The Village in Richmond Virginia

Virginia Commonwealth University or VCU is located in downtown Richmond Virginia. Its not an unattractive campus for a city bound school but there is a little area just a block or two away called The Village. VCU has an expansive theater department. My buddies daughter was there for an audition and we tagged along to keep her company. She is competing with 250 other students for 36 slots, obviously its very difficult to get into the program. So during her actual audition which I and her father were not allowed to sit in on, we walked over to the village and had lunch at the main attraction, The Village Cafe.

Photo by me, Cafe with doors open

Understand that this is a very artsy little part of a fairly large city. The aptly named village is a small college oasis filled with small private theaters that produce plays populated by the hopeful actors and actresses from the school. The Village Cafe is on the corner and seems to be the center or hub of the village itself. The place is not a club but a cozy and quaint cafe style restaurant with decent food and very friendly service. I had a very good Italian sandwich. The place was pretty packed for a Saturday afternoon but the whole village was buzzing with activity. There were many colorful characters both in the restaurant and out on the street. Everything one would expect in a college theater district. The highlight of my visit to The Village Cafe was the Choklat Stout by Southern Tier Brewery (Yes that is how they spell it) of Lakewood New York. It was a smooth and very flavorful 12% chocolate stout with distinctions of coffee and smoke. I highly recommend a glass.

The Choklat Stout and the helpful bartender and an elf like patron

I say glass as it does not come in pints due to some nonsense about Virginia booze laws and it being too high an alcohol content to be served in anything other than a rocks glass. When the bartender poured it for me I said that I liked it but I would like a whole glass of it, not the kiddie cup. He laughed good naturedly and explained in practiced tones why it was served like that. It would seem that I wasn't the first to comment on it and I'm sure I won't be the last. Anyway, excellent beer and a fun little part of the city.