By Ben Rekosh
RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond is known in part for many things, but two staples of the capital of the commonwealth are winning basketball and amazing food. The first is brought in the form of both the VCU men’s and women’s programs; the second is brought by the estimated 900 restaurants across the city.
From 2011-2017, the men’s basketball program made seven consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, while selling out every home contest from Jan. 29, 2011, through the 2020-21 season, according to a report from the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The women’s basketball program won the Atlantic 10 conference tournament in 2021 and set the program record for attendance, drawing in over 6,000 supporters, at the final game of last season.
Richmond was recently named in the top 20 of WalletHub’s list of “Best Food Cities in America,” in addition to having been mentioned by Forbes, Yelp, Bon Appetit, the Huffington Post, Gun & Garden and CNN. The variety of restaurants and level of cuisine in the River City is one of the most remarkable aspects of its food scene, according to a list from EATER.
“In recent years, Richmond has been thriving as a culinary destination – thanks to a cool crop of locally-based chefs, sommeliers and restaurateurs,” contributing writer Katie Chang said in Forbes. Richmond’s diversity is one of its main assets, and that is reflected in its food setting, according to Visit RichmondVA.com.
The basketball coaches at VCU have long been two of the main voices of the city. That currently sits in the likes of Ryan Odom and Beth O’Boyle, who were both joyed to divert their attention away from basketball for a moment when asked about their thoughts on their favorite restaurant and dish in Richmond.
Each of the hoops leaders gave a different response, but that is partially what is so special about the variety in the home of VCU.
Men’s Basketball Head Coach Ryan Odom | Stella’s - braised lamb shank
For the men's basketball coach, who has only been in Richmond for a year-and-a-half, the community classic Stella’s has become a top choice of his.
Since 1983, Stella’s has attempted to modernize Greek cuisine and thus has gained a faithful following throughout the Richmond community, as they described on their website. The menu has a number of Mediterranean classics, including spanakopita and souvlaki, while also serving new interpretations of plates that use Greek influences.
The braised lamb shank is listed under the category of “comfort foods of Greece, traditionally served in every Greek home.” The conventional Greek meat is plated over Stella’s symbolic pasta with housemade sauce.
That lamb is what Coach Odom pinged as his favorite dish in the city, after only exploring it for less than two years.
Odom on the lamb shank: “When you see it, you’re just like ‘wow that’s massive.’ And it just comes right off the bone.”
Women’s Basketball Head Coach Beth O’Boyle | Dinamo Restaurant - freshmade pasta
O’Boyle has been at the helm of the VCU women’s basketball program since 2014, and thus she has gained extensive knowledge of the great dining that Richmond has to offer, she said.
“I’m a horrible cook, so I have been pretty much everywhere in Richmond,” O’Boyle joked. “Ask me any genre of food and I can give you places after 10 years of eating out.”
She mentioned Dinamo on Cary Street as a personal favorite, specifically their pasta dishes. The garlic smell and familial-feel truly make it a special place, she said. The pasta dishes often come with a choosing of sauces, toppings, meat and other accoutrements to make it a hearty dinner.
Dinamo is the quintessential hole-in-the-wall gem of a restaurant and brings a unique twist to Italian cuisine in Richmond. The chefs are able to combine many of the Southern flavors that make Richmond unique with the classic, oily deliciousness of European pastas & pizzas, according to a mixture of Yelp reviews.
O’Boyle also recognized Mom’s Siam (specifically the one downtown) as her favorite Thai food spot and Chicano Cocina on Main Street as her first choice for tacos in the city.
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