L’Opossum sur la Colline d’Oregon
“L’Opossum’s modern french spin earns its spot as one of richmond’s finest dining experiences.”
L’Opossum sur la Colline d’Oregon (affectionately known by its regular patrons simply as “L’Opossum”) can be found tucked away in a residential neighborhood of Gambles Hill, masquerading as a darkened corner store with red wine curtains. With only a solitary window along the side, there isn’t a sign in sight to let you know that this is one of Richmond’s finest dining establishments since 2014. In fact, the single solitary streetlamp across the intersection might be your only solace that you hadn’t accidentally stumbled upon the wrong side of town. Entering this nebulous, unsuspecting threshold however, gave similar impressions of being invited into a secret society. The ambience of L’Opossum reminded me of Greek god Dionysus lounging around with a cluster of grapes.
L’Opossum’s genre of cuisine could only be described as avant-garde nouveau French - virtually every dish on its provocative menu being French-inspired with creative twists and spins to add a unique L’Opossum flair. For example, their “Beef Swellington” has its filet mignon cut stand-alone with some flamboyant, crisp puff pastry on top, rather than the traditional encasing of the meat. Intrigued, I placed my orders to try an appetizer of Les Escargots a la Ham Biscuit, an entree of Filet Mignon of Beef “Swellington”, and a seasonal dessert of their blueberry bread pudding.
Before I mention the actual stars of the night, I want to touch on the bread at L’Opossum. I’m not sure what they put in that dough when they made it in-house, but it was INCREDIBLE. Each slice was brushed with a light salt butter before being brought out, and it was the true unsung hero of the meal. The table as a whole probably asked for bread 2-3 times beyond the initial basket, just to dip with all the sauces and reductions in later dishes. The escargots came out deliciously plump and tender, hidden underneath a warm ham biscuit and mountain of garnish. The sweet garlic beurre blanc in which it was plated with shone through the dish - not too rich so that you might mistaken it to have used cream, but not so light that it resembled just a white wine sauce you might eat with oysters. Despite the escargots having already been removed from their shells for convenience, I found myself missing the nostalgia of using the customary clamp and snail fork to eat them. As for the main course, it was as one might expect of any deconstructed beef wellington - the truffled duxelle infused mushrooms in cognac formed a perfect bed for the tender medium-rare steak I had ordered, covered in pink peppercorn and a port-wine reduction. For dessert, the bread pudding came with an ornate caramelized sugar spiral and a strawberry spread - a delightfully warm and sweet way to end our meal together.
Before I conclude with my thoughts, I would like to share two disclamers that pre-date the actual dinner: 1) I was lucky enough to be in this new restaurant with three of my best friends from my medical school class, all of whom, like me, love good food - but our reservation for 7:30pm on a Tuesday had to be made several months in advance - so plan accordingly if you’d like to visit; and 2) I was being treated by a friend, and so my meal was free - a luxury I know that most readers (and myself, if I return) won’t be able to enjoy. In total, my three food items (and I didn’t have any drinks except water) ran me nearly $100, tip included!
In my humble opinion, I found L’Opossum to be a creative take on French cooking, and my dining experience there was truly delicious from a food perspective. Additionally, the staff were professional and attentive - always looking to assist in whichever way they could to make my time with them better. However, its austere decor and dark lighting paired with the cramped space felt mildly claustrophobic. Tables were crammed every which way and the sheer volume of patrons made it difficult to navigate our way to our booth (thank god it was a booth and not a stand-alone table).
In conclusion, L’Opossum is an establishment worth visiting simply as a novelty experience. While its food is delicious, it also won’t blow you out of the water if you’ve had other versions of those same dishes. In other words, the steak I had was a great steak, but you can get a great steak in a lot of different places. On top of that, the overcrowded nature of the space along with its relatively elevated price tag might make you question whether your money might have been better enjoyed elsewhere. If you’re ever visiting Richmond, feel free to make a reservation ahead for when you’ll be in town, but it’s certainly not a “must try” before leaving Virginia’s state capital.
Fun fact: The French have a special law for bread known as “Le Décret Pain” (the Bread Decree), which states that homemade bread (pain Maison) must be fully kneaded, shaped, and baked at the same place where they are sold.
Food Quality: 9.7/10
Meal Value: 6.0/10
Dining Experience: 7.8/10
Overall: 7.83/10
