Fat Canary is by far one of the best meals I have had. Being that my wife and I are from DC, we have a lot of great culinary options and fat canary delivers.
We started off with the house-made mozzarella, which was amazing. I then had the local asparagus salad. Anything with duck prosciutto and a sunny-side up duck egg is definitely worth trying. What an amazing group of flavors in this dish, I highly recommend it. For my main course, I went with the pork chop. I don't tend to order pork chops at restaurants, since I normally lean toward fish or a filet, but this was outstanding. The goat cheese souffle and golden apple sauce were amazing as well.
We will definitely be back to this restaurant. Our dinner never felt rushed, there was plenty of time in between the dishes. That is the way it should be at a nice restaurant. The service was fantastic as well. Definitely give this place a try if you are in the area.
This cute restaurant is in Market Square on the outskirts of Colonel Williamsburg. Â The ambience is very nice. We decided to start our vacation at a nice place and we made a great choice. I'm not a huge eater so I had an amazing cold avocado soup (from the specials) that's was very creamy and tasty. I had a very nice strawberry and feta salad that was perfectly dressed and seasoned. It was light but just enough for me. Then I was able to taste everything else. The soft shell crab was so light and fluffy, perfect. The salmon with mushrooms on top was so buttery and tender. Even the veggies on the side were great. The guinea fowel was tender and moist.
They have great wines and excellent service. Our waiter was wonderful. Very attentive. The only very minor thing that wasn't perfect was that we were celebrating two birthdays and no one did anything to acknowledge them. We could have said something but the dinner and overall experience were so wonderful, it wasn't worth it.
The best part (as I always think) was the dessert. We ordered two desserts to share. The profiteroles filled with a homemade espresso ice cream that were good but the macadamia nut tart with homemade vanilla ice cream was so good. I wanted my own. It's almost like a pecan pie but with macadamia nuts. Â So delish.
People were wearing everything from shirts to nice but it's an upscale restaurant and most people were dressed up.
I loved this place.
What else needs to be said that other gushing fans have not said? Â It was wonderful! Â My husband and I started with cocktails. Â He had some sherry, and I had the Katy Pear-y. Â I am not usually such a girl when it comes to cocktails, but this one was really nice. Â Sweet, but not sweet enough to overtake the flavor. Â For our entree, my husband had the pork chop, and I had the special. Â Which was amazing. Â It was halibut topped with crab. served over shrimp, fennel, and english peas. Â It was delightful! Â For dessert, we split the macadamian nut pie with vanilla ice cream. Think of pecan pie with macadamian nuts. Â It was delish! Â Our server was amazing, very sweet and personable. Â The ambiance is perfect as well. Â If you're looking to drop some dough on an amazing meal, definitely try the Fat Canary!
Review Source:I really wanted to like this restaurant. The ambiance, noise level and decor were perfect and the food was delicious. However, I cannot excuse a string of serious service mistakes that, collectively, made me really regret choosing Fat Canary over some of the other choices in the historic downtown. Let me start with what was good:
1. My salad and my wife's salad were both excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed them.
2. My scallop entree and my wife's stuffed quail entree were delicious and well prepared.
The things that collectively, made the experience an unpleasant one:
1. Waiting what I felt was an excessive amount of time for a table despite having a reservation and showing up promptly on time.
2. Ordering a glass of wine before my salad course and having it arrive 20 minutes later, long after the salads were eaten and taken away without even an apology.
3. Waiting 30 minutes from the time that our salads were taken away until our entrees arrived while the table next to us managed to receive two courses, eat both, and have both cleared all while we were offered nothing during the long delay.
4. Managing to keep myself clean through the entire meal, only to have the waiter spill my leftovers on me while he was clearing the table.
5. After being asked of we want dessert and declining, being told that the kitchen was making something for us and again politely declining, having the "gift" delivered anyway in case we change our mind. The dessert was compliments of the kitchen because they ran out of the soup I had originally ordered for my first course, and was not at all related to any of the delays.
I really wish i could have enjoyed my meal, but the poor service and excessive delays in the kitchen made my experience very poor. I wish that the waiter had offered a simple apology or maybe comped one of our drinks to show his appreciation for our patience - either would have made the entire experience lovely. Instead, i walked out the door thinking i could have been happier ordering take out instead of having a very expensive and unpleasant dining experience.
Come here for their appetizer: the Ginger Barbecued Pork Ribs with the Marinated Cucumber Salad - it is absolutely delicious! Â It is sweet and savory, and it had a right amount of flavor to it - finger-licking good! The restaurant itself is cute, and my husband and I had an anniversary dinner here. Â They personalized the menu, which I thought was so sweet. Other items on the menu were decent, but I highly suggest in going for their rib appetizer!
Review Source:For a first class, fine dining experience, you can't beat the Fat Canary. Located right next to Colonial Williamsburg, this is a great place to have a truly memorable dinner.
I tried the quail stuffed with a wild rice tasso served over crawfish étouffée. It was  everything you'd expect from such a dish: a perfectly balanced set of spices and flavors. The combination of quail and crawfish was inspired. A member of ouur group tried the scallops, which looked huge and delicious.
One heads up, this is a fancy place. It seemed like almost all the men were wearing a jacket and a tie. I felt a little under dressed in a nice sweater and jeans. It is also a bit pricey, but certainly what you'd expect for such fine cuisine.
My boyfriend and I went here last Saturday night. Â We are from the Southside Hampton Roads area, but after this place was listed as a platinum plate winner for 2012 we had to make the drive and try it out. Â He had to make reservations a few weeks before to ensure we got a 'coveted' 7:00pm seating.
Arrived a few minutes early - place was packed. Â We started with a round of cocktails from the bar - they were wonderful. Â Got seated just a few minutes past 7:00 - and our server greeted us promptly. Â She maintained great service throughout the evening - and was very knowledgeable about the menu, ingredients, and chef's recommendations. Â Our table was perfect - with a good view of the open kitchen.
As per the food - we started w/ a fresh mozzarella app - was perfectly portioned, and the heirloom tomatoes were very refreshing to savor in the early part of January. Â Second course was a bottle of Pinot Noir... the Filet w/blue cheese butter... and the special - Mahi w/ bay scallops - all were phenomenal. Â My date and I kept switching our plates back and fourth because we couldn't decide which entree we liked best. Â We finished the night with a 10/20/30/40 yr port flight and the chocolate mousse... O.M.G. - this was my favorite - from the plate it looked like a thick dark chocolate decadent pot d'creme... but the instant you touched it with your fork it was a light, whipped mousse that melted in your mouth. Â It paired perfectly with the port's as well.
Overall - one of the best meals ever - this place is certainly worthy of the #8 Best restaurant in HR - as rated in hampton Roads Magazine. Â It's a perfect spot for a romatic upscale meal, anniversary, or birthday. Â Highly recommend - and I look forward to returning again soon. Â
Be sure to check out the adjacent wine & cheese shops while there - we definitely did!
The Fat Canary is a true gem! Â We don't live in the area, but when we visit Williamsburg, the Fat Canary is on our "must" Â list. Â The service here is perfect. Â Listening to the bartender tell the specials was like listening to a story teller. Â He was that excited by the day's offerings. Â
I started the meal with the Heirloom tomato and house made mozzarella salad. Â It was amazing. For dinner, I had scallops and my husband had a steak. Â Everything was perfectly prepared, had a wonderful melding of flavors and was delicious.
Fat Canary has a great wine list, unusual cocktails and amazing desserts. Â If you are in the area, give them a try....but make a reservation, the location is small and they fill up!
Been coming here for almost 10 years, since I was a student at the college and wasting my money on fancy dinners. Â I used to refer to it as my favorite restaurant and would hit it up anytime in town for black friday shopping, or the holidays, or homecoming, etc. Â In recent years, I'm not sure if the quality has gone down or my standards have gone up, but not quite as amazing. Â Still great ambiance, with a very small place and open kitchen. Â The wine selection is amazing, and the menu changes frequently. Â
Much better than the Trellis or other touristy options, but some of the newer spots like Blue Talon are creeping into its territory. Â Need to make reservations far in advance as the seating is only for around 60 for the whole restaurant.
Delicious pork, fabulous potato leek soup with scallops... it was a great meal to remember.
The interior was plush. Â The wine list, fabulous. Â Craig was our server and didn't miss a beat. Â I haven't enjoyed a meal as much as this in a long time.
Oh...I know we were in Virginia, but where do they get such wonderful heirloom tomatoes this time of year?
Have dined here twice and had wonderful experiences both times!
Two years ago, we stopped in here for dinner prior to an evening tour. We were quickly seated and served, which was great because we only had 90 minutes! The staff went over and above to make sure we were taken care of, and the food was absolutely delicious!
This past weekend we stopped in again, this time following a tour. We were quickly seated at the main bar, and were quickly served. The staff was very charasmatic and approachable. We ordered some salads for dinner, and they were wonderful!
Went to the Fat Canary during homecoming with my 3 roommates. The service was absolutely excellent!! However, I would say the food wasn't at all what I expected. We didn't really enjoy our food that much. The beverages were great though! I forget our server's name, but he had excellent recommendations for pairing beverages and food.
The restaurant is way overpriced for the not so yummy food they are selling. I would rather eat at the Blue Talon for better tasting food.
The atmosphere suits it's food. It is simple, modern, and warms your soul. The service is great and they have a large wine menu. I ordered a red wine (218) that fit well with everything. For appetizer we got the special; corn soup with bacon appetizer) and the rabbit.
The corn soup was my favorite for the whole dinner; it was bold with flavor.
Their rabbit was not gritty at all. It was very juicy; making it difficult to determine if you are eating the white meat or the dark meat.
For the entree my boyfriend got the pork with peaches and I got the guinea Fowl.
The chef recommends for it to be cooked medium rare, however, it was delicious medium. I found my dish to be more flavorful. The fowl reminded me of quail. It is juicy and is a condense flavor of delicious bird. I wish I can give more details, but I felt like I ate it with such bliss I didn't pay attention to the other ingredients.
For dessert we finished our bottle of wine with the cheese platter.
That night they had a blue cheese and two Virginian cheeses. This cheese plate is huge! We couldn't even eat 1/3 of it. It came with pan fried pistachios and fruit.
This was a great dinner experience. Â I recommend this restaurant for a birthday celebration or a romantic dinner
Located in the heart of downtown Colonial Williamsburg, attached to the Cheese Shop, the Fat Canary is one of the most "fine dining" restaurants in the area. Â The food is quite good, the menu is eclectic and creative and the atmosphere is not at all pretentious. Â That said, there is a significant up-charge because of the location of the restaurant. Â If entrees were $10 less, and appetizers $5 less, it would be a 5 Yelp stars experience.
Review Source:We went here in November of 2011 to celebrate my mother's birthday. As soon as we walked in, the vibe was very warm but upscale, with modern decorations. When we were given the menus, my mother got a special one with "Happy Birthday ___" written on it. (obviously the blank represents her name) All of the staff had signed her menu and it immediately made her smile. It's really thoughtful of the staff to do something like that for their customers.
Anyway, the food was good. I ordered the house-made mozzarella with cauliflower, fennel, roasted tomatoes, Edward's ham, and fresh basil pesto appetizer. It was pretty good but the mozzarella was a bit lacking in flavor. I didn't eat an entree or dessert, but for the excellent five-star customer service and decent but minus-one-star appetizer, I'm giving the Fat Canary a four star rating. I would recommend it to those looking for a nice, fancy restaurant to celebrate birthdays at where they'll find excellent customer service and good food.
Totally amazing - and unexpected - dining experience in historic Williamsburg. Â The place is cute and quaint, and the service professional and knowledgeable (a great change of pace). Â The waitress knew every ingredient and how each dish was prepared. Â Highlights included a perfectly tempura-fried soft shell crab with peanuts; chilled cucumber soup with crab; a crazy-good cheese plate; and grouper over white beans with clams and shrimp in a clam broth. Â For my little boy, they specially made the lamb loin with corn - perfectly cooked and without sauce (he loved it). Â If you enjoy good food and creative New American cuisine, this is a fabulous (and casual) place.
Review Source:Wow!!! Honestly...I looked at the menu and turned away. I'm not one to explore when it comes to my food. BUT!!! This place was a consistent recommendation as THE BEST in Williamsburg. Â We went. It was AMAZING!! I had the tuna appetizer (delish) and the special - grouper with veggies in this incredibly light sauce that simply highlighted every flavor. The dessert?? Again...I typically would never order something with goat cheese in it and a huckleberry sauce? Ha!!! YUM!
You HAVE to go here!
Made a reservation through open table and asked for a booth table (got it).
It's right in the middle of historic Williamsburg but when you walk in, you feel like you're in an upscale place in a large city due to the modern decor. The staff was very friendly and warm, unlike in a large city.
My husband, daughter, and I ordered the rabbit appetizer, the salad with goat cheese, the fish special (grouper with crap and shrimp), quail with goat cheese tamale, and the lamb loin. It was all very flavorful and cooked very well. The fish dish was the best; fish was so tender and juicy, we thought it was part of the crabmeat. The lamb was good but was not as tender as it could have been. The quail was slightly under seasoned but still very good.
We has the sorbet, sea salt brownie, and amish cake for dessert. The amish cake was the winner by far, but all were very good. This all came to about $210 with tip. We had two glasses of wine.
Very nice place for a special occasion. Will return!
Visited April 2012
My wife and I had a good experience here for our dinner this past weekend. Â I appreciated the local soft shell crab for my appetizer, sadly they were all out of the salad for our late dinner, so the veg course was skipped and for dinner I picked the special grouper/crab dish. Â It was all good, nice atmosphere and ok beer/wine selection, but nothing I'd particularly crave to come back for.
Review Source:This is how outstanding the Fat Canary is.... Â
They bring you personalized menus, signed by the entire restaurant staff, and surprise lemon sorbet desserts for birthday occasions (and we aren't the type to celebrate birthdays, trust). Â They go out of their way to make you feel special/welcome, without ever being asked to. Â That is true customer service. Â
Their food is always top-notch, expertly prepared, and NEVER fails to impress.  Fricassee of rabbit appetizer?  Amazeballs.  Arugula and frisée with pears, gorgonzola toasted walnuts and aged balsamic?  Perfection.  A special entree consisting of seared grouper and crab meat over spring onion grits?  Need I go on? Â
Their cocktails come with a hefty price tag (for Williamsburg, anyway) but they are inventive and delicious and worth every damned penny. Â Â
The service is warm, inviting, professional, and spot on. Â Every. Single. Time. Â
The dining room is stunning, awash in shades of green (incidentally, my favorite color) and elegantly appointed.  It's serenity incarnated and the perfect showcase for the  magic being churned out of the kitchen. Â
They set the bar high for every other restaurant in the area, and few manage to ever come close to these standards. Â Restaurants of this caliber usually forego sleepy towns like Williamsburg for the bigger cities. Â The 'burg is very very lucky to have this Canary.
I. Â Am. Impressed. Â Came here on a weekend trip and selected the Fat Canary thanks to Yelp! Â The boy and I got here 45 mins before our reservation, and asked if our table was somehow available, fully expecting to go sit at the bar for an hour or so. Â But alas, our table was free-we maneuvered through the very green seating area and immediately ordered some merlot and diet coke. Â Our waiter was pleasant and knowledgeable and answered all our questions like a whiz. Â He said he eats the beef tenderloin nearly every time, and highly recommended my pork as well. Â So that's what we did! Â Along with the homemade mozzarella for an appetizer, that is. Â The kitchen even split the appetizer for the two of us, and we were treated to mini salty and delicious mozz balls, with some pesto and balsamic, and mini cauliflowers. Â A perfect beginning to a perfect meal.
My chopped apples with the pork chop were tender and just a little sweet, and contrasted well w the meat, which was cooked medium and perfectly pink. The bread pudding was rich and nutty and I could only finish half. Â The beef tenderloin was thick and well seasoned, and sat next to a baked potato with chive butter. Â It looked really unique and tasted unlike anything I've ever tried. Â We wanted dessert.
The pecan pie with ancho ice cream was ordered, and I am not a big pecan pie fan. Â But the ancho (chile) ice cream was some of the best ice cream I've ever tasted - I was skeptical and was expecting something weird (like bacon ice cream), but it wasn't. Â And words can't fully describe it. Â You gotta try it.
Amazing, amazing food... While it is more expensive, the food here is an experience. Â
For appetizers, we had the Foie Gras and a Seared Tuna roll that was a special... both were amazing. Â As a LOVER of foie gras, I was impressed... it was seared perfectly to retain a beautiful buttery consistency on the inside, but a nice golden brown color on the outside. Â
Dinner course we had the Heirloom Pork as well as the Rockfish, also on special. Â The pork as good... done to a medium temperature that ensured it was still juicy. Â Served with an apple garnish it was a well-done dish that was beautiful prepared and presented. Â However, the star of the dinner course was my boyfriends Rockfish. Â Not only was is beautifully presented with shrimp and crab, but it had a delicate sauce prepared with brussel sprout leaves... which lended a nice sweetness to the the dish.
Service throughout the meal was excellent as well. Â We switched wines from appetizer to main course, and the waiter timed everything perfectly. Â Nothing ever needed to be ask for, but the waiter didn't hover around interrupting conversation. Â
All in all, this place is a foodies heaven!
Fat Canary is the go-to restaurant in Billsburg. Â We have eaten here lots of times and it is always very good. Â The tuna appetizer is always tasty and the rest of the food top-notch. Â We have gotten the fish dinner options most of the time and they know how to prepare fish. Â Never has it been dry and it always comes paired with great sides and a good sauce.
It is always good to get a reservation, but if there are only two of you, you can usually get a seat at the bar and have a good meal there. Â When you make reservations, they will ask if it for a special occasion (birthday, anniversary, etc.) and when you show up, you will have a personalized menu for the occasion.
The service is always friendly and attentive, but not overbearing. Â And, they don't rush you.
If you are planning on coming to the Colonial Williamsburg area (Yorktown, Newport News), make a reservation as early as you can. Â Don't wait until you get here or you may be out of luck.
Amazing restaurant.
They were very gracious regarding a scheduling change.
The restaurant is ascetically pleasing.
The serving staff was attentive without being hovering.
The food was superb.
I had oyster soup, seared ahi tuna, and pheasant. All was prepared as well as anything I've ever eaten.
Expensive - $240 for three of us, including dessert, tip, and one glass of wine. But so well worth it.
I understand why it consistently gets great reviews.
Fantastic service and wonderful ambiance!
We went on a busy Saturday evening and did not have reservations. No matter - the hostess asked for my cell phone number and we walked around the surrounding shops for about 15mins until her friendly call came alerting us that our table was ready. We had opted for outdoor seating because the evening was beautiful. Michael, our exceptional waiter, promptly greeted us with the specials and made some great recommendations at our request. The food was delicious and the ambiance romantic and entertaining. We would definitely return!
  * Visited July 2011
The Fat Canary is associated with quite possibly my most favorite, most beloved Williamsburg institution, The Cheese Shop. Â Don't even get me started on The Cheese Shop, because I could wax rapturous for hours and don't care what the poo-poohers have to say. Â But this review is for The Fat Canary.
Last visit to Williamsburg we enjoyed a glass of wine at the bar before dinner reservations elsewhere. Â We loved the ambiance and the menu intrigued, so this time around we made dinner plans at The Fat Canary.
I'm a fan of the chartreuse. Â Or the lemongrass. Â Or the spring green. Â Whatever you want to call it. Â The walls and accents are this soothing, mossy color. Â It casual-downs the otherwise pretty chichi, white-table-clothed atmosphere. Â This place is supremely popular with the locals, it gets very crowded, and reservations are recommended.
I'm less of a fan of the service. Â The ladies who greeted us at the door (and I use the term "greet" loosely), kind of just raised their eyebrows like, "What?" when we walked in -- with reservations. Â Tho they did then cheerfully take our coats and show us to our table. Â Our server hardly smiled, however. Â It was disconcerting. Â He also looked above our heads when speaking to us, rarely making eye-contact.
I'm more of a fan of the food. Â We started with an appetizer special of ahi tuna tempura, and a menu staple app of fried Rappahannock oysters with roasted green chili butter sauce. Â The ahi -- while prepared nicely and clearly fresh -- wasn't very exciting. Â The oysters, on the other hand, were marvelous with a nice, briny taste, tender shellfish, and a thin, ultra-crunchy cornmeal coating. Â The chili sauce was subtle but packed with excellent flavor.
For dinner I ordered seared sea scallops with mussels, shiitakes, rapini, and a miso broth. Â Individually, most of the ingredients sang. Â Mussels were exceptional. Â Scallops tasted light and fresh. Â Rapini was cooked al dente. Â But the miso broth was *SO* salty it almost ruined the dish. Â Others tried the free-range quail with gnocchi; the truffle and sage stuffed pheasant with root veggies; and the braised beef short ribs with faro and brussels sprouts. Â No one else had any complaints about over-salting and really enjoyed their dishes. Â (They declared the beef short ribs the winner, tho.)
For dessert we shared a sea-salt brownie with some kind of ridiculously delicious custard...or whipped creamy type thing. Â At this point we'd shared so much wine nothing really registered with me after reading "sea-salt brownie."
Overall, a nice meal at The Fat Canary. Â It's a bit pricey, but for an every-once-in-awhile dinner, it seems worth it. Â Just fix the miso problem, will ya, FC?
Let me start by saying this: Â I really, really want to give this place 1 star. Â Mainly because I hate Williamsburg, and I personally think that most people who write reviews of places in Williamsburg have no clue what they are talking about, as is clear by some of the reviews I've read today. Â
Not only that, but this is one of those places that gets filled with old people who think they are successful and dignified, but they are really just old. Â If I hear someone order a lemon drop martini one more time I am going to claw my eyes out.
However, the food is good. Â I really hate to admit it, because I want to hate this place, and everything else in Williamsburg, and never come back home to visit my friends or family that still live there ever again. Â But, this is a good restaurant. Â
Then again, it's not very good when you compare it to things outside of Williamsburg. Â It's just good when you compare it to the Trellis.
Another five star meal in Williamsburg.  The Fat Canary exceeded expectations at dinner tonight.  My cold tomato soup with  avocado and creme fraische was absolutely fabulous and the pan roasted quail with fresh berries, spoonbread and foie gras was perfectly done in all respects. Â
My wife had seared wasabi tuna along with Manakintowne Greens with Pickled Beets, Toasted Almonds, Caramont Virginia Goat Cheese. Â With a good Pinot Grigio to go with the dinner, it was a fine night. Â
The service from the time we walked in the door was first rate.
I definitely left this place feeling like a fat canary -- in the best possible way.
My boyfriend and I came here to celebrate an annivesary. We had asked coworkers who were both familar with Williamsburg for dinning recommendations, and this was on both their lists for good reason. Everything was spot-on from start to finish.
Food: Everything was fantastic, but I am still having dreams about the seared foie gras that we had as an appetizer. Crisp on the outside, creamy and fatty on the inside. Yea, yea, I know how it's made but mmm, so good. The other surprising highlight of the night was my boyfriend's seafood special that was in a red coconut curry sauce. I'm often skeptical of Modern American restaurants dabbling with asian spices but broth was especially amazing.
Service: Our waiter was attentive, friendly, and especially accomodating. He had the kitchen split the aforementioned foie gras appetizers into two large servings--which is good because my boyfriend and I would have probably fought over it if it was on one plate. Also, when he heard that I thought a side dish on another entree sounded good, he added it to what I ordered free of charge.
Atmosphere: I like how the place feels upscale without being stuffy. It's lively without feeling chaotic.
Overall: 5 stars for a wonderful 5 year anniversary dinner.
This place is simply amazing. The food was delicious. The wait staff extremely friendly and professional. The whole place ran like a graceful and well oiled machine.
My wife and I went for our first anniversary and the whole staff signed our menu which was a pleasant and thoughtful thing to do.
The comments about the noise are somewhat true but a little unreasonable. If you or the person you are dining with is a quiet talker you will probably have to ask them to repeat themselves every now and then. However, the noise isn't unbearable or annoying. It's a busy, full restaurant. If you want a quiet dinner don't go to a really popular place!
We went here on our first night in Williamsburg, and were seated right near the kitchen. We came here at the recommendation of a fried of ours who is a chef here in DC, so we figured it had to be decent.
Wine ordered, and appetizers on the way, I found myself observing the ballet of service going on around us. At a table nearby, one waiter accidentally dropped the napkin draped over his arm while trying to open a bottle of wine. Without missing a beat, another person on the wait staff smoothly walked by, handed him a clean napkin, and bent down to pick up the errant napkin. Our drinks were never empty, but the staff never hovered over us either. Perfect.
The food lived up to what we'd expect based on our friends' recommendation, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. A stroll through town on our way back to the hotel topped off a great first night in town.
Sigh. I'm so tired of being dissapointed by restaurants. We were in Williamsburg on a Saturday evening and decided to check out what all the fuss was about. One reviewer mentioned that the Fat Canary is "both sophisticated and casual". I find that to be an oxymoron. You're either casual or you're not. I found that "sophistication" to be pretentious. She also mentioned that she "took pride" in being one of the only people there under 50. I don't think that's an appealing trait in a restaurant, rather my friend and I were laughing at how many old people were in this place, as if there were some early bird special. Restaurants should never cater themselves to senior citizens, by the way.
Moving on, we tried 4 different wines, all of which we were not particularly impressed with. So maybe that means their wine/glass is not "selective" in the least. Service was decently professional, nothing spectacular. For entrees, I ordered the paella and have to agree with one of the reviews that found it to be completely bland and lacking seasoning. I actually brought the rest home to my roommate who will eat ANYTHING and HE didn't even like it. That's saying something. My friend, however, ordered the pheasant and it was very good, so maybe I just picked the wrong entree. Either way, there wasn't much on the menu that I found appealing overall. No one has mentioned this in the reviews yet, but it is predominantly french food served at the Fat Canary and if that is not your thing (like it isn't mine) don't waste your time or money. Perhaps the Trellis will fare better.....
ps. GET A WEBSITE.
I'm pretty sure that the night we went here, we were the ONLY students who were on a study break from the College of William and Mary during midterms : ) Â Actually, I wasn't studying... I was just hangin out reppin berkeley.... but anyways
5 stars for the food...omg.. Williamsburg gets 5 gold stars (err i guess white stars encapsulated in red boxes) for serving the most gloriously - delicious - melt in your mouth - savor each bite -meal !! Â We just watched Ratatouille the night before.. and I almost cried in excitement when I saw ratatouille* as part of the rack of lamb dish I was eyeing (fyi, R.O.L. is my favorite anywhere I go....aah yeah baby-- refer to my first post from La Bergerie in San Francisco for a fuller effect)
the lamb came also came with a perfectly buttery, moist cube of polenta, and then generously sprinkled with the ratatouille.... remember the scene in the movie when Gusteau tries it and remembers his childhood because it tastes so good?!!?!? *ZWOOSH into the past* Â YEAH THAT WAS ME...@__@
* WTF actually is ratatouille do you ask? <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FRatatouille&s=e274a36575374b3c7fd73345a1c1903fc0428f682cff98873540ce0d35a7856f" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/…</a>
moving on... their scallops dish was bomb too... We went here during a time when I was contemplating becoming a chef... and eating here made me want to go into the kitchen and talk with the chef for hours about how I could possibly cook this well one day.
Check out my pictures for instant drooling. and the only reason why it's minus one star is for the price.... we were poor college students remember?
I've only eaten here a couple times, and here is the reason:
The service was mediocre and the atmosphere felt pretentious in a pseudo-upscale-hipster way. Â Though I enjoy fancy restaurants, I think the Fat Canary may be geared a little too much towards outdoing the Trellis (according to town gossip there is a bit of a history between the owners.)
However, my impression of the atmosphere does not affect how good the food was, and the food was good. Â The service I may be able to chalk up to it being recently opened when I went there, and perhaps I will have an update on my next stop in Williamsburg.
One thing I will give to the owners, they have a nice model with the Cheese Shop and Fat Canary. Â The establishments are complimentary and the food is tasteful and imaginative.
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