Richmond Dining-Out scene

[burt]

Richmond Good Life has compiled a list of 67 dining options in downtown Richmond:

http://richmondgoodl...restaurants.htm

[burt]

Style Weekly's Don Baker went to PASTURE on a busy Saturday night, as well as on two other occasions, and, generally, speaks highly of the downtown restaurant.

From the current Style Weekly:

http://www.styleweek...ent?oid=1661485

PASTURE

416 East Grace Street (directly across from Centenary Church)

804/780-0416 (reservations are not accepted)

http://www.pasturerva.com

Edited February 1, 2012 by burt

[burt]

If the Super Bowl were in Richmond next Sunday, blue-clad giant fans would probably flock into KAI.

The Shockoe Slip club/bar/restaurant at 1212 East Cary Street is operated by next-door SAM MILLER's.

From the current Style Weekly:

http://www.styleweek...ent?oid=1661491

Note in her column, Deveron reveals that the anticipated Peter Chang Cafe will open on February 9th at the former Rainbow Buffet at 11424 West Broad in the Short Pump area. Chang will gauge dining traffic at the west end location and possibly expand downtown.

[burt]

For the second week in a row Dana Craig's dining-out review in The Times Dispatch is rate-less. Nonetheless, it's pretty clear that she thinks pretty highly of HALLIGAN BAR & GRILL's suburban location.

While the original in Shockoe Bottom has a cut-in-half front end of a fire engine, the West Broad Village version has the whole shebang surrounded with bar stools and special VIP seating on the fire truck's roof. (See slideshow.)

HALLIGAN's in West Broad Village seats about 7 times as many diners as its downtown parent. And the bar-b-que is pretty tasty, too.

From today's RTD:

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/lifestyles/flair/2012/feb/02/dining-out-review-halligan-bar-grill-ar-1657087/

HALLIGAN BAR & GRILL (suburban version)

Dana's Rating: ?

2451 Old Brick Road -- on a West Broad Village street corner in the Short Pump area.

804/364-2707

http://www.thehalliganbar.com

Noise level: High

Tab for two: $40

[burt]

A Salt Lake City Mexican chain that has 46 locations nationwide is snooping around the Short Pump area for a potential site.

From today's Richmond Biz Sense:

http://www.richmondbizsense.com/2012/02/02/make-way-for-more-mexican/

[burt]

The end of an era.

From West of The Boulevard News:

http://wotbn.net/byr...ken-down-today/

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

A Salt Lake City Mexican chain that has 46 locations nationwide is snooping around the Short Pump area for a potential site.

From today's Richmond Biz Sense:

http://www.richmondb...r-more-mexican/

Hmm..... I never guessed that Chipotle appealed to a specific age group..... but just from the look of the picture, Cafe Rio looks quite family-oriented. I don't really know though.... heres the website....

www.caferio.com

Edit:

Edited February 2, 2012 by RVA-Is-The-Best

[burt]

Backstage at BLOWTOAD. Pictures from the new restaurant's facebook page.

Jimmy Snead opens his new restaurant across West Cary Street from The Byrd Theatre TONIGHT.

http://www.facebook....&type=1

[burt]

Noted Richmond mixologist (read bartender) Bobby Krueger has parted ways with FANHOUSE at Robinson Street and Floyd Avenue and is reportedly helping out Jimmy Snead behind the bar of BLOW TOAD in Carytown.

Karri Peifer of Richmond dot com writes that Krueger has hopes of establishing a new restaurant somewhere in the Metro area perhaps as early as next November.

Meanwhile owner Sonny Zhao has a brand new grand piano at THE FANHOUSE and is attracting large crowds to the Fan Distruct bar that features Asian-inspired small plates and exotic cocktails.

From Karri Peifer at Richmond dot com:

http://www2.richmond...ant-ar-1662706/

[burt]

What can one say about this blog? Except that it is the most incredible diary of erudite activities in Richmond (or just about any city) you're likely to come across.

Karen, it seems, is out every evening (and lunchtime, too) visiting restaurants, clubs, museums and theatres.

From Karen's blog called "I Could Go On and On and On."

http://icouldgoonandon.blogspot.com/

Edited February 5, 2012 by burt

[burt]

MANSION FIVE 26 approaches the entertainment/food business in a secret-agent kind of way. Or so writes Robey Martin in her Style Weekly review. When climbing the few stairs to the mansion's front door, her party was diverted by a bouncer to an alleyway where they found a sort of hidden entry.

That was not my introduction to the building back in December. I simply walked through the front door, down a corridor with a dining room to the left and a sumptious bar at the end of the hall where I had a highball.

Anyway, soul food is the focus, and judging from the picture, it's heavy on cholesterol -- chicken and waffles, mac & cheese with beans. There are less fattening options on the menu as well.

From the current Style Weekly:

http://www.styleweek...ent?oid=1664421

MANSION FIVE 26

526 North Second Street in Jackson Ward

804/266-2021

There is a website for the adjoining Hippodrome Theatre:

http://www.hippodromerichmond.com

Edited February 8, 2012 by burt

[burt]

A feature in Deveron Timberlake's Short Order column this week is about Holy Yang who runs a chic restaurant called MADE IN ASIA at 7302 Hancock Village Drive in western Chesterfield County. Encouraged by the growth of nightlife activity in the Shockoe Slip area, she has taken a lease on the former Hunan Cafe at 1112 East Main Street.

Her new elegant venture, aimed at a youthful efluent demographic, will be called A2. It will join new venues such as SYNERGY and KAI and established clubs like OFF THE HOOKAH, EPIC THEATRE, BANK and TOBACCO COMPANY CLUB.

A side note: In the photograph accompanying Deveron's story, the white-fronted building at extreme right in the 1970's was a high-end French restaurant for about a year, although I've forgotten its name. It's the structure at the northwest corner of 12th and Main with the artfully peeling paint effect on its facade.

From the current Style Weekly:

http://www.styleweek...ent?oid=1664590

Edited February 8, 2012 by burt

[540_804]

Peter Chang's Richmond Spot Now Open

http://www2.richmond.com/entertainment/2012/jan/03/6/peter-changs-richmond-move-ar-1584363/

[burt]

Peter Chang's Richmond Spot Now Open

http://www2.richmond...ove-ar-1584363/

Yes!!! And if it's successful in Short Pump, Chang may open a restaurant in the downtown area.

[burt]

Dana Craig bestows three stars on ARCADIA.

The new steak house is in the 2-story building formerly known as Cafe Gutenberg (and before that, the funky Main Street Grill.)

I dined there over the holidays and agree with everything Dana has to say. It and Julep's add class to The Bottom.

From Dana Craig in today's RTD: (Click on the "gallery" for photos.)

http://www2.timesdis...mak-ar-1674427/

ARCADIA

Dana's rating: 3 Stars

1700 East Main Street in Shockoe Bottom (valet parking available for $5.)

http://www.arcadiarichmond.com

Twitter: @ArcadiaRVA

Noise level: Average

Tab for two: $85

[burt]

C STREET in the old church space once occupied by Acacia before it moved a few blocks east is reviewed by the Nelson couple who awarded it 2 and 1/2 stars.

From today's Richmond dot com:

http://www2.richmond...iew-ar-1676656/

C STREET

Leah and Jon's rating: Two-and-a-half stars

3325 West Cary Street

804/355-2200

Edited February 10, 2012 by burt

[burt]

PETER CHANG is in town and he welcomed a house full of Richmond chefs to sample his World Class cuisine.

http://fatbackandfoiegras.blogspot.com/2012/02/peter-chang-descends-on-richmond.html

[burt]

Just imagine a PETER CHANG CAFE on East Grace Street between 5th and 6th Streets. It would be the kind of "destination" restaurant that would attract heavy traffic to an area that is just starting to come alive.

[burt]

Karri Peifer sounds like the reverse of those suburbanites who swear they'll never set foot downtown. But PETER CHANG'S CAFE has changed her mind.

She succumbed to Chang's mystique and is now a devotee.

Apparently PETER CHANG'S CAFE in a Short Pump shoping center is advertising itself as being just off Richmond's Beltway (I-295) so that eager Washingtonians can be tempted to make the 2-hour trip.

Some suggest that Chang's present location will morph into a training center for the Chinese master's future dining empire after he establishes a signature restaurant closer to downtown Richmond.

From today's Richmond dot com:

http://www2.richmond...eal-ar-1679763/

[burt]

Here is the list of ELBY winners announced at the awards affair at Virginia Historical Society.

From chpn News:

http://chpn.net/news...12-elbys_21441/

PS: The word "ELBY" springs from one of the best chefs ever in Richmond -- Paul Elbling whose LA PETITE FRANCE put Richmond on National culinary maps. He and his wife Marie Antoinette, who was the hostess at the restaurant, had a large following before finally closing down after a decade or more.

Edited February 13, 2012 by burt

[burt]

Brandon Fox interviewed Peter Chang for Richmond Magazine on February 7th:

http://www.richmondm...d77b329b7039965

[burt]

Deep South Magazine has some good advice for eating out in the Southeast. So, if any of you folks live in Dixie you might want to scan this story to see if your favorite restaurant is listed.

The only entries for Virginia are in Richmond. PASTURE gets some good words, and they REALLY like ROOSEVELT.

I found this on the facepage for 525 AT THE BERRY BURK:

http://deepsouthmag.com/2012/02/where-to-eat-in-the-south-in-2012/

[burt]

About 80,000 tickets have already been sold for the 4-week run of THE LION KING opening tonight at The Landmark Theatre.

Considering the number of theatre-goers, and VCU students, as well as attendees at basketball games at the nearby Siegel Center, finding parking will require some ingenuity. Theatre management is suggesting patrons arrive an hour and a half before performance time.

Why not go early to the neighborhood, find a spot and dine at a near-by restaurant?

Here's Richmond Good Life's listing of Fan area restaurants, many of which are within walking distance of The Landmark Theatre:

http://www.richmondg...restaurants.htm

PS: It's not as if the parking situation is a new problem. The Landmark has lots of sold-out houses, i.e. concerts, forums, shows and other events (remember WICKED?)

[burt]

Deveron Timberlake's Short Order column in the current Style Weekly discusses:

KEBAB & BIRYANI in West Broad Village

BLOWTOAD in Carytown

TOWER FISH HOUSE (formerly known as Byram's) under the Channel 6 tower on West Broad Street

THE ROOSTER CART, often found near Bandito's on Patterson Avenue West of The Boulevard

and

BURGER BACH on Thompson Street near near Elwood Thompson Market. It's Michael Ripp's newest venture.

http://www.styleweek...ent?oid=1667019

[burt]

I hope readers are not bored with stories about Peter Chang. His entry into the Richmond Market is big news, make no mistake.

I hope one of the future news accounts tells of his plans for downtown Richmond -- Miller & Rhoads, perhaps?

From Deveron Timberlake in the current Style Weekly:

http://www.styleweek...ent?oid=1667013

Edited February 15, 2012 by burt