Richmond Dining-Out scene

[bugsy]

dogwood grill

on main in the fan was where i went saturday last. mrs bugsy was out of town so i sat at the bar. ...they now prohibit smoking even

at the bar. service by the busy bar manager was very good, even with a packed house. started with the grilled romaine salad($8) and then to a pork tenderloin($22), cooked med as requested and served with some southwest type salsa (fresh) and good haricot verts.

a d'arenburg shiraz at about $30 went down real nice and i was happy that i didn't drive to the restaurant and walked home very

contented (perhaps a tad wobbaly)

[burt]

Great report on DOGWOOD GRILLE AND SPIRITS at 1731 West Main in The Fan.

I always look forward to your comments, bugsy. Sorry the lady of the house missed out on this treat.

If anyone was as tempted as I after reading about bugsy's meal, you'd better call 804/340-1984 to book a table, or you might have to eat at the bar.

Edited February 12, 2007 by burt

[BreakfastPills]

Bargh! ! !

So many great restaurants in the Fan.... it's always so hard to try out new ones when the last one you went to was awesome. I'll definately have to check out Dogwood. Did you notice if they had any vegetarian entrees, not that I'm veg or anything.

[burt]

Bargh! ! !

So many great restaurants in the Fan.... it's always so hard to try out new ones when the last one you went to was awesome. I'll definately have to check out Dogwood. Did you notice if they had any vegetarian entrees, not that I'm veg or anything.

I'm sure bugsy would know whether or not Dogwood has vegetarian specialities, but he doesn't visit this thread very often so someone else might be able to answer.

SIX BURNER RESTAURANT & BAR at 1624 West Main, about a block away from DOGWOOD GRILLE & SPIRITS, is also excellent.

BP, would you please translate "Barg" for the old man? It's not like "Bah Humbug", is it? I suspect it's a youthful expression of "damn, I missed that one!"

And speaking of The Fan, look for Dana Craig's review of AVALON tomorrow.

Edited February 14, 2007 by burt

[burt]

More about Dd33, the much talked about new restaurant at 3601-A Cox Road in The Shoppes at Twin Oaks. Below is Don Baker's review from today's Style Weekly:

http://styleweekly.com/food.asp

Edited February 14, 2007 by burt

[burt]

A few questions:

Is 3rd STREET DINER open? I heard that it has been shuttered for about two months with a window sign promising to reopen after renovations.

What's the status with Mo Roman's VAULT underneath his trendy BANK at 10th and Main?

Has anyone ever eaten at MANHATTAN's at 112 North 5th (across from the John Marshall)?

Is SETTE still in business at 7 North 23rd Street near Tobacco Row and below Church Hill?

[burt]

Deveron reports in today's Style Weekly that Mo Roman has taken over the WOODEN SPOON (formerly IL PAGLIACCI) on North Lombardy Street between Hanover and Grove Avenues. Mo says it will have "an un-Fan atmosphere that's modern and fun, a neighborhood jewel."

It will be called SI and, presumably, Tapas will be on the menu. According to Mo, SI will open when it's ready this spring.

I always liked that spot. . In my early adult years it was known as NICK'S and offered tasty steaks for $5. It's an old carriage house on two levels and very small and intimate.

Good luck Mo, and thanks for bringing the location back to life after the closure of WOODEN SPOON.

. I guess it's indisputable that SI will be the restaurant with the shortest name among Richmond's eateries.

[wrldcoupe4]

I've never eaten at manhattans, but it looks nice

[burt]

I've never eaten at manhattans, but it looks nice

I think THE COTTON CLUB is in the same building.

[Culpeper Hokie]

I saw a notice for an Va. ABC license request pasted in the window of the newly gutted and rennovated power plant building down by Riverfront. Peeked inside, and it's still just a giant open, unfinished space. However, I assume if an ABC license is being requested, construction would be close behind. What's going in there, I wonder? Restaurant/bar(s)? Will it be subdivided and made into something like a restaurant/entertainment court, or will there just be one big tennant?

Sorry, it's probably been discussed in detail on here before, but my short attention span and laziness preclude my doing a detailed search.

Thanks!

[burt]

I saw a notice for an Va. ABC license request pasted in the window of the newly gutted and rennovated power plant building down by Riverfront. Peeked inside, and it's still just a giant open, unfinished space. However, I assume if an ABC license is being requested, construction would be close behind. What's going in there, I wonder? Restaurant/bar(s)? Will it be subdivided and made into something like a restaurant/entertainment court, or will there just be one big tennant?

Sorry, it's probably been discussed in detail on here before, but my short attention span and laziness preclude my doing a detailed search.

Thanks!

Sad to say, CHokie, the ABC notice has been up there since October. A very up scale restaurant/club called BLANC BLEU was announced for the entire Power Plant. We're still waiting!

A restaurant/sports bar called BLACKFINN is supposed to occupy a very large space on the ground floor in the office building at ROTJ (across the plaza from the Power Plant). Someone reported just the other day that work has begun there.

[JSI]

Is SETTE still in business at 7 North 23rd Street near Tobacco Row and below Church Hill?

Unless it closed after I ate lunch there this afternoon then it's safe to say it's still in business. The crowd was decent (50%-60% full) and the food was great, as always!

[burt]

Unless it closed after I ate lunch there this afternoon then it's safe to say it's still in business. The crowd was decent (50%-60% full) and the food was great, as always!

Very glad to hear that JSI. I just hadn't heard it mentiined lately and wanted to verify that the attractive "Martini Pizza" spot is still flourishing.

Isn't that whole stretch of East Main Street in the 20's getting livlier by the month? We've got Sette, Millie's, Sensi, Bookbinders, Poe's Pub and Honey White's so far. There was a rumor that once Canal Lofts finished its third and final expansion (the white tower at 20th and Cary) a new "name" restaurant would take up residence somewhere in the complex. Also, Haxall View on 21st is supposed to have a "garden" type restaurant included in the restored buildings.

[nhughes]

A restaurant/sports bar called BLACKFINN is supposed to occupy a very large space on the ground floor in the office building at ROTJ (across the plaza from the Power Plant). Someone reported just the other day that work has begun there.

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.

[wrldcoupe4]

I think their original location is in NYC

[burt]

I think their original location is in NYC

There's a BLACKFINN franchise at Waterside in Norfolk.

nhughes, with your restaurant connections can't you tell us about progress with BLANC BLEU in the Power Plant at ROTJ?

[nhughes]

There's a BLACKFINN franchise at Waterside in Norfolk.

nhughes, with your restaurant connections can't you tell us about progress with BLANC BLEU in the Power Plant at ROTJ?

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.

[burt]

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.

If you are familiar with the CB5 Restaurant Group, BLANC BLEU will be one of its flagships -- very opulent. A description was printed somewhere in this thread, but I can't remember where or when.

I was in Richmond in October, and met an architect waiting to get into the Power Plant. He showed me blue prints and said work would get underway on BLANC BLEU as soon as a liquor license was approved.

People tell me the place is still vacant but that the liquor application is still on the door.

If I have the time and patience, I'll dig back in this thread and repost the info here.

[burt]

Dana is disappointed in the new menu at AVALON, 2619 West Main, tel. 804/353-9709. The offerings - sort of a tapas/dim sum variety, don't cut the mustard.

Where, or where is Q Dirks?

Two stars.

Tab for two: $98.

Read the full review here:

http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satel...mesdispatch.com

Edited February 15, 2007 by burt

[nhughes]

Dana is disappointed in the new menu at AVALON, 2619 West Main, tel. 804/353-9709. The offerings - sort of a tapas/dim sum variety, don't cut the mustard.

Where, or where is Q Dirks?

Two stars.

Tab for two: $98.

Read the full review here:

http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satel...mesdispatch.com

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

[Culpeper Hokie]

Anyone got a review for Cedars Mediterranian Cafe at Franklin & 7th? Looks interesting. Deal or no deal?

[wrldcoupe4]

Ehhh I was hoping for more authentic Lebanese as I enjoy the Lebanese food festival every year. It was okay, perhaps worth a try. There's a decent little cafe in Main Street Centre (Verizon) called Willie's or something like that. It has a penguin theme. They make everything from scratch.

[nhughes]

Ehhh I was hoping for more authentic Lebanese as I enjoy the Lebanese food festival every year. It was okay, perhaps worth a try. There's a decent little cafe in Main Street Centre (Verizon) called Willie's or something like that. It has a penguin theme. They make everything from scratch.

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

[mclawsdrive]

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

I went there about a year and a half ago and I agree, it is quite good. I can't remember anything I had, but I remember enjoying it. I would definitely return.

[burt]

Dana could be singing "not much to look at, not much to see", but she'd finish with a 3-star coda of praise.

GRAPELEAF (non-smoking) in The Village Shopping Center, 7003-A Three Chopt Road, tel. 804/673-6739 is now owned by Yeman Daou and Ray Abouzaki since the founders retired recently to Lebanon.

Says Dana, "On a recent Friday evening, the aromas of garlic, corriander and cinnamon turned our party of four otherwise mature adults into giddy children on a trick-or-treat bender. We couldn't control our ordering."

She continues, "...modest decor doesn't foretell the reckless abandon that inevitably overtakes one's consumption sanity."

Dana reminds us that "...socializing is an inherent part of Lebanese cuisine." Small plates (mezzas) or full-plated ones are available as well as taboulehs, falafels, hummus and stuffed grape leafs.

A tender, tasty marinated Beef Shawarma was my favorite among Dana's descriptions.

There's a nice wine list including Ksara Blanc de Blanc and some Lebanese beers.

GRAPELEAF is on my list of ethnic restaurants to sample on future Richmond visits.

Tab for two: $88 .

Here's my summary of Dana Craig's recent review of Grapeleaf. Sounds good to me.