Long but uneventful drive to the “far” west end of Richmond, VA, also known as Short Pump (named for a short handled pump located beneath the porch of a tavern located in the area). While the trip sounded like a good idea a week or so ago, 6.5 hours on the road seemed endless and we are glad a planned side trip to VA Beach did not work out! Our purpose and focus of this trip is to spend some time with my sweet Aunt Itsa, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
We pulled up to the Hampton Inn in Short Pump a little after 6:30 PM. Similar to Biltmore Park Town Square (Asheville, NC), Short Pump is a planned upscale community with office parks, condos, apartments, great shopping and restaurants. After a quick drive through the area, we were happy to discover a REI, Performance Bicycle Shop, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods stores, all within a block of our hotel.
Since my aunt has other guests visiting this evening, we took the opportunity to go out to a relaxing dinner and explore a few of the shops. It was our good fortune to stumble across Mama Cucina, a locally owned Italian restaurant. The smell of mouthwatering Italian food knocked us off our feet when we walked through the front door, as did the crowded interior. We had a bit of a wait before a table opened.
Homemade bread with small bowl of olive oil, vinegar and spices for dipping was served soon after we were seated. We struggled over the menu because everything looked so good. I finally settled on chicken breasts stuffed with feta, asparagus, prosciutto and covered in a pink vodka sauce and mozzarella cheese (freshly made in the kitchen as was the pasta). John had bow tie pasta with shrimp, peas and a light, tasty white sauce. Delicious! Were we just that hungry or is this the best Italian food we can remember eating?
After dinner we scurried through a few shops before they closed. Now it is back to the hotel for some sleep. The day ahead with my aunt is unknown.
