Nota Bene (Photo by Ash Daniel)
How do you do date night in Richmond? First, get rid of the word “date,” which sounds flat and stuffy. Second, hit one of these places, but hear this: None of these special nights — or days — need be part of a romantic situation. You can grab a friend, a family member or a stranger and take advantage of the deal that’s in the air.
201 W. Seventh St., 804-745-6488
Once a month, Camden’s whips up a five-course meal complete with wine pairings, all for $50 per person. Be on the lookout for themes; recently, each pairing was made for holiday sipping and eating: a Banshee Pinot Noir 2014 from Sonoma, California, served alongside a house-cured-and-smoked ham, whipped sweet potatoes and ham gravy. Call or check the restaurant’s Facebook page for future date-night announcements.
600 Shirley Plantation Road, 804-829-9463
It’s an elegant place for an evening out, situated on the water about 20 minutes outside of the city. To experience it at night, you must go on Thursday: Upper Shirley offers a weekly prix fixe. Though dormant now, these $70-per-person dinners launch again around April. Enjoy four courses from Executive Chef Carlisle Bannister, each paired with an Upper Shirley wine such as the lush 2014 Zachariah or the hefty and powerful 2013 Tannat.
2601 W. Cary St., 804-562-0138
Award-winning doesn’t always mean inaccessible. From 5:30 to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 5 to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, James Beard Award-nominated chef Dale Reitzer creates a prix-fixe menu of three courses for $24 per person. Recent dinners included a sweet red pepper soup with crème fraîche, and Acacia’s famous lump crab cake. Head there on a Tuesday night for half-price wine and sweeten the deal.
2110 E. Main St., 804-477-3355
Here’s a wood-fired Italian restaurant with a Tuesday-night special created for two. Fifty dollars (for two, yes) gets a salad to share, and a couple of pizzas or a couple of pastas — or you can mix it up and have one of each. Throw in a dessert to share and a bottle of wine, red or white, and you can enjoy a white pork torchio pasta or the popular “Fig and Pig” pizza, a sweet and salty mix of fig preserves and chewy prosciutto, with maximum fun and minimal fuss.
3445 W. Cary St., 804-918-6158
Once a month, this Carytown spot offers up its space to a local chef. Most often on a Monday night, the brewery hosts a $38 prix-fixe event featuring multiple courses paired with beer specific to the fare. Previous evenings have featured Craig Perkinson of Southbound, Lee Gregory and Thomas “T” Leggett of The Roosevelt, and Caleb Shriver and Phillip Perrow of Dutch & Co. Reservations are required, so call the restaurant or visit gardengrovebrewing.com to secure your seat.
700 E. Main St., 804-643-0366
Upscale dining downtown doesn’t have to strain the wallet. Belle & James, in the Homewood Suites lobby space, offers a three-course meal for two on Mondays: an appetizer, two entrées, a dessert and a bottle of house red or white wine, all for $70. The menu is announced by social media the night of the dinner; the surprise is part of the fun.
620 N. 25th St.
If you are able to snag a ticket to this event, consider yourself fortunate. This pop-up always sells out, and takes place on Sunday evenings at Sub Rosa Bakery roughly every six weeks. In between six and seven courses and always hovering around $65 per person with wine pairings, the meal weaves itself from the minds of its three chefs and co-founders, Andrew Manning and Megan and Patrick Phelan. Sign up for the online newsletter to get ticket announcements first.
Beer-brined pork chop from Metzger Bar & Butchery (Photo by Ash Daniel)
801 N. 23rd St., 804-325-3147
Two people should bring a hefty appetite to Metzger’s date-night special: Two appetizers, two entrées, a dessert and a carafe of wine are what’s in store on Wednesday night, and all for $50. The menu changes weekly, but expect to start with an appetizer such as steak tartare coated with a bright egg yolk, then graduate to pork, either by chop or schnitzel. Save room for dessert, perhaps a pretzel ice cream sundae.
Garnett’s Cafe (Photo by Jay Paul)
2001 Park Ave., 804-367-7909
Every night is date night at Garnett’s. Two sandwiches and a bottle of wine are on order for this special, which happens from 6 to 9 p.m. daily. If a tuna Niçoise sandwich with olive spread and classic croque-monsieur doesn’t sound perfect for a random Monday, who are you? Garnett’s wine selection is always top-notch, so you can bet that you’ll be washing those sammies down with a pretty pink, red or white — all for $30.
