Richmond Dining-Out scene

[Downtowner]

Yeah that sucks about Cafe Gutenberg. It was my cousins favorite place to go to down there when she worked for Wachovia Securities. She now has a job with a marketing firm called Circle S. I think she said something about they did a few ads for Rocketts Landing but im not exactly sure.

[dklee]

I have heard, from a very reliable inside source inside Acapella's that the management was skimming off the top, and did not make the necessary payments to the landlord and thus, the place was padlocked. They showed up for work one day, and couldn't get in.

[checkplease]

I have heard, from a very reliable inside source inside Acapella's that the management was skimming off the top, and did not make the necessary payments to the landlord and thus, the place was padlocked. They showed up for work one day, and couldn't get in.

I haven't heard anything about Accapella other than they lost their lease. I don't know what the reason is.

As far as Cafe Gutenberg goes, the guy who owns the building and the restaurant is selling. The original plan was that someone would buy the building and the restaurant, hopefully keeping it as is. However, there haven't been any buyers (bad market I guess), so Cafe Gutenberg is closing this weekend (I think).

[Shakman]

Is Cafe Gutenburg on the corner of E. Main and 17th?

[nhughes]

Is Cafe Gutenburg on the corner of E. Main and 17th?

That's the one.

[wrldcoupe4]

nhughes... this is kind of your niche... do you have any insight?

[burt]

Old man Metro keeps on a-rolling. Here's Dana Craig's take on the venerable Fan bistro:

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/entertainmen...02-07-0029.html

METRO GRILL

301 North Robinson Street

Tel. 804/353-4453

Noise Level: High

Tab for Two: $52

Three Stars from Dana Craig

Edited February 7, 2008 by burt

[nhughes]

nhughes... this is kind of your niche... do you have any insight?

Loads and loads of insight. What's the specific question?

There are plenty of rumors surrounding any store closing. If there is a padlock and a "no trespassing" sign, then that usually means that the tenant was locked out due to non-payment or some other default. If there is just a For Lease sign in the window, then it could be they were locked out or it could be that the tenant left voluntarily, either because the lease ended or they negotiated a termination with the landlord.

I don't have any specific news about ACAPELLA, but I saw a flyer for the sale of CAFE GUTENBERG (looked like it was business and property for sale) and they had the name right there on the flyer -- so not even a hint that confidentiality was an issue. It's sounds as though CAFE GUTENBERG has decided to close down for any number of reasons and sell the whole kit and kaboodle.

[nhughes]

Nat, there used to be a club called The Cha Cha Palace on Broad just east of EMPIRE. I think it attracted a very diverse clientele and later moved to a former bank building on Main street in The Uptown area. The club is now history.

I wonder what the address was of that...or more to the point, what is in the location now. There was a club just west of Laurel and Broad called IVORY'S that was open when I was seeing shows at THE METRO (now EMPIRE). I think it has been abandoned since then, and I don't know what it was before IVORY'S.

[Shakman]

That's the one.

Damn, I liked that place. Great atmosphere.

[jbjust]

Just went to lunch at Highwater with 3 colleagues and had a very enjoyable lunch. The food was a little slow, but the quality more than made up for it. Their sweet potato fries are outstanding.

Afterwards, our waitress took us on a tour of the concert venue. She said that they have had several sell-outs, but that the comedy show they recently had didn't sell out.

When warm weather arrives, I predict that this will be a very popular after-work spot. I think there were 4-5 other relatively full tables by the time we left.

[nhughes]

Afterwards, our waitress took us on a tour of the concert venue.

Now that's customer service!

[JSI]

Friend told me about this new restaurant in the Fan...

Verbena

[D_C]

Friend told me about this new restaurant in the Fan...

Verbena

Is this the old Konsta's building?

[jbjust]

Ate at Delux last night and it was hopping. I don't think there is anywhere in the fan with better decor and ambiance. The menu is great since you can get out of there with a $40 check or a $120 check (for two) depending on your tastes. I think this might be our new "go to" in the fan, frankly. The second floor is really where it's at, there is smoking at the bar but it doesn't really filter into the dining area on the second floor.

[JSI]

Is this the old Konsta's building?

Yes.

[nhughes]

Is this the old Konsta's building?

Yep. KONSTA'S --> CARLTON'S --> VERBENA

[jasonb]

Ate at Delux last night and it was hopping. I don't think there is anywhere in the fan with better decor and ambiance. The menu is great since you can get out of there with a $40 check or a $120 check (for two) depending on your tastes. I think this might be our new "go to" in the fan, frankly. The second floor is really where it's at, there is smoking at the bar but it doesn't really filter into the dining area on the second floor.

agreed. no corners were cut when coming up w/ the idea behind DeLux... I've yet to eat there, but its a great place to grab a drink

[VPDcurt]

A Few Things (I had a big weekend as far as the Richmond Dining Out Scene goes):

First of all, I went out to DeLux with a few friends on Saturday night. We arrived at 7 pm, were told that there would be a 1 hour wait and that we could sit upstairs at the bar and they would find us when our table was ready. After sitting up there for 1 hr and 45 mins and repeatedly asking when our table would be ready, we decided to move downstairs to put a little more pressure on the hostess and other diners. We weren't seated until 9:20, which was 2 hrs and 20 mins after our arrival (they only take reservations for 6+ and we had 4 in our party). To their credit, they gave us 2 apps for free, but it just doesn't make up for the the other things that happened. While we were waiting for so long, the bouncer and a random guy who didn't even look like he worked there kept telling us that we were standing in the way of things, etc. The food was good, but nothing to write home about. I got the blackened tuna sandwich, which was very good. The others in my party got the meatloaf, breaded trout and reuben sandwich and had nothing great to say about any of them. The apps were good, but the captain crunch fried shrimp was virtually tasteless. I liked the atmosphere, but I don't see what all the hype is about after going there. I don't know that I would go back and I definitely wouldn't go back just for the food. It seems to me that it will be another one of those Richmond joints that is overly crowded simply because it is the newest place in town.

Secondly, I ate brunch at Cafe Gutenberg this morning/afternoon. I love that place and it is relatively close to my apartment. I asked the server what the deal was with the closing and all (there is a for sale sign on the exterior). She said that things are kind of up in the air right now, and they will know for sure by tomorrow afternoon whether or not they are going to close and if so, when they will close. She said that they are probably going to close, but that it wouldn't be until the 24th of February or so. I wish it would stick around - it is one of the most unique places in Richmond and I will miss it dearly.

Sorry for such a long post but I hope everyone finds this to be rather informative. Take care.

- VPD

[jbjust]

VPDcurt -- I can see how a party of four would be hard to seat there. We arrived at 6:30 and were seated immediately with a party of two. There was a party-of-six table that sat empty for almost the entire 1.5 hours we were there and the party (all who looked to be in their early-70's) arrived quite late for their reservation.

[nhughes]

Secondly, I ate brunch at Cafe Gutenberg this morning/afternoon. I love that place and it is relatively close to my apartment. I asked the server what the deal was with the closing and all (there is a for sale sign on the exterior). She said that things are kind of up in the air right now, and they will know for sure by tomorrow afternoon whether or not they are going to close and if so, when they will close. She said that they are probably going to close, but that it wouldn't be until the 24th of February or so. I wish it would stick around - it is one of the most unique places in Richmond and I will miss it dearly.

- VPD

Thanks for the insight, VPDcurt! We went down to CAFE GUTENBERG on Saturday night for dessert after eating for the first time at SETTE (which was amazing, btw!). We had heard from one of the servers that she was losing her job, so we thought we would get a visit in before it shuts down. Being in the business of restaurant brokering, I hear a lot of rumors and couldn't be sure if this was just an another rumor from an over-reaction to the "For Sale" sign on the building.

I also hope that if they do leave, that someone takes the reigns and keeps it going. I know a lot of people that would be sorely disappointed in the loss, and Shockoe Bottom doesn't need to lose such a respected establishment.

[NYCJSW]

Karsen's

Here is my review from my Valentine's Day dinner there. When I review a restaurant I believe in revealing as much as possible and probably have a value bias (I think most of us do).

So I was trying to figure out where to take my pregnant wife for dinner on Valentine's Day. I remembered reading somewhere about Karsen's. So I called and made reservations. They offered a 5PM, 7PM and 9PM seating. Being pregnant my wife wanted an early seating. I probably should have asked more questions when making the reservation. About all I remembered was that it was $65 per person, a special menu, and multiple courses.

First Impressions

Finding parking was no problem. We got there a little after 5PM and found a spot out front. Upon walking up to the restaurant I noticed they had a rather big patio out front with lots of tables. I also noticed that there was a bit of garbage on the walkway heading into the restaurant and on the patio. There were several sheets of newspaper and plastic grocery bags. Not a big deal but it did not give a great impression (it was not windy). There was also an odd entrance with a glass door on each side of the restaurant with no obvious sign as to which one was the primary door.

When we entered the restaurant it was a bit like we came at 3PM for dinner. There might have been one other couple there and the staff was still setting up. I think when we left there were only a handful of couples eating. For most of our meal the staff was still putting out candles and setting tables etc etc. The restaurant is very nice inside. It is easily the best looking restaurant I've been to in the Fan/Carytown area. I recently moved back to the Richmond area and I must say the bar is set very low for what I expect as far a decor goes. So Karsen's does look good inside but it is basically what I would expect for a fine dining restaurant. To me some other restaurants in the area come across as rather dumpy looking.

We got the Menu and right away I noticed it was only 3 courses. As noted before they might have mentioned this when I made my reservation. But for $65 per person I think they could have offered a bit more. They did include a glass of champaigne with the meal (we both declined). I'm not going to go into too many details about the food (I'm not a food critic) but I will say it was good to very good. Not something I will remember for a long time but it was good. There was a great salad with lots of roasted peppers. I had the new york strip with shrimp. It was kind of odd that the 3 shrimp were cold. The steak was a good cut and was cooked exactly as requested. My wife ordered the baked duck. It was described as crispy on the menue but was not at all crispy. It was good but nothing memorable. For desert you had your usual suspects (creme bruele, mousse etc). They were nicely presented and good but nothing to write home about. The service while eating was fine but nothing spectacular.

Final Impressions

As noted earlier, overall the food was good but nothing I will remember. We only ordered one drink from the bar and our final bill came to just under $180 with tip. At this price I would say that Karsen's offers very little value and is way over priced. The level/quality of service does not reflect this price and the food would be a stretch. At this price point I think most would expect a bit more. If I walked out paying $120 I would say it would be more fitting. That would be about $28 for my entree, $10 for my salad and about $8 for my dessert. These prices would even be on the high side. I probably won't go back unless I read somewhere that there have been changes made. I may be incorrect but I would think that with having a set menu for Valentine's Day it would be easier to deliver better value than with your ordinary menue. My 2 cents

Edited to try to clean up typos

Edited February 15, 2008 by NYCJSW

[D_C]

Karsen's

Thank you for the well thought-out review. This is a great type of post!

[wrldcoupe4]

Agreed, thanks for the in depth review. I've yet to try Karsen's but a co-worker loves the place. Congrats to Burt on this thread making it to the 6 figures in views!

[checkplease]

Agreed, thanks for the in depth review. I've yet to try Karsen's but a co-worker loves the place. Congrats to Burt on this thread making it to the 6 figures in views!

But wait, didn't Burt say he wasn't going to post anymore after it hit that mark?

Say it ain't so.