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Re-claiming the Reputation of Ribs
I must admit that I wasn't particularly looking forward to eating at a restraurant that touted its ribs. Sourced by all the bad kountry kookin’ chains, I figured where there were ribs, cooked-til-gray corn on the cob couldn’t be far behind. Was I wrong. Mill Street Grill is here to reclaim the reputation of rib serving restaurants.
Mill Street is casual, but just the sort of place where a jazz band would play like one does every Wednesday. Located in the lower level of the old White Star Mill, it lacks natural light, which lends a coziness to the better lit tables, an annoying darkness to the others. I find the restaurant very Staunton, meaning quirky in a good way. (For instance, Elton John was played back to back with “Dueling Banjos.”)
First things first: the much-talked-up ribs. My very professional server guided me to the barbequed baby back ribs , since I wanted the most tender, the least fatty of the three varieties offered. They are wonderful. Brushed with a terrific spicy barbeque sauce, the tender pork slid off the bone. There was not an ounce of anything other than meat and bone— pure taste. Mill Street has a right to be proud of their ribs.
While nothing else quite lived up to the ribs, our selections from the rest of the menu, were, for the most part, tasty. The hand-battered pepperjack cheesesticks are lovely, with an interesting raspberry sauce. The grilled shrimp and bacon quesadilla (Currently not available) was boosted by its delicious toppings, particularly the guacamole and salsa.
The charbroiled yellow-fin tuna with the peppercorn cream sauce (other options include sundried tomato and roasted garlic basil butter or Cajun spices) was rich but not gut-splitting. For the side, we opted for the garlic mashed potatoes, which were thick, buttery, and easy on the garlic.
Mill Street is at its finest on the grill, but I found a nice alternative in the restaurant’s crab cake sandwich . It’s light on the filler and served with a cilantro citrus mayonnaise. Taste the mayo first. While I liked its sharpness, my companion did not and a little does go a long way.
The proscuitto-and provolone-stuffed
chicken, served over angel hair pasta is merely good, though plentiful. Its marsala wine sauce (with onion, mushroom and garlic) was a little soupy; we wished we had tried one of steaks instead.
I was impressed, particularly on my first visit, by all the little details, often missing from our area’s restaurants. Our server brought a warm wet napkin and a bucket to accommodate the rib-eating. He checked back on us. He brought bread, baked in a crock with flavored whipped butter (this was repeated on our second visit). And after our meal, we received a small scoop of peppermint ice cream. The same attention was missing on our second visit, but perhaps that was because I requested a more brightly lit table, possibly “double-seating” the server, as they say in the biz.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that when I want my baby back, I’ll go to Mill Street Grill. —Maggie Cunningham
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