Kabana Rooftop, a rooftop restaurant and lounge located on the 20th floor of Hilton’s Hampton Inn & Suites and Homewood Suites in downtown Richmond, Va., announced its official relaunch with a new menu concept. Led by newly appointed executive chef Mike Ledesma, a prominent culinary figure in the Richmond restaurant scene, the new menu will move away from standardized hotel lounge menu fare to more approachable, classic dishes with an epicurean twist, infusing local ingredients and innovative flavors.
The New American seafood-centric menu showcases popular dishes that have been creatively updated utilizing local ingredients and unexpected flavors, each item featuring Ledesma’s own personal touch along with inspired presentations. The menu is split into six sections to satisfy every kind of appetite ranging from a raw bar, snacks and small plates to salads, entrees and desserts.
For light bites, the raw bar features a selection of local seafood including oysters on the half shell, middleneck clams and ceviche mango jalapeno. For those that just want something to munch on while enjoying creative cocktails and sweeping views over Richmond from 20 stories above, the snacks section of the menu includes items such as peppered rosemary cashews, crispy Brussels sprouts, fried clam strips and a selection of meats and cheeses including local Virginia ham and pimento cheese.
To satisfy a more hearty appetite, guests can choose from small plates such as crab gazpacho made with cold tomato, cucumber, red peppers and jumbo lump crab; hush puppy fried oysters crusted with cornmeal and served with succotash and chili vinaigrette; beet tartare with lemon goat cheese espuma and lavosh; tuna poke bowl with cucumbers, truffle soy sauce, seaweed, avocado, rice and chili aioli; autumn olive pork belly confit smoked with potato croquette and poached egg; and the Top Floor Burger with angus beef, local pimento cheese and a jalapeno cheddar bun. Entrees are bursting with unique flavors and include items such as the md crab cake with jumbo lump crab, summer succotash, pickled vegetables and remoulade; coconut curry vegetable ratatouille with zucchini, squash, tomatoes, peppers and rice; tandoori 1ž2 rack of lamb with green tomato mint chutney, glazed rainbow carrots and tzatziki; and the pan seared sea bass with farro, heirloom tomatoes and scallion soubise.
To end the meal on a sweet note, desserts include a lemon ginger crème brulee, seasonal cobbler a la mode and tres leche shortcake with strawberries and vanilla cream.