The House of Marinara

It took a few weeks but I finally made it over to Balliceaux. I’ve been anticipating this opening for about 6 months and yet I somehow missed it. Oh well. It really doesn’t matter. Really, it’s one of my favorite chefs running the kitchen so I just needed to get over there and enjoy some amazing food.

BTW, don’t expect an unbiased review here. I’m a huge fan of Russell Cook and so I have a hard time being objective.

I was so desperate to eat there, that I took lil’marinara. I figured it would be a good test on how friendly and gracious their staff could be. I requested to sit in the back because it seemed a bit more low-key.

The Genius- Russell Cook

The staff was very engaging. Russell came by and I ordered “something low carb” and “something for kids.” I also ordered a bowl of their golden gazpacho, which was light, fresh and seasoned with a nice cayenne kick. The “something low carb” showed up and it was crispy pork belly on top of a cabbage salad and served with grilled veggies and au-jus. The “something for kids” was a heritage cheeseburger made with a Flour Garden roll, artisan cheese and local, grass-fed beef and fries.

Both dishes were great. Lil’ marinara tore up the fries and the burger, not before I was able to take a few bites. I dug into the pork belly, which Tony Bourdain refers to as the 5 layers of heaven. It was crispy and tasty on the outside. The inside was rich and tender. The au-jus was only really necessary for the inside pieces. The pieces with skin were perfect.

What I appreciated about the restaurant was that the prices were not outrageous. The pork was $16 and the burger was $10. With reasonable prices, it was amazing how well they were able to stay local, organic, and/or sustainable with the ingredients and wine.

I can’t wait to go back but I think I’ll leave the 2 year old at home and take the wife for a nice night out.

Dale and Aline Reitzer- Richmond.com

I want to give special thanks to Chef Dale Reitzer for talking with us. Please enjoy as we talk about his history, influences and his restaurant.

Please let me know if you have any issues with listening to this.