nhughes

Actually, the guy you spoke with at BPM was probably Matt, the manager. Anthony Wilson is the owner at BIG DADDY'S, and he is the man behind BPM, DEUCES WILD, and GOODFELLA'S. I sold him TONIC THAI, which he has done an excellent job at converting and upgrading to BPM. They are shooting for opening at BPM next weekend, 8/17-8/18 -- I can't remember if they are working towards Friday or Saturday as their opening. The opening for DEUCES WILD is looking like late September. GOODFELLA'S is going to be the Italian restaurant. I've been doing a lot of work down in Shockoe Bottom lately, so I keep pretty well up-to-date with everything going on down there. Oh, and I believe that PAPA NINGO'S is moving into that space that you saw where the windows were covered in brown paper. I don't know what's going to happen to their current spot, but that's a great opportunity for someone to move in.

The staff at both locations have always impressed me with their knowledge and their ability to give good suggestions.

Sorry, that was the other posting I wanted to reply on. The new owners are going to do a Cajun/Asian mix. I'm not sure of any other details.

I don't know anything about BEAUREGARD'S THAI ROOM, except what you just said about the indoor garden. But, my principal broker is the guy who originally built it out and opened it in the 70's as POOR RICHARD'S. As another suggestion for great Italian, try ANGELA'S at the intersection of Forest Ave and North Ridge Road in the West End. I know a lot of people (including me) that rave about the food and atmosphere.

Jimmy Snead and the FROG AND THE REDNECK has been gone for quite some time. I know he was featured in Style or Richmond magazine recently, but I don't remember the content of the article. (bad nhughes!) You were probably dining at GINGER, from the description you gave. I've never eaten there, so I can't speak to the experience at all. You can't go too wrong down in Carytown, though. I saw that wrldcoupe4 suggested BUZZ & NED'S and DON JOSE, which were a couple I had in mind. I would like to add EXTRA BILLY'S BARBEQUE, and you can visit the one on West Broad Street near Willow Lawn, or I know they have one somewhere on Southside where they have a microbrewery, too. And if you like Brazilian, and you're looking for casual, I would suggest...geez, I don't even know the name of it. (I'll post this in the "Name that restaurant thread", so that maybe someone can help with it.) BUT, there is a small Brazilian market on Quioccassin Road, right across from MEDITERRANEAN MARKET & DELI near Regency Square. Cheap and simple, but GOOOD!

Yeah, I saw he was asking about Thai restaurants. You go to to "Little Thailand", aka Carytown -- THAI DINER II, MOM'S SIAM, or GINGER. (formerly on the list would be THAI CURRY HOUSE, but that's been sold and undergoing renovations) For Mexican, I would suggest the authentic places along Midlothian. It has been a while since I've been out there, but if I remember correctly LA MILPA was excellent. Speaking Latin food and seafood places, has anyone heard anything about PESCADOS? I saw it on Richmond.com when I did a search for Mexican restaurants in Midlothian. The entry says that they serve "Latin-inspired seafood".

Posted about TOAD'S PLACE under the Toad's Place thread just a few minutes ago. (but I know burt already knows that)

Does anyone know what's going on with the retail building beside AMICI'S in Carytown? It housed Ellman's (I think that's the name....it was a dancer's supply store) and the Halloween shop upstairs. Those businesses have been there forever, so it's hard to believe that they're just gone. Last night when I walked by, the building looked empty and there were workers redoing the front with some kind of funky paint job.

We strolled by there after eating at CARYTOWN SUSHI last night (great overall -- we stuck with the sushi, but the menu was crafted to invite you to try their other dishes, as well). I don't know how I missed it being built-out, but there it was with a classy patio and slam packed with people. Now that I've seen the Richmond.com mention, I do remember a similar blurb about a month ago. Seriously, though, did anyone really hear "buzz" about it? It looks like maybe I was the only one that hadn't heard about it, judging from the packed patio.

If they are going to do that with the drinks, maybe they should have two totals -- one with the extras, and one without. As for KARSEN'S -- I haven't heard anything about it at all. Talk about a soft opening! (meaning that they don't publicize the opening, so that they can get the kinks worked out before they have a "grand opening")

I just read an article in "West Ends Best" over the weekend that was all about ZED. It's owned by the same people that own the spa next door to ZED. Oh, and the article said that ZED only uses organic, locally-grown ingredients. If it isn't possible to use organic and locally-grown, then they make sure the ingredients are "clean" -- not necessarily organic, but better than what you would find in the usual marketplace. I wish I had the article here in front of me so that I could give more detailed info -- but there's the general info.

Ahhh...that makes more sense. Thanks. I couldn't find the original article from the magazine to see what their parameters for judging were.

I end up at the Nile once every 2-3 months. The new owners haven't changed much that I can tell (being a novice Ethiopian diner), but everything has always been good. The only gripe I had was how slow everything was the last time I went. To take a positive spin on it -- you are there for the experience, so sit back and enjoy the time that you have to catch up with old friends. A couple of pointers: 1) keep on top of the waitstaff about your drink(s) 2) take a group so you have plenty of people to talk to while you're waiting for your food 3) time it so that you're not hungry when you first arrive I do love it there, though, otherwise I wouldn't continue going back every couple of months.

Had dinner at Rosie Connolly's down in Shockoe Bottom last night. WOW! I've always loved going to see Tommy down there for a pint or two (or three), but this is the first time we've been down for a full meal. They have reasonable prices and incredible food! Fish and chips (standard for a pub, but done perfectly) Meatloaf with a blue cheese merlot sauce, real mashed potatoes, and fresh green beans as an appetizer: Avocado stuffed with shrimp salad and a plate of fruit with seasoning (old bay, maybe?) All in all, WOW!

Yeah, I was happy to see that until I looked at the others that were mentioned. Now I'm scratching my head as to its validity. I don't remember all of the others, but I do remember that Italy was on the top 5, and that France was not. How did we beat France as a top wine destination? If I remember right, California wasn't even on there. Are we really just that good, and I'm taking it for granted? In any case, it's still great publicity for VA!

Yeah, I know. I try to stay away from them, too, but they are part of the Richmond dining landscape, so they can't be ignored. I haven't been to most of the chains (although PF CHANG's was nice, and I'll probably go back sometime). Usually I end up at a chain when I'm dining with my parents and/or my sister. They know I prefer the non-chains, but there's no reason for me to be a snot about it. --- Plus, there are a lot of decent places that I would miss entirely if I absolutely ruled out chains. That being said, I always return to the non-chains because I like to help support the independents. The chains make way more than their deserved share of the overall market. In fact, just last night we ate at THAI DINER II in Carytown, and had dessert at CAFE GUTENBERG (mmmm....Banoffi!).

No, we had out of town guests and were dining at the Cheesecake Factory on Friday night. It was my first time there, and I enjoyed it. I have always heard that the portions were immense, but none of our dishes seemed out of the ordinary. This isn't a complaint, because I had room to try the cheesecake (WOW). Also, I hate feeling like I'm being gluttonus just because the restaurant doesn't have any concept of portion control. It's nice to have enough food for a few meals left over, but it's really not necessary. The prices were also surprisingly reasonable.

That kind of rings a bell, but I don't know. I was waiting for someone else to jump in that might know for sure.

Just a reprint of the important part of a posting I saw on Craigslist.org, which was a review of Zed Cafe: >>> So, my wife talked me into going to Zed Cafe on Lakeside Ave. after several weeks of dropping hints. I always turned it down because, well, I wrote off the whole deal as some hippy crap. A mediocre reveiw in Style Weekly from when they first opened didn't help, either. Now, I'm a little bit of a foodie and enjoy all types of cuisine, but somehow I had the impression in my head that this place was going to be "cuisine nouveau" (elaborately presented bite sized portions). However, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by one of the best meals I've had in Richmond in 6 years of living here. Beer selection was good for my tastes. They had my one of my favorites, Dogfish Head 60 Minute, but were out of it. I settled on a Bluegrass IPA which was just as good. The wife had some organic lager which was also good. They had lots of wine, but I didn't pay that much attention because, well, I like beer, dammit. Our appetizer looked just too bizarre for me to not try it: tempura fried squash blossoms stuffed with scallop mousse over some tiny beets covered with coconut-lime sauce. I really didn't have the highest expectations, but was very pleasantly surprised with a well balanced dish that featured ingredients I would never have thought to put together. My entree was halibut with tomatoes, capers, and fresh herbs in basil brown butter over whipped potatoes. My god, that was the best seafood dish I've had in years, up there with fresh tuna in Hawaii and bay scallops in San Francisco. Everything was really well balanced and very flavorful and I quite literally cleaned the plate. My wife had some shrimp with angelhair pasta which was good, but not quite as good as my halibut. Dessert was some kind of lemon foam with berry compote and a sugar cookie which, again, left me and the wife battling spoons to get the last bit of sauce. I thought it might have a weird texture, but I was wrong. I usually don't gush about restaurants, but I would like to see this one stay in business since it is really original and only a few blocks from my house. Not to mention, I find it admirable that they use predominantly locally grown ingredients. I like the idea that my food didn't spend weeks on a boat to be followed by days on a truck. Anyway, if you're a foodie or an adventurous eater, I highly recommend checking it out. Signed- An adventurous eater in Lakeside >>> I've been meaning to get by there, so that will have to be one of the next places to try.

When we went, I had the crabcake sandwich, too. I had the same overall impression, and I enjoyed the mustard (I think it had some horseradish in there, or maybe I was just wishing for it so hard that my mind was playing tricks on me). My fiance had the french dip. She shared a bite with me, and it was incredible.

The urban club -- "321 Supper Club" is still there, and the old River City Diner is surprisingly still empty.

Nope, you're thinking about the work that was going on at Goodfellas. It kind of looks like it takes up two spaces from the front, but it's actually one restaurant/bar. They've been working on it for a while, and the front looks incredible. I think the outside may be completed, and now they are working on the interior.

I think they are calling it Deuces Wild, and it should be open within the next month or so, from what I understand. Also, BPM (Beats Per Minute) will be opening in the old Tonic Thai space at 14 North 18th Street. It will be a club that features DJs that not only spin music, but do the same with videos. It's something that's big in NYC, Las Vegas, etc. On the same note, the space at the corner of 18th and Main is being fully renovated and will be opening under the name "Goodfellas". They are all from the same owner of Big Daddy's, in a concerted effort to bring the Bottom back to it's former splendor -- and hitting new heights.

You're right about that. I certainly wouldn't complain if they were moving into a building that I manage. I think Starbucks is more of a symbol of the "evil corporate empire", so it's a target for all of us that try our best to support the little guy. I won't say that I don't ever go to Starbucks, just don't tell anyone.

We went to Northside Grille on Sunday night, and were very pleased. First off, we were pleased that they are open on Sundays until midnight, just like any other night. We don't go out a lot on Sunday nights for dinner, but whenever we do we end up having to change plans a few times before we find an open restaurant (kind of like trying to eat out on Mondays). They were busy, but not slammed. A good crowd, especially for a Sunday night at 7:00. Everything was good -- the food, the service, the drinks. Nothing spectacular or too unusual for a local grill, but everything was well executed. A couple of other points: 1) The restaurant is non-smoking. 2) The patio is not open yet. They are still wrangling with permits, I believe, and we were told that they expect to have it open in about 3 months. It helps that it is only a couple of blocks from home, too.