Virginia

Longoven, Richmond, 4/8/23

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entrance – 2939 W Clay St., Richmond, VA 23230

Longoven offers a seasonal 10-13 course tasting menu highlighting local products.  Owned by a trio of chefs – Andrew Manning, Patrick Phelan and Megan Fitzroy Phelan – it opened about 5 years ago.  The trio united after varying careers to do a series of pop-up dinners for 4 years starting in 2014.  They didn’t start out intending to offer fine dining but evolution found them receiving tons of awards as they refined their concept of flavors.   Open for dinner Wed through Sat, there are few tables so get your reservation early.  Wine pairings are offered and cocktails can be acquired at the Lost Letter which is the bar in the front of the building.  The Lost Letter and the patio on the side also serve food made in the same kitchen, just a more casual and a la carte version. Fittingly the name refers to the community ovens of the Civil War period.  They do give you copy of the menu at the end of the meal.  The space is fairly dark with dark wood tables and carpet and excellent service.  It is star for the Richmond dining scene and a bargain at $155/person.  Go if you get the opportunity. Continue reading →

Garnett’s Cafe, Richmond, 4/8/23

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exterior – 2001 Park Ave, Richmond, VA 23220

Garnett’s Cafe is a small neighborhood sandwich/salad shop on the lower floor of a 1908 corner building.  Parking is on the street and seating is limited.  There are several small tables in addition to seats at the L-shaped counter.  Art and other objects decorate the walls.  Wine and beer are available and there was a special sandwich of the day on the chalkboard outside.  They are open daily for lunch and dinner and also have a selection of desserts from Laura Lee’s.  Opening in 2009 they received a local dining award, an Elby, as the city’s Favorite Neighborhood Restaurant in 2014.  The place was named for the owner, Kendra Feather’s, grandmother Garnett Beckham, who lived to 103.  The staff was friendly and the food was good, with large portions.  We were there to catch up with a friend so apologies in advance as my note-taking and photo taking were distracted. Continue reading →

L’Opossum, Richmond, 4/7/23

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entrance – 626 China St, Richmond, VA 23220

L’Opossum offers a quirky take on traditional French cuisine in a very eclectic interior, masterminded by Chef/Owner David Shannon.  Opening in 2015 it immediately won the Elby (Richmond-region award) Dining award for Best New Restaurant and in 2017 won the Chef of the Year and Restaurant of the Year.  You can see why it also has claimed fame as the most romantic restaurant with a number of sexual references in the food and art.  Inside you’ll find a small darkly lit place with booths on one side of the long room, cut-outs holding statues between tables on the opposite wall and small tables in the middle.  The tables are embossed with gold patterns underneath heavy plastic coating that brought Rorschach to mind and the lighting is from dozens of colored balls hanging from the ceiling.  The walls are covered with plates, paintings and statues.  Service was great – helpful and friendly, offering advice when needed.  It may not be the best food I’ve ever had but the place itself is worth a visit and a chance to soak up the vibe. Continue reading →

Stella’s, Richmond, 4/7/23

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exterior – 1012 Lafayette St, Richmond, VA 23221

Stella’s serves rustic and modern Greek cuisine.  Stella was born in 1942 and emigrated to the U.S. as part of an arranged marriage.  Her husband opened an American classic cafe in 1956 and she joined him working there in the 1960s bringing in Greek dishes.  In 1983 she opened a restaurant bearing her name a few doors down.  Expanding on its success she opened a second place in 1998 offering eclectic cuisine.  The current location opened in 2011 and Stella still comes by and the kitchen prepares her old family recipes. The medium-sized place is on a corner and parking is on the street.  Windows make up two walls and the large L-shaped bar is opposite, set with stools with backs.  A large table is midway to the back and that and the bar are for walk-in seating.  Otherwise, it is a bunch of small bare wood tables with some bench seating or larger tables for 4 with chairs.  The ceiling is tin, Greek music is in the background and it’s very busy.  However, the service didn’t rush you and was glad to bring things out individually so we could split them.  The server warned us we ordered too much as the portions were large but agreed to give the kitchen our apologies that we were going to waste some food in order to be able to try lots.  If you like Greek food try and get a reservation and otherwise get there early and snag an open seat. Continue reading →

Lemaire Restaurant, Richmond, 4/6/23

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hotel exterior – The Jefferson Hotel, 101 W Franklin St, Richmond, VA 23220

Lemaire is the fine dining restaurant in the historic Jefferson Hotel.  It is named for President Thomas Jefferson’s maitre d’ Etienne Lemaire who is credited with introducing cooking with wine to America.  The menu changes seasonally and is under Chef Patrick Willis, a Virginia native, since 2009 when the place underwent a major renovation.  The hotel was lovely and had a nice bar just outside where you could wait for your table.   Inside the elegant dining room was one room with elaborate plaster moldings,  Italian chandeliers, mirrors, custom draperies and double-clothed large tables. Some windows were on two sides of the room and provided additional light to the small votive on the table.  The padded leather chairs, carpet and well-spaced tables make a conversation easy yet private.  Service was professional yet friendly and guests varied from those celebrating a special occasion to casual hotel guests.  We wanted to split a number of things and they were happy to course it out for us.  This place is worth a visit. Continue reading →

Perly’s Restaurant & Delicatessen, Richmond, 4/6/23

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exterior – 111 E Grace St, Richmond, VA 23219

Perly’s is a Jewish Restaurant and Delicatessen serving “traditional Jewish cuisine with a twist.”  In the heart of downtown, they are open Wed. to Sun. from 9:00 am till 3:00 pm. The place originally opened in 1961 and has had 3 owners with the current ones taking over in 2014 and adding the twist.  It’s a long place with one side taken up by the long bar that ends in the kitchen space.  The area that’s left is divided in two with booths and tables.  The marble bar had stools opened and we took that as there was a wait for tables even later in the afternoon.  Music was in the background, windows to the street provided additional light to the many fixtures, a black and white movie played silently on the screen above the bar, the ceiling looked like an old tin one and a pair of larger semi-circular booths flanked the doorway. Continue reading →

Claire’s at the Depot, Warrenton, VA., 4/3/21

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exterior

Claire Lamborne started her restaurant in 2004 by replacing a Mediterranean restaurant with Claire’s at the Depot serving delicious food with a southern twist. The building used to be the town’s railway depot built in the 1850s and features a patio as well as indoor dining.  In the patio area are beds where many of the fresh herbs they use are grown.  Inside you’ll find brick walls, wood floors, paper on top of the  cloth covered well spaced tables, music in the background and a large bar area.  Lots of windows kept it well lit for the lunch service.   They serve lunch, dinner and brunch and offered a couple of lunch specials.  They have a small wine list with some by the glass and many cocktails.  Servers were friendly and well masked. Continue reading →

The Inn at Little Washington; Washington,VA.; 4/2/21

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exterior

The Inn at Little Washington is a 42 year old restaurant about 70 miles east of Washington DC.  It is the only restaurant in the area to have been awarded 3 Michelin stars and the chef, Patrick O’Connell received the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to American food.  The town with a population around 200 and the oldest of the 28 cities in the U.S. with that name, got the nickname Little Washington due to its proximity to DC.  The Inn/Restaurant had to overcome some resistance in the town but now most of the town seems to revolve around it.  The main inn has 18 bedrooms and suites and now there are a number of buildings in town that it also has rooms in, with one under construction across the street that will be a casual restaurant. Continue reading →

Mama Chang, Fairfax, VA., 4/2/21

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exterior

Mama Chang opened early in 2019 in Fairfax, VA.  It focuses on family dishes from the Hubei province, where Peter Chang is from, ones his mother and other females in the family cooked.  There is less pepper than in the traditional Szechuan dishes.  The large interior is filled with light from the many windows and white walls.  Textured ropes hang from the ceiling, the well spaced light wood tables are bare and tons of green plants surround the room.  It feels open and spacious but a bit sterile.  Portions are generally large – we way over-ordered but wanted to try a number of the dishes.  The server was masked and willing to give advice. One note is about their to-go containers which were nice plastic dishes with good locking lids not the usual leaky styrofoam containers. Continue reading →