- [Announcer] Support comes from Blue Heron Realty Company, specializing in waterfront and water access properties and the coastal communities on Virginia's Eastern Shore since 1993, learn more at Blueheronva.com.

Support comes from Capital Records Nashville, part of the Universal Music Group Nashville.

Bringing you new music from Jon Pardi, Carrie Underwood and Eric Church, Capitol Records Nashville available anywhere music is sold.

Support comes from Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters.

Kids need special care and grownups need to know that care is nearby.

We know how to treat kids.

CHKD.Kids are more than patients, and we're more than a hospital.

Sponsored in part by the Roc Solid Foundation.

Roc Solid believes that play defeats cancer because when kids are playing, cancer is the last thing on their minds.

Roc Solid Foundation, building hope for kids fighting cancer through the power of play.

(upbeat music) - [Dave] There is no city in Virginia with a story like Richmond's.

Centrally located and central to what Virginia is today.

The former capital of the Confederacy, and now the capital of the state, Richmond has evolved into even more central things, food, outdoors, arts, and a determination to make its past a remembered part of its present.

All in all, Richmond has become a really cool place to live and visit.

Not even the longtime residents, the from here's, would say that was always the case, especially back in the late eighties to mid-nineties.

- [Police] Police department search warrant, open the door.

- [Dave] As the population declined, and the crack cocaine epidemic soared as it did in many cities across the country, so did murders, earning Richmond the title of Murder Capital of the US, a moniker it has worked hard to drop.

But with a rebounding population and a vision to make it a city in which to live, raise a family and attract tourists, enter a new Richmond, a city where food has become part of that vision to feed the appetite of an older generation and attract that of the next.

There's any number of restaurants in Richmond that fit that bill.

But we're going to start at ZZQ, located in the craft brewing, foodie section of Scott's Addition.

ZZQ is proof that if you serve people good food along with good service and a cool space, they'll keep coming back and bring their friends, which is why most days look like this.

A line of hopeful, hungry customers trying to get in before the food runs out.

And once you get inside, you get to celebrate by having a drink in line.

ZZQ is a barbecue joint.

And by joint, I mean the joint venture of husband and wife team, Chris Fulton and Alex Graf.

Chris is a native Texan transplanted to Virginia, which is where he and Alex set out on a mission to perfect the holy profession of smoking meat, something at which they have wildly succeeded.

[Dave] The smell here is just fantastic.

Every interview should be conducted with this smell.

- [Alex] Thank you.

- [Dave] Alex, if barbecue was a religion, what sect would ZZQ be?

- [Alex] I would say welcome to meat church and we cover them all.

- [Dave] Meat church, I love that, meat church.

So I've talked to people in Richmond who love coming here.

I mean, you'll have a line out front.

You have something on the door that says, Hey, until we're sold out, which says a lot right there.

Why do people love coming here?

- [Alex] We're making this beautiful old school food.

There's so much love made that's just injected into that thing.

It's always the best ingredients.

[Dave] Now I do some of this show with my wife.

You and your husband Chris started this.

You're around each other every day.

What are the challenges in running an already stressful business, which is the restaurant business, with your husband?

- [Alex] Oh so I could go on and on about this one.

- [Dave] I'm sure you could.

- [Alex] But the hardest part is we have to designate time to not talk about the restaurant.

Like this is, we're both incredibly passionate about so many different aspects of it.

But there has to be time for just us, but it has been a part of our relationship from the beginning, and we started catering immediately.

- [Dave] However they do it, they make a good team to be able to serve up a platter like this.

I don't think I've ever had a tray of barbecue like this It's the Texas Trinity.

You've got the acid with the pickles, these incredible sides, jalapeno, mac and cheese, the Texas caviar collared green, Texas toast, and of course you gotta have the Lone Star beer, right?

Love sitting at the bar.

I mean, where to even begin with this.

The Texas Trinity, by the way, is brisket, pork ribs, and sausage, throw in some pulled pork and these amazing sides, and you are reaching for the smoked meat heavens.

I had asked Alex that if barbecue was a religion, what sect would it be?

And she said, "the meat church," I don't care what it is.

I'm getting baptized at ZZQ.

This is fantastic.

(relaxed jazzy music) While you can't have good barbecue without good wood, you also can't have good bourbon or whiskey without it, Since we were already in the Scott's Addition section of town, we stopped by locally owned Reservoir Distillery, just to, you know, say hi.

Filled with a younger crowd on a Saturday afternoon, Reservoir is another example of why Richmond has turned into a great town to eat and drink.

Now creating an exceptional bourbon can be quite complex, but it really boils down to just three things.

Reservoir's Michael Hanbury explains.

- [Michael] Things that make a great whiskey, the most important things for me, you have to have a great grain.

If you don't have a great grain, that's where you're starting, that's gotta have that.

Water, on top of that is very important.

And then on third, you're going to need great barrels because there's a three part process, you need all three parts to clink the process.

(upbeat country music) - [Dave] Double fisting it, never a good idea.

So Reservoir Distillery based in Richmond, always been one of my favorites.

So two and a half and a five year, try the five.

(people chatting) So good.

Whether a good bourbon is a form of art is up for debate, but there's no denying the art that is all around Richmond.

The center of that is the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts located in already artsy Carytown.

The VMFA is a first rate, expansive immersion into art from around the world.

(upbeat music) Even the grounds of the museum are impressive.

It's a great place to hang out, relax, especially on a nice day, all under the watchful eye of her.

Standing at 24 feet tall and not more than a foot wide, Chloe dominates the outdoor space and has to be one of the most photographed women in town.

I mentioned that the VMFA was in Carytown, or at least right on the edge of it, it is a must visit.

Not only is Carytown another one of the pockets in Richmond for shopping, eating, drinking, sight-seeing, but there's a real focus here on locally owned businesses, and I really dig the Bohemian vibe you'll find here.

In the very least, you need to drive up and down Cary street to see what it's all about.

One of our family's favorite breakfast places is Sugar & Twine.

It's a walkup bakery with all kinds of deliciousness, just inches away.

You can tell by the line on the sidewalk every day how many locals share our enthusiasm for this place.

You walk up, order, hang out for a few minutes and wait for your name to be called and then go find a place to enjoy.

Sometimes that involves standing, not many benches in Carytown, by the way.

One of the things you'll quickly start noticing in Carytown, and especially downtown, are the murals.

What started in 2012 as an effort to simply display public art by using buildings as canvas, has blossomed into around 150 pieces as of 2022.

The artists come from all over the world and taking a tour of the murals is now one of the many reasons to visit Richmond.

Ranging from pop art to social commentary, there's a little bit of everything.

(gentle music) You can't help but notice a theme in many of the murals, which is one calling for racial equity.

That fervent sentiment put Richmond in the national spotlight off and on during 2020 to 2021, because of these.

Five Confederate monuments, most notably that of Robert E. Lee along Richmond's grand Monument Avenue.

Protestors either personally tore down, or demanded their removal, and after a legal battle Monument Avenue, no longer lives up to its name, as it's now void of monuments with two exceptions.

One is that of Confederate general A.P.

Hill, that monument still stands because his remains are underneath, reportedly also standing.

As of the summer of 2022 though, the city was working on a solution to also have that removed.

The other remaining monument is that of tennis star and Richmond native Arthur Ashe.

(plaintive music) From the fight to remove some symbols of our country's past to the fight to keep it.

In downtown Richmond with the roar of traffic whirring by on an adjacent interstate is the former site of Lumpkin's Slave Jail.

Also known as the Devil's Half Acre, it's thought that thousands of men, women, and children in the domestic slave trade were imprisoned and even tortured here.

Untold numbers are buried on this land.

It also represents the infrastructure that made Richmond the second biggest slave trading city in the US.

But in its place, the proposed Richmond National Slavery Museum will transform this part of the city.

Joseph Rogers, with the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality says Richmond continues to move in the right direction in confronting its past.

- [Joseph] When we think about where Richmond has been, where it's going, all of the things that have really brought it about.

Having Jackson Ward as the Harlem of the South, the center of Black Renaissance, and also where we've had a lot of deep and hard conversations about our history and our future.

Richmond's on the right path, preserving this land, making it part of the national heritage campus, making it a little bit more attractive, making it a little bit more of a place where we can reflect, look back and take lessons from our history.

I think we're on the right way.

(upbeat music) - [Dave] Now, maybe it's just a small part of the big picture, but if the minority owned food scene in Richmond is any indication, things are definitely headed in the right way.

Take Brun, for example, brun is French for brown, by the way, One of the newest Black owned businesses in Richmond, Brun is a restaurant, cigar and whiskey lounge all rolled into one.

Starting in the kitchen with executive chef David Gyapong.

it's a couple of fairly straightforward cooks with a lot of great flavor.

Lamb chops, sauteed in oil, butter, and garlic then finished with fingerling potatoes as well as cherry tomatoes and a green chimichurri.

Also, we're having a seared pork chop with the final cook in the oven, lemon risotto, a mango chutney and braised Swiss chard.

Fun to watch better to eat.

All of this, including the cigar and whiskey lounge is the brain child of co-owners Charles Wilson and Adam Evans.

They have a vision in how they want customers to be treated both in the dining area and the cigar whiskey lounge, and much of that stems from Charles's personal experience.

- [Charles] I was in Chicago, it's where I was born and raised there and moved here March, 2020 with my wife, LaMeisha, And a few years prior to us moving, I was at a cigar lounge and I was unaware, I'm still relatively new to the world of cigars, and my wife had brought me a cigar, a Cuban cigar, very expensive with like a hundred dollar stick.

And I was unaware of how do you maintain the quality of the cigar.

Keep it in humid conditions, certain sort of percentage.

And so I'd had that cigar for about four or five months sitting in a plastic bag.

So finally, I go to cigar lounge and I'm gonna take my cigar out, I'm excited.

I'm around all these other people, and I pull it out and this guy is like, "Oh my God, where'd you get that dry?"

I'm like, what do you mean, this is a Cuban.

He grabbed it and crumbled it up.

It literally was like dust and everybody around him was laughing at me.

I'm a grown man feeling embarrassed, and shame because of my lack of education in the world of cigars.

And I said to myself then that it's very important for me in any endeavor I go with that no one feels as though they have to be embarrassed because of their lack of knowledge in something.

(funky upbeat music) - [Dave] Henry David Thoreau once said a name pronounced is the recognition of the person to whom it belongs.

So when there's a restaurant with the very literal name of Jewfro, you can probably figure out to whom it belongs.

In the Shockoe Bottom area of downtown, Jewfro is the unusual culinary chemistry of Jewish and African cuisine, representing the heritage of two of the three owners.

You'll also taste Armenian flavors as a nod to the third owner.

Jewfro is where you can find what looks like a traditional Ruben sandwich, except this one has what they call Zulu Kraut, a kraut that is flavored with caraway from Western Asia, plus an awaze Russian dressing.

Also on the menu is a heaping peri peri chicken sandwich with the peri peri representing Southern Africa, flavored with Ras El hanout from Northern Africa, sandwiched between traditional Jewish challah bread.

It's like something they'd be serving at the United Nations or EPCOT center.

Co-founder Trey Owens explains the process.

- [Trey] What We do with our dishes is we look for a traditional, you know, if it be in a Ruben, or a traditional African or Jewish dish, and we think, how can we make them both work?

What flavor works with this thing?

And then that's how we kind of construct the dishes.

And then on the menu, on the back of it, we'll have a glossary to define the terms to point to you exactly what nation or what region this comes from.

- [Dave] Jewfro is more than just an edgy name.

It's a unique way to be delicious.

While you're in this part of Richmond, you might wanna make a quick stop at the Richmond Main Street Train Station.

It's 1901 architecture outside, coupled with a complete revitalization inside, makes for an interesting stop in Shockoe Bottom.

Keeping with that vintage feel, we had the chance to spend an evening at the Linden Row Inn located downtown.

[Dave] The Linden Row Inn is one of the most unique inns I have ever visited in Virginia.

This used to be 10 separate residences.

In fact, you can still see the individual entrances out here.

Dates back to the mid 1800s, and a lot of that architecture is evident, not just outside, but also inside.

It is a beautiful place to stay in downtown Richmond.

(upbeat music) While at the Linden, maybe you'll have a chance to stay in the Edgar Allen Poe Parlor.

He's kind of a big deal in Richmond.

Our welcome bag at the end even had his face on it.

The prolific short story writer and poet who is most famous for mysteries and the macabre, spent much of his youth in Richmond.

Some of it right across from where the Linden Row Inn now stands.

Since Poe referred to Richmond as home, this is where you'll find the Poe Museum.

Unless you've spent quite a bit of time studying his writings and life, there's a lot to learn and see here.

From many of his personal effects, to highlights of his career, even his boyhood bed.

There's also a beautiful courtyard with black cats right on cue.

At one end of the courtyard is a bust of Poe that some women like to kiss, frustrating the staff who are continually having to scrub away lipstick.

Curator Chris Sentner explains the enduring interest in the man and the love for his works.

[Dave] There's a little bit of an irony in where we are, it is this beautiful area, but he is associated with kind of this bleakness, whether it's about him personally or in his literature, is that deserved, do you think with him?

- [Chris] No, it's actually more based on his works.

He wrote some kind of dark works.

He actually said this theme of a beautiful young woman dying was the theme most ideally suited for poetry.

But he had his reasons for that.

When he was two his mother died.

Then when he was 14 he fell love and his first love died.

Then his foster mother died.

Then he got married and his wife came down with tuberculosis and she died early.

Time and again, every time he really cared about someone, they were taken away from him.

So he reflected that in some of his poetry.

But as far as his fiction goes, yeah, sure, he wrote horror stories, but also comedies, satires, science fiction about a trip to the moon, about the distant future.

And he invented the detective story.

He said that not one of my stories will be like the other.

He was gonna completely reinvent each different kind of story.

And he became the first American author to invent a new literary genre.

- [Dave] If you just can't get enough of Edgar Allen Poe and you're in Richmond on the last Thursday of the month during the summer, you can attend the Poe Museum's UnHappy Hour advertised as being a miserable time from six to nine.

Also, if you'd like something to eat or drink at any other time during the year, just down the street from the museum is the unaffiliated Poe's Pub with items among others like Raven Fries and a Fried Oyster Poe-boy.

(funky upbeat music) While we're on the topic of food and libations, I have something a little different for you.

This is Penny Lane, a traditional British pub in downtown.

Now just to be clear, this is not a British pub that was started by a couple of enterprising posers from Virginia.

No, this was started by Liverpool native Terry O'Neill.

[Dave] Terry, why did you start a British pub in Richmond, Virginia?

- Well, there was nothing out here.

When we first come, it was a dry space and there was like two clubs.

So I thought, make a pub and educate them on a British pub.

A lot of people around the country open a pub, put a flag outside and sell Bass Ale, you know, and they called it a pub You know, you gotta have an atmosphere.

And suits and T-shirts mix.

You know, 'cause in a pub, you don't get that class distinction as you do in a lot of other places.

- [Dave] Suits and the T-shirts, I like that.

Everybody's talking about your fish and chips here.

What makes a good fish and chips?

- Can't tell you I'd have to kill you.

- [Dave] Okay, I'd rather live and drink here at Penny Lane instead of that.

Before we get to those famous fish and chips, today is football day or soccer, as we say on this side of the pond.

It's a big cross town rivalry between Liverpool and Everton.

And if you're in the pub today, you are strongly encouraged to cheer for Liverpool.

But the real attraction is the pub itself.

The amount of themed memorabilia here is, well, it's just impressive.

You can spend quite a bit of time just looking at the scenery, but in the end, it comes down to being a fun, unique family-run place to belly up to the bar, enjoy a few fine English beers and hang out with friends.

And of course try the fish and chips.

[Dave] Terry said to try the fish and chips.

He wouldn't give us the recipe.

He said he'd rather kill us.

That's delicious.

His son recommended one of the Fuller's products.

This is great, it's not even noon here, but it's 5:30 in England, so this works.

(upbeat country music) [Dave] There's a lot of appeal to city life in Richmond, all of the different things to which you can walk or bike, but you need a break from the pavement from time to time, right?

There's actually a huge outdoors feel in Richmond.

It's a big part of the vibe here, all the different trails for biking and hiking, and also free and accessible parks like this.

This is Byrd Park.

(gentle music) The real showstopper in town and a must see when outdoors in Richmond is Maymont Park.

This place is 100 acres of sprawling beauty in the middle of town, miles of walking paths, an arboretum and nature center, wildlife habitats, including bison and a children's farm.

There's the estate's mansion from the late 1800s.

But the features that will likely keep drawing you back here are the formal Italian and Japanese gardens.

(upbeat electronic music) Our final stop is a place I think ties so much of Richmond together.

(train horn beeps) Stretching over one and a quarter miles and located downtown, The Riverfront Canal Walk will take you walking, biking and whatever it's called when you're on a segue, along Richmond's canal system, you can also float along it on their canal cruises, but what will likely stand out most for you are a couple of pedestrian bridges that will take you across the James River.

There's the Belle Isle Pedestrian Bridge, and just hundreds of yards away is the T Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge, also known as the T Pot, with great views and even a history lesson on the days leading up to the fall of Richmond in 1865.

The T Pot is a signature recreation outing here.

There's even a climbing wall at one end on an abandoned train trestle.

It's about 60 feet to the top, by the way.

It's here on these bridges, along the canals that you see where Richmond has been, what has helped to make it what it is today, and maybe get some glimpse of where it's heading.

Enjoy your visit.

I'm Dave Parker with Virginia Found.

(gentle electronic music) - [Announcer] Support comes from Blue Heron Realty Company, specializing in waterfront and water access properties and the coastal communities on Virginia's Eastern Shore since 1993, learn more at Blueheronva.com.

Support comes from Capital Records Nashville, part of the Universal Music Group Nashville.

Bringing you new music from Jon Pardi, Carrie Underwood and Eric Church, Capitol Records Nashville available anywhere music is sold.

Support comes from Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters.

Kids need special care and grownups need to know that care is nearby.

We know how to treat kids.

CHKD.

Kids are more than patients, and we're more than a hospital.

Sponsored in part by the Roc Solid Foundation.

Roc Solid believes that play defeats cancer because when kids are playing, cancer is the last thing on their minds.

Roc Solid Foundation, building hope for kids fighting cancer through the power of play.