Comfort

Richmond Restaurant Romance: Ideal First-Date Spots For Any Budget

Sarah Lucchesi | June 13, 2019

Topics: Carytown Sushi, Charm School, Comfort, First-date spots, Garnett's Cafe, Kitchen 64, Nate's Bagels, Pop's Market on Grace, Postbellum, Pupatella, richmond restaurants, Shyndigz

With beautiful weather and longer evenings upon us, the urge to find that summer romance (and a restaurant with outdoor patio seating) has never been stronger. Whether you’re still in school and rolling pennies to take out that girl from your BIO101 class, you’re working a 9 to 5 and can’t believe that guy from the office even agreed to go out with you, or you’ve run out of places to take your Tinder matches — there’s a spot in RVA for you. The awkwardness that comes along with a first date is somewhat inevitable, but here’s a rundown of some lovely places that will help take the edge off.

1. Garnett’s Cafe $

Picture this: You’re whisked away for a lunch date. You arrive at a charming café on a street corner and take a seat by the window to look over the menu. You and your date admire the classic décor and order a few sandwiches and sides, and then with a smile the waitress brings your meal out to you in a fully prepared picnic basket, so you can enjoy it in the park across the street. You and your date are able to munch on your meal and peacefully people-watch on Park Avenue, a perfect alternative pastime to get to know one another without having to play the “So, where are you from,” game. Garnett’s is a timeless and wholesome option that is sure to impress.

If a lunch date doesn’t fit your schedule, they offer an amazing date night special every evening after 6pm, featuring any two menu items and a bottle of wine or pitcher of beer for $30. If all goes well and you and your honey are craving something sweet, I’d encourage you to stick around and try a slice of one of Garnett’s homemade cakes or pies — especially if it’s the Hummingbird cake. Thank me later.

2. Nate’s Bagels $

Not everyone wants to sit down for a full-course meal on a first date, and it’s no secret that coffee & bagels are a universal language. Located on the corner of W. Cary Street and S. Allen Avenue, Nate’s Bagels has just celebrated their first birthday and is now happily serving fresh bagels, croissants, and sandwiches piled high with your favorite breakfast fixins’. They offer your usual bagels with seasonal spreads for $5, and the most expensive breakfast sandwich on the menu (Lox w/the works) is only $9, so you won’t be burning a bagel-sized hole in your wallet at this joint.

Order at the counter, find a table along the wall to sit across from your date, and sip some cold brew or freshly squeezed OJ. I’d go with the cold brew — after one cup of that stuff you could have a conversation with a brick wall. Nate’s is definitely a laid-back alternative to a whole evening ordeal. And I mean hey, it is a first date — if you share breakfast and it goes badly, at least you’ve got the whole day ahead of you to hunt down your next prospect.

3. Shyndigz $

I’m sure by know we’ve all heard of the larger-than-life desserts prepared fresh at Shyndigz Café, but did you know that on Wednesdays you can enjoy two delectable dishes AND get a bottle of wine to share for only $20? That’s right — and yes, of course it’s acceptable to skip dinner and head straight for dessert. With a low-lit dining area featuring all the aesthetically pleasing twinkle lights one could ask for, along with a patio filled with manicured plants and flowers, you can practically smell love in the air — or is that the buttercream?

4. Charm School $

With dessert on the brain, I had to mention the adorable ice cream parlor on W Broad St. that offers ever-changing flavors accommodating to any dietary restrictions out there (lactose intolerant folks welcome). Charm School is a wonderfully quiet place to have a cone and a conversation. It’s especially great for those casual situations where you don’t know if you’re really on a date-date, but you’re out of the house with another person so you can just eat ice cream and figure it out as you go. Not only will the smell of freshly-made waffle cones lure you in, Charm School will also toast a dollop of marshmallow fluff atop your scoops right before your eyes. C’mon, who doesn’t love a first-date goodnight kiss that tastes like ice cream?

5. Pupatella, a Neapolitan pizzeria $$

This brick-oven pizza place has a foolproof first date experience waiting inside. It’s a counter-style restaurant, so you and your crush can look over the menu before ordering at the register, then choose to sit wherever you’d like. All the pies are personal size, about 12 inches apiece, and are made fresh to order, with a lengthy list of possible ingredients, from your typical red sauce Margherita pizza to a decadent Burrata pizza with cherry tomatoes and an olive oil base. The only problem you’ll have with the menu is deciding which pizza to eat now and which to come back and get tomorrow.

There’s a full beer and wine list, featuring local beers on draft and wines ranging from your typical prosecco to too-Italian-to-attempt-pronunciation. If you know your date is a regular wino, I’d encourage you to order two pizzas, which will get you $10 off any bottle of your choice.

6. Pop’s Market on Grace $$

Pop’s Market is an ideal spot for the indecisive, offering numerous flavor-filled and homemade options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The counter-style joint, located blocks away from The National and the Richmond Ballet, serves up everything from deli sandwich classics featuring freshly-made bread to indulgent pastas & steak. Whether you’d like to split an Cuban sandwich and some hummus for a $15 lunch, or share a tapas board and try the Hanger Steak or Seared Scallops for a hearty $40 dinner, you’re sure to find something both you and your date will enjoy at Pop’s.

The open, inviting dining space is a refreshing change of pace from some upscale and intimidating restaurants where you might find similar meals. With a quiet and calm atmosphere, you can sit along the counter by the windows lit with twinkly string lights, or share a table and watch the kitchen doors in hopes that you’ll soon see your food round the corner.

7. Carytown Sushi $($)

Sushi is a risky first date, as it’s one of those foods you either love or loathe, but this seeming hole-in-the-wall sushi restaurant offers a deal that’s too good to pass up. Every Tuesday and Wednesday from 5-7pm, they offer half-off select rolls, including favorites like the California Roll, their signature Richmond Roll, the Sweet Potato Roll, and many more. You could pick three rolls off that menu for a whopping total of approximately $8. They also offer a full drink menu and PBR’s for only $1.

Of course, you can always go the high-roller route & order their beautifully stacked Chef Special rolls and a couple of Sake bombs; I suppose it depends on how much you like your date. The location couldn’t better, as it’s right across from the Byrd Theatre (much cheaper than a Regal Cinema), and along the Carytown strip of shops, which is perfect for an evening stroll with someone you barely know.

8. Kitchen64 $$$

With lively menu and equally lively staff, Kitchen64 is a place you just can’t go wrong. In the Northside off Boulevard is this hidden gem serving up an array of foods you’ll drool over just reading about. Chesapeake Crab Chips, Greek Nachos, and Fried Green Tomatoes are just a few of their numerous appetizers to prepare you for the burger, seafood platter, or lamb chop entrée that await you.

The average cost for a decadent entrée or chef special is about $18, so while it’s not the cheapest option, the food is well worth the cost and sure to satisfy. A friendly ambiance with wide open dining space and a full bar provides just enough excitement to keep the date from going silent. With its close proximity to the Diamond and the Boulevard Square Movieland, your evening doesn’t have to end with dinner — but based on how full you’ll be, you may have to call it a night.

9. Comfort $$$

A southern-inspired simplistic menu featuring made-from-scratch meals in a homey and warm-feeling restaurant; what a perfect way to spend an evening. Order a drink from the “Hello, I’m Dolly” cocktail menu and peruse the delectable small plates and classics of southern cuisine that Comfort has to offer. Pulled pork, fried catfish, and sirloin are just a few of the favorites off the menu, and they all come with your choice of two sides. Really though, there’s only one choice to be made… because if you went to Comfort and didn’t experience their mac and cheese, you truly didn’t go at all.

Their classic entrées will run you about $20 each, but the best part of this place is that 100% of their net profits go to Feedmore, VA’s core hunger-relief organization. You can enjoy a nice dinner, get to know a special someone, and help feed children, all in one outing.

10. Postbellum $$$

This restaurant needs no description, just two words: Rooftop. Seating.

Everyday from 3:30pm til 2am (weather permitting), you can enjoy craft cocktails like the purple nurple or sunset punch, along with unique shareables that feature grilled quail and potato gnocchi, as well as entrees like honey butter fried chicken and even vegan chickpea fritters. For an app and two entrées you’re looking at about a $50-60 bill, but you can eat on a roof overlooking W. Main Street, which is like the adult version of eating a turkey leg on a ferris wheel. So, it’s money well spent.

A taste of Broad Appetit 2017

Amy David | June 6, 2017

Topics: Broad Appetit, Comfort, Curbside Creations, Feedmore, Graffiato, king of pops, Maple & Pine, Rappahannock, rva food festival, Spoonbread Bistro, Tio Pablo

This past Saturday thousands descended upon West Broad Street between Henry and Adams streets to savor delicious bites at the annual Broad Appetit Festival, which was celebrating its 10^th year.

Over 60 of Richmond chefs pitched tents side by side and served up some of their finest small dishes $3, with some bigger options or $5. The chefs submit the dishes to be judged be a panel of experts to see who has the “To Dine For” dish of Richmond. The festival, which was held on Sunday, benefits the hunger relief organization FeedMore each year.

Richmond chefs had the chance to compete for five different awards including the “To Dine for” (best signature dish), “To Diet For” (best dessert dish), “The Healthy Dish”, The Ambiance Award (best decorated booth), and The People’s Choice, which attendees could vote on during the festival. Winners were not announced at press time.

Anyway, let’s get down to what you want to hear about and see, the food.

As my group waded our way through the droves of hungry/overstuffed festivalgoers pouring sweat, it was hard to know where to start with two lines of food all around.

Eventually, after some confusion and discussion around the giant Duke’s mayo truck, we jumped right in and worked our way down trying as much as we could before our stomachs exploded.

Here is my little rundown of the dishes RVA Mag had the chance to try:

Graffiato: Spicy Beef Ricotta Calzone

This was tasty and small enough to get you started for the day and not make you want to take a nap like a normal-sized calzone does. The bread was warm and the cheese was delicious. There was a spicy dippy sauce that paired perfectly with the dish.

Maple & Pine Restaurant (Quirk Hotel): Pork and Shrimp Dumpling, shitake mushrooms

This was our second dish we enjoyed. The dumpling was very tasty and mushrooms are my favorite, you could put them on anything and I’m a happy girl. The Dashi broth stole the show for this dish though. It was rich, packed with flavor, very savory and the charred scallions added the perfect touch with slurping it up after I’d eaten my dumpling.

Maple & Pine also had a lighter dish with asparagus, morel mushrooms, cured egg yolk and preserved lemon with was super light and tasty.

King of Pops: Blueberry Lemonade

Now for some, this may not seem like one of the fancier stops, but on a hot day, nothing beats a cold, juicy King of Pops popsicle. Especially with their fruity, interesting flavor combos. My fiancé bought a blueberry lemonade pop and it was just the right treat to cleanse and cool our palate to get us going for the next stop!

Curbside Creations: Alligator Bites

Now as my memory recalls, these weren’t at any particular Richmond restaurant, but the flavor was unforgettable. I was hesitant to get gator bites, but my fiancé talked me into it and I’m glad I did, because they were spicy, crispy and fried perfectly. Not soggy or overly greasy at all. Cajun spices paired with a spicy remoulade was a great snack and I could have stood to get another round, but we had places to go and dishes to eat.

Spoonbread Bistro: Crab cakes with remoulade and white truffle spoonbread, bourbon bread pudding

So this came pretty close to my favorite (which I’m saving for the end) this was a tough call because of my love for bread pudding. Spoonbread Bistro is a restaurant on Floyd Avenue owned by Chef Michael Hall (formerly of M Wine Bistro) that I have been dying to try out. The food always looks amazing and its Southern style, so right up my alley. There was a whole bunch of Southern love packed into these tiny dishes. The crab cakes were delicious, stayed together and you could taste all of the spices blending nicely. The white remoulade wasn’t too heavy and helped to enhance the flavors of the crab cake and had just the right amount of tang and the white truffle spoonbread pulled it all together. I would have liked it to be a little spicier, but that’s just me.

Now, on to the bourbon bread pudding. I could not put it down. Despite the heat, despite my stomach punching me to stop eating and my fiancé looking at me like he was second guessing our upcoming wedding, I made my way through the soft and rich pudding. It was so rich and sweet and you got the just the hint of bourbon so it wasn’t overpowering. Not dry or overly soggy like many bread puddings. It was delightful. The crisp outer layer made it that much more delectable once you took a spoonful of this bread pudding.

I neglected to get a picture of this, but Spoonbread also had a giant fruit-infused drink that I believe was watermelon or strawberry with water and it was the perfect beverage right in the middle of the day to cool us down. And get me re-energized after my lovefest with the bourbon bread pudding, because we still had a few dishes to go.

Rappahannock: White gazpacho made with cucumbers, green grapes, marcona almond, blue crab and dill

So, I will admit, Rappahannock is one of my top favorite restaurants in the city and I was hoping for some oysters, but I’m guessing they wanted to keep it simple. Their dish was refreshing since it was chilled and the cucumber and dill made for a great combo with the thicker soup/gazpacho. It had a nice bite to it. The crab however, did not mix well with the flavors and this dish just was not for me. It pains me to write this, because I love them, but I think it could have used a little something else. The texture was just not sitting right with me.

Comfort: Fried Green Tomatoes & Pimento Cheese with Ritz Crackers

Comfort restaurant had pitched a tent right outside their restaurant and they were serving up two staples that describe their style and name perfectly; fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese. It’s two of my favorite southern dishes especially pimento cheese. I’m picky about it too, because it can be mushy and concealed-like in some places, but Comfort does it right. A big heaping mound of cheese with plenty of pimentos throughout with Ritz crackers to go alongside for dipping creating the perfect balance of savory and salty.

The fried green tomatoes were juicy with a tasty breading. At this point I was getting stuffed, but I power through because its one of my favorite snacks when I go to Comfort. The dipping sauce was creamy and thick, but went great with the fried tomatoes. Their usual sauce I believe.

Now I’ve saved my favorite two dishes from Broad Appetit for last…if you missed out than you will definitely want to catch them next year:

Tio Pablo: Elote (Mexican Street Corn) and Mango with lime juice, salt & chili powder

Wow. Just wow. This was only our second stop and it blew me away. The lines were so long and I talked to our group about possibly making a lap and coming back, but my fiancé saw the street corn and said no we are going to want to stay. I’m so glad I did because our group got the very last two and it was the best dish I ate at the festival. I really could go on and on and write a poem, a song, an ode to the heavenliness that is Mexican street corn, but I will just break it down for those of you who haven’t had the delectable dish. It’s grilled corn on the cob slathered with mayo, chili powder, cotija cheese and salt. It is everything you want and more. Mayo may sound a little weird to some people on corn on the cob, but for those who have had it, know it’s the perfect pairing. Its creamy and paired with the salt to kick up the cojita cheese, and the chili powder giving it the kick all all over I could not put it down.

Now on to the mango. Very simple dish, yet oh so delicious. Almost like a dessert after the creamy, spicy elote. It was a big ripe juicy mango on a stick doused with lime juice, salt and chili powder. Simple as that. But oh, so much flavor. It was a tasty treat that we couldn’t put down and the flavor combination of the sweet mango with the chile spice and tart lime were a delight. Of course, after these two dishes, are teeth were camera ready. Don’t worry, I’ll spare you those photos. Check them out in Shockoe Bottom at 1703 E. Franklin St.

I’m only bummed that I didn’t get to try everything, but in short, if you haven’t been to Broad Appetit, please venture down there despite the traffic, parking and droves of people, because the chefs work so hard and the food is truly amazing and so diverse.