end and I predicted disaster as that fork was passed. He, however, gobbled up every bite and joked about ordering seconds. He liked it so much that he wants to go back just to order it again. 
I ordered fish. I’m 99% sure that this is swordfish and I’m 100% sure that it was amazing. The sauce was that same lemony butter sauce that Brian and my mom got and there were greens and, I believe, a grain under the greens, but I’ve since forgotten what the grain was! I must take better notes next time, or a photo of the current menu, or something. The fish had a great texture and was grilled magnificently. 
Lance and my dad both ordered the flat iron steak. It was served with thin roasted fingerlings, a vegetable medley, and a great and tasty sauce. The meat was perfect – super tender and super flavorful. I got a taste of Lance’s and it was fantastic. 
Lance and my dad also both had the molten chocolate cake. Every restaurant these days seems to have one, not all are good, but this one was exceptional. It was served with vanilla ice cream and a strawberry. 
Art ordered the key lime tart and, sadly, I think he’s decided to forgo key lime desserts in restaurants in the future. They’re his favorite, but they’re so hit or miss that it’s just not worth it. This one was a miss – it wasn’t nearly tart enough for Art’s tastes. I guess this means I’ll need to make him one in the not too distant future. 
None of the desserts really called to me, but I asked about the ice cream. Not only was it Haagen-Dazs, but they had a flavor I’d never even heard of – cinnamon. So I got a scoop and I’m so glad I did! The cinnamon took a moment to hit and then it was just bite after bite of cinnamon goodness. 
Caesar - Fresh crisp romaine hearts tossed with romano cheese and a creamy Caesar dressing. Topped with shaved parmesan cheese and fresh ground black pepper.
As usual, I started off my meal with a Caesar salad. The best of all salads. Ruth’s Chris has great dressing and I always enjoy the inclusion of tomatoes. 
Harvest Salad - Mixed greens with roasted corn, dried cherries, crispy bacon and tomatoes in a white balsamic vinaigrette, topped with goat cheese and Cajun pecans.
Art will order pretty much anything on a menu that has goat cheese so he got the Harvest salad. It was scrumptious and he especially enjoyed the Cajun pecan pieces. 
Steak House Salad - Iceberg, Romaine and baby lettuces with cherry tomatoes, garlic croutons and red onions.
Lance went with the steak house salad with thousand island dressing. 
I’m assuming, since there’s only one photo of an entrée, that we all ordered the filet mignon. I would have ordered tuna, but this Ruth’s Chris didn’t have tuna on the menu! The filets were all delicious, perfectly done, and oh so tender. 
For sides we ordered shoestring fries, asparagus, sautéed mushrooms, and some mashed potatoes that we something like jalapeno cheddar. All the sides were delicious but we came home with most of the asparagus for leftovers since I’m the only true asparagus lover in the house. 
Chocolate Sin Cake - Chocolate and espresso
Art and Lance both ordered this sinful chocolate cake which was super dense and rich. 
I went with a bowl of chocolate ice cream which was Haagen-Dazs and awesome. 
