Maximo's Spanish & Italian Bistro, Richmond

When Maximo Mozo was a child, he would join his grandmother in the kitchen and listen to her talk about Castilian cuisine. Being a chef in Madrid, she knew what she was talking about, and Mozo took note. Today, he shares the recipes and cooking techniques he grew up with at Maximo's Spanish & Italian Bistro. His grandmother’s influences are baked, sautéed, and fried into the eatery’s Italian dishes, paellas, and 26 different tapas, nearly half of which have seafood ingredients such as codfish, grouper, escargot, and calamari fresh from Poseidon’s aquarium. Guests can enjoy the smorgasbord of small plates at the full bar, on the mezzanine, or on a back patio reminiscent of a Spanish villa.