Stars: 4.7 out of 5.0
Pros: General Convenience, Pleasant Beer Selection, Excellent Food
Cons:
I brainstormed several new things I wanted to feature in my blog this year. One of them was a Best Of Richmond section. Basic theory: choose 10 places known for _____ and see who makes it best. My friends were quick to jump on board, which I truly appreciate as I needed varying opinions. First up: wings. As I did my research for 10 known wing places in Richmond, I came upon Bellytimber Tavern. My only trip to Bellytimber was just over a year ago, which is unfortunate as it was so very good (Bellytimber-Tavern 1st Visit). So, I made it our first stop on the challenge. I was hoping for a winner right out of the gate.
Bellytimber Tavern (Bellytimber Tavern) is a located just west of "Uptown" (which is a weird concept) and VCU on Main St. It sits on a corner with plenty of available parking on all the surrounding streets. Both cars we took were able to park very close, which is key for JK & MK with the boys. When you walk in you get a sense of how deep the building really is. There was plenty of seating and we didn't have to rearrange any furniture to accommodate the group. The beer menu was prominently displayed and clearly written. There was just a feeling of general satisfaction and convenience about every thing. It set our trip off correctly.
The waitress was very pleasant as we got settled. She gave us all our menus and silverware set-ups before attending another table as we looked things over. She was back fairly quickly to take our drink orders. I ordered a Lost Rhino Face Plant IPA, which is always a very good choice. As we were waiting on her to bring our drinks, we all discussed how pimpalicious the boys looked in their matching hats. Please reference the below picture to see what I'm talking about. After we got our drinks we discussed the rules and regulations of the wing challenge (all this will be revealed in good time). We also discussed the merits of a good pizza. It was agreed that wood-fired pizza was a very acceptable companion for wings, so all that was left was to order.
The boys love them some french fries. Every time we all go out, it's good money to assume that along with the edamame, dried fruit and meat of the day, they will have fries. Almost immediately it was noted how flavorful the fries were. Hell if I can tell you WHAT they were seasoned with, but those were some damn tasty fries. As we were devouring the boys fries (ok, they had 75% and we split 25%) the rest of our food came out. LB had gone with a very paleo-friendly salad that looked monstrously tasty. CB, MK, JK and myself all went with wings. CB also got a pizza and JK & I split a pie. JK & I went straight buffalo wing sauce, CB did honey BBQ while MK went with the spicy garlic. The smells coming off the dishes were indescribably good. Wing trading began almost right away and then the eating began.
The pizzas were both delicious. I split the Pork Pie with JK, which is a wood-fired pizza topped with local pork sausage, garlic and red onion (we skipped the diced tomato). It had great flavor and a wonderful crisp crust. The sausage provided a nice bold flavor that was backed up by the subtle, but present, garlic and onion. A good pie, to say the least. CB got the Buffalo Chicken Pie which is a splendid combo of pulled chicken, red onion, buffalo sauce and tomatoes with blue & fontina cheese. I traded a piece for a piece. It wasn't bad at all. I would have loved a hint more buffalo sauce because I like the spice, but that didn't detract from the pizza's savory flavor. All three flavors of wing were great, with the clear best flavor being the spicy garlic. I don't want to get too deep into the wings here, but know they were a must order.
For our first stop on the Great Wing Adventure, Bellytimber Tavern proved to be the perfect spot. Everything we had was well appreciated, as evident by the empty plates. I just hope that I don't wait another year to come back and feast again.
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