What are five things I should know about Lemaire?

  1. Between the property’s rich cultural history in Richmond and the special attention to local ingredients on its menu, Lemaire has plenty for you to learn about. However, we’ve narrowed it down to five things for your convenience:

    1. Prime Real Estate: One of the great things about Lemaire, other than the obvious answer of food, is its location in The Jefferson Hotel. Housed in a historic Beaux Arts building, the hotel was the vision of Lewis Ginter, the wealthiest man in the city of Richmond at the time of The Jefferson’s opening in 1897. Throughout its rich history, the hotel has housed 12 presidents and numerous celebrities and dignitaries.

    2. Staying Local: Saying that Lemaire specializes in local cuisine is a bit of an understatement. Executive chef Walter Bundy has been committed to locally sourced products for years: He gets his oysters from Dave and Dee’s Mushrooms in Sedley, Va.; bison meat from rancher Billy Salmon in Madison, Va.; grits from Byrd Mill in Ashland, Va.; and local micro greens from Manakintowne Specialty Growers and Cabbage Hill, both outside of Richmond. As a whole, most of the food served on the menu is grown or produced within 90 miles of the restaurant.

    3. Sophisticated yet affordable: Despite its former reputation for fine dining, Lemaire changed its tune a few years ago by maintaining its level of quality but lowering the price tag. The result? You can get a great meal without breaking the bank. No entrée on the menu is over $30 and most bottles of wine are under $50.

    4. Straight from the garden: In a further effort to use local ingredients, chef Walter Bundy created the restaurant’s on-site garden to grow herbs and a variety of vegetables. Chances are, when you order a dish, you can thank the private garden for contributing to its delicious flavors.

    5. Top Chef: While chef Bundy may not have appeared on the television show, his experience over the years in the culinary industry has garnered him enormous success and an a number of awards. Before being appointed executive chef at Lemaire, Bundy worked at the award-winning restaurant The French Laundry and appeared on Food Network’s Food Nation with Bobby Flay. Not to shabby, huh?

  2. Five things that you should know about Lemaire are:

    Lemaire is a New American restaurant offering a farm-to-table inspired menu featuring extraordinary Virginia grown ingredients and the Southern influences of Chef Walter Bundy.

    In 2009, after over 20 years in operation, Lemaire closed for eight months to reinvent itself with a fresh, modern appeal. A full renovation to the beautiful dining rooms, the addition of a new bar and a completely new menu by Chef Bundy resulted in Lemaire being named to theEsquire Magazine “Best New Restaurants of 2009” list.

    The bar and lounge at Lemaire is a culinary destination unto itself. The bar menu is filled with small plates including the same fresh, local ingredients. A favorite with regulars and new guests alike is the three appetizers for $20 special available each day from 4 to 7 p.m. and again from 10 to 11 p.m. The handcrafted cocktails list is inspiring with its use of seasonal ingredients that mirror the farm-to-table philosophy seen in the menu.

    Lemaire continues to provide a revolutionary wine list. Over 200 bottles are available with nearly thirty offered under $30. A robust list of wines is available by the glass, the half-bottle and the quartino — perfect for sampling and sharing. The wine list was recently awarded theWine Spectator’s Award of Excellence. What was once the ladies waiting parlor at The Jefferson Hotel, Lemaire is a landmark within The Jefferson Hotel and the city of Richmond. The architecture is breath-taking and remains as it did upon the hotel’s opening in 1895. The furnishings, fixtures and treatments reflect a more modern era but the space itself remains grand, gracious and inviting.