I went to Sam Miller's on a Saturday night date. As such, I didnt complain while I was there. However, I was very disappointed and dissatisfied when we left. The service was good, the hostess was attentive. We noticed that it appeared to be a slow night but the reason we chose this restaurant over the many other restaurants in Shockoe Slip was because of the sign outside advertising Sam Miller's as having an oyster bar. When we sat down and tried to order oysters, we were informed that they were out of oysters. An oyster bar out of oysters on a Saturday night. The crab dip appetizer was fine. I ended up ordering the crab soup and the mozzarella and tomato salad. My date ordered the famous crab cakes. They were fine but the ""chef's accompaniments"" added up to three small potatoes and a steamed broccoli flower. The soup was a little... smoother than I would have liked. At first I thought they may have used an immersion blender but then I found two or three pieces of crab and realized that my crab soup was light on the crab. The reason I am writing this review though is the salad which is sad because a salad is a difficult thing to make unappetizing. I have made caprese salads at home that were more flavorful than this one. The tomatoes were watery (difficult to spear with a fork) and probably grown in a hot house as tasteless as they were. The tomato slices were a normal size but the cheese slices were about the size of a half dollar coin. The salad itself was obviously premade as the mozzarella had started drying out and gotten a little puckery and the basil that topped it was limp. The balsamic glaze that was latticed onto the plate lived up to its appearance. It belonged on a sickly sweet desert plate. To charge $8 for that salad is robbery. Should have left a half empty seafood restaurant and oyster bar on a Saturday night when they told us they were out of oysters.
Pros: good service, nice decor
Cons: small portions, ingredients that arent fresh, overpriced
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