The Best Way to Dine Outdoors

Richmonders love a patio. Every night of the week when the weather’s nice, outdoor seating is jammed at most restaurants. There’s another way to experience the great outdoors — farm dinners.

Like a wine dinner, tickets that include food made from local ingredients and wine, usually from Virginia, are purchased in advance. Diners sit at a long table together in a suitably “Kinfolk”- or Pinterest-like spot with candles, tablecloths, field flowers in vases and attractively mismatched dinnerware. Chefs from local restaurants — sometimes in teams — provide the food, usually served family-style.

Kicking off this season, Slow Food RVA held its biannual GRAZE event at Origins Farm on May 17 with a slew of chefs, including Comfort’s Jason Alley and Travis Milton, Will Richardson from Shoryuken Ramen, Metzger Bar and Butchery’s Brittanny Anderson, pop-up event Longoven’s Patrick Phelan and Andrew Manning, and Andrea Huntjens from Sophisticated Soireés. And as it did last year, Victory Farms will hold a series of dinners in conjunction with the Boathouse called Dinner in the Field. This summer, the event will be held on June 26, 27 and 28. dinnerinthefield.com.

UPDATE: Dinner in the Field has added new dates, July 17, 18, 19. Tickets go on sale next week. To stay updated, follow this link to their website.

TRENDING

WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW — straight to your inbox

* indicates required
Our mailing lists: