Best restaurant(s) in Richmond

[mighty quinn]

TYSON-SORRY I MISSED Y'ALL-I WAS JUST UP THE STREET AT HILL CAFE GLUED TO MY USUAL CHAIR. WE (RICHMOND) REALLY HAVE TO GET OUR COLLECTIVE STUFF TOGETHER FOR AN OUTING-WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE YOUR TRIP TO BUZ N NED'S?

[chefseanbrock]

does anyone have a website link for the kitchen table or six burner)))))))))))

[dscott]

does anyone have a website link for the kitchen table or six burner)))))))))))

No website that I'm aware of but you might be interested in this article about 6 burner. Also, you can check out the Acacia website for Dale's main source of income.

Not aware of a Kitchen Table website.

[dscott]

TYSON-SORRY I MISSED Y'ALL-I WAS JUST UP THE STREET AT HILL CAFE GLUED TO MY USUAL CHAIR. WE (RICHMOND) REALLY HAVE TO GET OUR COLLECTIVE STUFF TOGETHER FOR AN OUTING-WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE YOUR TRIP TO BUZ N NED'S?

I'm game.

[TGTyson]

Sure, my next trip there will most likely be Thursday at around 2:00pm. I want to revisit the barbeque as I said I would, but also want to miss most of the lunch crowd so Buz might have a few minutes to chat without tons of other destractions.

Is a late lunch ok, or do we need to put something together for the weekend?

By the way, Riverbound out on 360 east of Mechanicsville is doing well, and is a nice casual place to go sometime as well.

Regards,

- Tom

[mighty quinn]

i'll shoot for 1400 thursday at buz n ned's- i have to work wednesday night so it will be breakfast for me, if i can get my butt out of bed. hope to see y'all... cheers, victoria.

[TGTyson]

Hi Y'all,

I'm not sure I'm going to make it there Thursday - I have an embedded stone in one of my kidneys that is trying to punt me into next Tuesday. About the only thing I can do just now is lay on my side and drink lots of water. The thought of food, including barbeque is ... well, not good.

You all go on without me and report back to the group, OK? - I'll get back over there when I can and do a follow up - promise.

Regards,

- Tom

[DrewHaslett]

Sometimes it takes a while to walk four blocks.

While having opened more than a year ago, last night was my first visit to Sven Shine, at 1319 W. Main St (under The Lost Sock laundermat). The only items available were the wood oven pizza and that was perfect.

Being less than adventuresome (it was Tuesday, after all), I ordered the Italian sausage personal pizza. The sausage was homemade with tarragon in place of the fennel I have had before. The mozzarella was excellent and the experience was very good.

At the moment it is a beer and wine ABC license. Imports for $3, domestic for $2. This weekend the owner / chef Mitchell will be serving Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA for $8. Don't get cold feet over the price, you'll probably only need one -- it's 20% beer.

On weekends there is a more extensive menu, including entrees that range to $20. After my first experience, I will make it a point to go when the entrees are being served.

[wscottr]

I haven't been in downtown Richmond in some time, but is the Strawberry Street Cafe still open? Used to be a great lunch spot.

[wscottr]

Another good place in Ashland is the Iron Horse Restaurant across the RR tracks. If Emily waits on you (short dark hair) tip her well.

Wscottr

[mighty quinn]

just some random notes/thoughts on my early-week food experiences...

monday pm-went to Kuba Kuba for a small birthday celebration and i won't be going back. wasn't because my god mother is cuban and i grew up with proper flan and frijoles negros... uh-uh. the service, in a word SUCKED. i'm generally passive about restaurant service and will allow for alot of torment but this was bad...sprite instead of water ("really, i just don't know how that happened") offering the same table to my party-the one by the door in a very cramped space-3 separate times after we said we'd wait- then getting snippy about it...bussing tables while we were sitting, waiting to pay (already had the check and take away) and then just generally acting SURLY. the quality of the food wasn't good enough to offset the rotten service and the quality of the air in the restaurant was... Should the EPA get involved?? so that was monday.

tuesday-got to buzz and ned's at 1130-good because the lunch crowd descended about 10 minutes later. it took awhile for the stoner counter boys to take my order and i almost fainted from the smell (NOT an EPA issue) but it was worth the wait. despite what regional bbq purists may think, i like the bbq at buz and ned's and the blend of regional styles. that's what they seem to strive for and it's good stuff. i love the mixture of lean pig with bits of crispy fat. the sauce isn't overpoweringly sweet-even to a vinegar-base bbq eater like me. i went home and fell into a bbq coma for 3 hours.

i'd still like to try to get some of the richmond area folks together for drinks/dinner or both. i'm branching out and willing to try anything once...

[dscott]

Was troubled by MQ's Kuba Kuba report so I went last night to check it out (hadn't been in several months).

Before reporting on last night, let me comment on two general points that relate to the previous post.

1) I've learned that indifferent service is a constant in most Fan/Oregon Hill bar/restaurants (including Kuba, Sidewalk, Star-Lite, Mamma 'Zu, Baja). That does not hold for most of the "nicer" eateries down there (e.g., Six Burner, Davis & Main). Frankly, I don't care about service most of the time that I'm paying <$10 for a meal (although it bugs my wife a lot more).

2) Air quality - The price we pay for living in Richmond. I hate smoking and don't eat during prime smoking hours (post-8pm) in places that I know are smokey (including Kuba). However, this town would die w/o P. Morris so if a restaurant chooses to cater to smokers, that's their biz. They just lose my post 8p.m. dollars. Of course, w/ a 6 mo. old baby, I only eat out after 8pm if we have a babysitter.

Onto my Kuba experience. It was fast, cheap and delicious and the service was friendly (but slow considering the emptiness of the joint). Of course, because of the aforementioned baby, it was also 5:45 pm (egads). We were in a hurry so I had the Calif. huevos. They kicked a**. This is one of my fav dishes in Richmond. I wish we'd had more time 'cause the specials looked great too.

There was one server who appeared new and clueless but, thankfully, that wasn't our server.

MQ, bummer that your experience sucked because I love this joint.

[kendrabail]

Too bad about Kuba Kuba. For some odd reason, some servers in Richmond (I will mention no restaurants! hehe) treat you as if you owe them versus the other way around.

As a former server (several years) tips are to be earned. Period. Too bad that attitude got in the way at Kuba Kuba since the food is always exceptional. I suppose this person was miffed at the end of the day when you didn't give a 20 percent tip (assuming you did so). I mean really... what's the difference between Sprite and water? Other than water is free and soda costs a buck, so in reality this person was doing you a favor

The Accidental Chef

[mighty quinn]

i think that i left 15%. yeah i guess that the soda was a picky point, but it's weird picking up a glass when you're thirsty and expecting to get water and get-bleck- sprite instead. on a good note, i went to capitol ale house over the holiday weekend. it was saturday early afternoon and totally abandoned. i was thoroughly impressed with the beverage selection and WAY out of my league. what was even more impressive was the bartender's knowlege of the massive selection. i'll give "leigh" at the bar a plug here! she was very nice, attentive and my date and i had a good conversation with her about the quality of waitrons in the richmond area. we were trying to figure out what the attitude issue is... i waited tables when i was in school and had some really evil jobs at seafood restaurants at the outerbanks AND i was hungover alot, but i still didn't treat my equally hungover patrons like crap. even when they complained, ad nauseum, about the n.c. blue laws. back to the bar conversation- we all agreed that if you were "brought up" in a fine dining environment, you tend to take your work more seriously. or maybe it's just work ethic in general. any thoughts about this pertaining to just richmond??

[dscott]

I haven't been by to confirm but today's TD weekend section reported that Binigi's has closed. True? If so, that sucks. What a jewel.

I feel partially responsible since I don't eat out much anymore but, still, it was a great place.

[Milt]

I haven't been by to confirm but today's TD weekend section reported that Binigi's has closed. True? If so, that sucks. What a jewel.

Sorry to hear about Binigi's closing. We tried twice (going and coming) to eat there on our last trip from Georgia to New Jersey. After returning home, we received better directions (thanks Richmond eGulleteers), we were pumped up about getting to eat there on our next trip through.

It sounds like we still have many excellent places to choose from. Are any of them convenient to I-95?

[wcmckinney]

Amen to Milt's question. I always seem to hit Richmond when I am getting hungry and don't want to stray unreasonably far for a good quick bite to eat.