Style Weekly
Richmond's alternative for news, arts, culture and opinion
Best Regulars
by Deveron Timberlake
Lots of local restaurants have faithful followings, but few go to the lengths that owner Chris Lyles has done for a couple of his consistent customers at The Track, Carytown's fine-dining classic. There, for the past dozen years, Richard and Carolyn Alford have come for dinner almost every Friday night, to the same booth -- B1, in the corner near the bar — where Lyles installed little brass plaques inscribed with their names. The menu even carries the Alford salad: greens, Gorgonzola, sliced beets and candied pecans in an herb vinaigrette.
"He spoils us," Carolyn says of Lyles' VIP treatment, which included adding a small light fixture to make it easier for the 43-years-married couple to read the menu. Chef Owen Lane usually knows what they'll order even without it — soft-shell crabs in season, lamb when they're not. "We get kidded," Richard says, "but I can promise you this — The Track has remained consistently among the best places in Richmond to dine." And the service, he adds, is marvelous.
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