Spotlight: Lillie Pearl
Marrying the flavors of chef and co-owner Mike Lindsey’s childhood with West African and Southern influences, as well as refreshing classic comfort fare, the menu at Lillie Pearl is a true culinary treat.
With almost three decades of cooking under his apron, Lillie Pearl marks the first solo venture for Lindsey and his wife, Kimberly Love-Lindsey, both previously of EAT Restaurant Partners. And now, after recently celebrating their two-year restaurant anniversary, Lillie Pearl has solidified itself as a must-visit downtown dining destination, bringing life to the former Comfort space at 416 E. Grace St.
“When we opened Lillie Pearl, we would have never imagined the support and love that came from our guests,” says Love-Lindsey. “We love Grace Street and feel blessed to have three successful restaurants in this area. We could have never grown this fast in any other city. Richmond is our home.”
The restaurant is an ode to Lindsey's grandmother, and is one of the few Black-owned fine-dining restaurants in the Richmond region. Menu standouts range from the obe ata braised lamb shank, served with a tomato and bell pepper sauce, jollof rice, okra, and pickled collard stems to lobster shrimp and grits and a bruleed banana pudding that is named after his grandmother, Millie.
“Short Rib Egg rolls have been and continue to be the one item that guests always talk about,” says Love-Lindsey. “The Obe Ata Lamb Shank is special because you will not see it anywhere else in Richmond and the West African flavors complete this dish.”
And while the couple’s culinary empire — Lindsey Food Group — has continued to grow with the addition of Manchester’s Jubilee, three Buttermilk & Honey outposts (Downtown, Green Gate and inside Hatch Local food hall), and the most recent addition, ML Steakhouse, they know that Lillie Pearl is special.
“There will only be one Lillie Pearl,” says Love-Lindsey. “We would love to open more but we will call it Farm and Oak. Lillie Pearl is special and we want to keep it that way.”
Working with Cavalier since 2017, pre-Lillie Pearl days, Love-Lindsey adds, “We use them at all our locations for all produce items. Bernie has been with us through the entire journey and we are so grateful for all his hard work to make sure that we have all the produce we need. We like using Cavalier because they use the most Virginia Farm and Products. For example, Greenswell out of Goochland and Surry Sausage out of Surry, Virginia.”
With the holidays approaching, Love-Lindsey says that every year the family decorates the Christmas tree together with eggnog in hand, along with an annual gingerbread house decorating contest — boys vs girls.
“Christmas Eve, we all get to open one present, new pjs and Christmas Morning we always have Tamales and Eggs for Breakfast,” she says.
