Made in Virginia: Flavors only found in Richmond
Have you been to Richmond, Va. recently? Arrive hungry. Virginia’s capital has long been a destination for good grub, and in recent years, the dining scene has catapulted onto the national stage. Beyond salty ham biscuits, pimento cheese and other classic staples of the Virginia larder, Richmond has become a destination for great eating with a bumper crop of homegrown culinary concepts.
Indeed, the city is luring some of the country’s top chefs with low rents, Virginia hospitality and an informed dining public. Local ingredients have pride of place on the menus: produce fresh from the fields of Manakintowne and Victory Farms; oysters, crabs and rockfish from the Chesapeake Bay; paired with local wines, craft beer and world-class cocktails. The best part of all? Eating in Richmond, Va. is fun and unstuffy — with a friendly, neighborhood vibe.
What’s different in Richmond? “There’s a DIY spirit here,” explains Brittanny Anderson, who came from Brooklyn to open Metzger, a popular restaurant in the Church Hill neighborhood, with co-owners Brad Hemp and Nathan Conway in June 2014. “Chefs can open restaurants for not that much money. It’s like the city’s DIY punk music scene, which contributes to the kitchen ethos. You’re welcome everywhere.”
For her German-inspired eatery, Anderson chose Church Hill for the diverse, urban ambiance and the affordable rent on a historic building with original architectural details like a pressed tin ceiling. (Never mind that you could see the sky through the roof — before a tasteful renovation.)
The city’s oldest neighborhood, Church Hill also had a reputation as derelict and unsavory. “At that point you didn’t cross Lee or Marshall,” explains South Carolina-born chef Lee Gregory, who, along with co-owner Kendra Feather, was the first to open in the area with The Roosevelt in July 2011. Gregory has garnered national acclaim for his southern-style fare; dishes like Southern Poutine have garnered cult status among Richmond, Va. foodies. “Opening in Church Hill was a happy accident,” Gregory says, remembering the abandoned building that would later house The Roosevelt. “In the city’s outlying areas, the rents are good and the landlords are willing to work with you; they see the promise of it.”
Without the pressure of high rents, passionate restaurateurs are demonstrating a remarkable culinary creativity while also revitalizing the neighborhood where Patrick Henry uttered the famous lines, “Give me liberty or give me death!” Pick your protein at Metzger (go for the pork chops brined in beer); carbo-load at Sub Rosa Bakery, where a brother and sister team mill their own flours for breads baked in a wood-fired oven; stuff yourself silly on The Dog and Pig Show’s Pulled Pork Po’boy and the “Milk and Cookies bar”; and come sundown, quench your thirst with a classic cocktail at The Roosevelt.
“A lot of chefs ascended through the city’s best-known kitchens, and have come of age at the same time to open their own establishments," Gregory says, thrilled about Richmond’s culinary renaissance. "The number of good restaurants doubled in a year, each with its own distinct vibe.” The owners of nearby Dutch & Company also credit local food stars like Jimmy Sneed (The Frog & the Redneck) for first bridging the divide between the fine dining establishments and the “mom and pop” places. The “godfather of Richmond restaurants” pioneered the idea of an excellent eatery with a casual vibe. In the same vein, Gregory cites the “Momufuku movement,” wherein diners pay decent prices for top-shelf products… without the white tablecloths and classical music.
Just a few blocks from The Roosevelt, Dutch & Company opened in January 2013 in a converted laundromat, styled with recycled furniture (church pews serve as banquettes, and an artisanal carpenter transformed wood palettes into the bar). The team came up through some of the city’s top kitchens: Aziza’s (chef Caleb Shriver) and Acacia (chef Phillip Perrow and front office manager Michelle Peake Shriver). The ambitious duo are “ying and yang” chefs (to quote Peake) who riff creative ideas with unique ingredients (like huitlacoche, the corn fungus that’s considered “the truffle of Mexico”). Diners swoon over the sophisticated combinations, for example, the softshell crab is served with floral pork sausage, melon, fried plantain, shishito peppers and anchoiade. The “perfect egg” — paired with cured salmon and sprouted quinoa — is so popular it will never come off the menu. And the seasonal “honey pot” — a sublime dessert served in a ceramic honey pot —also gets rave reviews.
Church Hill isn’t the only happening place in town. Jackson Ward is seeing a similar revival. When the Quirk Hotel debuted in September 2015 on Broad Street, Richmond embraced its first design-focused boutique hotel. Ted and Katie Ukrop, of the local family behind the supermarket chain, restored a city landmark: the former J.B. Mosby & Co department store (dating back to 1916). Inside, the soaring lobby space has double barrel-vaulted ceilings and eye-catching artwork, like Susie Ganch’s large-scale installation made from used coffee lids. Guest rooms feature furniture made from the old building’s recycled pine floors, while the rooftop bar draws the cool crowd for sunset drinks and sweeping city views. Even the craft cocktails — like The Irascible John Randolf, a mix of Tres Agaves Anejo, Campari and Cocchi Rosa — pay homage to Virginia history.
Quirk also reflects Richmond’s status as an ascendant culinary capital. At Maple & Pine Restaurant inside the hotel, chef David Dunlap works with local producers to create refined works of art like the chanterelle mushroom risotto, strewn with edible flowers, followed by the Autumn Olive Farm Pork Loin, served with apricot, sorrel and sugar snap peas, sprinkled with Espelette pepper. Don’t miss the Ants on a Log dessert, a whimsical homage to the childhood classic made with peanut butter mousse, celery ice cream and raisin puree. Dunlap’s fine dining background (he trained under Alain Ducasse and Patrick O’Connell) is clearly visible in both the artful presentation and the top-notch service at the restaurant. If you sleep off your food coma in one of the guest rooms, don’t skip breakfast; the grilled avocado topped with a poached egg is simply divine.
In the Fan District, Heritage is also in the spotlight for its killer cocktail program and ambitious, seasonal menu showcasing Virginia’s natural bounty. Even the charcuterie is made in-house, as a result of chef Joe Sparatta’s culinary philosophy of minimal waste, utilizing all parts of the hog, fish, even carrot tops. Hailing from New Jersey, Sparatta humbly describes his aspiration to create “a great neighborhood restaurant ... (and) to make people happy.” More than that, crowd-pleasing Heritage is a smash hit.
Exciting things are also coming out of the kitchen at the exceptional Shagbark restaurant, which debuted in the West End on June 28. Walter Bundy, who worked at The French Laundry before running the kitchens at the illustrious Jefferson Hotel for 17 years, has scored a home run with his first personal venture. His motto? “Stay rooted, but branch out.” Named for a Civil War-era tree which fell on his family’s farm, Shagbark is beautifully decorated with slabs of shagbark hickory wood, chandeliers made of deer antlers and hand-blown glass fixtures. Bundy is an avid fisherman, hunter and naturalist, and the names of local farms/purveyors are proudly listed on the menu. “I just cook what’s local and fresh,” he says. “It’s important to respect where products are coming from.” Take for example, the Cobia, pulled fresh from the Chesapeake that morning, or the melon, seasoned with salt, plucked from his father’s garden.
A recent meal at Shagbark was revelatory; dishes like the Vidalia onion bisque, with lump blue crab and rainbow trout caviar, have been perfected over the years with skilled technique. To start, opt for the foie gras on brioche French toast, which Bundy calls, “my take on breakfast,” or the Hayman white sweet potato ravioli, served with country ham, black truffle and collard greens. The adept addition of micro greens (like sunflower shoots) — which Bundy first cultivated when he worked for Thomas Keller — adds condensed flavor and a nice crunchiness to his dishes. Cap off your epic meal with the chocolate croissant bread pudding, doused in Wild Turkey anglaise. Don’t be surprised if Bundy scores national awards with his creative Virginia cuisine.
Oysters and crab cakes are de rigeur in this southern town, and the best place to indulge is Rappahannock. When Ryan and Travis Croxton resurrected their grandfather’s business and founded the Rappahannock Oyster Company, the cousins were catalysts behind the oyster comeback in the Chesapeake Bay. Just 15 years ago, Crassostrea virginica was at the brink of a crisis due to over-harvesting, pollution and disease. Now — with major aquaculture and restoration efforts — the bivalves can be found on some of the country’s top restaurant menus, and the Chesapeake Bay oyster industry is thriving once again. A little over an hour from Richmond, Va., patrons can visit the Rappahannock’s aquaculture farm and Merroir tasting room at Locklies Marina. (“Merroir" is derived from "terroir" and "mer”).
Virginia is for (oyster) lovers
Leave it to Rappahannock’s chef Dylan Fultineer, formerly at Blackbird in Chicago for eight years, to improve upon the product’s perfection with Oysters and Pearls. The Rappahannock River oysters are topped with bourbon granita and trout caviar like a decadent salty slurpee. With a packed house at night, Rappahannock is thankfully also open for the lunch crowd. The crab cake sandwich could be the best in all the land.
To the great delight of local fans, the Croxtons recently opened Rapp Session next door to Rappahannock. A grocery-cum-oyster bar, Rapp Session stays open until 2 a.m. on the weekends, with a Reverse Happy Hour starting at 11 p.m. During the day, patrons can pick up oysters, steamed crabs and the famous smoked bluefish dip to-go. There’s also a barista making espresso drinks with Counter Culture coffee. After sundown, the bar is a popular rendezvous spot for creative cocktails and shared plates. “At the turn of the century, oyster saloons could be found all over the country — all the way to Kansas,” Travis Croxton tells USA TODAY. “These served as meeting places, a casual spot between work and home; they were the Starbucks of the time.” Like a modern-day oyster saloon, Rapp Session is decorated with vintage family photos and antique items from the Croxtons’ grandfather’s store.
It’s impossible to visit Richmond without noticing that the city has ushered in a new golden age for beverages. Craft breweries are not new to the city; Legend (the oldest) opened in 1994 and Hardywood, a firm local favorite, was launched in 2011. But a recent beer boom has brought a wave of new breweries and taprooms: like Ardent Craft Ales, Isley Brewing Company and The Veil Brewing Company in the Scott’s Addition neighborhood. This year, California-based Stone Brewing Company opened a Richmond, Va. outpost, and Veil made a splash drawing long lines when brewmaster Matt Tarpey unveils weekly new releases.
Craft cocktails are also having a moment. Amongst these shakers and stirrers, top contenders are Saison (where beverage director James Kohler makes his own tonics in-house), The Rogue Gentlemen, The Roosevelt and Heritage, where bartender Mattias Hägglund is garnering acclaim for his creative quaffables. The must try? Bitter about my Hot Friend, made with lunazul reposado tequila, campari, agave, lemon and spice. The Roosevelt’s bartender Thomas Leggett is also racking up the awards for his original libations, like The Seersucker, along with classics like Quoi Club Punch — the rum, brandy and Madeira-based tipple that was the official drink of Richmond’s most popular 19th-century social club.
And in Richmond, the best is yet to come. After making it big with smaller neighborhood restaurants, local chefs are striking out with larger, more ambitious ventures (like the soon-to-open Brenner Pass from Metzger’s Brittanny Anderson and Saison’s James Kohler) — without forgetting the local communities who first embraced them.
Click through the slide show above to take a culinary tour of Richmond’s best homegrown food and drinks.