I came here for dinner on a Saturday night with three friends and we had a wonderful time. It's…read moreintimate and cozy inside and I loved the decor and vibe of the place. Our server was wonderful and very knowledgable about the wine. I loved that we had a mini tasting when he told us about the open bottles. We all ended up picking a different glass! For our meal, we shared the following: - Bread service -- honestly, SO delicious - Tartare -- very unique flavors, kind of like a tabouleh - Cabbage Ceasar salad -- an interesting take on a classic salad, very fresh and crunchy - Aleppo egg -- a take on Turkish eggs, it wasn't super great to share but was very good - The cacio de pepe pasta -- the most underwhelming dish of the night, not bad but nothing special - The steak -- my friend who doesn't like cheese had this and shared a few bites and it was very tender and flavorful We opted out of dessert but the dark chocolate tahini truffles sounded like they would be so good!

Unfortunately, my experience here was disappointing due to the customer service. The initial server…read morewas very unfriendly, overly opinionated, and came across as bossy rather than welcoming. He seemed annoyed that I had my own preferences about which wines I wanted to try, which made the tasting feel uncomfortable instead of enjoyable. After that interaction, he essentially handed us off to another server and completely stopped checking on us. He never came back to ask if we wanted additional wine tastings, food, or anything else. We felt ignored for the rest of the visit. Wine tasting should feel inviting and relaxed, but the atmosphere here felt awkward and unwelcoming because of the service. I'm sharing this so others know that the hospitality aspect may not match expectations.

Carytown is so fun! Based on my research I wanted to try this Spanish bar. We had just eaten a…read moreheavy lunch so the plan was for cocktails on the roof top patio. It was mid day so we were seated upstairs with no wait. Staff is super responsive and friendly. Outdoor seating was great with its view of the street below. Complimentary nuts and olives were given. Sangria was my drink of choice and it was delicious. I the drink was largely fresh made with their house wine and was so easy to drink. After a couple of glasses, I wanted to try their popular meat and cheese tray. I asked about a combo of both Spanish cheeses and meats. The sausages were excellent and the soft and hard cheese just added a nice touch to the snack.

9/10 experience at Importante :) My mom and I went yesterday for tapas and it did not disappoint!…read moreWe arrived around 3 PM and it was the perfect timing because around 3:15, the place was PACKED! We ordered sangria and the table red wine and both were delicious. The sangria rioja is a touch on the sweeter side, which I personally don't mind, but just be aware if that is not your thing! It did taste better once it was a little bit diluted. The rice dish (arroz meloso) was one of their brunch specials and it was FANTASTIC! It has shrimp, chorizo, and chicken, and the rice was cooked and flavored to perfection. It was like a mini paella and the portion was huge. Definitely big enough to share for two people! I even told the waitress they need to add this to their menu permanently and not just as a special. We also ordered the patatas bravas (the crispy potatoes with spicy sauce), and it quite literally transported me back to my time when I lived in Spain. It came with a side of garlic aioli which was divine...creamy, garlicky (but not TOO garlicky), and seasoned well. the red sauce on the potatoes was delicious and spicy, so beware if you are not fan of spicy food. We had a little mishap with another tapa (the pan iberico, which they have listed as a flatbread) which I unfortunately did not take a picture of and did not care for at all. They gave us the vegetarian version by mistake, but our waitress was awesome and she recognized the mistake right as it came to our table. We got the right one and it wasn't bad, but definitely wouldn't order again. That would be the only thing I would avoid from the menu, as it's not traditionally Spanish. It was like a mini pizza with chorizo and had manchego melted on top. I'm sure a lot of people would like it, but it just didn't make much sense to me! Atmosphere is warm and inviting, and I can't wait to go back for a wine tasting and more tapas. Try them out :)

We had a really nice evening. Lance was our server/sommelier. We enjoyed his time to talk about the…read morewines. While all of the dishes were very good, the celery root soup really stood out. Maybe it was the bacon and shallot crumble. Regardless, get it. This is definitely a date night spot. We will be back. PS - The restroom was spotless. Well done, Penny's.

Clearly we love date night at pennys ! A black owned wine shop that had endless items and ideas for…read morepairings. Let them know your flavor profile and they will hook you up. Service is always pristine. I love coming in!

I love this spot, believe it or not it has one of my favorite burgers of all time! It's wagu beef,…read morethe edges are crispy, & the fries are made in house. It's a little more than I'd normally pay for a burger but I would gladly pay it for this one. I've gone in twice & gotten it both times. While I'm mainly gushing about the burger, all the food I have had there is good. Last time I went with my partner, & they were really impressed by the wings. We got three courses & couldn't finish dessert because everything was just so satisfying. 10/10 I WILL be back!

Polished, clean, slightly pretentious but then I'm reviewing a pretty serious wine bar and I don't…read moredrink alcohol. The drinkers of our little group really enjoyed their wine flights and the huge variety, but I'm focused on the food which was all quite good if not also on the smaller side. The chef was pretty resistant to any requests for substitutions, so do with that what you will. They certainly knew what they were doing in the kitchen. The duck, with the chard mixture, was amazing work. The burger is probably the largest dish on the menu, it's pretty substantial and was very tasty. I'll also shout out the pickles on the meat and cheese board, they had a significant spicy kick but were delicious and I wanted more in the end. The service was great, our man was very involved and had a lot of knowledge about the menu. It honestly was pretty quiet for a Friday night; the Tobacco Company is right down the block but you would never know it in here. The decor in here is also very interesting, there are tables with couch seating on one side. Everything's very sleek. Delightfully clean bathrooms. We enjoyed it, though I'm not sure when we'll be back for a meal as the menu is ultimately pretty small.

Amazing music. I really enjoyed the live Irish music and the bartender even sang! This is a…read morecommunity wine spot with a mix of original wines and wines from other wineries. Overall, I enjoyed the experience and would go back for a glass of wine with friends.

So, my sister had the bright idea to organize a karaoke outing at Gramophone on Super Bowl Sunday…read more Since I didn't have a team in the Game, and since karaoke is my all-time favorite past time, I agreed. It was rather empty. Our group of 6 plus four others, which means FAST ROTATION . The karaoke DJ was cool. The sound system is nice! Good mics, speakers, and song arrangements. He had a huge vault of songs... everything I asked for, he had. Some of which are not as popular as others. AND the best part, he could change the pitch to accommodate my vocal range. Some of my favorite songs are a bit too high, and I had to ask for two of them to be brought down 1/2 step. Songs ranged from 50s to current. Enjoyable singers all around and everyone was fun to watch. I got a glass of their tempranillo, which was perfection. Full bodied, super dry and delicious. I also got a pizza, which is kind of a personal size. Very thin. Good, but not great. Decor is nice. Newly renovated with mostly tables all on the same level, but also a couch area next to the TV, and about three bar seats. Plenty of room to spread out. The only thing keeping Gramophone from 5 stars is the lack of food options. Hope they're able to add some simple staples like burgers and fries or salads. Convenient location right on the corner of Forest Hill and Westover Hills Blvd. I'll definitely come back for karaoke and wine!

Lillian is absolutely delicious. I had the best shrimp I have ever eaten here, served on the…read moreseafood tower my sister and I shared. Every bite was better than the last. They offer a variety of sauces and flavors that really elevate the seafood and make the experience feel unique and interactive. It was such a fun meal to share, comparing each bite and talking through all the different flavors. The service was excellent. Our waitress was knowledgeable about everything we ordered and made great recommendations. The atmosphere is just as impressive. The decor is simple but thoughtfully elevated, and sitting at the bar area feels like you have stepped out of Richmond and into somewhere like New York City. I also love following Lillian on social media to keep up with their latest specials. I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves seafood.

Hats off to the staff at Lillian who continue to be wonderful, but now that they have scrapped…read moretheir dollar oyster lunch specials, the food has absolutely nothing to offer. Like too many restaurants in the Scott's Addition area, this is seafood cooked without finesse and then absolutely brutalized with absurd amounts of palate fatiguing, brash, loud flavors. Every item on the menu endeavors to conceal mediocrity in the quality and handling of the ingredients with explosive, overwhelming additives meant to shock you into submission. Things like black garlic and chili oil, raw garlic, sesame seed oil, and punishing heat are inescapable on the menu, which really says to me loud and clear "we do not understand the appeal of seafood, and might have a fundamental misunderstanding about good food in general." I don't exaggerate when I say these dishes would be improved (setting aside things like inability to properly cook octopus) by scaling back the flavors to 5-10% the loudness level they are currently at, to let the ingredients speak, and to make the dining experience less of a punishing marathon with no relief. I have had much subtler and more skillfully balanced dishes at Indian and Thai restaurants, cuisines known for strong flavor profiles. I'm through listening to these Richmond restaurants trying to excuse simply bad food by claiming "that's the nature of the cuisine." In this case, Lillian claims that dishes characterized by these cacophonous competing flavors is "South American." No it isn't - the person conceptualizing the dishes is just a bad chef who doesn't know what he's doing, and at the prices Lillian charges, that's inexcusable. Drowning every dish in flavors that overwhelm the palate is not a way to respect your ingredients or your diner, and only communicates youth and insecurity. Anyone who's eaten widely and knows their ingredients will rightly feel assaulted and insulted by this overpriced, unskilled fare. To anyone who decides to go anyway: Good luck with the digestive distress, and with the taste that will still be left over in your mouth the next morning, no matter how much you brush your teeth.

Before I begin let me start off by saying that this review is based solely upon my personal…read moreexperiences and my personal experiences alone, so without further delay let's begin!. We were invited and decided to join our birthday celebration friends here. This restaurant is very nice and the food was great. Our service was great and the food options were plentiful. I will say I had to take off a star because the upstairs dining area was quite warm,the table was small,and the chairs were not very comfortable!. Other than that I would definitely recommend and return here!.

Not bad, not the best. Just was not a memorable experience…read more But they had a fantastic dessert

Cool little place. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. She…read moregave great wine and cheese recommendations. We really enjoyed the brie and goat cheeses we had. I had a tasty beer that hit the spot. We also tasted several of the wines they offer. Yum! I highly recommend checking this place out. It is fun and unique.

I adore Truckle Cheesemongers. Their location in the Museum District is so inviting and bright…read more It's a great spot for special events like cheese yoga or to simply catch up with a friend over cheese and wine. Their orange wine is great! I don't think I've tried a "bad" cheese (don't even think that's a thing?) there yet. And the folks working are always friendly and welcoming. Really reasonable pricing for their offerings too!