Style Weekly
Dinner and a Show
Dining spots within a walkable radius of CenterStage help you make a night of it.
by Deveron TimberlakeIn general, the drinking is better than the eating in the short radius from CenterStage, but most everything is affordable and therefore more palatable. Here's where to go now for before — and after — theater sloshing and noshing:
Gibson's Grill
700 E. Broad St., 644-2637
www.gibsonsgrill.com
Attached to the National, this rocking full-service eatery has a subterranean lounge, 7 Below, and a two-level dining room serving appetizers, sandwiches, entrAces and desserts. Portions are substantial and often sharable, especially for late-night drinkers. Lamb sliders are a favorite. Open daily.
CafAc Rustica
414 E. Main St., 225-8811
Best of the bunch for cuisine, this small but bustling hideaway is a four-block walk from CenterStage, allowing time to reflect on Chef Andy Howell's culinary finesse. Frog legs and Spanish pulled-pork-stuffed bananas are new to the fall menu, but there's plenty more at this foodie favorite. Weekday lunch, Sunday brunch, dinner Tuesday-Sunday.
Capital Ale House
623 E. Main St., 780-2537
www.capitalalehouse.com
A straight shot down Sixth Street, this restaurant with patio and music hall is a beer-lovers' paradise, with a constant parade of international brews, a pub-grub menu with weekly cheapskate specials on burgers, and other beer-compatible dishes. Lunch and dinner daily.
O'Neill's Penny Lane Pub
421 E. Franklin St., 780-1682
www.pennylanepub.com
For 30 years this authentically British pub has cast its spell on Richmond. Bangers and mash, and cottage pie, Guinness, darts, a Liverpool bar full of regulars and exceptional service give this beloved spot a character all its own. Open nightly except some Sundays.
500 E. Broad St. in the Marriott, 648-2255
www.tmillerssportsbar.com
This newly designed, full-service restaurant has outdoor seating around a fire pit and the requisite screens and contemporary dAccor inside. Food runs the burger-steak gamut at moderate prices. Open daily, a one-block walk from the theater.
Coming Attraction
Pie is the newest in a local restaurant group that includes the Fan's Si Tapas and downtown's Bank and Vault. This Italian restaurant in the former Berry-Burk building, at 525 E. Grace St., is under construction with an anticipated late-fall opening. S
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