Chermoula at JewFro (Photo courtesy JewFro)
1. Chermoula
$8 at JewFro
Similar to chimichurri, chermoula is a saucy, Moroccan condiment packed with fresh herbs, including parsley and cilantro, and served with homemade challah. Order it alongside JewFro’s sumac patata bravas, a pile of potatoes covered with dill, scallion, sumac and a preserved lemon-harissa aioli, for a next-level start to the meal.
2. Herbs of Endearment
$13 at With Love, Theia
Jennifer Peng Mahoney, aka “Theia,” and Caitlyn Singleton craft shortbread cookies that toggle between savory and sweet. Mahoney is the baker. For these springy shortbread buttons, Singleton grows rosemary, thyme and marjoram and cooks down hibiscus, lemon and ginger into jelly for the thumbprint in the middle. Order online.
3. Tabbouleh
$1.99 at Nineveh Bakery
Owner Taha Abdullah has cultivated a following at his Henrico cafe, not only for freshly made pita, but this grassy side dish. The tabbouleh is parsley forward, how it’s traditionally served in Abdullah’s hometown of Nineveh, Iraq, with grains of couscous and chopped, oiled tomatoes and spices.
4. Dry Pot
$22 at Cheng Du
Dry pots are a signature dish of Chengdu, China, and this authentic Sichuan restaurant serves 10 varieties from cauliflower to chitterling — all are spicy, tingly flavor bombs. The base of the pot is a mix of crunchy, dry-fried lotus root and wood ear mushrooms, with Sichuan peppercorns, cumin and a heaping pile of bright cilantro.
5. Pesto Pizza
$14 at Pupatella
The Fan outpost of the acclaimed NOVA-based pizza chain is Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana certified, employing 200-year-old Neapolitan techniques and wood-fired ovens. Pupatella’s pesto pie is mean, green and tempered with fresh mozzarella and toasted walnuts. Their pesto recipe is proprietary, but one thing is certain: It contains a boatload of fragrant basil.
