Irie Ting Jamaican Grill (Richmond, Virginia)

I was on my way to the opening night of Six in Richmond’s historic Altria Theater, in search of a pre-show dinner. Nearing the edge of downtown, before I entered the Fan District, I came across Irie Ting Jamaican Grill. I had already had a surprisingly international culinary experience in Richmond—Southern, German, Ethiopian, Italian—so I decided to have my final dinner of my vacation in the Caribbean.

Founded by a mother and daughters team in 2006, Irie Ting captures the irie vibe—that distinctive Caribbean feeling you have when you have no worries. A friendly welcome introduced me to that sensibility. As I took a seat in one of the tropical green leather booths—think the color of the inside of a kiwi (the fruit, not the bird, or the New Zealander)—under pendant lighting and a turquoise blue ceiling, and checked out the menu, I soon agreed that everyting here is, indeed, irie.

Try This: I wanted something tropical to drink, and the deliciously sweet Jamaica pineapple soda fit the bill. Then I wanted something to warm me up a bit this November evening, and I was bowled over by a bowl of fantastic pumpkin soup with vegetables, chicken, and dumplings. I dug into one of Irie Ting’s signature entrées, the mountain of island fried chicken with island sauce, served with rice and peas and a nice chunk of corn bread, just sweet enough to satisfy any dessert craving I had.