Osteria and Doc Chey's cater to our "mixed" taste

 

Osteria in Virginia Highlands has always been a family favorite.  They are  accommodating,  have friendly service, and serve good food.  Last week was no exception.  Chad ordered chicken picata, Ry - mac and cheese and S and I deliberated about a vegan option.  S decided it would be a great idea to create our own dish.  So, our waitress with amazing patience, waited  as I went through all the vegan topping options for a pizza.  The waitress confirmed there would be no problem in creating a vegan pizza for us.  S ordered a vegan pizza with artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and spinach for us to share.  Amazing - seriously one of the best pizzas I have ever had (including those with cheese).  And, imagine S's pride that she created her own!  Bonus-  I noticed on the specials board that they are now serving gluten free noodles.  Way to go!

Doc Chey's is another family favorite where we can all order our own thing and all leave happy.  Tonight, though I decided to really make a challenge and request vegan - gluten free.  It so happens, their special Marco Polo's sauce is gluten free!  I ordered that with rice and tofu.  Amazing!  The girls both had noodle bowls with tofu and Chad had the chicken cashew nut stir fry.  We all loved our meals.

Rich Chey - I dont know him, but from what I read about him and heard from others, he is one inspirational entrepreneur.   First, he contributes so much to our neighborhood - his philanthropy is endless.  He host dine outs at his restaurants several times a year, for not one but several local schools.  He raises money for the fire station in our neighborhood and I know he give A LOT more, but I want to write about his other attributes - to create several restaurants that cater to young professionals before kids (ie me and Chad 7 years ago), AND families (now us), and even the girls grandparents love his restaurants.  That is a hard task to accomplish.  Beyond that, he is flexible with his food and can create dishes for every type of eater - Doc Chey - gluten free vegan is hard!

Thank you Rich for what you have done for our neighborhood and my family.  We love dining at your establishments.