Family Secrets - @@@

Super hard to give Family Secrets (FS) a 3 rating cause I thought it was quite good. Just with being at Croakers Spot (CS) yesterday it was pretty easy to compare head to head.

I will type this out quick as I am waiting for a few fried chicken wings. Cornbread - FS. I liked how it was more dense and a bit sweeter taste. Then with the butter I thought it was better rather than the sweet syrup at CS. Cabbage - CS. Better flavor, consistency, and texture. I enjoyed the peppery-ness at CS and was seasoned better. Rice - CS. The rice was slightly watery at FS which detracted from the tasty gravy. The rice/gravy combo at CS was great. Main - toss up. Really liked the smothered pork chops tonight at FS, slightly sautéed then covered with tasty brown onion gravy. Similar to the chicken at CS. I usually prefer pork over chicken but CS was really good too.

I would happily return to both. There is more meat choices at FS which is a plus. Much less busy and also much more hole-in-the-wall. It is in a strip mall but it had a constant stream of diners and take out even past 9 pm. Good helpful service. All good signs. Happy to dine at either.

5310 Chamberlayne Rd
Richmond, VA 23227

Croakers Spot - @@@@

Asked for recommendations for southern food from the coworkers and they did not let me down. The place is pretty small it seems - I had to sit at the bar which had 1 seat left. There also was a band coming in to play so I started out with my two favorite things!

I had a recommendation on the meal as well but took a while to look through the menu anyways. I guess their thing is seafood - their slogan may be "the soul of seafood"?? Also making the choice even more interesting. But I did get the recommended southern smothered chicken which was extremely good. Huge portions and could've had another piece of chicken. It was a semi fried chicken breast smothered in brown, onion gravy all over white rice with a side of cabbage and cornbread. I'll start with the cornbread and side sauce which actually was my least favorite. The sauce was described as very addicting which ended up being pretty good. It was sweet and syrupy and definitely had a unique flavor. I still prefer butter with cornbread which was good here but still not my favorite. Then the cabbage which was really good. Tender, sautéed, and super peppery - I definitely enjoyed it. Then the chicken over rice with gravy was just solid. The chicken tasted almost fried prior to being smothered but I am guessing it was pan seared briefly. The skin seemed on as well but was able to cut everything with just my fork. The gravy mixed with the rice made the dish. I could eat multiple servings of it.

Couple of other odd things included me ordering a side of fish just to try. Note - I ordered one piece and three came out. The filets were not boneless so it was kind of a pain to eat...needless to say I didn't eat it all. The flavor itself was pretty mild but I wouldn't get it again. I also don't like seafood much but then again had a cup of the chowder. It was an interesting take in that it had some parmesan cheese on it, croutons and old bay. It still was creamy and had a bunch of seafood and potatoes and to me was a very mid-atlantic take on the soup. Another was the band. They played at reasonable levels to me but I was on the other and not really needing to talk to anyone. They also played Michael Jackson, CeeLo, and Chris Brown rather than rock music so more enjoyable than normal. Another was the guy sitting next to me who was selling cell phones and was trying to connect service to someone who didn't have a SSN or TIN. Boost Mobile and Metro PCS. All sorts of things going on. Great vibe to the place - was like a barbershop that sold good food. Really good service by the bartender too - kept the water full.

Would definitely recommend coming to try especially if you like seafood. Or southern. Or just good food. I'm not sure if it is always this busy or not, but you may want to prepare to have some wait as I got there at 7:30 and there were no tables to be found. There is a dedicated carry-out entrance so that also may be an option. I feel my dish would be good after transit still so can see why people take advantage of that. Come check it out.

1020 Hull St
Richmond, VA 23224

Los Gauchos - @@@@

I actually accidentally went to this place tonight. I was looking to get southern food but they were sold out?? I guess it is Black Restaurant Week which makes the southern food places busier than normal. Good luck for me though tonight!

I did a quick search for other unique eats and found this Argentine place nearby. I thought they would have the steak grill with other various meats such as Tango Sur in Chicago. Instead they only had sandwiches and empanadas...sad! I wasn't leaving so instead I ordered at least half of the menu - they had 3 sandwiches (steak with ham and egg, thin steak, and sausage) and 4 empanadas (spinach, beef, chicken, and ham/cheese). They said the sausage sandwich is the best - it's called choripan and it definitely delivered. I also got the spinach, beef, and chicken empanadas. First the empanadas were good, not great. Baked rather than fried, the bread was flaky and tasted more like pasties rather than the fried that I am more accustomed to. The filling was pretty good - I liked them all and can't think of one that stood out right now. I used the chimichurri sauce as well which was not overpowering. $2 each. But I thought the winner was the choripan sin cebollas. I actually was hesitant to order another sausage item since I had bbq sausage last night. But this was different. First it was a bun size patty - appealing to my logical reasoning. No need to slice links to fit half the sandwich...just make the party the size of the bread - brilliant! Then it was really well spiced, but not spicy. I don't know the flavors actually but it is supposedly made in house and I wouldn't doubt it. Super juicy as well and the texture was more like juicy meatloaf rather than what I initially think of with sausage. The French bread held up really well to the filling and only the very last bite did it finally crumble apart - very good! Lettuce, tomato, and mayo were the other ingredients. Simple, fresh, and really good

This is a very local place - definitely family run and very nice. Originally from Argentina as confirmed during a chat with them. I may actually try and get here for lunch as it's not that far from the office. Will call ahead as it took about 10-15 minutes to prepare it which again I like in terms of freshness. Definitely recommend to check out!

6935 Lakeside Ave
Henrico, VA 23228

Deep Run Roadhouse - @@@

I tried another bbq place in Richmond tonight looking for that solid southern bbq. Place was pretty good but I still like Mission bbq better. The sides I liked better here, notice how green the green beans are, not soggy and overcooked like at many other southern restaurants. The cornbread was pretty good with the honey butter but not as good as my standard of Beale Street Smokehouse in Hartland, MI of all places.

However on to the meats. I got the three meat combo with brisket, sausage, and spare ribs. I thought the meat was pretty light, but more to come on that in a bit. If you notice there is sauce on everything already...not great from my opinion. I could taste the smoke in the ribs but much less so for the brisket and sausage. Actually I liked the brisket least, it was somewhat tough and not moist. The sauce didn't add much, I preferred the bourbon sweet one they offered but it didn't go well on the brisket (it is the darker sauce on the top left). In the middle was the ribs, smoky but somewhat dry as well. Did have some good resistance which was good and the sauce was decent on them. The best I thought was the sausage which was well spiced and crunchy skin. There sadly were only 4 or 5 pieces which I promptly devoured. The sausage I thought went the best of the three with the bourbon sweet sauce. So I seemed hungry still after eating so I ordered another 1/4 lb of sausage. They proceeded to load up a carry out container with thick cuts of sausage. Clearly a hook up I think as it literally contained more meat than all of my original meal. So shoutout to them for that. Couldn't finish it all, will eat it over the week in the hotel.

As I compare all bbq with the brisket, I would say Mission BBQ is still better. Q BBQ is also quite good and I liked it better too. I honestly can't remember Buz and Ned's bbq; not memorable. I would say it's standard for around here, definitely can't compare to Texas but not ok overall. It is a bit out of the way in a strip mall in basically a neighborhood but the people were friendly and good service.

12379 Gayton Rd
Richmond, VA 23238