Congratulations to David Shannon, chef and owner of L’Opossum! His 2 1/2 year old restaurant, at the corner of China and S. Pine, won big at Richmond Magazine’s Elby Awards last night at the Altria Theater.

Shannon took Chef of the Year, and L’Opossum also was named Restaurant of the Year.

From Richmond Magazine:

In 2015, L’Opossum received the Elby for Best New Restaurant. Last year, Shannon was named a James Beard semi-finalist. One visiting judge said: “To be frank, when I first read the menu online, I thought it was overly clever. But the chef earned the right to his sense of humor. … It’s the No. 1 place I visited this year that I’d go back to.” Another wrote: “Beautiful presentations and precise execution with every course. Cleverness and innovation abound, but above all, the spot-on taste of each dish – from foie gras and double-cut loin lamb chops to la petite mort au chocolate en flambé – dazzled. The intense labor and excellent quality of ingredients make this restaurant a value!”