vol. 77 / ring leader 🎪One of Richmond's favorite ring leaders gives you his take on this place we call home.
VOL. 77 / RING LEADER
Cataloging an impressive resumé of hot restaurants over the last decade, Michael Smith is no rookie to Richmond’s thriving dining scene. Many readers may recognize his bearded face as their first impression to a memorable dining experience. Currently, Michael is the ring leader at South Side’s Laura Lee's, where he earned an Elby Award for Employee of the Year in 2017. His tips for the weekend showcase the beauty of nudity: in the flesh, in art, and in liquid form!
And now, Michael's take on the best ways to enjoy Richmond this weekend!
Lap of
Luxury
If you haven’t attended a burlesque show, you don’t know what you’re missing! The performers at this Friday’s Lap of Luxury at Gallery5 provide a little something for everyone. Producer Empress de Naste welcomes a cast of women, men, and gender non-conformists to the stage for a night of titillating fun. The icing on the cake is the night’s emcee, my favorite drag performer in town, Magnolia Jackson Pickett Burnside. I guarantee by the end of the show your face will hurt from an evening of non-stop smiling.
A few weeks ago, a sudden power outage cancelled the opening of Kevin Sabo’s latest art exhibition at Art Works in Manchester. But fear not, the recent works in the show, titled “OK, OK," can be enjoyed until this Saturday! Kevin's gestural, mostly nude characters are handled with refreshing simplicity and an acute focus of color, composition, and line. Black ink in tandem with vividly toned acrylic permits him to show figures in as much detail as he desires, with certain details blurred and others crisp and fine. My favorites include paintings with multiple figures in union, arms and legs outstretched with ecstatic reach (check out “Mood is a Monument” and “Astrogliding”).
Local natural wine distributor Native Selections’ newest direct imports from Abruzzo, Italy are some of the prettiest wines I’ve had the pleasure of tasting in recent weeks, and the time to enjoy is now! Small allocations of three “raw” wines from newly planted vines by winemaker Luca Paolo Vergilio of Agricola Caprera are now available in Richmond. Hunt down the “not quite” rosé of Montepulciano on Ellwood Thompson’s shelves, peruse Abi Huntington’s thoughtful Italian wine list at Dinamo, or glimpse the gorgeous, peach-toned Trebbiano by the bottle at Laura Lee’s.
For Here. readers only, stop by Laura Lee's this Friday through Sunday for a surprise cocktail made just for you. The first ten readers to tell Michael or the bar tender that Here. sent them will receive a cocktail on us!
