Pre-Theater Dinner at Dinamo

Tom got to have a break in the kitchen on Saturday night as we had previously scheduled plans.  We are subscribers to the Broadway in Richmond series which means we go to dinner with a group of friends (at the early time of 5:30pm) and then enjoy a traveling broadway show at the Landmark Theater.  This Saturday we decided on a small restaurant only .4 miles from the theater to be able to walk from dinner to the show (and avoid parking deck from hell).  This week we chose Dinamo which is in the restaurant family of Edo's Squid, Mamma Zu, and 8 1/2.  We have only had the opportunity to enjoy Edo's Squid but I could definitely feel the similar vibe.

The primarily italian fare made for a rather difficult decision of dinner choices for Tom and I.  Our first challenge was that they currently did not have vodka on their bar menu.  This made for our habitual pre dinner martini a challenge.  Tom ended up with a manhattan while I went with a limoncello and club soda.  I was pleased with my choice however limoncello is really more of a summer time beverage in my mind.  Our group of friends wanted to try most of the menu and Tom and I definitely followed that trend.

We started with a white pizza with half olive and half anchovy.  They actually plated separately and was a bit much for a starter but that wasn't going to stop us!  

White pizza w/olive

Next up we chose the clams and mussels in a unbelievable garlic broth.  Let's just say that I would definitely consider the option to add pasta to this dish.  Most of our friends enjoyed dropping a few pieces of their bread in to sop up the garlicky goodness.  

Clams & Mussels

Tom and I went different directions for our main courses.  Tom chose Beef cheek with polenta and I went with gnocchi bolognese.  Both were very good and more than fairly portioned.   The sauces were rich and balanced well with the gnocchi and the beef cheek.  

Gnocchi Bolognese

Beef Cheek with Polenta

The restaurant is small and by the time we were leaving there were numerous groups that came in to eat and ended up leaving which I assume was because the wait was too long.  As a restaurant so close to the Landmark it is well worth the visit prior to a show.  You might just want to plan to enjoy an espresso to wake you up from the heavier italian fare.