Eileen Mellon

Hot and new can steal the spotlight, but what about longstanding local favorites? Each month, we’ll visit a Richmond-area restaurant that has been in business 15 years or longer. At Melito’s, tucked into the Westbury Shopping Center on Three Chopt Road, friendly service and a fast kitchen serving affordable American cafe classics have kept customers coming back since 1981. Owner Richard “Rich” Melito remains at the helm of the checkerboard-tiled restaurant after all this time.

Putting a Name on It What happens when a chef with deep Richmond roots and Italian origins collaborates with a restaurateur behind a dozen-plus concepts and counting? A swanky, streamlined eatery with housemade pastas, a voluminous wine list and Negronis on tap. Meet the newly opened Civita Italia. (Richmond magazine) Spotlight: Santana Hem Maybe you know him for his long-titled locally made cookies, like brown butter black sesame brittle.

Chef Kevin LaCivita and EAT Restaurant Partners founder Chris Tsui have a bit of a history. Ask them about it, and there will probably be some banter back and forth about their beginnings. But the how and when isn’t nearly as important as why they’ve remained in each other’s worlds. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t trust him,” LaCivita says.