Mekong Revisited

6/3/13:

Stars: 4.5 out of 5

Pros: Beer menu/Beer, Food

Cons: Our waitress

     Mondays are, for a lot of people, a long hard day. For me, working nights, it’s just another day that has blended in with the one before it and the one before that. For my friend BA, who works 10 hour days, it’s the beginning of 5 days of crap. What a tragic thing to look forward too. What does one do to put a positive note on Monday? What possible thing can make a MONDAY better? According to Mekong, beer is the answer. And they are the folks that would know. So, BA and I decided to meet at the undisputed champ of bars for happy hour. I have been here before (Mekong Post 1) and hoped my return trip would be just as good.

     Mekong (Mekong) has possibly the largest selection of drafts anywhere in Richmond at any given time. Their slogan “Mekong is for Beer Lovers” is no joke. You can find almost any style, any color, any section of the country or world and any taste you could possibly think of. They have a good section of their menu devoted to Virginia beers, which I wholly endorse. They even have Blue Bee Cider on tap. Their beer selections change as kegs are kicked and taps are taken over so there is a good chance there will be something new even if you went every week. The selection alone makes it ideal for a happy hour get together.

     As we were really there for the beer, we decided to stick with the appetizers for our food. BA was insistent on getting the dumplings and I can’t say I blame them. They are pan fried perfectly every time. The meat inside is flavorful and zesty. That’s right, I said zesty. We also went with crispy pork rolls. Because, why not? They did not fail to deliver the promised crispy porkyness I needed. BA was brave and went for the Hardywood Bourbon Cru for his first beer. It’s good, but you can taste that bourbon like whoa. I went with the new Strangeways Belgian style brown called Woodbooger. Certainly a winner in my book. As we finished up our first beers I realized I would need a second beer and a touch more food. So I ordered more dumplings and the appetizer sampler. This came with a variety of things on it, including a fried crab sandwich and a wrapped shrimp. It was all very good and came with a variety of sauces for dipping. As usual, Mekong nailed the food portion of this endeavor as well.

     My only issue with the night was that our waitress was a bit unfriendly. She brought an attitude to the table that, after some discussion, BA and I determined was one of her feeling inconvenienced by us. As if by us being there, we were hindering some life goal of hers. All I ask from my waiter or waitress is a smile and just fake it for the 2 minutes you need to interact with me. I know your job is difficult. I’ve worked in a restaurant and a lot of my friends were or have been servers. It’s a hard job where you are generally underappreciated. But none the less, it’s your job. I will go ahead a chalk this servers moment to her just having an off day. I’m sure she came back the next day and tried twice as hard to make up for the day before. Still, I had to dock .5 stars as to me, service is a big portion of the meal. My apologies Mekong, I hope you understand.

     My second trip to Mekong was just as wonderful as my first. I left with a stomach full of good food and amazing beer. So, next time you are at the office and the email about happy hour goes out, don’t rack your brain too hard. Go to Mekong and always remember, “Beer IS the answer”. The question isn’t important.