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Richmond Dining-Out scene


burt

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Here's a story by a new-to-me writer at Style Weekly about vegetarian options in Richmond. Elizabeth Kincaid's list is quite interesting, and as she says, you won't have to explain your preferences to carnivarians since many of the places offer meat options as well:

http://styleweekly.com/article.asp?idarticle=15879

I'm surprised that CHINA PANDA at the corner of Park Ave & N Sheppard St didn't get a mention. From what I understand from some veggie friends of mine, it has a cult-like following in the vegetarian and vegan community.

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nhughes, do you (or anyone) know about a new restaurant in the 2C building at the northwest corner of 2nd and Clay. The building was recently converted to condos and saitoh posting under New Developments at Richmond City Watch says he was in the area during the 2nd Street Festival and saw the place. He says that it is very attractive and he thinks will offer upscale seafood.

Edited by burt
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nhughes, do you (or anyone) know about a new restaurant in the 2C building at the northwest corner of 2nd and Clay. The building was recently converted to condos and saitoh posting under New Developments at Richmond City Watch says he was in the area during the 2nd Street Festival and saw the place. He says that it is very attractive and he thinks will offer upscale seafood.

Not off-hand, but I'll try to make a point to drive by when I'm in the area (or see if I can recruit my fiance to go by, since she drives near there for work). There are quite a few small restaurants in Jackson Ward that you don't ever hear about.

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Not off-hand, but I'll try to make a point to drive by when I'm in the area (or see if I can recruit my fiance to go by, since she drives near there for work). There are quite a few small restaurants in Jackson Ward that you don't ever hear about.

Look at the Richmond Events thread, nhughes, and you'll see that I mentioned four Jackson Ward restaurants on Dec. 5th.

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Old traditions move on and some are revived in lesser forms. Thus, the story of the fabulous old Foxhead Inn. New owners call it THE FARMHOUSE AT MANAKIN ROAD. Dana Craig visited it recently and tells us that it looks about the same, but the new menu and service are not up to standards of its predecessor. She ranks it at 2-stars.

THE FARMHOUSE AT MANAKIN ROAD

1840 Manakin Road

Manakin-Sabot (near Deep Run Hunt Club in Goochland)

Tel. 804/784-2224

Web site: http://www.thefarmhouseatmanakinrd.com

Tab for two: $89.

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Finally visited 27 on Broad St for my company Christmas dinner last night. I don't have the ability to wax poetic about food as many reviewers here can however everything I ordered was amazing! I had the scallops wrapped in bacon as an appetizer. The glaze on the scallops was delicious and they were grilled to perfection. For my main course I had the beef ravioli in a tomato/walnut cream sauce. I was scraping the plate to get every last morsel! Finally I topped it off with dessert which was a delicious chocolate/hazelnut gelati. It was a great experience and considering the quality of the food I was very impressed with their prices. Check them out when you get the chance!

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Finally visited 27 on Broad St for my company Christmas dinner last night. I don't have the ability to wax poetic about food as many reviewers here can however everything I ordered was amazing! I had the scallops wrapped in bacon as an appetizer. The glaze on the scallops was delicious and they were grilled to perfection. For my main course I had the beef ravioli in a tomato/walnut cream sauce. I was scraping the plate to get every last morsel! Finally I topped it off with dessert which was a delicious chocolate/hazelnut gelati. It was a great experience and considering the quality of the food I was very impressed with their prices. Check them out when you get the chance!

How was the noise level at 27, ric75? When it's packed with people sound reverberating off the high tin ceilings can be very annoying. But I agree that the food on both my visits was exceptionally well prepared, delicious and well served.

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Yea. How about it? Has anybody checked out INFUZION which supposedly opened last night (Sat. 12/15)?

JSI, did you go upstairs at DELUX, and did you try out the food as well as bar offerings?

Yep, that's where the crowd I was hanging out with stayed. They have a really nice fire place near the back upstairs. They also have three cool ceiling features that slowly change colors. Also, there was about a 5 minute wait to get in at midnight because they were at capacity. Nope, didn't get a chance to try the food but will let you know when I do.

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How was the noise level at 27, ric75? When it's packed with people sound reverberating off the high tin ceilings can be very annoying. But I agree that the food on both my visits was exceptionally well prepared, delicious and well served.

Burt, all the tables were full when we were there with folks sitting at the bar as well but the noise level didn't seem too bad. I wouldn't consider it a quiet/romantic place to dine however I wouldn't put it anywhere near the noise level of Sine at night either ;)

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Yep, that's where the crowd I was hanging out with stayed. They have a really nice fire place near the back upstairs. They also have three cool ceiling features that slowly change colors. Also, there was about a 5 minute wait to get in at midnight because they were at capacity. Nope, didn't get a chance to try the food but will let you know when I do.

Ha, I was at Delux on Saturday night too, and I second all you've said. The space is amazing. I can't believe we were in the Fan. The fireplace is a nice touch. We were there around 10 pm and there wasn't a line. In fact, it was full but not obnoxiously crowded. The martinis were insanely strong. Wish we had gotten a chance to try to the food. The two gentlemen enjoying dessert behind us looked very pleased.

I can't wait to go back.

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Ha, I was at Delux on Saturday night too, and I second all you've said. The space is amazing. I can't believe we were in the Fan. The fireplace is a nice touch. We were there around 10 pm and there wasn't a line. In fact, it was full but not obnoxiously crowded. The martinis were insanely strong. Wish we had gotten a chance to try to the food. The two gentlemen enjoying dessert behind us looked very pleased.

I can't wait to go back.

I took a date to DeLux last night. The menu varies quite a bit. There are a wide variety of sandwiches and burgers for about $6, while entrees start around $11 and go up to $25 or so. There are some 'blue plate' specials that are $2 off if ordered before 6pm. I think all those items are 10.99 regular price. My date and I both ordered off the blue-plate section, although we missed the 6pm cutoff.

She had turkey tenderloin with gravy and cranberries and mashed potatoes and asparagus as the two sides included. I thought the cranberries complimented the turkey very well, didn't get a taste of the mashed potatoes. She said they were good but nothing special.

I also ordered asparagus as one of my sides. It is cooked in some sort of sauce or oil that gives it a slight smoky taste, almost as if some fatback is thrown in. It was just a little bit crispy. I ate every last bite. My other side was braised greens. Cooked simply with no distinguishing added flavors, just high quality greens - tasty and moist without sogginess or that overcooked slimy texture you sometimes get with greens.

My main dish was meatloaf, which I found every bit as delicious as Comfort's. The best part of the meatloaf was the 'crust', which had a slightly caramelized glaze. My plate was completely clean when our server took it away.

I special ordered a pomegranate mojito because I found out they had actual pomegranate juice. It seemed a bit weak on the mint at first, but after a few stirs and a few sips, the drink tasted perfect.

She ordered a pomegranate martini (called the DeLux Martini). It was very strong and very good.

The banana cr

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Excellent review of deLUX, McLaw. That's an amazingly light tab for all that the two of you enjoyed.

Give us your opinion of the decor. Did you dine on the first or second level?

deLUX is in The Fan across from STICKY RICE in the 2200 block of West Main.

Decor: There were several very large colorful (oil?) paintings spanning the entire right wall. Recessed hallogen lights and other directional lights accented the attractive elements of the space. There were booths and free tables, I seem to remember seeing a bit of red upholstry (red is usually a good color in a dining area). It was a mixture of cozy and intimate but yet still open and glamourous. I'd call the place swanky, not overwhelmingly so, but the place definitely stands out in the fan. I didn't get to go upstairs, but it sure looked interesting up there, with a colorful ceiling fixture others have mentioned.

By the way, I finally went to Can Can last Sunday for brunch and absolutly loved it.

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Hi all. I'm new to this board, but I read it from time to time. I write a couple of Richmond restaurant columns for Richmond.com and I just wanted to add that my last "Dish" column had updated restaurant news on Infuzion, as well as some new restaurant news. You can read it here: http://www.richmond.com/restaurants-dining/23156

More importantly, though, you may have seen at the end of our last published restaurant review: http://www.richmond.com/restaurants-dining/23158

that Richmond.com is searching for a few new restaurant reviewers. I just wanted to put an FYI out there for people who are already active in the Richmond foodie scene. If you, or anyone you know, is interested, feel free to contact me for more details.

Thanks,

Karri

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Hi all. I'm new to this board, but I read it from time to time. I write a couple of Richmond restaurant columns for Richmond.com and I just wanted to add that my last "Dish" column had updated restaurant news on Infuzion, as well as some new restaurant news. You can read it here: http://www.richmond.com/restaurants-dining/23156

More importantly, though, you may have seen at the end of our last published restaurant review: http://www.richmond.com/restaurants-dining/23158

that Richmond.com is searching for a few new restaurant reviewers. I just wanted to put an FYI out there for people who are already active in the Richmond foodie scene. If you, or anyone you know, is interested, feel free to contact me for more details.

Thanks,

Karri

Thank you Karri. I often read your Eat Beat and always enjoy it.

There well may be some contributors and/or readers here that would be interested at trying their hand at restaurant reviewing (see McLaw's comments on deLUX above.) nhughes is very much up on Greater Richmond's restaurant scene.

And especially, checkplease, but I strongly suspect this expert on the foodie scene is otherwise engaged...or certainly SHOULD be ;) .

If I were not living in Manhattan, I'd jump at the opportunity. Just think of all the free meals.

Visit often, please.

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Thank you Karri. I often read your Eat Beat and always enjoy it.

There well may be some contributors and/or readers here that would be interested at trying their hand at restaurant reviewing (see McLaw's comments on deLUX above.) nhughes is very much up on Greater Richmond's restaurant scene.

And especially, checkplease, but I strongly suspect this expert on the foodie scene is otherwise engaged...or certainly SHOULD be ;) .

If I were not living in Manhattan, I'd jump at the opportunity. Just think of all the free meals.

Visit often, please.

I love the idea of doing it, but considering my ties to the restaurant community I wouldn't exactly be impartial. I may be able to use an alias, and review places that aren't clients....like you said, the free meals alone would be a nice perk! :)

Now, if you need my input on any ongoing things in the restaurant scene, I'd be happy to help.

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The new Johnny & Katrina Giavos venture will be GIBSON's, the full-service restaurant going into The National Theatre at 7th and Broad. The couple's restaurant imprint locally should guarantee big sales. They'll soon have business from the new Federal Court House; Richmond Center Stage attendees; Verizon employees moving into the old C&P building at 7th and Grace, as well as condo inhabitants at Miller & Rhoads.

GIBSON's should be welcoming diners in a couple of months since the music venue has a grand opening on Feb. 9th of '08.

I wonder if "a Gibson" will be the restaurant's signature cocktail? :)

Edited by burt
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