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I've got to go with Bojangles for nostalgia reasons.

Traffic is really nothing to worry about. I'm in NYC now, but grew up in Richmond. My parents live right past Short Pump Mall, and it's fine--nothing like New York or N. Virginia (or Atlanta or LA or a lot of other cities...) If you really want, you can avoid Broad St. during rush hour.

As for food, yes, it's true, West End isn't great in terms of food diversity, but it's not a huge city; downtown and it's options are less than 30 minutes away.

I HAVE heard lots of good things about Patina Grill in Short Pump. Also, this fancy-ish Indian place opened up recently (www.anokha.us), but I haven't heard anything about it.

A few places I've been/hear good things about from friends and family:

Kuba Kuba
Black Sheep (huge sandwiches)
Buz and Ned's (skip the sandwiches and go for the ribs)
Comfort
Julep's
Acacia Midtown
Millie's (as mentioned above)
Mekong (for Vietnamese)
Edo's Squid (as mentioned above)
Mamma Zu (as mentioned above)
Cafe Gutenberg
Thai Diner
Croaker's Spot

And for totally cheesy old-school Chinese food, I love Yen Ching. It's totally a throw-back place and reminds me of childhood.

Also, lots of great ethnic markets as the previous posters mentioned.

As a native, I have to defend my city. There's plenty to do there and you don't necessarily have to go to Williamsburg to get a bit of culture.
-There is a rather large art scene, thanks to the highly-regarded art school at VCU--lots of galleries, events, etc.
-Maymont Park is literally one of my favorite places ever. A converted plantation with unique gardens and spaces. The Italian garden is gorgeous and has spectacular views.
-The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts just reopened and is supposed to be great.
-Lots of cute boutique museums like the Edgar Allen Poe museum (with their "unhappy hours").
-The Byrd theater in Carytown has $2 second-run movies. On Saturday nights, an organ player opens for the movie. Their midnight shows (usually showing classics like "The Goonies") are also a riot.
-Carytown in general has lots of great shops like World of Mirth and Mongrel (seriously one of my favorite places to buy gifts).
-There are lots of festivals, too: Greek Food, Lebanese Food, Watermelon (this August).

Pick up a copy of Style Weekly and Richmond magazine to get yourself acclimated. Welcome!

Waterfront Ale House on 30th and 2nd in Manhattan makes some pretty great waffle cheese fries. I believe their version comes with jalapenos.

Though not necessarily fancy or unique, Citarella's rugelach are nice and flaky and feature copious amounts of chocolate chips.

Abraco, for sure. I was there to sample some sweets, and the owner surprised me with a complimentary iced coffee--it was divine!

chocolate bread pudding with a side of vanilla bean ice cream

coffee eclair--Payard
sweet and salty brownie, peanut butter cookie, oreo cupcakes--Baked
chocolate croissant--Ceci-Cela
chocolate bread pudding--Dessert Truck
coffee caramel bourbon cucpakes--Kumquat Cupcakery
chocolate chip scone--Trois Pomme Patisserie
black and white cookie--Something Sweet
chocolate soufle, sticky toffee pudding--Bar at Etats-Unis
chocolate chip cookie, pretzel croissant--City Bakery
chocolate layer cake, chocolate bread pudding with bailey's ice cream--The Chocolate Room
hazelnut ice cream--Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream
chocolate babka--Russ & Daughter's