Rockfish from Kuba Kuba (Photo by Jay Paul)
Rockfish
$24.95 at Kuba Kuba, 1601 Park Ave.
Hot, sweet, spicy and crispy — Kuba Kuba’s rockfish will transport you to its namesake tropical island. Veteran sous chef Adam Eubank created this special turned permanent menu item. Rockfish is pan-fried with crushed plantain chips, then topped with a sauce of sambal chile paste, honey, fresh ginger, lime and cilantro and served with black beans and rice. Enjoy it outside on their patio or inside, where salsa music will keep your feet tapping. —Jay Paul
Everything Bagel With Herby Cream Cheese
$4.50 at Julio’s Bagels, 14 W. Brookland Park Blvd.
Typically, my standing bagel order is a bacon, egg and cheese on an everything round, but I recently switched it up at the newly opened Julio’s in North Side and delightfully stumbled upon my sando of the summer. With a slather of housemade herby cream cheese and crunchy sliced cukes, it’s an uber refreshing, slightly vegetal and salty surprise that’s perfect for warm weather days. —Eileen Mellon
Corn Cake Crumble
$12 from Lolita’s, 2929 W. Cary St.
As we enter the season of corn’s peak sweetness, let me put you onto a fun way to enjoy the fruit of the cob: corn cake. The confectionary properties of sweet corn are popular worldwide, and I’m thankful Lolita’s brings a Mexican staple to RVA. Fresh corn combines with milk and vanilla to make a sweet and savory base amplified by a hibiscus glaze and ice cream on the side. Summer can now begin. —Kevin Johnson
