Fastest Service at a Local Restaurant
Mexico
Visit mexico-restaurant.com for locations.
After Mexico took the gold for fastest service, we decided to give the Horsepen location a try to see just how quick the service is. The entire event took 1 hour and 8 minutes, with four entrees arriving 11 minutes after the order was placed. A play-by-play:
8:08 Seated; chips arrive
8:10 Drink and appetizer orders taken
8:13 Drinks arrive
8:14 Cheese-dip appetizer arrives
8:20 Dinner order placed
8:25 Basket of chips refreshed
8:31 Entrees arrive
2. Casa Grande, 7818 W. Broad St., 755-2388; 10921 Midlothian Turnpike, 378-8177; 3528 Pump Road, 360-7774
3. Mekong Vietnamese Restaurant, 6004 W. Broad St., 288-8929

Most Overwhelming Menu Design
The Cheesecake Factory
Short Pump Town Center, 364-4300
If you’re going to this restaurant on an empty stomach, do yourself a favor before scanning the entire 200-plus selections on the menu: Order an appetizer pronto and quiet your appetite a tad. Then you’ll have the strength to hold up this book of a menu while you calmly settle on an entrée.
2. (Tie) Mekong, 6004 W. Broad St., 288-8929; TGI Friday’s, 7023 W. Broad St., 672-9477; 10301 Midlothian Turnpike, 330-0203; 11600 W. Broad St., 360-7926
3. Can Can Brasserie, 3120 W. Cary St., 358-7274

Best Chicken Wings
Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar
Visit buffalowildwings.com for locations.
Buffalo Wild Wings has mastered the tasty, tasty wing. “It ranges from teriyaki to extremely hot, blazin’,” says West Broad assistant manager Andrea Brooks. “You can find something in there that you like; you don’t have to settle.” Aside from the sauce bonanza, you can also get your wings to order in a variety of cooking and prep methods:  extra crispy, flat (both a wing and a drum) or drums only. Tuesdays are 40-cent wing nights, and Thursdays are 50-cent boneless wing nights.
2. Hooters, 7912 W. Broad St., 270-9464; 1211 Huguenot Road, 378-9464
3. Davis & Main, 2501 W. Main St., 353-6641

Best New Restaurant
LuLu’s
21 N. 17th St., 343-9771
Co-owner Paul Keevil says LuLu’s comfort food is somewhere in the middle between lunch and dinner entrées at Millie’s, his other restaurant. Opened late last October, LuLu’s may have gotten its initial buzz on the coattails of Millie’s but has since proven itself on its own merits — a great staff, attention to detail and pleasing prices. The critics here at Richmond magazine are particularly fond of the strawberry shortcake.
2. deLux, 2229 W. Main St., 353-2424
3. (Tie) Verbena, 2526 Floyd Ave., 359-3122; Si, 214 N. Lombardy St., 257-7940; Kitchen 64, 3336 N. Boulevard, 358-0064

Worst Location of a Great Restaurant
Mamma ’Zu
501 S. Pine St., 788-4205
Tucked into Oregon Hill, Mamma ’Zu isn’t exactly the easiest restaurant to find if your stomping grounds are in a different section of town. But consider this: Oregon Hill is experiencing a rebirth, which puts Mamma ’Zu in a prime location. Perhaps owner Ed Vasaio’s a genius for picking this spot after all.
2. La Petite France, 2108 Maywill St., 353-8729 (recently closed)
3. Buckhead’s, 8510 Patterson Ave., 750-2000

Best Happy Hour
Capital Ale House
623 E. Main St.; 4024-A Cox Road; 13831 Village Place Drive, 780-ALES
Officially, this local pub chain has no actual happy hour. But apparently its after-work crowd is still pretty darn happy. Perhaps it’s because burgers are only $1 on Mondays. Or maybe it’s the Steal-the-Glass deal on Tuesday night, when a specific brew is served in a take-home pint glass. Or it could be the two-for-one wings deal they run on Wednesdays. And with three Richmond-area locations and a new pub opening in Fredericksburg this fall, who needs to limit happiness to an hour anyway?
2. The Tobacco Company Restaurant, 1201 E. Cary St., 782-9555
3. T.G.I. Friday’s, see tgifridays.com for locations

Best Restaurant to Cheat on Your Diet
The Cheesecake Factory
Short Pump Town Center, 364-4300
What’s in a name? Well, in this case, calories. And when our readers want a night off from the health regimen, this seems to be the go-to dining spot. Although its moniker suggests otherwise, the national restaurant chain does a lot more than dessert, notes spokeswoman Alethea Rowe. The Cheesecake Factory’s menu covers everything from Asian dishes to Italian. “We make everything from scratch in the restaurant,” Rowe says. “So if you order a pasta dish and you want something left out, it’s very easy for us to customize and meet your dietary needs as well.”
2. Maggiano’s, Short Pump Town Center, 253-0900
3. Comfort, 200 W. Broad St., 780-0004

Worst Restaurant for a Quiet Meal
(Tie) Can Can Brasserie
3120 W. Cary St., 358-7274;
Edo’s Squid
411 N. Harrison St., 864-5488
Some people like the vibe and flow of conversation at Can Can, and obviously some people don’t, says owner Chris Ripp. The open floor plan and lack of sound-absorbing materials contribute to the ruckus, so if the clatter gets to be too much, ask to be seated on the patio, which opened in 2006. Unfortunately, there’s no place to escape at Edo’s Squid. So, we suggest that you dine early and make the best of it — we’d eat their delicious rockfish in the middle of a blaring rock concert if we had to.
2. The Cheesecake Factory, Short Pump Town Center, 364-4300
3. Sticky Rice, 2232 W. Main St., 358-7870

Best Local Place for Latte
Crossroads Coffee & Ice Cream
3600 Forest Hill Ave., 231-2030; 26 N. Morris St., 355-3559
Crossroads Coffee & Ice Cream opened in a colorfully remodeled, 1930s gas station on Forest Hill Avenue in 2002. The second location, also a former garage, opened on Morris Street in 2007. So what makes the lattes so special? Crossroads starts with espresso from Lexington Coffee. “We really invested in the equipment, and we try to focus on training,” says owner Will Herring. “We still grind the coffee, tamp the grounds, steam the milk and pour by hand.”
2. (Tie) Bin 22 at Betsy’s, 3200 W. Cary St., 358-4501; Café Caturra Coffee & Wine, 1282 Alverser Drive, 897-4773; 13830 Village Place Drive, 378-4955
3. Café Gutenberg, 1700 E. Main St., 497-5000

Best Baked Goods
Jean-Jacques Bakery Café
3138 W. Cary St., 355-0666
Pastry chef Jozef Bindas’ daughter, Lilianna, who runs the Carytown café, sheds light on the secret to their success: “I think it’s the fact that we do everything homemade and that it all comes from here. We don’t use preservatives.” And, she adds, it’s the only French/European bakery in the city — the only place to get French luxuries like alumettes (strawberries, custard and whipped cream on a puff pastry with candied almonds on top) and European-style cakes with lemon-raspberry, almond and chocolate-rum fillings.
2. Ukrop’s, 26 locations around Richmond, see ukrops.com
3. Panera Bread, panerabread.com

Best Seafood Restaurant
The Hard Shell
1411 E. Cary St., 643-2333
Hard Shell co-owner Jared Golden’s Shockoe Bottom restaurant has won this title at least five times in its 13-year history. “I think part of it is we probably have the widest variety of shellfish and raw bar items in Richmond,” he says. “It’s all fresh, local and regional seafood. … We don’t just have one kind of crab leg and one kind of oyster.” The bounty has attracted some famous guests: Gwyneth Paltrow, Patricia Cornwell and Carson Kressley, among others.
2. Bonefish Grill, 6081 Harbour Park Drive, Midlothian, 639-2747
3. Crab Louie’s Seafood Tavern, 1352 Sycamore Square Drive, Midlothian, 275-2722

Local Restaurant Serving Biggest Portions
Joe’s Inn
205 N. Shields Ave., 355-2282; 2616 Buford Road, 320-9700
When it comes to heaping servings, Joe’s knows how to pile it on. Its average pasta entree costs about $10 and weighs a couple of pounds. Tina Kafantaris, manager at the Shields Avenue location and sister to owner Michael Kafantaris, says Joe’s has always focused on being a good value. “The portion size here has always been what it’s been. We haven’t changed that,” she says. The menu is chock full of Greek- and Italian-inspired dishes and is known for Spaghetti à la Joe, which comes with a choice of marinara or meat sauce, both recipes that come from the original Joe’s family have been served since 1952.
2. Kitchen 64, 3336 N. Boulevard, 358-0064
3. Sidewalk Café, 2101 W. Main St., 358-0645

Best Reason to Go Out to Eat in Richmond
Variety
No, this isn’t the name of a new hip downtown restaurant. Our readers are just downright pleased with the options they’ve got these days. Ellie Basch, chef at Savor in Manchester and frequent restaurant-goer, says the local scene has really expanded in recent years. “Richmonders being more sophisticated has caused more ethnic restaurants to come in, which has caused American restaurants to kick it up a notch, too,” she says, noting that she can’t remember a time when sushi, Thai, Indian and Ethiopian restaurants would have been able to thrive as they are now.
2. Can Can Brasserie, 3120 Cary St., 358-7274
3. (Tie) Kuba Kuba, 1601 Park Ave., 355-8817; Millie’s, 2603 E. Main St., 643-5512

Best Restaurant to Be “Seen” In
Can Can Brasserie
3120 W. Cary St., 358-7274
There aren’t too many celebrities passing through Can Can, but owner Chris Ripp says you’re likely to find bigwig execs, notable small-business owners and other area A-listers (including the mayor) dining here. For prime views of diners and the strolling-shopping crowd, sit at a table along the expansive windows.
2. Ruth’s Chris Steak House, 11500 W. Huguenot Road, 378-0600
3. deLux, 2229 W. Main St., 353-2424

Best Mall Restaurant
P.F. Chang’s China Bistro
Stony Point Fashion Park, 9212 Stony Point Parkway, 253-0492
With a mall as upscale as Stony Point Fashion Park, no humdrum restaurant will do. The only Richmond location of this successful national chain is so popular you’re bound to wait for a table. But fans of the fancy Chinese cuisine are willing to stick it out for family-style portions of their traditional dishes, such as sweet and sour chicken, and signature servings, such as Chang’s Lemon Scallops. And, as always, there’s usually plenty to take home for another meal later.
2. Maggiano’s Little Italy, Short Pump Town Center, 11800 W. Broad St., 253-0900
3. Brio Tuscan Grille, Stony Point Fashion Park, 9210 Stony Point Parkway, 272-2255

Best Paninis
Ukrop’s
Visit ukrops.com for locations.
Each week, Richmonders put away 7,000 paninis at the 25 Ukrop’s locations that serve them, with the two most popular orders being the Grilled Chicken Pesto and Marinated London Broil. Whereas today folks are pretty aware of what a panini is, when the sandwich was introduced to the stores in 1994, “the customers did not even ask what they were,” says Nancy Wingfield, Ukrop’s food-service director. “They just pointed to the sandwich and bought it.”
2. Panera Bread Company, see panera.com for locations
3. Baker’s Crust, 3553 W. Cary St., 213-0800; Short Pump Town Center, 11800 W. Broad St., 377-9060

Best Place for a Lunch Meeting
Panera Bread Company
Visit panerabread.com for locations.
With 13 locations in the 50-mile radius of downtown Richmond, this national franchise has become a quick local favorite. Each location touts free Wi-Fi (but beware, some have time limits), a selection of fresh salad and sandwich choices, an efficient food-ordering system and décor that is a notch higher than your normal fast-food joint. Maybe it’s not the best place to pitch your million-dollar project, but for those still working up the corporate chain, it offers a casual nosh without having to drop a big tip.
2. (Tie) Chez Foushee, 203 N. Foushee St., 648-3225; Hondos Prime, 4024-C Cox Road, 968-4323
3. Perly’s, 111 E. Grace St., 649-2779

Best Restaurant in the Far West End
Patina Grill
3416 Lauderdale Drive, 360-8217
When Patina opened in 1998, it was a loner of a restaurant, says owner/chef Brian Munford — there weren’t any other independent eateries to speak of. Ten years later, Patina’s globe-hopping menu continues to win our readers’ approval. (“Go, readers!” Munford says with a chuckle.) Munford and his staff like to offer a variety of international cuisine. In mid-June, they were cranking out arepas, a Venezuelan corn cake, and samosas, an Indian dish. The variety is obviously enough to keep Patina standing out amid Short Pump’s growth. “It’s nice to be able to stick around despite all the changes,” Munford says.
2. Firebirds, Short Pump Town Center, 364-9744
3. Hondos, 4024-C Cox Road, 968-4323

Best Prepared Cuts of Beef
Ruth’s Chris Steak House
11500 W. Huguenot Road, 378-0600
“When you get a cut of beef from us, you’re getting it in its purest form,” says Ruth’s Chris general manager Mark Ainge. “We don’t really jazz it up too much.” The restaurant prides itself on its prepared USDA prime beef, grilled in an 1,800-degree oven with a hint of salt and pepper and delivered to your table on a 500-degree plate with butter. “That gives it our signature sizzle,” Ainge adds. OK, we’ll stop here before your stomach growls again.
2. Buckhead’s Restaurant & Chop House, 8510 Patterson Ave., 750-2000
3. Morton’s, The Steakhouse, 111 Virginia St., 648-1662

Best Restaurant Downtown
Comfort
200 W. Broad St., 780-0004
A twist on the meat and three sides, Comfort took Southern fare and dropped it into an urban setting in 2002. The restaurant’s success led owners Jason Alley and Chris Chandler to birth a second location in Portsmouth last year, and add brunch to the Richmond spot this spring, Chandler says. During brunch you’ll find biscuits and gravy, sweet potato hash, eggs benedict (a crawfish-and-asparagus hollandaise sauce over poached eggs on top of biscuits) and a pimento cheese and fried green tomato sandwich, which you might recognize from the lunch specials menu.
2. Lemaire, 101 W. Franklin St., 649-4644
3. Tarrant’s Café, 1 W. Broad St., 225-0035

Best Restaurant in the South Side
Bottega Bistro
11400 W. Huguenot Road, 379-9899
You might call it a little bit of sibling rivalry. In this year’s survey, Bottega traded places with last year’s No. 1 in this category, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, which is right next door — and has the same owner. Bottega’s general manager, Eddie Wood, laughs at the news and says, “Hey, as long as we keep it in the family.” While Ruth’s Chris is known for its beef, Wood says Bottega also has a beef cut that’s sure to please — its Asian filet with a bourbon ginger sauce and fried tobacco onions.
2. Ruth’s Chris Steak House, 11500 W. Huguenot Road, 378-0600
3. Bonefish Grill, 6081 Harbour Park Drive, Midlothian, 639-2747

Best Wait Staff at a Local Eatery
White Dog Café
2329 W. Main St., 340-1975
Good service can’t always make up for a crummy meal, and great food doesn’t excuse bad service. White Dog, also this year’s “Best Restaurant in the Fan,” seems to have both covered. Owner Barry Pruitt and his wife, Roslyn, who’s still a regular server, are part of a core staff that has been there since its inception, in addition to some other longtime employees. (And in restaurants, “longtime” can mean a year or more). “I don’t think I have anyone here who hasn’t gone three or four years,” Barry says.
2. Bottega Bistro, 11400 W. Huguenot Road, 379-9899
3. Patina Grill, 3416 Lauderdale Dr., 360-8217

Best Restaurant in Shockoe Slip
The Tobacco Company
1201 E. Cary St., 782-9555
At 31 years old, this place still packs ’em in — as many as 5,000 dining patrons a week, says marketing director Yancey Taylor. The four-story renovated tobacco warehouse is the granddaddy of Shockoe Slip’s dining scene, established by owner Jerry Cable in 1977. Its award-winning wine list and menus cover the gamut of fine dining, while its cocktail lounges offer swank surroundings for live music and nightlife.
2. Europa Mediterranean Café, 1409 E. Cary St., 643-0911
3. Pomegranate, 1209 E. Cary St., 643-9354

Best Restaurant in the East End
Carini’s Italian Restaurant
3718 Williamsburg Road, 222-0715
Established by Joe and Rosalia Sanzone, both natives of Carini, Italy, this neighborhood favorite offers a familiar menu of Italian-American staples (chicken and veal entrees, lasagna and more) and turns out more than a few hundred takeout pizza orders per week. With Sinatra on the stereo and some impressive murals of Carini, it’s no wonder our readers duck into this joint for a little escape.
2. Hill Café, 2800 E. Broad St., 648-0360
3. Millie’s, 2603 E. Main St., 643-5512

Best Restaurant in Shockoe Bottom
Bottoms Up Pizza
1700 Dock St., 644-4400
Whether the category is specific to pizza or to Shockoe Bottom, this place seems to get a perennial thumbs-up from our readers. Its menu features 16 “signature” pizzas — such as the Maggie Malay (tomato, spinach and artichoke hearts) and the Goat in the Garden (spinach, Roma tomatoes, goat cheese and garlic). Despite its long-running success, co-owner Charlie Lichter says, cryptically, that Bottoms Up has “some new things in the works.” He adds, “I’ll leave it at that.” Stay tuned.
2. Julep’s New Southern Cuisine, 1721 E. Franklin St., 377-3968
3. Millie’s, 2603 E. Main St., 643-5512

Best Restaurant in the Fan
White Dog
2329 W. Main St., 340-1975
For five years now, Barry and Roslyn Pruitt’s White Dog Café has claimed top honors in this category. It’s something of a milestone for another reason — the Pruitts’ beloved pet and the eatery’s namesake, Max, died earlier this year. The running joke is that Barry Pruitt once exclaimed he’d never own another restaurant, so when the White Dog was born eight years ago, Barry crowned Max the owner. “We hope his spirit lives on here at the White Dog,” Barry says, “and we hope we continue to do things in a way that he would be proud of.”
2. Kuba Kuba, 1601 Park Ave., 355-8817
3. Strawberry Street Café, 421 Strawberry St., 353-6860

Best Restaurant in the North Side
Kitchen 64
3336 N. Boulevard, 358-0064
Johnny and Katrina Giavos, owners of Sidewalk Café, 3 Monkeys and Kuba Kuba, have created a new North Side neighborhood favorite with Kitchen 64. After nine months of construction, the family-friendly restaurant opened up shop in spring 2007, and the kitchen hasn’t stopped hopping since. Menu items include the Scott’s Addition (a cross between a Philly cheese steak and a beef-dip sandwich) and sweet-potato French fries.
2. Zed Cafe, 5109 Lakeside Ave., 261-5656
3. Dot’s Back Inn, 4030 Macarthur Ave., 266-3167

Best Local Restaurant in the Heart of VCU
Edo’s Squid
411 N. Harrison St., 864-5488
Several great dining options have cropped up in the VCU area in recent years, but Edo’s Squid, which is owned by Ed Vasaio (of Mamma ’Zu fame), shines through. Located above a sub shop in the original Stella’s location, it doesn’t immediately exude “perfect” — until you try the food. From the garlicky rapini pasta to the duck entrée, you’ll find plenty of excuses to tussle with a VCU student over a parking spot.
2. Cous Cous, 900 W. Franklin St., 358-0868
3. Ipanema Café, 917 W. Grace St., 213-0190

Best Local Mediterranean Restaurant
Mamma ’Zu
501 S. Pine St., 788-4205
Critics and diners alike have been singing owner Ed Vasaio’s praises for years, so if you haven’t been to Mamma ’Zu before, put down your forkful of chain Italian-ish food and run to Oregon Hill as fast as you can. Sure, the atmosphere is a little dingy, but the food’s fresh and authentic. Afraid of the rumored surly servers? Based on recent dining experiences, it’s more urban legend than fact.
2. Zorba’s, 9068 W. Broad St., 270-6026
3. Crazy Greek, 1903 Staples Mill Road, 355-3786

Best Chinese Restaurant
Peking
Visit pekingrestaurants.com for locations.
This group of venerable Chinese restaurants is no stranger to Richmond magazine’s Best & Worst annual survey. In fact, in the survey’s 21 years of existence, readers have voted the local restaurant chain Best Chinese 20 times. What keeps folks coming back? Elegant décor, creative presentation and classic dishes such as Shrimp in Lobster Sauce and Treasures of the Sea. Also, if you find yourself downtown — and hungry — on Christmas Day, Peking is open for business. Who needs turkey when you can have duck?
2. P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Stony Point Fashion Park, 253-0492
3. Full Kee, 6400 Horsepen Road, 673-2233

Best Restaurant in Carytown/West of Boulevard
Can Can Brasserie
3120 W. Cary St., 358-7274
In addition to freshly baked bread and frequent beer and wine dinners, Can Can also brought killer sweets to Carytown in 2005. “I don’t think anybody can hold a candle to our desserts,” says owner Chris Ripp. This month, look for a mango carpaccio served with avocado ice cream. Whatever flavor of crème brûlée is on the menu at the moment is sure to be a hit, too.
2. (Tie) Ristorante Amici, 3343 W. Cary St., 353-4700; Mom’s Siam, 2811 W. Cary St., 359-7606
3. Karsen’s, 3411 W. Cary St., 353-5277

Best Indian Restaurant
India K’Raja
9051-5 W. Broad St., 965-6345
Like any ethnic cuisine, Indian food has a wealth of regional differences, and India K’Raja’s menu covers that map, says Tony Sappal, who co-owns this restaurant with his wife, Alka. The Sappals immigrated from India about 20 years ago and opened their West End restaurant in 1995. Tony, the restaurant’s chef, hails from New Delhi and prepares signature creations such as chicken 69, which fuses Indian and Chinese flavors in a sauce that combines soy, mustard and curry. The dish reflects the merging of cuisine that one is likely to experience in northern India, near the Chinese border. While Tony manages the kitchen, Alka fills the role of food critic and presentation perfectionist. Tony travels back to his homeland every so often to reconnect with his native cuisine and to ensure his family recipes stay authentic. “I love to cook, eat and serve Indian food,” he says.
2. Farouk’s House of India, 3033 W. Cary St., 355-0378
3. Malabar Indian Cuisine, 3456 Lauderdale Drive, 364-7077

Best Authentic Mexican Restaurant
Mexico
Visit mexico-restaurant.com for locations.
Three generations of the Garcia family have grown Mexico restaurant into a veritable empire. Their secret? Happy employees, says Eduardo Garcia, the grandson of a founder, who has worked at all the locations. Five locations have a family night (Monday in Mechanicsville, Tuesday in Woodlake and Forest Hill; Thursday in Innsbrook and Arboretum) when a magician and balloon artist entertain kids, and parents appreciate half-priced kids’ meals. Although the family is from Guadalajara, the menu covers dishes from all over Mexico and a couple of Tex-Mex favorites, too. But many of the salsas and sauces are Garcia family recipes.
2. Casa Grande, see casagranderichmond.com for locations
3. (Tie) Plaza Guadalajara, 4348 Pouncey Tract Road, 497-2536; Su Casa, 4013 W. Broad St., 355-6805

Best Japanese/Sushi
Osaka
5023 Huguenot Road, 288-8801; 11674 W. Broad St., 364-8800
With fresh fish being flown in six days a week, it’s no wonder sushi and sashimi lovers flock to Osaka. John Larkin, general manager at the Huguenot Road location, says the presentation of the food, exquisite chefs and specialty rolls are why this place is a cut above. Specials vary by location, but the Sunrise roll — tuna, salmon, crab stick, avocado and black caviar rolled in a soy wrapper — is a recent favorite at Huguenot. Looking for good sushi on the other side of the river? Look for Osaka spinoff Sushi O on Alverser Drive in Midlothian this summer.
2. Kabuto, 8052 W. Broad St., 747-9573; 13158 Midlothian Turnpike, 379-7979
3. Akida, 814 N. Robinson St., 359-8036; 9039 W. Broad St., 762-8878

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