Tuesday, January 4, 2011

On Fumes Alone

8 1/2
401 Strawberry St., Richmond, VA, 23220
(804) 358-8505

I never thought I would post about an aroma. But this time, fumes is all I've got to go on. The downside of Chris being a great cook and having a cozy hideaway in Richmond is that we seldom go out to eat when we are there. But on New Year's day, we took a walk in the Fan with our friend Lynn, and I discovered a whole new world of tiny restaurants and independent stores tucked in between the houses of this historic neighborhood.

One of these was 8 1/2, the take-out place for two of Richmond's most beloved restaurants: Edo's Squid and Mama Zu's --both creations of Ed Vasio. After three years of visiting Richmond, I have yet to dine in either of these. (Humphh!)  

So for now, all I have to go on is the divine smell emanating from 8 1/2. An aroma so distinct that, without even asking, I can tell it was red pizza sauce with toppings of anchovies, capers, onion and olives. Yum! (I assume). I am hoping that I'll get to do more than window shopping some time early in 2011.  :)

Happy new year everyone, and here's to new food discoveries in the coming year.

Update: as a result of this post, we have now begun to visit Richmond's restaurants with more frequency!
For a full list of Richmond visits, click here

8 1/2 on Urbanspoon

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can no longer mutely stand by. Yes, I have been remiss in the dining adventures, deferring to prepare home cooked gourmet meals. But in my defense, Antoinette does not often spend more than two, maybe three, nights a month in Richmond. So this makes the task all the more challenging. I will rise to this challenge, but Antoinette must come to our fair city more often if we are to even begin to make a dent in the restaurant riches that lay ahead of us. I will now go on the record - I am committing to a Restaurant Bucket List - and welcome the input of anyone reading this to add to, delete from, or comment on my choices. I will also include a list of those restaurants already visited.
THE RICHMOND BUCKET LIST (in no specific order):
Chez Foushee
Iron Horse
Europa
Mamma Zu's
Sensi
Black Sheep
Sensi
Lemaire
Sprout
Davis & Main
Kuba Kuba
Grandpa Eddies BBQ
Buzz & Ned's BBQ
Joe's Inn
Tarrant's
Comfort
Mom's Siam
Balliceaux
Lamplighter Coffee
Northside Grill
Tastebuds
Cafe Rustica
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT:
Edo Squid
Patina
Bacchus
CanCan
Cafe Gutenberg
Dd33
Galaxy Diner
Mekong
Mosaic
Havana 59
Lulus

SvoMama said...
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