Richmond restaurant news: New seafood spot opens

The new seafood restaurant from chefs and co-owners Lee Gregory and Bobo Catoe is finally here: Odyssey opens Thursday at the corners of Patterson and Three Chopt.

• The 40-seat restaurant is in the former Billy Pie space.

Why it matters: The duo is the culinary talent behind a "best new restaurant" of 2019, Alewife in Church Hill, Catoe as chef de cuisine and Gregory, a three-time James Beard Mid-Atlantic best chef semifinalist, as chef-owner.

• It's a hot new restaurant, we're saying, one that's sure to be good.

The opening menu includes flounder crudo ($13), branzino ($25), escargot ($15) and a dry-aged pork chop ($35).

• To start and while they staff up, Odyssey will be open for dinner Thursday to Saturday.
• Reservations can be made on their website.

🥄 Meanwhile, Southern Living magazine says the best locally owned restaurant in Virginia is 21 Spoons, a 12-seat newcomer nestled deep in Chesterfield in the Waterford Place shopping center in Brandermill.

• "With little to no publicity, her cozy 12 tables fill Thursday through Saturday with mainstays like lamb meatballs, charcuterie with taramasalata (a Greek fish roe dip) and Charlottesville cheeses," Southern Living writes.

🐷 The magazine also named Williamsburg's Pierce’s Pitt the best barbecue in the state — a solid choice and proof that Virginia does know how to do barbecue, despite slanderous (and likely false, thank you, Sen. Louise Lucas) viral tweets that suggest otherwise.

👻 ChefSuite, the latest ghost kitchen in Richmond, is now open serving up On A Roll Italian Subs, Latin Quarter Kitchen and A Pinch of Sugar via your delivery apps.

• The concept has room for 16 total restaurants, so prepare to hear about more new options coming soon.

🍦Blue Cow Ice Cream out of Roanoke is opening its second Richmond location next Friday (March 24) in the Greengate Shopping Center in Short Pump.

• Save the date because they'll be giving away free scoops opening night from 6-10pm.

🌮 Cochiloco, a new fast-casual taco joint similar to and from the guys behind Y Tu Mamá in The Veil Forest Hill, is in the works in Scott's Addition at 1601 Roseneath Road, per Richmond BizSense.

🍻 BizSense also reports that Neighbor, an American fare spot, will open in the former Mill on MacArthur space in the next few weeks and that the folks behind Brew in Chesterfield are opening a brewery and Local Craft Pizza & Beer nearby at 6921 Commons Plaza.

• It'll be the 48th brewery in Richmond, per BizSense. When we hit 50, we must do a citywide toast.