I was tempted by just about every entrée on the menu, particularly the seared duck breast with warm sweet potato salad, duck leg dumplings and grilled baby bok choy. But I was in a seafood mood, and curious to see how Richardson would combine salmon, goat cheese and phyllo dough in a single dish. It was an almost decadent pleasure to cut through layers of crisp, flaky phyllo into a soft pink fillet of salmon coated in melted goat cheese. Buttery and pungent, crisp and creamy—the flavors and textures blended happily in my mouth. An underlying layer of just-wilted spinach added color and leafy contrast to the richness of this innovative dish.
After tasting a trio of Richardson’s desserts—cayenne and cinnamon chocolate pâté with strawberry ginger sauce, lime cheesecake with a star anise crust, strawberry and balsamic shortcake with a sprig of mint—I concluded that dinner at Verbena, like the name itself promises, is like aromatherapy for the palate. It’s also one neighborhood eatery that will likely become a dining destination for out-of-towners, as it already has for me.
Secret Spanish : Sì tapas
I must have driven past my next Fan dining find four or five times during my meanderings without even realizing it was a restaurant. When I eventually spotted a group of young women ducking into the doorway of a white stucco façade on Lombardy Street, just blocks from Kuba Kuba, I did an immediate double-take. I drove around the block again and slowed down enough to read the two favorite words of any Spanish-food-loving optimist: “sì tapas.” I settled on a tight two-hour spot on the street and thanked heavens for tapas—varied, intriguing, great with a glass of wine, and quick.
I’ve enjoyed tapas everywhere from the Boqueria market in Barcelona to the Barrio de Santa Cruz in Seville, tapas capital of Spain. My favorite neighborhood hangout in Charlottesville also happens to be a tapas bar, so I can see why Fan residents are already flocking to Sì. I love the simplicity of this style of food—quickly grilled gambas a la plancha (shrimp with garlic) or calamares, pulpitos a la gallega (sautéed baby octopus with garlic and paprika), comforting potato croquetas, savory-sweet bacon-wrapped dates, thick slices of jamón Serrano and Manchego cheese, bowls of glistening green olives and salted Marcona almonds. I also love how the small plates punctuate an evening, extending the experience of food and friendship long into the night.
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