Happy birthday to me! I turned 23 today, and my husband gave me such a great time full of being spoiled and relaxed. He got me many great gifts, most of which were kitchen gadgets (he knows me so well). And after just relaxing and lounging around for the day, we headed out to visit The Trellis for dinner and dessert.

I was first introduced to The Trellis years ago, when my mom (who is a lifelong foodie) took my family there when we visited Williamsburg on vacation. I have been looking forward to visiting it again ever since. They are famous not only for their food, but for their dessert Death by Chocolate, the popularity of which launched several cookbooks from the former chef of the restaurant including this one:

For an appetizer we ordered Chesapeake Bay Oysters and Bacon and I had one of their specialty cocktails which was bourbon with cranberry juice and a floating granny smith apple piece. To be honest, the cocktail and appetizer were disappointing for the price. The fried oysters were “BLT” style, coated with a light sauce and watercress over marinated tomatoes with small bacon pieces and mayo on the side. They were delicious, which is why it was unfortunate that were only three oysters in the whole appetizer. The cocktail was good, but more of a man’s cocktail–not the right thing for me to order.

Things got much better when our entrees arrived. Jason ordered the Pan Seared Natural Angus Strip, which came with chive potatoes and braised oxtails on the side. He said there was little fat on the steak and it was cooked to perfection. I ordered the Seared Hudson Valley Duck which was served with a dried cherry sauce over roasted root vegetables and a mushroom bread pudding. The root vegetables left something to be desired, but the duck was well cooked and seasoned and the cherry sauce on the side was a perfect sweet compliment. I was skeptical of the mushroom bread pudding, but it actually turned out to be my favorite part of the dish, it reminded me of Thanksgiving dressing.

The portions were moderate, which is a good thing, because we were DEFINITELY saving room for dessert! We promptly ordered the Death by Chocolate, which the menu describes as: “A Study in Chocolate – A Seven Layer Chocolate Torte with a Hand-Rolled White Chocolate Truffle, our Chocolate Ice Cream and Dark Chocolate Sauce”. I only know how to describe it as amazing.

Each layer of chocolate tastes a little bit different from the other, some are fluffy and delicate like whipped cream and others are dense like cheesecake, and the combination of all the layers really does make this dessert worth its name. In my opinion, it’s worth a trip to The Trellis just for this dessert. Jason got a dessert cocktail and I got a coffee to wash it all down. The service was wonderful and the dining room is newly remodeled and comfortable feeling.

• Food rating: 8.5 out of 10
• atmosphere rating: 7 out of 10
• Value rating: 4 out of 10

Our overall impression was that we had a great meal, but maybe not as great a meal as good as we paid for. We would return for lunch or dessert (definitely dessert), but probably not for a full dinner again.

I had a wonderful birthday. Thank you Jason and my friends and family for making it so special.

Thanks for reading!