Cuisine:

• American
• Others

Helen's Description:
Every town has its institution, and Helen's is surely one of Richmond's. An old-time landmark in The Fan---it's been on the scene for many decades and was once a bar---Helen's is one of those neighborhood places that welcomes casual patrons. But it also has a kitchen that prides itself on inventive dishes that change every so often. We stopped in for an early dinner when many of the dishes bore vestiges of wintertime trappings, yet the chef managed to produce a salad with delicate, young springtime asparagus paired with prosciutto and artichoke and topped with a Parmesan crisp. The grilled octopus salad, gently seasoned with a mild vinaigrette, comes with white beans---making this, too, a winter-spring combo. Hearty entrées included a citrus-braised pork shank---a meaty chunk of meat that actually fed two of us---and seared scallops with rather pretty and slightly sweet truffled sweet pea froth. Although the chef does not offer much in the way of vegetarian fare, he did present a boldly creative dish of a stuffed tomato with lasagna and eggplant. We mulled over the dessert offerings---lemon chiffon cake, a pineapple upside-down cake with pineapple-rum caramel, and a banana cream pie with coconut---but decided we'd had enough calories for the day.


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