RICHMOND, Va. -- The weather is warmer, restaurants are reopening, and more people are now vaccinated against COVID-19. Seems like a perfect time to bring back the Richmond Hot List. A curated collection of places to eat and things to do around Richmond.
PATIOS AND BURGERS
It’s deck season and Richmond is really showing up to the outdoor challenge. Emerging from COVID, Richmond restaurants have dialed in the outdoor dining adding twinkling lights, lush landscaping, and comfy seats.
Parterre, nestled in the courtyard of the Historical Linden Row hotel, has the patio party on lock. Delicious (and shareable, if you are up for it) finger foods like Cajun potato tots— served with three sauces!!— and light Buffalo cauliflower wings are the perfect match to some solid cocktail choices. Belle Isle’s newest addition Lavendar Lemon Moonshine to their line-up makes an appearance in a riff on a Negroni. Not to be missed, only repeated.
GET IN MY FACE
Cobra Burger, a locally-owned and locally-grown burger concept, opened its version of an Italian wine window but with burgers (a burger hole). Flat-top smashed (with the delicious crust) local beef, American cheese, and shredduce top these drippy behemoths served with Cobra’s pickled French fries. A fry if you’ve ever had one.
Brunch just began a few weeks ago and is inciting a lengthy wait. We’re all friends here and we are all waiting for a local Autumn Olive bacon, local Sylvanaqua Farm egg and cheese on a local Fat Rabbit English muffin sandwich.
Growing up in a restaurant, Lorna Bedford gets it.
The daughter of the owners of Mom Siam, she is breaking out on her own with Native Plate, a street food-inspired restaurant with Thai and Vietnamese plates in the old Citizen downtown. Expect heavy appetizers and fun noodle dishes like Vietnamese pok pok wing in spicy gochujang sauce and kong fu chow — a type of fried egg noodle, Cantonese white gravy, zippy dan dan noodles, and barbecue bulgogi.
POP UP!
Find these spots taking over the kitchens at some of your favorite restaurants.
ALOHA RVA: Aloha Catering Co.’s Lauren LeVine grew up in Hawaii. Using those roots, she’s created a menu with some real Hawaiian hits. Try the kahua pork — shredded pork and garlic smoked slow. Or go for the whole menu and grab an Ohana Meal. Find Aloha at InstaBowl on May 23.
THE FULL TUCCI: You can’t have a conversation with Sprezza Cucina’s Angela Petruzzelli without talking about coastal Italy. And you can’t get her Italian food influenced by the Italian coastal town of her roots unless you move fast. Her residency at the Broken Tulip every Saturday is quickly becoming a local favorite. Just get the whole menu.