Richmond

[Wilfrid]

I might be choosing between Richmond and Detroit by flipping a coin (although Richmond is a little warmer in the fall).

Anyway, for your kindly review. (No, I won't get to more than a few restaurants or bars, and location may be determinative -- who knows where I'll be staying?)

Restaurants: Restaurant Adarra; L’Opposum; The Roosevelt; Alewife; Grisette; Lemaire; Amuse

Bars: Grandstaff and Stein; Harry’s at Hoffmeier; Fanboy; The Jasper; Heritage; Black Lodge

Museums: VMFA; VMH&C; Black History Museum; Arts District

Other: Maymont; Poe Museum

 

[Steve R.]

L’Opposum was an interesting dinner, more hit than miss, but I’d hesitate to return unless I had enough dinners to not mind.  We really like Edo’s Squid (eccentric Italian), but it may be too carb heavy for you.

The Confederate White House tour, the Civil War Museum, & The Hollywood Cemetary were all worthwhile visits.  The Black History & Cultural Museum is small but a great visit, as is the surrounding area.

[Wilfrid]

Thank you thank you.

I wondered about the Confederate White House. Recommended but kind of creepy?

[MitchW]

In terms of restaurants, our favorites were The Roosevelt and Alewife.  I recall a very nice bar for solo dining at The Roosevelt.  Alewife also has a bar/counter for dining, but not quite as cozy as The Roosevelt.  We were not as impressed as Steve is with Edo's, which was a total clusterfuck (or was that a shit show?), with the food suffering along with the service.

We also liked Garnett's Cafe for lunch, and had some pretty good barbecue at a place I'm trying to remember the name of (there's plenty of barbecue in Richmond).

Hollywood Cemetery is a nice way to spend a few hours (well, if you're above ground, I guess).

The VMFA was way better than we expected it to be, especially since when we visited there was a fantastic photography show on exhibit called A Long Arc. And the Mellon collection is quite wonderful.

Edited September 4, 2025 by MitchW

[Wilfrid]

Thank you!

[small h]

On 9/3/2025 at 4:05 PM, Wilfrid said:

VMFA

An absolute must. Overwhelming and amazing.

[Wilfrid]

Okay, I have Richmond and restaurants booked. 

[Wilfrid]

Silly. I had one open night and was trying to choose between Alewife and Grisette which are so close by each other.

It's a Monday night. Only Alewife is open. Solved!

[Wilfrid]

I am seeing scallops with pork belly on a number of menus. Is that a Richmond thing or is it just everywhere without me noticing?

I feel like I've had scallops with blood sausage somewhere, god knows where.

[MitchW]

I’m pretty sure scallops are everywhere.  Whether they’re served with pork belly, blood sausage or gribenes, they’re still everywhere.

[Wilfrid]

Yes. Yes they are 🤷‍♂️

[Wilfrid]

Apparently there's a thing called a sailor sandwich. Pastrami and cheese plus knockwurst. I don't have to eat all the bread.

[Wilfrid]

First stop Grandstaff and Stein for pre-dinner cocktails. The large bar is hidden behind what looks like a small office. Woman sitting in the office asked me what the password was. No idea. She then suggested I make up a password and apparently I did good.

 

[Wilfrid]

Actually, there was a sparkler at JFK but that was a few hours ago. I was worried yesterday about being delayed by the weather. No, but the staff must be stretched; 22nd in line for take-off.

[Wilfrid]

I got to Alewife about 7.45 and there was some life at the bar but halfway through dinner I was the only customer. Monday and a holiday? Yet Grisette just opposite (that the internet told me was closed Mondays) was bustling.

Highlight, three oysters deliciously topped with hot sauce and buttermilk. A too large bowl of clam strips and nose-clearing dried chilis. Then a large entree, monkfish topped with crumbled nduja sitting on an acre of polenta.

Hearty, then, but since Grisette was open I was committed to cheese. Nice list too. I tried a Brazilian cheese, Mandala Pardinho, introduced to the US this summer; much better was Spanish Alma de Cerron with a Monastrell-soaked rind.

[Wilfrid]

Lunch today, a local "delicacy" -- the sailor sandwich. Pastrami and Swiss with the texturally interesting addition of a split knockwurst. Conveniently, a little downstairs dive that is known for it, Chiocca's, is very near the Fine Art and History & Culture museums.

[MitchW]

Small portions are not a thing in Richmond!

[Wilfrid]

Seems so. Another three oysters and that was dinner for two last night.

[Wilfrid]

Not just Richmond: you can get good coffee in museum cafes but only brown water in restaurants. 

[Wilfrid]

Tuesday night, Ultramartinis at Fanboy, a small, unmarked and unnumbered bar near where I was staying (took some finding). The drink was made with "ultra dry vermouth" and a dash of orange bitters and was fine.

[Wilfrid]

Dinner featured high comedy. L'Opossum with its sole chef and proprietor, manifests a distinct taste. It's lit with lights of every color, every spare inch packed with toys, stuffed animals, pictures, bar and tabletops wildly decorated. I didn't take photos because it was also packed.

The menu, I knew in advance, was absurdist. Vegan Orgy on a Texas Beach is one dish. But the food is made, in vast portions, carefully enough.

Having seen a bunch of actual Faberge eggs at the VMFA earlier, I had to have the Faberge egg here. It's stuffed with lobster mousse, corralled by big strips of smoked salmon and scattered with pink and green peppercorns.

Then I had a special of venison carpaccio (actually lightly cooked). There were many other ingredients announced to me, some spicy; the rosemary mustard was nice.

Then, over the top. Boned quail stuffed with pig cheeks. Nice idea, very well executed. Needed only a modest garnish. But, a ton of greens, wild rice, pickled onions and, totally divorced from everything else, random blackberries. Basically a good dish, ultimately exhausting.

 

 

[Wilfrid]

Wandering around downtown Richmond I saw very few places to eat (tacquerias) or bars and few people. In the evening, I headed for a bar called The Jasper on West Carey, and wow, street life. A busy strip.

[Wilfrid]

Dinner at Lemairie in the rather posh Jefferson Hotel. Different planet from L'Opossum. A series of dining rooms with blank white walls, table linens, uniformed servers.

I started with local Manakintowne lettuce, which I'd seen on several menus, garnished with fresh corn and apple. 

Then Lady Edison country ham with peach and fig. Best bites on the trip, especially with the black pepper honey, but suddenly a small portion.

Finally, scallops with chunks of pork belly, crispy and smoky but too salty. This came with something called "coconut middlins" which was a kind of rice pudding, arguably flavored with coconut.

And hey, espresso.

[Wilfrid]

Some non-food photos in case anyone is interested, including Mr Bojangles, activist Maggie Walker, a first edition and light switch from the Poe museum and the sitting room of a really nice Airbnb.

[MitchW]

Don't forget Arthur Ashe!