nhughes

Damn....another Starbucks in the city?!

Lots of good suggestions (not that I would expect any less from this group)! Of course, this all depends on just how casual TBurban is thinking...

Since I just went to Papa Ningo not long ago, that's top of mind as a suggestion. They serve Dominican food, and I was really impressed with it overall. It's close to North 17th Street and East Franklin Street, down in Shockoe Bottom.

Per the RTD this morning, Toad's Place opened last night with the Squirrel Nut Zippers, as planned. A couple of hitches that are in the works of being resolved: 1) ABC license will not be available for another 10-15 days (so no alcohol) 2) restaurant will open in about 30-45 days 3) 2nd and 3rd floors will open once the restrooms are completed Total capacity right now (w/o the 2nd and 3rd floors) is "just over 1,000". Even with the small issues, I am glad to hear it is finally open.

Nothing more than confirmations from several people that it is finally open. Thanks for the welcome back. It's been a long time coming.

Yeah, I saw that this morning. I didn't realize that they had opened one in Powhatan, too. At least it's another outdoor patio in the Fan for those days when everyone wants to eat outside.

We went on Sat night for the grand opening at Blackfinn, but it was quite a bit earlier. The "event" was supposed to be from 6-9pm, but it seemed more like a happy hour rather than a grand opening party. Mostly it seemed like an upscale sports-bar, not the Irish pub that I was expecting. Big place, lots of people. I wonder how well it will do, only because it is kind of tucked away from plain view. In a sense that is nice, and you can look out onto the canal walk from the outdoor patio. My concern is that people won't think to go there randomly, even though it is just a couple of blocks from Shockoe Slip. From what I'm told, you can walk to it from the Omni/Tobacco Co. part of Shockoe Slip. (I haven't tested that out yet, but that's what I hear.)

I have to agree with you there, Northsider. I'm not one to badmouth any local restaurant, but I don't want to see Can Can lose it's momentum because of poor operations. I've been almost entirely ignored by the waitstaff a few times. I always end up giving it another go because I love the general atmosphere (not the overwhelming noise, though) and I love what the restaurant has done for the area. I have had a mix of experiences there, but I have never been terribly impressed with the food or the service. A morning coffee in the front cafe area has never been terrible, maybe a little slow at times but if I'm there for a relaxing morning then slow is not as much of an issue.

It's certainly possible that I'm just flat out wrong, I won't deny that. Maybe it does include the downstairs. I will have to ask when I'm down there tonight. (for a friend's 30th birthday -- she wants to see Rev. Horton Heat, so a group of us are going)

Burt: Thanks for the heads up on that article! I had completely missed it. That is a law that comes up daily in my business, and I have to agree with the views expressed in the article for changing the law. I thought it was a lower percentage, but then I've never memorized it since I don't deal with it directly. Another silly law: Did you know that you can't have a "dance hall" in Henrico County. There may be bars/restaurants that have live music and people may be dancing in the aisles or in front of the band, but it must be discouraged.

We eat at the Nile probably once every other month and love it! The last time we went it was slow as molasses on a cold day, but I don't think that will deter us from going back -- but now we know better than to go there when we're starving. It made for a nice casual meal, and gave us plenty of time to catch up with friends. I kind of like Bottom's Up, but I've never understood all of the raving that I hear about it. The last time I went (several months ago), my experience overall was pretty standard. I wouldn't say that anything was particularly bad, but unless someone drags me there, it will probably be my last time for quite a while. There are too many other restaurants out there that really wow me. Considering how much Richmond loves Bottom's Up, at least I know the lack of my business won't hurt them.

Sorry, folks, I've been caught up with other things and not able to get here or to follow blogs that I normally read. I've seen a lot of talk about the Canal Club, and I can speak to some of that since I bartend there every once in a while (less now that business has become steady) and because I used to book some smaller shows there as a promoter. As far as I understand, although I haven't seen a CO, the club can handle a crowd of about 900. The set up is such that it makes a lot of sense to use the upstairs as the large stage for several reasons: 1) The band(s) can set up and do sound checks while the crowd waits downstairs, rather than outside. No one is allowed upstairs until the sound checks and set up is complete. 2) The downstairs area is used for smaller shows, comedy nights, the Jazz Society events, and other similar events. There is a smaller stage downstairs (or at least there was the last time I paid attn to it). There are a lot of expenses involved in using the upstairs, and for a smaller event it just doesn't make sense. It is good to have an alternative. 3) Patrons can come in to the downstairs and play pool, hang out at the bar, order food, and listen to the music -- without having to pay a cover to get into the upstairs to actually see the show. 4) And probably most importantly, it would cost a fortune to move all of that equipment downstairs and rewire everything -- and it would make the upstairs useless. I have actually seen some large events where both floors were packed, and they used big screens to telecast the show downstairs. As for the landscaping and the parking lot outside, the owners of the Canal Club do not own any of the land around the building. In fact, that is one of the reasons why the door used as the entrance was switched. So, there isn't much that they can do about any landscaping. What's this Cathedral Walk? I think I've heard the name, but I haven't heard much (if anything) about it.

Funny that you mention that -- I actually have seen a Bandito's television ad. (Not disagreeing with your point, because I agree.)

Northside Grill is coming along. I hear something about it second-hand every once in a while. The last I heard was a couple of weeks ago, and things were moving. I don't know what the time table is looking like, but I can say that it's still in the works.

Oh, and as for 3rd Street Diner...yes, it has been closed for a couple of months, and they are doing a full renovation of the place. You should stop by and peer in the windows to see what's been done already -- it looks nice. They have moved the kitchen into the back, and have put in wood finishes throughout. From what I understand, it will be a much nicer place, getting away from its diner roots.

How about Grapeleaf, next to City Limit, in the Village Shopping Center? My fiancee and I ate there last week and were very impressed.

Q is a friend of a friend. I know she is selling her cheesecakes on her own at this point.

I'll see what I can find, but I haven't heard anything about it. It might be a stalled project, or an abandoned one.

Yeah, I was at that building last Thursday night for a Choc-o-holic fundraising event, and saw the sign in the lobby. It said "since 1994" (or something like that), so I imagine this isn't their first location.

Did anyone else notice that the list of restaurants in Style is now only 1 page? Has this been going on for a while, and I just haven't noticed?

We went to Popkin last Friday before hitting the art openings and the WRIR event, and had an excellent time. Beautiful facility, great tucked-away nooks, and we had the best seat in the house on the upper level overlooking the entire restaurant! We were disappointed with the cheese pizza, but the meatloaf I had was enough to feed two people (even if I did eat it all myself). The beer selection was nice, but not overwhelming. As you said in your comment, we weren't expecting a gourmet cuisine. We were going for a look at the new spot, and we were much more impressed than we had expected. In fact, I think it would be a great place to get a group to go and hang out.

I don't know much about the malls, just because the rents are insane (just the NNN charges at Regency were around $20/SF last time I checked). I believe that the owners at Stony Point are looking for their restaurant tenants to hit $5M in gross sales each year. But, I do happen to know that Rio Grande Cafe was struggling for a while. Of course, this is nothing through official channels, since I wouldn't be able to reveal that due to confidentiality.

Wow, mclaws, we're on the same wavelength, aren't we? I didn't see your post until after I submitted mine (posting at the office, and I get distracted pretty easily), but it's good that I'm not the only one thinking this way.

I like the idea. In fact, I've often looked at the listings in Style and thought about volunteering to keep up the list there, just because the wrong listings just jump out at me. I like to frequent the locally-owned establishments, but it gets complicated when it is a franchised operation instead of a corporate chain. For example, the Subways are all independently owned and operated, but the Famous Dave's are corporate-owned. Where to draw the line? Of course, I don't want to see the list dominated by 500 McDonald's or Olive Garden restaurants, either -- even if they are franchised and not corporate. Of course, if it is a franchise and there is only one or two locations, then maybe that would be worth putting into the directory?

Not from that angle, I can't. I'm sure it's one of those instances where the answer is revealed and we all hit our heads with a "d'oh!" Damn! I was thinking Avalon, but I wasn't sure about the colors on the walls. Also, I was thinking that the distance behind the booth looked too short. I was second-guessing myself, since I go to Avalon quite a bit (was just there Thursday night). I figured it was the first place to pop to mind since it's one of my favorite spots in the Fan.