We were in Richmond on a Sunday evening and traveling with our four legged friend. There were…read moreseveral options for outside dining and the menu suggested this was a good place to start. Soon after we. Ordered the octopus and mussel appetizers a storm came in and the rain fell pretty hard. Our choices were to run back to the hotel or stay and dine huddled under an umbrella. Being a little wet with beverages and good food seemed the better option so we ordered more food. The octopus was great. I have tried it prepared many ways and here it was both tender and flavorful, really done well. Shrimp cocktail is usually pretty basic, but often the simplest dishes demonstrate the most skill. This is truly one of the best I have ever had. The shrimp were plump and flavorful. Their cooking stopped at just the right time leaving a slight bit of translucent hue, but still cooked through. Very nicely done. The salad with home ranch was dressed nicely and the dressing was light. The scallops were cooked well and perhaps my only criticism is that the corn purée was better in concept than execution. I can't say enough about the staff. We were two people on a Sunday night crazy enough to dine in a downpour. The staff never made us feel like they wanted to punch out, embraced us being outside and were creative in waiting on us with umbrellas to keep the food from getting wet. It would have been understandable for them to limit the trips to check on us, but they persevered and made us feel welcome. If you are in the area, highly recommended stopping by, rain or shine, and sampling their menu. Nicely done.

The food here was amazing! The grilled octopus was so tender and the risotto was delicious. I…read morewould've liked a touch more lemon zest in the gremolata though. The pan seared fish was moist, but the grits it came with were not crispy. The whole fish was also moist and tender, but the exterior could be a bit over-charred for some. The blueberry upside down cake was great. The staff were friendly and attentive. Overall, I would definitely come again!

My awesome girlfriend made us a reservation here and kindly requested a seat by the garage…read moredoor....and they did it!!! Literally so nice and cool! Food was fantastic and really made you sit back and wonder "how did I end up in the French countryside and why do I have an urge for a cigarette?" Can't wait to come back!

Great ambience for a night owl or a date. Loved all of our drinks. Although the food was a touched…read moresalty for my taste, it was cooked really well and overall very delicious. Amazing service last night.

This place came recommended by Claude when we were planning our visit from the West Coast, and it…read moreturned out to be a highlight of our trip. The food was outstanding, the staff genuinely warm and attentive, and the atmosphere had that easy, welcoming energy you can't fake. They also have a great drink selection, both alcoholic and non--I had a 'Nah-groni' that was excellent. Highly recommend if you're in the area.

Our first time at Brazen and I know we will be back. We went on a Thursday night and really liked…read morethe smaller space with an intimate chill vibe. Menu ranged from low key to fancy which is great for a range of moods. We started with some cocktails: I loved "the roomful of mirrors" which was a Japanese whiskey made very smooth by adding vermouth, lemongrass and ginger. My husband also really enjoyed the "original sin " blackberry cider Entrees were spot on with flavor and serving size. We got the slow braised Short rib and the chili spiced salmon. My husband and I shared half-and-half and we couldn't decide which one we liked better. They were both amazing. Entrée prices were steep, but Carytown it's pretty par for the course. Service was relaxed, but attentive and the decor added to the cozy atmosphere Salmon Cider Jap whiskey

Lemaire is the restaurant located inside the historic Jefferson Hotel. If you've ever been inside…read morethe Jefferson, you know how beautiful and classic the hotel is. The restaurant matches that ambiance, and is a lot bigger than you would think it was. Also, it has private parking, just make sure you get your parking ticket validated at the restaurant. My friend treated me to a belated birthday dinner. Upon arriving, they provided a custom birthday menu, which is a great touch. This place is fancy, as in special cutlery and plates. Even the way they serve the food and the bread was fancy. But even with the fanciness... the service was great and everyone was very kind. Now to the food and drinks... The drinks weren't all that. I think they just weren't what we were used to. The bread and butter were delish, but who could say anything bad about fresh carbs and butter. They have daily special and one of them was the soft shell crab. The crab was huge and was really tasty. This was my friend's first time having soft shell crab and she really liked it too. For my main entree, I chose the roasted red snapper. Again... this place js fancy so other than the snapper, I wasn't really sure what other ingredients were in my dish. Nonetheless, it was all delicious. I finished the whole plate, which is uncommon for me. I want to add that it looks like they rotate their menu items so they might not always have the same dishes on their menu. I also wanted to note that, unless they are very well mannered or are older and appreciate fine dining, I would not suggest bringing your kids here. Overall, I would definitely recommend this restaurant for a date night, celebration, or anytime you want a fine dining experience.

We loved Lemaire! Love the decor and that preservation of all of the older architecture…read more Our waiter was sean and he was really professional and nice. I ordered the fried green tomatoes as an appetizer it was really good! Loved the shrimp on top. I got the organic chicken entree and a size of macaroni. That chicken was solooo good Sean told us they brine the chicken for a while and man it was good. My husband got the sirloin cooked at medium. He loved it. Very flavorful. We ended the date with the chocolate pistachio mousse tart. It was really good! The honeycomb on top was super cute. Definitely recommend coming here for a date night. Also we just moved back to Richmond and it was definitely a nice "welcome back" date night .

I've been to Lafayette Tavern 4x since they've opened and have two more reservations on the books…read more I think it's a great addition to the Richmond dining scene, though not without some hiccups. Visit 1 (March): My boyfriend and I sat along the wall of half booths. We were seated next to a couple of girls who were obscenely loud, to the point that my boyfriend said his eardrum hurt after we left. The food was phenomenal for the most part that trip - we had the bucatini with slab bacon (me), spicy shells (him), plus the leeks and creamed spinach. For drinks, I had the Fogcutter (whew, strong) and he ordered a bottle of expensive orange wine. Dessert-wise, he had the banana-brulee cheesecake and I had the cream and berries (not my favorite, but different). Service was friendly and prompt. We were interested to try more, so I was pleased when I randomly woke up around 1:15 am on April 1 and was able to score some May reservations. Visit 2 (May): Earlier this month, we stopped in again the night of Mother's Day. I was surprised to see the restaurant wasn't full, perhaps that was by design due to the holiday. We were seated in the two-tops in the middle of the room, which we much preferred, as we didn't have neighbors screaming in our ears. That visit, he tried the double mint Julip, and I tried the Tommy Collins and an Espresso Martini (both delightful). For an app, he ordered a sashimi special that he loved. I ordered the French dip that came with fries and added the lemon garlic aioli (yum). That time, he had the bucatini since he enjoyed mine so much the first go-around. For dessert, I mixed it up with the $18 ice cream sundae: worth. every! penny. Our server was super sweet too. I had mentioned I had two other reservations on the books and was bummed I couldn't make them for 3 people, so she suggested talking to the host. As we were walking out, the host wrote my details down in a notebook, including that the one reservation was a birthday res, and said she'd follow up the next week. She didn't, so that was disappointing but I guess understandable considering their popularity. Visit 3 (Mid-May): This visit started well with a "welcome back!" from our server to me. I was with a friend this time, and we were seated in the middle, so I was hyped about that. I had spent quite a bit of time talking up the food. She and I opted to split the fries and creamed spinach to start. Both great, but we wanted to save room for the rest of our meal too. She ordered the salmon and I ordered the chopped salad for my main. Not gonna lie, the chopped salad was not my favorite and it was pretty hard to eat as it kept falling out of the bowl. I opted to box the whole thing to give to my boyfriend instead, and focused on dessert. We also asked if we could split the remainder of our sides since we were going to different places and were told that was no problem. Our desserts were delightful! My friend had the chocolate mousse and loved it, and I had the sundae again ha. We had to ask for boxes for our desserts too, because we were so full. They were boxed, we paid the bill, and then right as we were going to leave, we reminded our server that we needed our other courses too. This is where things got a little strange. She came back and apparently our food had been given away to another table. She asked how they could make it right, so we asked if we could have the food remade being that we had so much of it left. She agreed. A manager stopped over, assured us everything was being remade, and then shortly after came back with the bags. I asked to confirm that the sides were separated, and he said yes, the fries in one, spinach in another, so when I clarified that we were splitting them to go to two different destinations, he rolled his eyes at me. Like sir, I saw that haha. Anyway, eventually it was sorted but it did make for a long night. Visit 4 (Yesterday): I stopped in for a mildly belated birthday dinner, as I wanted to celebrate here even after a weekend away. Our server was pleasant, but I did notice she doted pretty heavily on a couple celebrating their anniversary at the next table over. They were given free champagne to start and had "happy anniversary" written on their table. From what I could gather, they seemed to be a high-value table. If you celebrate a birthday here, note that they'll ask "who's birthday is it?" and then light a candle in your dessert and walk away. For our apps, we had the fries with aioli and the fried artichoke hearts to start. Both were soo good, especially the artichoke hearts! For our meals, my mom teetered pretty heavily before landing on the chicken based on our server's suggestion. She said it was okay but heavily salted. She gave my boyfriend her leftovers (lucky dude, right?). I ordered the filet, which was lovely. We both had sundaes for dessert (love). Yelp just capped my review ha, that's new. Anyway, all in all, I'd give this spot 4.5 stars.

I truly do not understand the hype of this place. Nothing was special or outstanding about it. This…read moreplace is a very poor rip off of Carbone. There's nothing unique about the menu or atmosphere. - The waiters wear ridiculous attire. - The bathroom sign to buy one of their "signature" candles is tacky as all get out. - The Lafayette Tavern beer was disgusting. Whoever made that should not be allowed to make beer. Are they paying people to give good reviews? I seriously cannot understand all of these good reviews. I will be warning everyone I know to stay clear of this establishment and save their time & money.

This is a great spot that we found while traveling through downtown Richmond. It's a short walk…read morefrom the Hilton, and right in the middle of other shops, restaurants and a church across the street. We were seated at a wonderful spot right at the front window facing Grace Street, ideal for people watching and a nice setting overall. Our server, Jennifer was quick to approach and offer drinks and menu suggestions. I had the scallops accompanied by a very tasty potato rosti, fennel/apple salad and fried pork belly bits. It was absolutely delicious - one of the best meals I've had in a while. I was drinking iced tea, which came with a little mint kick to it - I no longer drink alcohol with meals, but they appear to have quite a few creative cocktails as well. While this is likely a higher end restaurant for the area, I found the price averaging about $70 per person all in, including drinks, tip and tax to be quite a reasonable value overall. With wonderful service, incredible food, reasonable prices, and a beautiful dining room, this is certainly a place that I'd revisit again when traveling through or to Richmond.

We were spending the night at the Hilton Hotel across the street on our drive from Florida to New…read moreJersey. We picked this place for dinner based on its proximity to the hotel and we are so glad we did because it was fantastic! One of the best meals we have had in a while. The ambiance was also very nice with soft music and candles. The menu offers a handful of appetizers and a handful of entrees. They all sounded good but I decided to go with the petite filet mignon. It also came with smoked cheddar scallop potatoes, honey glazed baby carrots, and a port wine demi. All of it was delicious. My husband had the sumac dusted scallops with potato rosti, smoked pork belly, and an apple fennel salad. It looked and tasted great. We also received a complimentary corn muffin that tasted great. Service was fairly quick and professional.

Delicious meal. Menu changes frequently so highly recommend to try something new. The location…read moreisn't large but the service was responsive. Most things are house made including syrups for cocktails.

A friend and I stopped into Belmont Food Shop around 9 pm after an event nearby at the VFMA. We…read moredidn't have a reservation and chose the restaurant on a whim. They only have a handful of tables; it's a very small, intimate space. We were able to easily grab bar seats (and they have seatbacks, woo!). Our bartender was great, sadly I've failed to recall his name. I already had a drink before our visit, so I requested a mocktail. He made a ginger-beer-inspired mocktail that was really delightful. For food, my friend and I chose to split the Monkfish, and they put it on two separate plates for us. It was well-presented and an interesting blend of flavors. They also gave us an amuse bouche and some bread with an herbal sauce. Their menu changes and is listed on a chalkboard, which is cool. I'd definitely return sometime.

Amuse Restaurant is a fine-dining, farm-to-table destination located on the third floor of the…read moreVirginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia Highly Recommended while visiting the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

I came here for brunch on Sunday after walking around the museum and was seated immediately with no…read morereservation around 1PM. All of the food here we had was fantastic! They gave us free lavender poppyseed bread to start and then we ordered the truffle fries to share which had the perfect crisp to them. My mom ordered the frittata and I ordered the black truffle eggs which came on Foccacia that had truffle oil brush on. Everything was delicious and melted in your mouth!