Heat-Seeking Critic Finds the Spice at Rappahannock

Charleston City Paper critic Vanessa Wolf may want to consider keeping some hot sauce in her bag after her latest review of Cigar Factory tenant Rappahannock Oyster Bar. For the first half of the article, Wolf desperately needs some spice: the ceviche “could have stood more heat,” on the fish dip, “three dots of hot sauce is just a tease,” and the grilled oysters “are also lacking in any discernible heat.” But then she finds a small dropper of Rappahannock’s in-house hot sauce and all is fine.

Wolf goes on to praise the red snapper tartare (“truly sublime”), charred octopus (“perfectly cooked”), grilled cobia (“exceptional”), and seared scallops on corn pudding (“like eating a plate of summertime”).

Post and Courier writer Hanna Raskin spends much of her review of Italian eatery Juliet wondering what will happen with the newcomer once customers discover it. She muses that the dining room was empty on many of her visit, and service still only received two stars.

Raskin enjoyed the fare however. She recommends starting with an “ethereal cobia crudo” and then going for a pie “layered with bright red cherry tomatoes and fresh arugula leaves, finished with delicate clouds of burrata: The pizza strikes the perfect balance between seasonality and swank.”

• Rappahannock Oyster Bar Is So Much More Than an Oyster Bar [CP]
• There's a Lot of Food to Love at Juliet, but What Happens When It's Discovered? [P&C]