Miso pan-roasted Chilean sea bass Photo by James Dickinson
Chef Ryan Baldwin is an epicurean's logophile. The menu at The Viceroy, located off the Boulevard in the Devil's Triangle, is eye-catching, not only for its wordiness but for its ingredient focus. As a chef, Baldwin likes grill marks, Asian sauces, exotic meats and three-ways involving tuna. His bill of fare, like a thorough acceptance speech, leaves no component unmentioned.
The view from the restaurant's circa-1920s window is of a 7-Eleven marquee. The gritty gas station sign suits the evolving Museum District, a neighborhood of singletons and families, fueled by locally roasted coffee and active sidewalks. The Viceroy serves both. An extensive remodel reveals tin ceilings and lots of light in the dining room, separated from the bar by high tables, dark wood and a busy happy hour.
Among the menu's animal parts, such as lamb chops and kangaroo sliders, vegetarians will find plenty to desire. The now-mainstream kale Caesar salad rocks. Beet risotto, shaped into crispy-shelled, comforting arancine tempts truffled borscht with rapini. Pescatarians and deconstructive eaters should try the Farro Island salmon and Asian greens salad for the thrill of identifying its bits and pieces, plated as strikingly as ikebana.
Baldwin could be accused of putting butter on bacon. This is one brunch dish: country-fried pork cheeks, hardboiled egg, queso grits, Brussels sprout leaves, buttermilk gravy and charred-tomato, red-eye ragout. Duke's mayonnaise is name-checked on the menu along with Anderson Creek oysters, heirloom red popcorn and IPA-braised rabbit. Simplicity isn't his thing. High quality ingredients are, no matter how disparate.
The Viceroy
600 N. Sheppard St., 342-7696or viceroyrichmond.com
Hours: Daily, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Prices: Appetizers, $6 - $12; entrées, $19 - $25
