Ever since the Iranian-born and Miami-raised Roben Farzad, host of Full Disclosure on VPM NPR, moved to the River City he has kept us on our toes wondering what he'll create next. Insightful and always humorous, Roben regularly dishes up a fresh take on everything from business news to pop culture to policy to cuisine. He's known for hosting live recordings of his radio show mixed with performances by musical acts like '90s alt-rock band Nada Surf, dinner experiences with favorite Richmond chefs, and offbeat collaborations with favorite local businesses. He's even a regular on National Public Radio, C-SPAN, and PBS NewsHour, just to name a few. And in 2017, Roben authored the book Hotel Scarface: Where Cocaine Cowboys Partied and Plotted to Control Miami. We asked Roben, who always has a joke at the ready, to describe a perfect day in Richmond as this week's guest editor. Take it away, Roben!
Westwood
Fountain
Believe me when I say I'm grateful to be able to wake up to RVA in the year 2020. The perfect day for me begins at Westwood Fountain, the diner in the Westwood Pharmacy, next door to the only full-service Pizza Hut in America that hasn't been converted into a funeral home. Anyway, Westwood makes such a soulful breakfast. Like many establishments in blue-blooded, XL-SUV-lined Westhampton, I'm often the most ethnic person there—that is, unless you consider the Lebanese owner, Faissal Aridi (pictured), who is like an uncle to me. Digging into a bespoke omelet, I brood over story ideas, stopping off at nearby Libbie Market or Black Hand Coffee for a postprandial coffee where I will likely bump into someone else with a story idea. I'm exceedingly pitchable when under the influence of CBC: cold-brewed coffee.
I take that buzz downtown. There are very elevated stretches of both Cary and Broad Streets just west of Shockoe that topographically feel like a discount San Francisco. I work out of AudioImage Recording, by the Jefferson Hotel. The place is gorgeously frozen in times (plural), what with its eight-track tapes and 1920s fixtures. When I want to have a live band in studio -- we had Silversun Pickups in December -- I book them at RainMaker in Shockoe. It's always nice to pop in at nearby Fountain Bookstore -- one of best indies in the country that opened in 1978.
When I need to treat myself after a long day of recording, I journey to Carena's Jamaican Grille. The South Side of Richmond can be so exotic and intimidating; you need to cross the river, enter a different time zone, and survive both deer ticks and tailgating from guys in extended F-150 trucks. Sometimes, I get decompression sickness and have to pull over. But that never keeps me away from Carena's legendary eatery, which was just featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Carena Ives (pictured), you see, is my RVA big sister. She let me write chapters of my book at her restaurant. She gives me tough love about show ideas. And her jerk sauce is just so exceptional — it brings you to ecstatic tears — that I would eat a softball glove dipped in the stuff.
As you're out and about exploring Roben's tips, make a stop at WPA Southside at 3414 Semmes Avenue. Here you'll find two Here Rep t-shirts like this one hidden behind the counter. The first two readers to swing by, order a free cup of coffee on us, and tell them Here sent you will score this comfy cotton t-shirt emblazoned with a hand-drawn design with Richmond's airport code.
