Mya Anitai of Dinamo

Richmond.com has a nice article on Dinamo’s May Anitai. Here is an excerpt:

The co-owner of Dinamo restaurant turns her love of food and family into a career.
Opening the door to Dinamo on West Cary Street, diners encounter an intimate, bustling setting with a vibrant color scheme of red, black and white, a handful of tables surrounding a centerpiece bar and an enthusiastic welcome from the hostess. As it turns out, the hostess is server, bartender, barista, cook and co-owner Mya Anitai, who talks to patrons as if they were old friends. That is, when she’s not busy busing tables.
In Italian, the word dinamo means generator, an image that caught Anitai’s eye in a vintage motorcycle magazine. “This clicked because I like the idea of something in motion and really moving forward with energy. At Dinamo, it is like cooking and working with your friends and family. When my family comes to visit, they come and work here, too.”
Food networking
“I took my first job at 14 and loved doing it,” said Anitai, a VCU graduate who calls Oregon Hill home. “I thought nobody worked at restaurants for the rest of their lives, but it’s what I really love doing. I love interacting with people every day.”

Pescados China Street/EAT Furniture/Items For Sale

Remodeling continues in preparation for the new restaurant. In the meantime, furniture and cash register system from the previous operator is for sale on Craigslist.

From ad:

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6 Double Booth 48dx50hx38w $200each 15 ¾ seat depth; 18″ seat height from floor
1 Single Booth 48dx50hx23w $100each 15 ¾ seat depth; 18″ seat height from floor
7 Diner Seatback Counter Stool w footrest $125each
18 yellow & 17 purple Diner Chairs $75each
6 Large 4 top table top only 48×34 $75each
6 4 top table top only 48×30 $60each
7 Deuce table top only 24×30 $40each

TOTAL(if purchased separately) 5890.00 TAKE ALL FOR $5000.00 OBO

Click here for ad for Micros POS system. Click here for ad for fans.

‘Wicked’ Restaurants

Karri Peiffer has nice article in Richmond.com that looks at restaurants that are within walking distance (six blocks) of the Altria Theater (Landmark, Mosque). With ‘Wicked’ musical coming to the theater, we are sure to see more traffic.

Her first pick?

Dinamo, 821 W. Cary St, (804) 678-9706
At .2 miles, Dinamo is one of the closest restaurants. The space is tiny, but it’s worth the wait for this Italian / Jewish fare.
Monday – Friday 11 a.m. – close (whenever dinner let’s up)
Saturday 5:30 – close
Reservations are accepted.

821 Cafe Celebrate 10 Years Tuesday

RVA Magazine has a nice article on 821 Cafe’s celebration:

Richmond’s beloved 821 Café is turning 10! The diner, along with several other neighboring shops, will celebrate by throwing a party early next week, complete with their usual menu and a customized beer.

Originally located on 821 Cary (hence their name), this vegetarian and vegan friendly American diner is rated a whopping four stars on Yelp and 91 percent on Urbanspoon, and I can personally attest that their breakfast is absolutely fabulous (their breakfast sandwiches… yum).

Andrew Clark, a co-owner of the restaurant, said he’s not only excited for the restaurant, but for the entire neighborhood as well. “Besides making it 10 years, we’re really excited because it’s also Salvation Tattoo’s ten year anniversary and our two businesses have always been like family and we’re all really close so it’s gonna be cool to celebrate together. Our is in May and theirs is in August,” said Clark, adding that they’ve “gone from that block being nothing to having a Sweet Frog and four restaurants on it.”

Dinamo’s spicy Italian sausage highlighted

Dinamo, which recently celebrated its one year anniversary, got a nice post on rvanews.com that raved about its spicy sausage dish.

It doesn’t look fancy. It’s a pile of beans, some crispy corn cakes, and a monster hunk of sausage. But it looks delicious, and smells even better. Dinamo’s spicy Italian sausage with polenta and beans ($12) is one of the best plates of food you can eat near VCU. The house made pork sausage has a slightly spicy, meaty chew. The perfect polenta–yes, perfect–is fried crispy on one side, soft on the other. And the beans! Who knew white beans could be so creamy and delicious? Here’s a dish worth stretching out your lunch break: a winning balance of flavors, textures, and aromas.