The wonderful bracket clock with stained glass hanging off the outside of the building read 6:15, an acceptable time for dinner after spending my first day in Richmond checking out a couple of its museums and a few of its abundant historical sights. Already, the front bar of Tobacco Company Restaurant was hopping when I walked in, hunting for a full-on Southern meal. End-of-the-workday parties of two to ten were filing in in a steady flow, establishing a fun and friendly vibe early on.

Housed in an old tobacco warehouse from 1866, this four-story restaurant opened in 1977. The interior quickly transported me back a century or so. I approached the antique train station ticket booth, where I requested my table from the hostess. I was invited to select any place I wanted, so I scooted around the more intimate bar in the rear, with an Art Deco vibe, and back to the dining area on the ground floor. The restaurant has maintained the building’s original brickwork, heavy beams, and columns. An open central three-story atrium features a 75-year-old brass chandelier with 120 light bulbs, originally from the Federal Reserve Bank in Cincinnati, as well as an exposed antique elevator. Stained glass here and there throws plenty of color around.

I was completely charmed by the restaurant’s unique décor. And then I was equally delighted by its excellent menu.

Try This: Of course, I had to start with fried green tomatoes, topped with bacon onion jam, white cheddar pimento, and chipotle mayonnaise. Then I went for the blackened Cajun catfish served over Carolina Gold rice pilaf, with cornbread, winter and summer squash, a chorizo sausage patty, and Creole tomato sauce. For dessert, I tucked into a dense slice of warm pecan pie made with fresh cracked pecans, drizzled with caramel sauce and dolloped with fresh whipped cream.

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